Happy Birthday!

Yesterday was my sister's 60th birthday and today we (me, her daughter, granddaughter, and daughter-in-law) took her for afternoon tea at Cliveden in Berkshire. She didn't know where she was going until they all arrived. And then I turned up a few minutes later as an added surprise. This is, of course, my sister, Tina. Just behind her is a painting of Nancy Astor (see below).

The afternoon tea was fabulous - a great setting for a very special celebration. When we were done we had just enough time for a quick walk around the main house as the sun was going down. See Extra photos.

Cliveden is owned by the National Trust and sits on over 375 acres of gardens and woodland overlooking the Thames near Maidenhead. It was once the home of Nancy Astor, an American born Member of Parliament, the first woman to be elected and to take her seat in Parliament. In the 1960s it was the main setting for the events of the Profumo affair which brought down the Conservative government in 1964.

The main house is now run as an exclusive hotel but the grounds are open to the public, as are parts of the house on certain days.