My 2 Obsessions.......Harry Potter and Downton Abbey....send help!!!

So the people who know me, know that I am completely OBSESSED with Harry Potter. I was quite young when the first book came out and I fell in love with it and still love it even more today. When I was on dialysis I would watch the films on my mini DVD player in order on a regular basis. I think this made my dialysis sessions easier because I was so engrossed in the films. I love the first book and film best because it was the introduction to the story and characters.I love the story because it's a world full of magic and how amazing would it be to go to a magical boarding school. I'm still waiting for my letter from Hogwarts. I wanted a Harry Potter themed for my 30th birthday but I wasn't well enough to organise it. So might have to revisit it. However I did get a beautiful book from my hubby which I had wanted it since I saw it at the Harry Potter Studio Tour.

Any way isn't it every child's fantasy to go to a boarding school like in the book Malory Towers (by Enid Blyton) one of my other favourite books growing up.

Any enough of my childhood fantasies, I was lucky enough to go to 'The Making of Harry Potter' at the Warner Brother Studios near London. I have to say it was so amazing to be on parts of the sets and see all the props. I was so amazed how they made a lot of the props, like the potion bottle labels are all hand written, the Marauders map was all hand drawn- the mind boggles. I would have loved to make the props for this film I wish had gone into prop and set design especially when I see props and sets like these. I also wish I had known about the extra casting, I would have loved to be in these films oh well maybe I could be in the new Fantastical Beasts Films, which I can't wait to go and see.
I'm so obsessed that I'm planning on doing some art work for my house that is inspired by Harry Potter which will go along my hall. I have picked a few pictures but I think I took about 800 pictures so I had to choose only a few otherwise this blog would be mega long. So if you don't know what these each pic is I will explain.

So First pic at the top of the blog is:

1.  Me with a Butterbeer and a Butterbeer moustache 
2. Hubby and I at Diagon Alley
3. Hubby with Butterbeer and a Butterbeer moustache 
4. Model of Hogwarts
5. Great Hall table
6. Entrance to Dumbledores office-Sherbet Lemon
7. All the wands in a circle with all the names
8. Hubby and I at Diagon Alley again
9. The Clock overlooking the courtyard

Next pic

1. The Great Hall table
2. Us on the Night Bus 
3. Dumbledore costume in the Great hall-Happiness can be found even in the darkest of places if one only remembers to turn on the light (quote by Dumbledore)
4. Door to the Chamber of Secrets.
5. Model of Hogwarts
6. Marauders map-Mischief Managed
7. Us in the flying car
8. me at the Hogwarts gates
9. Us in front of the Wizard chess piece

So now I move on to my second obsession which is Downton Abbey after my friend told me to watch the series. She knew I loved the 1920's era and told me to watch it. I thought I wouldn't like it for some weird reason but I fell in love with. I loved the sets and costumes and I was very intrigued by how people lived in those days. There is definitely pattern here, I think it's because arty and creative I see the craftsmanship that goes into these productions. Some of those dresses they wear which are absolutely covered in sequins and delicate beading works are beautiful  and I wish I had a few dresses like that I could just whip out on special occasions.




So any way I do go on a bit, I think I nagged my husband to go to the stately home, Highclere Castle (where it was filmed) for about a year. So my dreams finally came true, we visited Downton (Highclere) and it was amazing. Unfortunately we weren't aloud to take pictures inside but I did get the guide book and I do have a book like my Harry Potter one which tells you about the series and how it was film/behind the scenes. It was a bit of a wet and cold day when we went so had initially dressed quite glamorous with a pretty dress and my new shoes. Due to the weather though I had to put on my pink ski jacket which ruined then effect slightly. I was also retaining a lot of fluid in this pic as I'm sure you can tell, life of a kidney disease patient. This was back in August 2015 so I would love to go back once I have lost a bit of weight post transplant and take the same picture and see the difference. 

My love for Downton has been reignited by the tv series I watched recently (which has now ended) which was Tutankhamun, the story of the Earl of Carnarvon (who lived at Highclere) and Howard Carter finding his tomb. If you get to Highclere there is an exhibition in the basement- which I would have found very interesting if I had, had time to go. As I absolutely loved Egypt and all the antiquities we saw in the Cairo Museum and Luxor. I was in awe of all the temples and the antiquities, I will let you into a little secret I actually wanted to be an Archaeologist when I was younger and the area most interested in was Egyptology. I even went on a Archaeological dig.  

 Any way Toodles xx