Haunted House

We waited patiently, toasting the moon, the stars, the mild and pleasant evening. I decorated the gazebo with large paper stars, a scary pumpkin and a gazing ball - signs pointed the way. Come in my dearies - candy bars are waiting - but the little goblins and purple witches were few this year.The front porch was waiting - very few little tippy toeing ballerinas or pirates stopped by.
Soon it was dark, the evening drew in, little fairies and tiny Tiggers were already home tucked into their beds, pails of sweeties at their sides.
The lights burned on for a while then dimmed - too much candy leftover, too tempting to leave in a bowl..................I'm off to find a hiding place for it.
Hope your Halloween was fun!

Witchy Woman Cast a Spell on Me

Oh my, look what jet lag does - turns a usually tame redhead into an old witch in her black boots. But witches don't have toes and I do - phew! I was beginning to get a bit worried.

Running around today trying to gussy up the cottage in time for the trick or treat brigade expected tomorrow evening. The weather is warm during the day but the cool nights should soon have those trees dressed in gold and brown. I must plant tulip and daffodil bulbs and cover with pansies before leaves carpet the garden.

The porch is ready except for the bowl of candy - mostly Bob's favorites in case there's leftovers. Have a ghoulish time......................and dress up in something, anything, just for an evening of fun. We hang out in our cul-de-sac with the neighbors, toasting the moon and scaring the kiddies. The way I'm feeling I may very well resemble that witch....now I must go find my pointy hat.

More English country and coastal chronicles coming soon.

There's No Place Like Home!

Crossing the pond took 8-1/2 hours yesterday.............suffering from a bit of jet lag right now. Be patient with me, I will have cottages and cream to tickle your fancy and whet your appetite - I promise!

Saturday night at Ye Olde Six Bells pub in Horley, Surrey - our last stop for an evening of pub food and sharing travel stories with people at neighboring tables. This has been our favorite stop near Gatwick airport for many years. The history of this picturesque pub - where I have to duck my head as the timbered ceilings are low - is documented as follows...................

Ye Olde Six Bells

"Her origins are lost in the mists of time, but long ago this lovely old building was a retreat for the monks of Dorking Abbey. Legend has it that St. Bartholemew's church, next door, and the pub are linked by a secret passage, and the names of some of the priests from the 12th century can be found in the lobby.

The oak used for the huge truss and beam roof structure and many of the original timbers are over 1000 years old. Since the 15th century the building has been an hostelry and Inn, standing beside the River Mole and near to the old London to Brighton road."

St. Bartholemew's Church

It's good to be back. Had a great time and have lots of pics to show you.
Catching up with each of you will take a while but I hope to get organized soon.

"Cheerio".........for now

Tomorrow I'm 'crossing the pond' and going home. I'll be looking eastward from the balcony and waking to this sunrise view for the next couple of weeks - looking across the bay, toward the English Channel. My hometown, Torquay, is in Devon in the Southwest of England.

Staying here in this beautiful Regency crescent building which was built 150 years ago. The center section is a five star hotel, each end comprises of private residences, a few rental apartments and timeshare units. Our 'Balcony Apartment' is to the left of the palm tree on the second floor (first floor in England)

You can see how the building is elevated just above the beach - high tide in this picture below - and there are scenic walks along the cliffs - part of the South Devon Coastal Path. Below - looking back from the cliff walk, across the bay to the west. I always sit on this bench and take in the panoramic view.From this location we can walk downhill to the harbor and into town just beyond that sandstone cliff, takes about 15 mins. as I love to stop and admire the gardens along the way. Return walk takes longer uphill (Torquay is built on seven hills like Rome) but it will be good exercise for us after these clotted cream teas at 4 PM each afternoon! Warm out of the oven scones served with homemade strawberry jam and Devonshire Cream - the specialty thick clotted cream of the county of Devon.

There is also Cornish cream from the neighboring county of Cornwall - complete with ongoing debate about whose cream is best. As far as I know, nowhere else in Britain is known for it's cream, probably because these are the two counties where the Jersey breed of cows are raised and produce high fat, creamy milk.

Needless to say, imbibing in this afternoon treat is neither low cal nor healthy for the arteries - but it's not like I do it often - two years since the last delicious cream tea! This English tradition is best enjoyed in a lush flower filled cottage garden, a proper but very cozy tea room, or on a terrace overlooking the sea. So, I will indulge, and also have one for my British friends over here - Jackie, Paula and Jen - gosh I already see another diet on the horizon in November!

Hope to take some new cottage pics to bring you - Devon is known for its thatched roofed, cob walled cottages surrounded by lovely flower-filled gardens, apple orchards and babbling brooks. Old villages are numerous, surrounded by ancient family farms, usually with a square towered Norman church, and of course the local pub, the social center of the community.......anyone ready for a pint of bitter (dark ale).........or perhaps you ladies will have a 'Shandy' (lager and lemonade)?

Below is my little journal to jot down my thoughts and add some memorabilia from this trip The 'stamps' were made especially for me by my wonderful friend in Washington State - fabulous! Thanks again dear Patti.
Wish I could tuck each of you cottage loving gals into my suitcase and take you on a guided tour of scenic Devon - know you would love it all. I'll do my best to take pics to share with you on my return. Until that time - end of October - I'll miss you all but promise to catch up with you again. Thank you for becoming my friends, I really do appreciate the time you spend visiting me online, and I love checking in with all of you and reading your wonderful posts.

So "Cheerio" for now. Don't forsake me.............don't forget me.................I promise to be back before you know it.

Trumpeting Angels

I've been fretting over my Angel Trumpets all Summer and into Fall - hardly a drop of rain around these parts, strict water restrictions, and temps. in the 90's almost daily. Would the struggling Angel Trumpets bloom? Didn't look like it until this past week when, despite dropping lower leaves, buds appeared and today these gorgeous yellow blooms started to open on two plants. I'm just thrilled to see them before having to leave on Monday. OK, I have to tell you that the photos below are of the pink ones blooming last year in early October. I do see a few buds on this plant today but doubt they'll open before I leave - so you get last year's to ooh and aah over!



I'll be posting Sunday before leaving for England - please stop by and I'll give you a quick preview of my hometown in lovely Devon.

Shabby SuzAnna's

No time for treasure hunting this week but did stop by my favorite place, SuzAnna's, last week and found even more wonderful things I would have loved to bring home.

Just look at this spectacular shabby, rose encrusted dresser - with a little TLC this would be a stunning addition to any room in the cottage. These French beds below were to die for - some lucky shopper has picked them up by now I'm sure. Note the old lampshade frame with shreds - this idea seems to be a popular look for Halloween decor in some current decorating magazines.

Actually I did grab this already shabby twig sculpture - using it on my table with the white and pale green pumpkins - thought it would also be pretty decorated with crystals and red hearts come Valentine's Day.
Mirror, mirror on the wall......................loved this display of old hand mirrors.

Just so many great items at SuzAnna's. When I return from England I'll be heading over there for their Holiday Open House. I have a new decorating project in mind, the guest room, so know I will find plenty of lovely already shabby and chic things, at reasonable prices, to bring home. Those wonderful gals just get better and better when it comes to finding and hauling back the best treasures to their charming shop.............and it's just the most fun place in town to shop, meet up with friends, have meaningful chats, and just feel good. One almost wants to move in with them to stay surrounded by so many beautiful items full of history.........and then take some home to start a new life in one's own cottage!



This is an early Inspiration Friday post - hope you all have a great weekend treasure hunting in cool Autumn weather.

A Hollywood Legend

I'm really not interested in the Hollywood scene as it is today - celebrities being 'celebrated' for their bad behaviour doesn't sit well with me. However, there are some legendary Hollywood 'stars' who were amazing in their day. In the tiny community of Grabtown, North Carolina, a star was born and her name was Ava Gardner. This past weekend on our trip through the town of Smithfield, we visited the museum dedicated to her - home to an incredible collection of original scripts, photos, movie posters, costumes and personal effects - Ava's story was a true Hollywood 'Cinderella Story".

We viewed an extremely well made film showing Ava with most of Hollywood's top male stars, including those whom she married (Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra). Here are some photos depicting her rise from little country girl to famous movie star.

Below - a watch given Ava by Frank Sinatra.

The museum has done a great display of costumes from several of Ava's films - behind glass so a little blurry here.

Note the teeny tiny waistline of this exquisite black velvet gown - Ava was definitely petite!

Below is Ava's beautiful china from her London home, along with some decorative items. She spent her last years living in London, becoming a close friend of the famous British poet, Robert Graves who actually wrote poems dedicated to her.

Sadly the days of the true Hollywood *star* seemed to have passed - they certainly were legends, both female and male, and I still think their movies were the best!

North to South Carolina Road Trip

OK - this week ahead will be a whirlwind - here I am back from a weekend road trip/wedding and now preparing for my trip home to England in one week. Lots to show you, lots to do, please bear with me as I post all these pics now - time will be at a premium.

A side trip to Florence, South Carolina on the way to the wedding, took us to the Pee Dee Farmers' Market..........................and there they were, the elusive white pumpkins, my search was over! I found some beauties and a gorgeous pale green one - the only one remaining.

Mexican chimineas and wrought iron furniture.

Fountains, statues, benches - all lovely. No pick up truck, no take home!!

Great veggies such as organic garlic, white radishes, pale green zucchini (courgettes to you European gals) and patty pan squash.

Driving home along the back roads we noticed how the terrible drought has affected the crops. Tobacco has suffered (not that I'm shedding tears over that one), but the soybeans and cotton looked parched, the corn was already ploughed under, and even the pumpkin crop has been damaged this season.

Below is a cotton field awaiting harvest - this crop is making a come back in North Carolina.

A beautiful plantation style antebellum mansion which now seems to be a farm house as it was surrounded by barns and outbuildings.

The imposing historic market place in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Above you can see my lonely green pumpkin waiting to be taken home - below a real white one front left, and the green one. The white twig 'sculpture', already a bit shabby, I found at SuzAnna'sMore postcards from the road soon.