One of those days

Well the cottage cleaning went much slower than planned yesterday.........the sore throat of three days developed into a miserable cold which has slowed me down! Today, besides picking dh up from the airport later, I plan to doctor myself with warm lemon drinks, hot milk and brandy, and lie low - cleaning can wait, it's just too much of a chore when one is sick!

Some living room (which in England would be "sitting room") vignettes - they did get dusted thank goodness - show some of my quirky ideas. I do love the cottage style but am always ready to throw in some baroque or Bohemian bits and pieces. Also love to bring the outside in by giving some of my garden treasures time indoors. Guess that makes my style eclectic.

Garden books including my set of three, much beloved, illustrated "Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady" volumes by Edith Holden - who died tragically by drowning in the River Thames while collecting nature items to draw and paint.
Love this china jardiniere on the bottom shelf - has the French word "JARDIN" (Garden) on a green toile de jouy background - best buy ever at Ross a couple of years ago.
As mentioned earlier, I love anything with the written word - this little ROSEBUDS pot is a favorite.
I love this idea for old frames found while treasure hunting the local flea markets. If you don't have anything to fit it but still want to hang, put another already framed picture in the chosen spot and hang the empty frame around it. My English style handmade silk shades will be the subject of another story I'll save for later.

I woke before the morning, I was happy all the day, I never said an ugly word, but smiled and stuck to play.............................Robert Louis Stevenson

Cottage Cleaning

News just in, read all about it..........family company coming from Arizona next week to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. My husband's Grandparents were from County Kerry. So, will spend today doing some much needed sprucing up around the house! We enjoy our fireplace so much on chilly nights and burn good oak wood - makes a lot of dust though!

I do enjoy collecting soup tureens - usually white or cream. Love making soup, especially from recipes from the old British "Cranks" vegetarian restaurant in London which has been around since the sixties! A couple of good hot soups, crusty bread, and a beautiful salad, make a quick Winter evening party...................especially with a good bottle of wine or some hearty ale along side. Always finish up with a rich classic English dessert - sherry trifle is our favorite!

Hibernian Pub will be just the place after the downtown parade on March 17 - quite authentic with beautiful old wood bar imported from Ireland, handsome Irish bartenders.............and really scrumptious "fish 'n chips". Come on by, would love to meet you there, raise a glass, and wish you the Luck of the Irish!

Must leave you for now - don't you just hate having to put creative endeavors aside to do housework, sigh!

A COTTAGE IS...........................................

................a little bit of heaven on earth.

If someone asked you "what's your definition of a cottage?" how would you answer? Many of us who read these wonderful "cottage blogs" really do embrace the idea of turning our homes into cottages even though we are living in the American version! Sometimes the outside of our house almost resembles a cottage style, though probably without a thatched roof! We paint in country colors, build garden structures, plant pots of cottage garden flowers, grow peas, beans, and oh so British Brussels sprouts, get hollyhocks to make a Summer fence, linger on teak benches by goldfish ponds, and serve tea in Summer houses and conservatories. Meanwhile inside - we plan, design, paint, sew, arrange, and then rearrange furniture, burn wood fires, hunt flea markets and yard sales for treasures, all in hopes of eventually living the cottage life...................and revelling in that comfy, warm, snug, country inspired feeling, the true feeling of home.
(Some years ago there was a British thatcher living here in North Carolina and I wanted so much to have him thatch my potting shed - alas I waited too long and he upped and moved to France to cook as he was also a trained chef).


My home in Devon, England is well known for tiny villages and hamlets tucked away in the river valleys and rolling countryside. Dairy farming has been a way of life since Anglo-Saxon times - and of course Devonshire Cream teas are always announced on a rustic, handprinted sign on the farmhouse gate.

Do tell me about your cottage dreams. Why do you like this style of living? With so many huge homes now being built here, why have you decided a smaller, cozy cottage is more your style? Have you ever been to the British Isles and visited authentic cottages.......in villages or at the seaside perhaps?

Take me Home............or traveling

Today I ventured out early to "Tuesday Morning" for their current sale - these are a few of the items that called out "choose me, choose me". The concrete planter is already "mossy" and the shade of green I love. The two decorating books are great - especially love Country Living's "Country Color Combinations", some beautiful photos and use of paired colors. The sweet little green silk gift bag with tassels will be perfect to hold a gift for my Northwest art friend - she loves embroidery as well as tassels!! The balls of textured yarn in Spring colors will be useful in my art projects. I also found plain cards and envelopes at bargain prices, and a box of cards - Van Gogh's famous Starry Night, Cafe de Nuit, Irises etc., this for my granddaughter as he's her favorite artist.

At the Cafe de Nuit, Arles

A hot June day in Provence - how lucky to be visiting such fabulous places when one is nine years old - hooray for Grandparents who travel!! Arles - loving the history of the place where Vincent Van Gogh spent time painting, drinking and fighting! Such a sad life but such beautiful art encompassing all the brilliant, saturated colors of Provence and the South of France.

Vincent's room in his yellow house, Arles.

More stories from France another time.

The waiting game

This time of year is much about waiting. Waiting to start digging in the garden; waiting for the trees to burst out in a thousand shades of green; waiting for blossoms, pink, white, red; waiting for warmer days.......and nights; waiting to get out and walk off the Winter cobwebs (if you're not one of those amazing "walk in any weather" people); waiting to sit on the front porch with a steaming mug of morning coffee and see the sun come up; then back in the afternoon with a cup of fragrant Earl Grey tea...........................................and then, before you know it, the evenings are warm enough to actually enjoy a sunset aperitif outdoors before dinner!!

I love my front porch and will share pictures soon - meanwhile this is a Spring morning at my childhood home in Devon, complete with rainbow over distant Dartmoor.

I'm missing home - always do in Springtime - it arrives early, the hedgerows smothered in pale yellow primroses - followed by hidden bluebell woods, home of fairies I'm sure!

"Oh to be in England now that Spring is here".

Not that I don't like Winter, I really do, especially since moving to North Carolina! I must live where there are four distinct seasons - and I really enjoy each one for the beauty it brings. Today I made my "art pal" in the snowy Northwest a Spring surprise box. She loves tassels and music so I'm hoping she'll enjoy this one. Made use of fabrics I had - decorated an empty chocolate box - added some tags (I love making tags). Will send it on its merry way tomorrow!

More Tulips Around the House

As I said, I really do love tulips and am waiting for my Pink Impressions to bloom in the garden.

....................................and then, this afternoon, around a garden corner I found my sweet sleeping cherub guarding the first Alyssum blooms peeking out from the oak leaves...................can Spring be far away?

The Potting Shed - where all my garden goodies are stored for the Winter......time for a clean out so I'll be ready to break new ground as it warms.

MARCH
As the month advances so does the tide of green that sweeps over the garden. Every day there are new buds, shoots and delicate blooms to admire.......weeds too! For gardeners the urge to get outside and do things becomes irresistible.

How I love Dutch tulips

Seems we all have Spring Fever and just can't wait for the clocks to change and enjoy those longer evenings - three weeks earlier this year here in the USA. Garden chores are are making themselves highly visible now - will have to get the old joints loosened up before all that raking, bending, kneeling etc. Meanwhile the indoor versions of my favorite flower, the tulip, are scattered about the house on pots I've decoupaged and prints I've framed. I enjoy these while the true ones are struggling to poke through the earth - hopefully I'll share pictures of them later. I now plant tulips mostly in pots to thwart the dastardly squirrels and voles - daffodils are not on their menu, thank goodness, so they're out there waving in the Saturday morning sunshine. Enjoy your weekend whether under sunny skies or falling snow flakes - every day is wonderful so make the most of it!