Northwest Passage

Next Tuesday I leave North Carolina and fly to the spectacular Pacific Northwest and Canada.......................cooler weather and mountain vistas will be welcomed! We always take our "traveling Granddaughter" on a Summer adventure - this one will bring her number of countries visited to six. Not bad for a ten year old! She's a great traveler and we love to take her along. She keeps a journal on our trips - last year she did a great one while in France and Spain. I make a scrapbook of our trip when we get home so she will always have a special book of memories to keep. This trip will take us to Seattle, Bainbridge Island, Olympic Peninsula, Victoria B.C., through the San Juan Islands by ferry, Vancouver B.C., Bellingham and back to Seattle. I have done this trip several times with DH and every time has been memorable. Washington State is such a beautiful part of the USA and going to Canada is a little like going home to England for me. I really love Victoria, seeing the Empress Hotel as the ferry pulls into the harbor, and all those shops selling British goods! Vancouver is a great city - plenty to do and so beautiful.

I'm especially excited to be visiting Bellingham again as I now have a very special friend there and we are planning what I know will be a fun get together. We met by mail just a year ago, yes good old fashioned snail mail, after I ordered a beautiful handmade box containing Haiku poems she had written. We discovered we had similar interests and continued a pen pal type friendship, exchanging dozens of handmade cards and envelopes, small art projects, scrap items, rubber stamps, books on the written word - which we both adore, and surprise packages with little gifts (see my post from March 6, 2007 ~ The Waiting Game). Granddaughter and I will get to see her amazing studio and perhaps find time to work on some craft projects - the DH's can shoot the breeze, talk about their respective international travels, and right the wrongs of the world.

We girls just wanna have fun!!!!!

In the Garden After the Rain

Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain there would be no life.

~~~~~~~~~~John Updike~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was so wonderful to have a full day and night of steady rain on Sunday....we had not seen a drop in 20 days and the plants, shrubs, grass, and trees were listless and dusty, saved only by helpful humans dragging hoses, hoisting watering cans, and moving sprinklers for hours on end. Soon water restrictions will be in effect. Summer in the South can be brutally hot and dry despite the high humidity.

The potting shed was washed down.

The lilies unfurled their pristine petals.

The dainty fireflies dried out on these seedlings.

The bees collected pollen from the Cabot Rose on the fence.
The thirsty Endless Summer Hydrangeas drank like parched travelers in the desert..........

....................changing their damp green dresses for dry lavender blue ones once their thirst was quenched. My wish is that you all are able to keep your gardens growing happily throughout this Summer. It's a hard job, an almost daily one, and perhaps you, like me, sometimes think you just can't go on and will have to let Mother Nature take over and do what she will. But then comes a day like today. You walk around in the sunshine, admiring the plants and seeing how they have responded to the rain. Peeking into the blossoms you spy the tiny insects at work.................then all the hard work, the love and care you have given is all worthwhile............and you just know you must stay with it for as long as you can.

Teapots and Friendships

My dear friend Angelica who visited with her DH last weekend brought me this adorable gift. The teapot is solid glass, as heavy as a paperweight, with the flower embedded inside. Pretty enough alone but then, on opening a second box, there was this white wood stand which has a bulb inside and when plugged in it illuminates the teapot..............such a golden glow. I have it in my dining room now - it would also make a beautiful night light in a bedroom

Thank you dear friend - you always spoil me and give me such delightful gifts!

Speaking of friendships, most of us share special times with our women friends, many of whom we've been fortunate enough to live close to for many years. These are people we would miss so very much if we, or they, moved away. Even harder is going through a personal situation where not only have you moved and lost friends, you may have lost a spouse and be mourning. This has happened recently to a British born friend on the West coast who has just started a blog in hopes she can get through her grief by sharing her personal story, photography, and words. She also lost her dear Mother to Alzheimer's early this year so things have been really tough for her. If you visit her, or know friends who may be in a similar situation and would like to share thoughts, she would love to hear from you. You will find her at Blackpool Rocks

Fun Thrifting

Thursday, in 90 degrees and blazing sun, I spent two delightful hours with Susie and Anna, the fabulous gals who find such wonderful antique/vintage/shabby chic treasures for their charming shop

"SuzAnna's Antiques" . Among my bounty, two Euro size square pillows - down/feather forms - with perfectly faded floral Ralph Lauren linen shams with wide ruffles, a bargain at $30. the pair! They are now washed and fluffed and being used in the gazebo - sure make those wrought iron chairs more comfy to lean back in as we watch the garden grow!

The old wood corbel will go somewhere - the adorable metal bowl is on my dresser as it's the perfect blue grey for the bedroom. Another old wood sign was grabbed fast as the thoughts of marking a nook in the garden as the

"Secret Garden" was irresistible.

This "old man in the moon with nymph" is perfect on the back fence - there's a sun at the other end - and of course squirrels are already checking it thinking there's birdseed in it!

These are some pics showing the huge amount of fabulous treasure available at SuzAnna's......right now! Of course the displays hanging from walls, ceilings, fences, on tables, in cabinets, on shelves..........and of course the floor, change weekly as stock is sold and replenished. Some areas are for consignments from "cottage/antiques" vendors............all really neat, quaint collectibles and necessities for our homes and gardens ~~~~ or just to please our romantic thoughts and the need to "feather the nest".

Ooh! to think I threw out my huge collection of patterns just recently - I used to sew clothing constantly!


Below is the wonderful outdoor "hunting ground" at SuzAnna's. I love this space which seems to be extending out further so one is greeted by treasures immediately when jumping from the car in the parking area. Susie and Anna are usually out here busy painting cottagey furniture, touching up mirror and picture frames, planting every unusual type of container with flowers.

Notice the blue grey shutters top right pic, these are part of the set from which I bought the two for my bedroom (love 'em so much!). Guess what.......bought two more this week and will store them until Fall when I plan to make over the guest room - they may get a different paint wash color but will definitely be hanging in that room some day.

I also found this adorable oval mirror with unusual little "legs" which really hangs on the wall I think. The cream/gilt finish is perfect, few small scratches on the glass but that's makes it better. I will hang this in the guest room as part of the make over.

AND..................do you see them? More old copies of Victoria. Anna, bless her heart, found them for me and gave them to me as a gift - how fabulous is that! Guess what I'll be doing this afternoon while having tea in the gazebo..................lounging back on that pillow, reading Victoria and munching real English chocolate covered Digestive biscuits I found at World Market. Well a girl has to be bad sometimes!

Inspiration Friday

....................there was time to sleep, long lovely hours of night snuggled in a comfy bed, enveloped in a puffy duvet, lavender water scenting my pillow. However, somewhere along the way my bed time has become shorter and shorter because there is always so much to do and sleep seems at the bottom of the list! I know this is not a good thing so I plan to try to get more sleep, Now if only DH would stop snoring.............
These are some beautiful beds from French Country magazine.



So that's all for now........a little inspiration goes a long way.........I'm off to my bed right now as it's already Friday.

French Gateau Recipe

Several friends have requested the recipe for the very easy French cake which seems to have become a staple around here! Good just served plain for afternoon tea with a cuppa, or gussied up with whipped or pouring cream for a pretty dessert. Apparently the story behind this gateau style cake is that it's rustled up quickly to serve "pour le gouter" the afternoon snack when the children come home from school at 4 p.m. Dinner is served much later in France so I guess this yummy treat doesn't interfere with the evening meal!

Note the addition of ground almonds - these are used often in European baking and add nice moisture to a cake. I buy the pound bag of Bob's Red Mill Ground Almond Meal/Flour which I find available in most grocery stores in their health/natural foods section. Keep it in a zip bag in the 'frig. I use unsalted butter. Have tried using half Splenda for the sugar, however the cake looks a bit different in color, but tastes fine.

I now use all flexible silicon baking pans (KitchenAid has great ones - often on sale in TJMaxx/Marshalls/Homegoods). Love them for even cooking and easy release - this gateau pops right out on a plate inverted on top - nothing stuck behind in the pan!! Watch the cake carefully toward end of the baking time as it will start to brown quickly - I find 30 mins. is fine with the flexible pan - when I can see it pulling away from the edges. Hope you can click and enlarge recipe and start baking soon.

Enjoy!

I sometimes sprinkle with crushed pistachios or sliced almonds.
One of my favorite toppings for anything with fruit is Mascarpone Cream.

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

2 tablespoons honey

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Have cream, medium bowl and beaters chilled.

Whisk together mascarpone and honey in small bowl.

Whip cream to medium peaks in chilled medium bowl.

Fold mascarpone mixture into whipped cream. Chill until ready to serve.

Makes about 2-1/2 cups.

Back to Reality

Today after dropping my DH at the airport for a business trip to Sacramento (he's actually "actively retired" and back as a consultant!), I desperately needed some "retail therapy" after back-to-back weekends with visiting friends..................loved having you but need to to get back to reality after all that talking, eating, drinking and gallivanting!!

Shopping area near the airport includes local Homegoods store next door to a TJMaxx - here's what I found....in TJM, the "Summer bag" for banging around and travel - genuine Fossil brand at 50% off (you know how we all look for bargains). Love this bag after looking for several weeks for one that met the criteria..............fabric, lightweight, lined in pretty floral cotton, many pockets. and looooooooooong adjustable strap for handheld, shoulder, and across the body when traveling. Too many backpacks being pilfered I hear - and I do love my backpacks for convenience.

The tablecloth is gorgeous for $7. on a clearance shelf! 100% cotton but looks like linen - love the striped border on the damask print. This is for the outdoor dining table on the deck - realized I need a long rectangular cloth which I can cut and velcro to go around the umbrella. Bit embarrassing when I set the new table for company and had to use two cloths!

At Homegoods the blue dishes were irresistible so I bought four for $12. - real Summer theme with starfish, shells etc. and I like them layered on these cream rustic dishes.

See those two tablecloths? Eclectic tablescape!!!!!!!My popular, easy to make, French gateau with fresh juicy pears (you can use apples, apricots etc.). This was quickly scoffed down slathered with whipped cream at afternoon tea in the gazebo. It was amazing to have two sets of dear friends visit for consecutive weekends and have gorgeous weather each time. We certainly enjoyed dining alfresco much of the time - I felt I was back in France or Italy - and of course nothing shabby in that. When enjoying those countries I loved eating and drinking meals under the sun, an umbrella, or a pergola covered with climbing roses and wisteria vines.