Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Life's Little Instruction Book, page 138 + some of my favorite things . . .





Brooke Astor's study designed by Albert Hadley. You know how much I love leather bound books and bookshelves!

A little Photoshop fun with a moth from an antiquarian print superimposed on one of my cement pots.

Don't forget to drain all your outside faucets so they don't freeze over the winter. I haven't shut off the water from the inside yet...yesterday was absolutely gorgeous.

I wear my Wellies daily; in the morning when the dew or frost is still on the grass and on evening walks with Webster. Actually, they are my favorite outdoor footwear for tromping around the cottage grounds.

A load of wash my mother hung out to dry. She always wears jumpers and flannel nighties. She hangs her clothes in a random sort of way. I could never do that. I have to hang all the towels together, all the socks together, all the pillowcases together, etc. After the house is painted in the spring, I want to hang that awful ladder from a rafter in the garage and plant something nice against the foundation.

Several people have been asking for pictures of Webster. These are not new, but they are good ones of the wonder dog.

I don't look forward to the dead brown winter grass. I wonder why Webster wasn't wearing one of his coats? Must have been warm that day.

This is definitely a spring or summer photo as you can see from the bird's nest in the background.

The carpenter is gone and Webster misses him. Thanks for stopping by the cottage for a few photos and a page from our favorite book. ♥Rosemary



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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Bunny Williams on PBS 10/22/09 . . .

One of my friends sent me an email to remind me to watch this program on PBS Thursday night at 7:30 and I'm so glad she did. I've never seen any of the "Moment of Luxury" segments but I am definitely watching this one. I have so many books by Bunny Williams. Check your local listings for the schedule in your area.

Bill Subs visits Litchfield County, Connecticut for renovation and design tips from celebrated interior designer and best-selling author Bunny Williams at the magical 18th-century house and garden she restored as a labor of love.

I haven't had much time to devote to my blog recently due to all the home repairs going on around the cottage. You'll be glad to know I can see a speck of light at the end of the tunnel. ♥Rosemary



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Monday, October 19, 2009

A Vintage Halloween Postcard Video . . .

I couldn't embed this wonderful video because the feature was disabled. Click here or on the image above to go to the slideshow of Vintage Halloween postcards with music. Trick or Treat!

Thanks for stopping by the cottage to get in the mood for everyone's favorite holiday which is less than 2 weeks away. ♥Rosemary



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Sunday, October 18, 2009

AGA Rangemaster Cookers Go Dotty After 300 Years.

AGA goes dotty over new (limited edition) Emma Bridgewater model covered in brightly colored polka dots. It's a little too daring for my taste. I prefer neutral everything with my antiques providing color and contrast. What do you think of these wildly emblished stoves? I think this one costs around $10,000 in case you were thinking of placing an order.

Four leading personalities in the British Isles have given their take in a series of decorated cookers to celebrate AGA Rangemaster’s 300-year heritage.

Renowed pottery designer, Emma Bridgewater, has designed an iconic polka-dot AGA. Atomic Kitten singer, Natasha Hamilton, has embellished a Rangemaster cooker with cupcakes. Eco designer and TV presenter, Oliver Heath, has created a patchwork wood-burning Rayburn and Michelin-star winning chef, Nick Nairn, has designed a fabulous tartan Falcon cooker that signifies his Scottish roots.

I don't often do two posts in one day but I found these stoves so interesting, I just couldn't wait another day. Thanks for stopping by the cottage again. ♥Rosemary



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Saturday, October 17, 2009

2012 Olympics pictograms launched this week . .

One of the most eagerly-awaited design elements of the London 2012 Summer Olympics was launched on Friday - the pictograms. Read more and see a second version.

Click here for the official Olympic Games site (past and present). Thanks for stopping by the cotttage. Enjoy your Sunday. ♥Rosemary



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Bless this mess . . .

I took these pictures yesterday to show the condition of my kitchen after working for 2 weeks with my carpenter/handyman around the cottage.

Every tool, rag, can of paint, etc. that I provided for various jobs ended up on my kitchen table. To eat lunch every day, we just shoved the stuff aside.

I have the weekend off and won't do much besides try to put everything away. He's coming back on Monday to help me put weather stripping on some exterior doors to make the house warmer. I've got a list going of other things I want to get done too.

We're on a roll and I can't let him go until the major things are done to get ready for winter. We are going to paint the exterior next spring. It feels so good to have accomplished so much in the past 2 weeks.

I would love to get all of my tools organized and in one place. I usually can find most things pretty easily which is a miracle since I have them in the basement, in the attic, in the pantry, in a kitchen drawer, in the garage, and sometimes in the car.

Hopefully, by the time you read this post I'll have this mess cleaned up. Thanks for stopping by the cottage. ♥Rosemary



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Friday, October 16, 2009

Life's Little Instruction Book, page 137 + Recipe for Chai Tea w/ Soy Milk . . .











It is absolutely freezing at my house. I'll have my chai tea steaming hot, please. In the summer I drink it over ice. Thanks for stopping by the cottage for a page from my favorite book by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. and a great drink recipe. ♥Rosemary



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Thursday, October 15, 2009

Blog Action Day 2009 ~ Queen Elizabeth Fights Climate Change . . .

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip at Balmoral. Her Royal Highness has instructed her police bodyguards to trade their gas-guzzling Range Rovers for black mountain bikes whenever possible.

The switch to bicycles is designed to reduce fuel consumption and establish a greener way of guarding the Royal Family during their summer break. The officers are pleased to be getting good workouts and saving fuel at the same time.
This is nothing new for Queen Elizabeth; she started going green more than two decades ago. The main castle's boilers have been converted to burn wood chips instead of oil and she is said to go around Buckingham Palace switching off the lights. Good for her!

The Queen's company, The Crown Estate, has purchased the world's largest offshore wind turbine known as the Britannia project. The company is also involved in the development of offshore windfarms in Scottish waters.

I think it is wonderful that she is so proactive instead of just sitting back and leaving the problem of global warming for Charles to take care of on his watch.


Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day on their own blogs with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. Blog Action Day 2009 will be the largest-ever social change event on the web. One day. One issue. Thousands of voices.

Keep working hard to reduce your carbon footprint. We all share the same planet and it's in pretty bad shape right now. Thanks for stopping by the cottage. ♥Rosemary



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Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Piano Stairs in Stockholm, Sweden . . .

The experiment worked. Make it fun and more people will choose to get their exercise by walking up the stairs instead of using the escalator. Reminded me of Tom Hanks in the movie BIG playing that foot-operated piano keyboard.

Thanks for stopping by the cottage for a little fun today. ♥Rosemary



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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Ramblings about the cottage . . .

My leaves don't have this much color and have just started turning loose. Not enough to rake yet. I plan on doing a good mowing as soon as it is dry enough after today's predicted rain.

I got this miniature painted rocker at a house sale for almost no money several years ago. I love it.

I didn't get poison ivy even once this year and I'm so pleased. Maybe the horrible case I got 2 years ago helped build up my immunity. Hope so!

Webster would be right at home with this gang of tv-watching dogs. Of course he'd have to have a cusion and a blanket.

I scanned this image from one of my books and made this illustrated gardening quote by Rudyard Kipling a while back. I've been in a carpentry/painting mode lately and am quite glad I don't have to take care of any plants just now. My geraniums that were recently moved inside are just enough.

My helper and I got the fence painted yesterday with one person on the inside of the enclosure and the other on the outside. It was twice as fast with 2 people painting simultaneously. We beat the rain too. It would have taken me 2 days to do it alone. Thanks for stopping by the cottage for a short visit. ♥Rosemary



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Monday, October 12, 2009

Happy Columbus Day . . .

Hopefully you don't have to work since today is Columbus Day. I just woke up with nothing prepared so I'm sending you to History.com to learn all about this holiday. You'll be able to watch videos and click around to your heart's content if you are curious. My helper is already here and I haven't even had a cup of coffee. Home maintenance around the cottage is never done. Thanks for stopping by. ♥Rosemary



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Sunday, October 11, 2009

Kansas City Library Parking Garage :: Community Bookshelf . . .

"I found a picture of this the other day while searching for photos from Kansas City and I knew I had to go photograph it myself. This is probably one of the coolest things I've ever seen. I live here and I've never heard of it before—it makes me wonder what other secrets my hometown might be hiding." Jonathan Moreau

What secrets are hiding in your hometown?

Some info from the kclibrary.org website about the books, an art piece called "Community Bookshelf"

"The Community Bookshelf is a striking feature of Kansas City's downtown. It runs along the south wall of the Central Library's parking garage on 10th Street between Wyandotte Street and Baltimore Avenue. The book spines, which measure approximately 25 feet by 9 feet, are made of signboard mylar. The shelf showcases 22 titles reflecting a wide variety of reading interests as suggested by Kansas City readers and then selected by The Kansas City Public Library Board of Trustees." See more photos in the following article: Read more about the features of this architectural wonder here.

Thanks for stopping by the cottage for a repeat performance. I published this post over a year ago and it remains popular. Those of you who haven't seen it should enjoy it. Make the most of the long weekend...I know I will. ♥Rosemary



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