Friday, March 11, 2011

Knit The Royal Wedding


If you’re needled about not being invited to the royal wedding, don’t despair – for now you can knit yourself there. The designs are in a £9.99 book by Fiona Goble and the wool to create the 10-character set will cost around £80.

These include the bride and groom, the Queen and Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. And, of course, the corgis. Other ‘characters’ include Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles and Prince Harry. Each will take around five hours to make – if you know what you’re doing. The dogs are said to be the most difficult because of their short stubby legs.

More pictures, a wonderful article and instructions for ordering the book here. You'd better hurry because you don't have a lot of time to 'Knit Your Own Royal Wedding' and I hope you'll let me know if you do.

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The Beautiful Gardens at Fontainebleau

Here is another fine photo by ©David Giral of the Gardens at Fontainebleau.  

The first thing I am going to do this morning is take my taxes to the post office and mail them to my accountant. I'm thrilled that I finally finished that dreaded yearly job yesterday. A big weight has been lifted from my shoulders allowing me to have a great weekend. It stopped raining too. Perfect!

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Thursday, March 10, 2011

Fontainebleau Castle Reflections


Fontainebleau Castle Reflections, Seine-et-Marne, France (Southeast of Paris) ©David Giral This beautiful HDR photograph was made using three different exposures.
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Free Range Chickens

These chickens are beautiful, aren't they. I love that they aren't in a cage and can peck away wherever they like. That's a big tractor in the background so I hope they are careful. I always buy eggs from from free range hens. via

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I thought I Saw An Owl

I was working at the kitchen sink one morning this week and I was positive I saw an owl on one of the outside chairs but it turned out to be Mr. Squirrel.

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Extraordinary Small Home | Innermost House

This tiny house called INNERMOST HOUSE is twelve feet by twelve feet in size. Do the math and that translates to 144 square feet. It has no electricity or power of any kind.

The five distinct rooms are heated by a fireplace in the living room, the heart of this house. All the firewood is free fruitwood prunings from local orchards. 

All of the books were carefully chosen over the years as contributing something essential to the Innermost Life. It is strange that it was not until they were displayed all together, illuminated by the fire at Innermost House, that the owners realized nearly every one was first written by firelight. 

Real wood, real plaster, real beeswax candles - the real things really do make a difference. Wonderful hand-crafted windows, woodwork, shelves were made by a master craftsman in Monterey, California.

I discovered this amazing story at The Tiny House Blog and it's a must-read for anyone wanting to simplify and/or downsize. There are more pictures to drool over. I loved it!!!!!! You will too. Enjoy.

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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Rijksmuseum ~ Amsterdam, Netherlands


The Rijksmuseum Research Library in Amsterdam has the largest art history library in the Netherlands. It has maintained a constant, high-standard acquisition policy since 1885 and contains approximately 250,000 volumes. The Rijksmuseum also plays an important international role in making Dutch art history available and disseminating it. via
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A Garden and A Library

  
Well, almost everything. I might have to throw in a computer. Agreed? What else would you require? Maybe a cute little dog? How about this one?

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Not A Castle But A Folly | Broadway Tower in The Cotswolds


On my first trip to England in 1974 I headed straight for Broadway in the Cotswolds. This structure is often called England's Smallest Castle, but the Broadway Tower is really a folly. You can get a commanding view of the surrounding countryside from the top. photo ©Al Cooper
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs. In the original use of the word, these buildings had no other use, but from the 19th to 20th centuries the term was also applied to highly decorative buildings which had secondary practical functions such as housing, sheltering or business use.

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Bluebells At Dawn

Here is a lovely spring scene to get your day off to a beautiful start. I've never seen so many bluebells completely carpeting a woodland floor, have you? ©Barry Wakelin

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Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Stone Cottage with Lilacs

I found a delightful (English?) stone cottage with a beautiful garden and a blooming lilac to get you through the early March doldrums when everything is so unattractive. Spring is literally right around the corner. photo ©John Goad

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Potted Bulbs on The Breakfast Table


Isn't this breakfast table in the Netherlands absolutely stunning with the addition of potted bulbs in full bloom? I ate my breakfast standing over the sink in a huge rush to meet an early morning customer before the office meeting. In my mind I was sitting at this table. Enjoy the lovely day.

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Monday, March 7, 2011

A Kitchen To Love


A creamy palette adds charm to a remodeled space.
This kitchen is new but feels original to the home. The old-meets-new design was achieved with sage-coloured, Shaker-style cabinets, a tongue-and-groove ceiling and vintage-look hardware. A footed cabinet houses the appliances, and sets it apart from the rest of the room. Meanwhile, the paneled dishwasher to the right of the sink cleverly masquerades as drawers. Photo Source I think this kitchen is amazing, don't you?

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Boathouse with Unique Exterior Sliding Doors





You know how much I love to blog about sliding barn doors so I was really blown away by the genius design of this Hood Canal Boat House. The building is only two doors wide and the tracks extend beyond the building like wings so doors open completely allowing full access to the inside. What a great idea! Click here to see all of the wonderful full-size photos of this 2008 project by the Pacific Northwest Architectural Firm Bosworth Hoedemaker. I'm giving this project two thumbs up.
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Your Dose of England for Today

"Milldale Cottage, Peak District National Park, England." I know you all love this little cottage as much as I do, right? The photo by Johnny Fez is very painterly, isn't it? via

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William Arthur Ward Illustrated Quote for Monday

Pretty soon we will be seeing oak seedlings everywhere. The acorns have been buried all winter and are about to spring forth very soon. Gardeners who plant their gardens from seeds can relate to this quote by William Arthur Ward (1921-1994). I scanned the acorn from The Royal Book of Crests, one of the antiquarian books in my collection. 

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Sunday, March 6, 2011

Dreaming of England . . . Again

Awaiting teleportation to: The Dovecote in the Pigeon House Garden at Rousham Park House near Bicester Oxfordshire photographed by ©Paul Felix

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Audrey Hepburn Illustrated Quote for A Sunday

Isn't it wonderful that Audrey Hepburn was brought up to put others first? What great parents she must have had. We still miss her loveliness, don't we?
 

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Piggie Licks the Oatmeal Pan


Here is our house guest with his head in the oatmeal pan. Webster usually gets to lick it but he has generously allowed Piggie the opportunity because he doesn't think 'The Pig' gets to do this at home and we have a total lack of pieces of food dropped on the floor for him to forage. He has 4 juvenile owners who drop and spill things all the time. This will have to be Piggie's snack replacement here at the cottage. We have a very rainy Sunday today. Enjoy your day whatever the weather.
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