Virtual Woodburning Fire to Warm You

My own fireplace is all set for a fire but it's terribly windy outside right now so I'd better not light it. This virtual fire will have to do. It is supposed to get down to 7° tonight but will feel colder because of the wind. I thank my lucky stars every night for my eider down comforter that keeps me so warm and toasty. 

My overnight snow had turned to rain when I got up this morning. I dealt with it and cleared everything before noon after two hours of working outside. I had some homemade soup when I came inside at noon. Be safe and warm as we ride out the winter. Thankfully, tomorrow is a holiday and many people won't have to go to work.

xo

Double Sinks: Bathroom Love

Swoon. I couldn't love this more. via

Be safe this weekend if you are in a snow zone.

Snowy Friday: A Dusting at My Cottage

I woke up to a dusting of snow and it has already stopped. So happy. A dusting is my favorite. No shovel required. I can just sweep my front walk. xo

Acorns and Oak Leaves

“The boughs of the oak are roaring inside the acorn shell.” ~Charles Tomlinson via

I love this photo and the quote too! xo

Hallway Bookshelves, Nice!

via

I designed this quote long ago. I think Anna Quindlen would be most pleased if her children had bookshelves like the photo above.

Snow Art

Snow Angel in Empty Swimming Pool

Punk Snowman with Mohawk Haircut via

Beautiful Snow Scene

This unspoiled snow scene lis lovely but I am happy that it isn't my cottage. Once again, my area was spared the snow that is blanketing Virginia and points south. Is the weather shifting? I think it is. I got just a dusting on Sunday morning that melted when the clouds parted and the sun came up. More snow is predicted for this weekend. Fingers crossed. via

VICTORIA, Season 3 Premier TONIGHT

Set your DVR or prepare to watch Season 3, Episode 1 tonight on PBS. I am thrilled my favorite series is back, finally! 

Mark your calendars: Season 3 will begin on Sunday, January 13.

Stars Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes will reprise their roles as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Season 3 will begin in 1848 as the royal couple faces the challenges of their growing family and worries that the riots and revolutions breaking out across Europe will make their way to England’s shores.

“It’s a time when the whole of Europe is falling apart,” creator Daisy Goodwin said during PBS's session at the biannual Television Critics Association Press Tour. “French kings were getting thrown off the throne, there were riots in Berlin. It’s all going pear-shaped.”

How much of Victoria’s multi-decade reign will Season 3 cover? We’re not sure. But what we do know is that it won’t get to 1861. Goodwin has promised that Albert will be part of the full season, meaning we won’t have to face his death just yet. Article found here.

Vintage Attic Storage Inspiration

I love this attic print storage and art room. I have something similar in the attic of my cottage and am always looking for new ideas. via

Cutest Doggie Door Ever

How Darling.

If the door to the house is closed, it appears there is a holding area on the porch where the dog can have shelter and dry off. Photo found here.

New House with Classic Elements

I adore linen presses in hallways of old homes and so appreciate seeing them in new construction. High ceilings and transoms over the doors are another feature I like and these floorboards are wonderful. xo

Distressed Cat Face

Look at that cat's face in the last photo. I don't blame her for being distressed about having to share her food with a possum. So adorable! Photo found here.

Topiary Perfection

Could anything be more lovely? I think not. The house. The walk. The clipped topiaries. Perfection. via

Kanopy: Free Movies w/ Library Card

The public library from my old house is much closer to my cottage than the public library of the town where I pay taxes. Last month I turned in my old library card from 1975 (sniff) and got a new one from The Library of the Chathams because they had just gotten the KANOPY streaming service for card holders. I can stream 10 free movies per month and many of them are current Golden Globe winners.

These photos are screen shots from my laptop. Click either photo to enlarge. I pulled up Kanopy from the Madison NJ library so it wouldn't show my log-in information. Click here to see the website. Don't try to log in because you will need to log in to your own local library to see if they have Kanopy https://www.kanopy.com. Hope this isn't too confusing. Read the articles below first.

The New York Times wrote a great introduction to this service that streams 30,000 movies and documentaries. My librarian told me academics love it for the meaty content and many colleges offer it to students and staff. Even die-hard movie fans who see everything that comes out at movie houses will still find something they haven't seen. Read the article and be amazed. You can call your library to see if they have it or are planning on getting it. I am happy my library picked 10 as the number of free movies for members. The Morristown library near me only offers 6 to their members. It's an arbitrary choice for each library. If you live in a small town where they will never get this service, I remember reading somewhere that you can get it as an individual for $150.00 annually. That is about the same price as Amazon Prime though it doesn't stream TV shows. I would imagine an individual membership might offer unlimited access but I'm not sure. 

Anyway, I just wanted to make you aware that this exists. It streams to your computer, iPad, or phone or other mobile devices. You can stream through your TV with Apple TV or Roku or Chromecast too.

Check it out, I know you will love Kanopy. Hooray for Libraries!

PS: I had to mail something today and the postmaster said first class stamps are going up to 55 cents each starting 1/27/19 so buy some forever stamps before then. 

Video: Nordic Skating on Thin Black Ice in Sweden

This small lake outside Stockholm, Sweden, emits otherworldly sounds as Mårten Ajne skates over its precariously thin, black ice. “Wild ice skating” or “Nordic skating” is both an art and a science. A skater seeks out the thinnest, most pristine black ice possible -- both for its special smoothness, and for its high-pitched sounds of cracking. This is so exhilarating to watch!!!!!

View full screen if you are watching this video on a computer. It is truly amazing and don't forget to turn on the sound. If you cannot see the video, here is the link for a National Geographic feature on YouTube.

English Hare Portrait

Photographed by Margaret the Novice in Suffolk England. Click on the link and follow the arrows to see more delightful photos of this hare that posed for her while she sat in her car. Love! xo

Blooming Amaryllis at My Cottage

In the few days since I took these photos, a third flower has bloomed on my stunning Amaryllis. I hope I will have success in forcing it to bloom again next year. I have done it in the past but I will have to refresh my memory on how to do it. I seem to remember planting it outside and then bringing it in and putting it in the refrigerator. These flowers are way too pretty for just one season. This pot was a Christmas present from a friend.

xo

Small Space Love

There is not a single thing I do not love in this photograph. Obviously an antique-loving gardener who likes to fish lives here. The painted floor and the old drop leaf table painted white set off the collection of old watering cans. Love it!

I have been advised that the first photo is from this book: "Nora Murphy's Country House Style" Making your Home A Country House. Thank you for all the comments crediting the first photo. I am so glad to know the source. xo

Wild Owl. Old Church.

What a beautiful photograph. Found here.

Lovely Royal Crests by Jessica Roux

Royal Crest with Pomegranate

Tudor Rose

Royal Crest with Tudor Rose

Jessica Roux is an illustrator new to me and I love her work. I chose these three black and white illustrations of Royal Crests because they are so beautiful. 

FATAL THRONE: INTERIOR ILLUSTRATIONS - Click to read more.
Black and white interior illustrations for the Young Adult book "Fatal Throne: The Wives of Henry VIII Tell All"published by Schwartz & Wade. Each chapter is told from the perspective of one of the wives of Henry VIII by different authors. Each one of the chapter header illustrations show the heraldic badge of the wives.

I consumed no added sugar yesterday. Yay. xo

New Year's Day 2019

I think I made this in 2009. I scanned a page of a decorative alphabet and cropped the individual letters to spell out this greeting. I am having my morning tea with no honey this morning in an effort to cut down on all the sugar I consumed over Christmas, Thanksgiving and Halloween. 

"A new year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other." I hope I can keep mine.

Happy New Year 2019

HAPPY NEW YEAR

It is raining at my cottage but it isn't cold. 

Happy New Year to each and every one of my fabulous followers. Wishing you all good health, happiness, and prosperity in the coming year. xo

Bird Camouflage

Alaskan state bird Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) blending in with winter landscape. Photo: Anthony Madden. via Isn't this photograph spectacular? Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me!

Have a great New Year's Eve. I am watching BBC World News America and it is already midnight in Japan where they celebrate the new year with oranges. I like that!

Christmas Eve at My Cottage with Luminaria

Christmas Eve 2018 at My Cottage

I finally edited an iPhone photo and made it good enough to post. I used the photo editor built into my phone. I am so happy my across-the-street neighbors invited me to participate in luminaries to set out on Christmas Eve. I did my walkway too and it was magical. The long-burning fat candles amazed me. I had no idea they would burn between 10 and 12 hours depending on the wind conditions. My neighbors ordered the bags and candles here. This is going to be a tradition for me for sure. I took this photo about 10:30 pm when the full moon was above my cottage and the stars were plentiful and bright. Only 6 families signed up, two next to me and three contiguous properties on the other side. Several friends said they drove through and commented on how beautiful it was. Maybe more will participate next year. I hope so. One more day until year's end. Where did it go? xo

Real Life Gingerbread Houses

Can you see these houses in Wroclaw, Poland as gingerbread houses? I surely can. via

Tiny Kitten. Enormous Window.

This tiny black kitten looks extra small sitting in this enormous window. I guess he's having some huge daydreams in his favorite napping place. via