Grand Scottish Country House

So much beauty in one photograph. 

Read more on Instagram @peter.lyden 

This aerial view shows Kinross House and the patchwork of beauty that surrounds this grand Country Estate in Scotland.

xo

French Manor House & Gardens

Manor D'Eyrignac 

Family-owned gardens for 22 generations, with sculpted box hedges, inspired by 18th-century designs. The website is amazing. The numerous photos are almost like being there.

Visit these French gardens here. xo

Lytes Cary Manor UK

The arts and crafts-style gardens at this National Trust House in Somerset must be spectacular if these topiaries are examples. Lytes Cary Manor website. Have a great weekend. Mine is off to a lazy start but I am doing things mentally and hope to accomplish something productive later today.

Real Life Gingerbread Houses

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

Gorgeous Hotel Bathroom

Capri Palace Hotel and Spa via Have you ever seen a more beautiful shower floor?

Mountain Village at Night

This snow-covered mountain village at night is absolutely gorgeous, isn't it? via

The Ultimate Cotswolds Guide UK

Castle Combe UK

The Ultimate Cotswolds Guide: 8 Picturesque Towns and Villages It's a gloomy day here at the cottage, perfect for armchair travel. xo

Tiny Beach Cottage

WOW. This looks like the perfect little beach cottage, doesn't it? found on Tumblr

Casa Calvet: Barcelona Balconies

Casa Calvet de Barcelona (1899) is one of Antoni Gaudí's earliest buildings. Some people consider it his most conservative work but it also contains markedly modern elements, such as the façade which terminates in a curve and the attic balconies, which look like something from a fairy tale. 

The ground floor now houses a restaurant. Read more about the history of this building here.

Amazing Chalk Stream in England

This crystal clear stream is in Ovington, Hampshire, UK. I fell in love with this on Instagram where it was posted by stampsandstamps and is shown there as a video showing the moving water of this crystal clear stream. I have never heard of a chalk stream, have you? I hope that's watercress growing on the bottom. Click here to see the video. Enjoy. You're welcome. Have a lovely weekend. xo

Broadway Tower Folly: Cotswolds UK

Broadway Tower

Broadway Tower lies prominently on top of a hill close to, and overlooking, the village of Broadway in Worcestershire. It was built for the 6th Earl of Coventry as a folly on his Springhill Estate, and was completed in 1799. The Tower is in the shape of a castle. It is 65 feet tall and its top (at 1089 feet above sea level) is said to be the highest point in the Cotswolds.

As with so many follies or curiosities, more than one reason has been given for its creation. The most likely is that it was used long ago as a signaling beacon since it was visible both from Springhill and also from Croome Court, another family estate some 20 miles away near Worcester.

In later years Broadway Tower was used as a holiday home. One occupant was William Morris, relatively well known (amongst other achievements) for designing fashionable wallpaper - some of which can be seen inside the Tower today.

Broadway was the first town in the Cotswolds I visited back in the early 1970s. The Broadway Tower was closed and I did not get to go inside. Now I want to go back and see the wallpaper!!!

Photo by Richard on Flickr found here

Quirky Buildings in Paris

Photo by Dawne Polis

Where there's a will, there's a way. Somehow these two buildings got squeezed in and they are are all the more charming because they are not ordinary.

Cottage Chimney in Hertfordshire UK

The Old Forge Cottage in Hertfordshire England

via

WOW. The other side has one too. Only in England. I would love to see the size of the open fires in this cottage! Enjoy the weekend and be safe if you are in Hurricane country. xo

Walking in Derbyshire England

Could anything be more beautiful?

I think not.

via

Light Snow on the Rooftops in Bavaria

How very beautiful. I love these steep roofs with dormers. The dusting of snow makes them look like gingerbread houses. via

Sliding Interior Shutters

Is this a perfect room, or what? Love the comfy chair and ottoman with a little table beside and a reading lamp behind. And the view!!! I can't imagine a better one, can you. Now the icing on the cake is the interior sliding louvered shutters.  Look carefully, the valance going across the top of the window hides the track. Genius! Such a clever way to block the sun when it gets too bright but allow air to get in. LOVE! via

It was very warm today, almost hot. I zipped through the grocery store this afternoon and almost everybody was wearing shorts and flip flops. It's a little cooler now and raining. Some of the trees are completely bare, some are still green with all their leaves, and others have their fall colors and half their leaves. It's still too early for my final gutter cleaning. I want ALL the leaves on the ground first. xo

An Architectural Wonder in Mexico

See more architectural photos of this amazing concrete home in Mexico here.

Wonderful pied-à-terre in Paris

It's for sale too in a beautiful Haussmannian building! Details here. I love the layout, the floors, and especially the views.

I am fine, really! I have been busy polishing silver and brass, cleaning windows and floors, and trying to catch up on inside chores I have been house-blind to because I no longer have any excuses! It's rather overwhelming but I will soldier on and do a little at a time until it's time to start all over again. I have also been busy trying to tie up loose ends with a difficult real estate transaction. 

My neighbors across the street captured photo of a bear at their bird feeder several nights ago with a critter cam. Now they aren't feeding the birds and they are keeping their garbage cans locked in the garage. I have noticed more wild life on my property too now that I have no animals. Flocks of wild turkeys and more deer than I've seen in a long time. Not thrilled about the deer and their ticks though. The turkeys are fun when they fan their tail feathers. 

Thanks for checking in and worrying about me. xo

Extraordinary Garden in Provence

I love this photograph with a rising mist in the background.

Experimental Garden by Dominique Lafourcade in Provence. More photos here.

Cotswold Cottages Covered with Flowers

Arlington Row, Bibury, Gloucestershire, England
by Kai Beckmann

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. I certainly did. I am just about to hop in bed to watch Madam Secretary and The Good Wife. xo