Take Your Dog on A Bike Ride Today

Webster would love this but he's so friendly I'd be afraid he would jump off every time he saw a person or another dog. So he's banned from the bike and restricted to four wheels.

Flowers for May Day

Flowers for the first of May. My lawn is beautiful after its first cutting. I could hear little screams as I mowed over the violets so I left that area until they've bloomed out. The birds are chirping and the sun is out. I'm starting to embrace the out of doors again now that I've gotten a big block of work under my belt and I'm looking forward to more. Have a great Sunday.

Stacked Wood Architecture

I have zero information on this structure but I really love it. It would have been so much fun to play around with the woodpiles until they were perfectly arranged. The sod roof is amazing too. 

Breathtakingly Beautiful Bride

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

I'm Still Watching You

I'm Watching You

May Day Flower Cone Template | Free Download

Happy May Day

Wouldn't it be fun to leave one of these hanging May Baskets on the front door of a friend as a May Day gift? I might make some too. Here is the FREE TEMPLATE to download. Have fun.  

I didn't have to make any adjustments when I printed my template but the following note was included by the original author of this template. Technical Note: Please make sure your printing margins are set to .5 inches  (1/2 inch) or the template will not print completely. In your browser's Menu bar, select File -- Page Setup, and change the margin settings to .5. (The selections may be slightly different between browsers.) This template makes a cone measuring 6 inches high, and the opening diameter is 3 inches. This cone is perfect for holding fresh-cut flowers, small clumps of potted plants, flower petals, or small candies! I plan on reinforcing the hole on the reverse side with some heavy packaging tape I have on hand. You should apply the tape before poking/punching the hole.

Cotswold Cottage - Brick Rather Than Stone

I've always liked a nice brick cottage with a thatched roof. This one is perfect. Have a nice weekend.*

Blue Bike

I'm very excited about the good weather we are going to be having for the next 3 days. I was able to get my riding mower started very easily and actually enjoyed getting a head start on the back forty. I should finish tomorrow. Isn't this a pretty blue bike? It would be perfect for delivering May Baskets on Sunday. Have a wonderful fun weekend.*

Keep Calm and

I don't know about you but I can't stop thinking about the royal wedding. I loved Harry's messy hair so I couldn't resist making this poster. I can't believe I'm not even tired after waking up so very early to watch all the festivities live. Fairy tales really do come true.

Laundry Day

I can hear my washing machine on its final spin cycle at this very minute. I'll be hanging my laundry outside on this sunny, breezy day. I have a number of contraptions for drying clothes inside the house but none will be necessary today. Yay!

The Language of Flowers

I woke up this morning at 3:03 a.m. without the aid of an alarm clock. I watched every minute of BBC America's LIVE broadcast of The Royal Wedding in high definition on my PBS station with no commercials whatsoever. I loved the symbolism of the 6 field maple trees (humility) and the 2 hornbeams (resilience) decorating  Westminster Abbey.

You may read an 1892 edition of The Language of Flowers illustrated by Kate Greenaway by clicking here. You will be asked to type in a few letters first to protect this digital copy. Enjoy. 

Queen Elizabeth's Drop Scones [Recipe]

I have all of these ingredients in my pantry and you probably do too. Will you be eating Queen Elizabeth Drop Scones while you watch the wedding tomorrow? They sound fabulous.

In 1960, Queen Elizabeth II sent President Dwight D. Eisenhower her recipe for Drop Scones which she had promised to give to him when he’d visited her at Balmoral Castle. Eisenhower was an avid cook.

Elizabeth II doesn’t seem like a likely cook, but she was an auto mechanic during World War II. She could probably stir up a batch of scones, if called upon in the line of duty.*

Cottage Reflection

What an absolutely beautiful little cottage on a pond in the woods. Wouldn't you love spending time in this darling outdoor sanctuary?

Palace Foot Guard Gets Royal Wedding Haircut

 

Just when you thought you'd seen everything concerning the royal wedding! Bet you thought those hats were made of bear skin too. It seems there are very special physical qualifications for becoming a Foot Guard at Buckingham Palace. 

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum - Boston, MA

The Gardner Museum's website is wonderful. Give it a few seconds to load and you will then be able to click around the background and explore the art, architecture, antiques, rooms and courtyard pictured above.
Start Exploring GardnerMuseum.org

A Wonderful Vertical Garden

I love this idea ~ A long vertical wood-framed planter hanging on an outdoor wall becomes an eye-catching garden filled with wool pocket planters.  

Royal Dog Collar

I made this illustrated quote using a scan from my antiquarian book, The Royal Book of Crests. I have no idea what breed of dog actually wore the collar from Alexander Pope. I was amazed that I could find an image so fitting for a Royal Dog Collar.

Crown Graphic for Royal Wedding Parties

Here is a nice crown graphic you might like to use for your Royal Wedding invitations, place cards, buffet food markers, etc.

Keep Calm and Watch the Wedding

The countdown has begun. What time will you be rising on Friday? Everything starts on my side of the globe and time zone at 3:00 am. I created this poster at the Keep Calm Generator site. 

I linked this Royal Wedding poster here.