Snowdrops in January

Mine haven't come up yet but few leaf tips are just barely poking through the  earth. I usually don't get them until February because they don't get any direct sun where they are planted at my house. I photographed these this morning at my friend's house. Snowdrops are always the first sign of spring. 

Architectural Elements This Morning

Webster and I fed the dogs of a friend this morning and I had such fun taking pictures with my iPhone while the animals socialized. As you can see we are having a wonderful spring-like weekend. Hope you are too. More later.

Garden Passage

Hidcote Gardens -- Cotswolds, England. Absolutely wonderful! Actually it's almost too lovely if that's even possible. Maybe that's why the French doors are there...so you can block some of it out when you can't absorb the enormity of it all. Wouldn't you love to sit on one of those benches and soak in the beauty? via Have a great weekend.

The Imperial March- Barked and Classical?

The Bark Side -- It's not the only Super Bowl ad evoking past hit movies. Volkswagen, which had a hit last year with its little Darth Vader ad, will be tapping into the Force once again with dogs barking out the Imperial March.


Darth Vader's Theme -- I wasn't sure what I was listening to at first with the dogs until I heard it played by an orchestra. I think they did a good job after I listened to the barking version again. It is going to be a Super Bowl hit!

iPhone Photos of The Day

We had pouring rain overnight and real downpours this morning. I went for a walk after it subsided. The stream around the corner was flowing pretty swiftly almost overflowing its banks. I was standing on a one-lane bridge while taking this photo looking into the soft fog.

I was standing on the bank looking in the opposite direction for this shot. I'm so lucky to live in an area with lots of open space and conserved land thanks to our Land Trust.

Countess of Grantham and Lady Mary are to release a record album

Are you watching Downton Abbey? I read two press releases recently saying Maureen McGovern and Michelle Dockery costars on this wonderful PBS Masterpiece series were pairing up to release an album.

I must confess I wasn't that impressed with Lady Mary's voice in last week's episode. We will just have to wait and see.

First Image and related article

Second Image and related article

Mudroom in Waiting

I do like this mudroom off the kitchen in New Hampshire. The fine woodworking is wonderful. I love the built-in boot bench and the paint color too. Designed by Smith & Vansant Architects. via

Medieval Woman Feeding the Chickens

I love the woven chicken coop, don't you. I scanned this image from a datebook I no longer own. I keep discovering images I saved before I even had a blog. 

Big Beautiful Dried Leaf

I have a tree on my property with giant leaves and I must remember to gather some this summer for still-life photography. I love this a lot! via

The Library by Elizabeth Shippen Green 1905

I would love to have this painting hanging in my cottage! via

Audubon's Birds of America - One Page Per Day

   PHILADELPHIA (AP) – One of the world's rarest and most valuable books is out of the vault and on public view as part of an unusual daily ritual at the oldest natural history museum in the United States.

   Every weekday at 3:15 p.m., a white-gloved staff member of the Academy of Natural Sciences lifts the locked protective cover from 19th century naturalist John James Audubon's influential book, The Birds of America, and turns a double elephant folio linen-backed page to reveal the bird of the day. More than 180 years after Audubon created the life-size illustrations that now link his name with ornithology, their vibrant watercolors and fine details are still remarkable.
   Full article here. View the birds being unveiled day by day.

A Beautiful Frost

This is not my photo but I really wish it were. I think it's so lovely. When I posted a view of a dusting of snow in Scotland, a commenter said it looked like hoar frost. I asked google images to show me what hoar frost looks like and this was my favorite photo of all. via

English: Hoar frost, white frost or rime is the tiny solid deposition of water vapor from saturated air which occurs when the temperature of the surfaces is below freezing point. It occurs generally with clear skies. Air hoar, surface hoar, crevasse hoar and depth hoar are all types of hoar frost or technically: Radiation frost.

Spectacular Boat House

Magnificent Boat House in Soulby England

via

Wonderful back entrance all in white

Yes please. I love everything is see in this photo and I really wish I could see more. It's all black and white and brown. Nice! via

Raindrops instead of Snowflakes

   Photo was taken yesterday. What a difference a day makes. The fog is rolling in now as the warmer air hits the snow on the ground. I wrote this paragraph late yesterday.
   Today is bright and sunny and almost all of the snow has melted. I went to broker open houses wearing just a wool blazer over a sweater. It's in the low 50s right now. Everybody was in a good mood and optimism was in the air at my office meeting.

Very Wise Advice Indeed

via

Geranium Leaves Backlit by Snow Reflection

All of the leaves have turned to face the window. I love the backs of my geranium leaves just as much as the fronts. I have one that is blooming on the third floor. I think the ones in my living room are intimidated by the paperwhites. You really can't blame them either, can you?

Snowboarding Crow

I always knew crows were smart but I have to say this video really surprised and delighted me. A family with a good view of this steep rooftop recorded a crow repeatedly using a round plastic lid as a snowboard. I guess birds like to have fun too! Click here if you can't see the show below.

Staffordshire Spaniel with Paperwhites

My living room mantel rounds the corner on one side to meet the back wall. A large Staffordshire spaniel is posing there alongside a bulb forcing vase with blooming paperwhites. They are reaching for the ceiling but are still very nice and upright because of my cool (as in temperature) house.
Linking to: Small But Charming: Flowers in the Wintery House

Webster the Snow Dog Dressed for The Weather

He's so happy to be wearing his horse-blanket coat again. You know how he likes to be wrapped up.

-click photo to enlarge-

I thought this was a nice snow pattern on one of the spruce trees out front.