January Chickens

They seem to be going down the ramp willingly, don't they?

Somehow chickens and snow don't seem to go well together to me. I'm pretty sure the chickens agree. Fond here.

xo

Golden Hour Photo of My Cottage

A golden hour photo of my cottage taken a couple of days ago. Hope everyone had a great weekend. I am all set to watch 60 Minutes and then switch to PBS for three new series. I am especially looking forward to Season 3 of  All Creatures Great & Small. See you tomorrow.

xo

New Bird Book for My Library

Stopped in an Old Bookshop yesterday and looked up to see this quote.

"I cannot live without books."

Thomas Jefferson

I took off the book jacket to take this photo of my purchase.

This is a nice addition to my bird books and it's very informative. The dust jacket was back on the book for this photo. It wasn't the book I was looking for but I am enjoying it. I've been looking for a large bird identification book I got rid of for some reason and if I ever come across it again I will buy it back.  I paid $7.00 for this used book in fine condition. Here is a book search with prices starting at $1.00 and going up to $60.00 for a first edition. Happy Hunting.

xo

Great Garden Room

If you like what you see here, you will love her Instagram.

@HelenNorman 

You're welcome. I wasn't kidding, was I?

xo

Circa 1700 Former Laundry & Dairy Renovation

Former winner of Period Living's home of the Year award, this beautiful family home was once a neglected outbuilding

Every part of the house needed attention, from the chimneys down. You can still see the marks in the brickwork where the doors and windows were moved. New windows and a front door were made by RM Jones Joinery. The couple also added a bootroom (left of first picture).

The back hall, with wall-to-ceiling cupboards made by Gwyn Dowell. The flooring is limestone, which works well with the underfloor heating, and the walls and cupboards are painted in Farrow & Ball’s Oval Room Blue(opens in new tab) (Image credit: Kasia Fiszer)

Click HERE to see the fabulous kitchen and the rest of the in house Denbighshire, Wales. The building was in the husband's family for 5 generations. The article is fantastic and so inspiring. I know you will love it.

xo

Tree Portraits

So simple and so lovely.

Decorated by Mother Nature.

via

xo

Wonderful Pen and Ink Drawing: Miranda

                                                             Pen and Ink Drawing

Robert Anning Bell, 1863-1933, artist.

Circa 1900

Found here.

Miranda is one of the principal characters of William Shakespeare's The Tempest. She is the only female character to appear on stage. Miranda is the daughter of Prospero, another of the main characters of The Tempest. Wikipedia

This drawing was done for Bell's decorated edition of Shakespeare's Tempest, published by Freemantle & Co. in 1901. 

Click HERE to see more art by Robert Anning Bell. 

Click on each thumbnail to enlarge and get more information.

xo

Amazing.Photo

 

This amazing photo blows me away!

Artist | @niphisi 

Do yourself a huge favor and look at the other photos on this Instagram feed. Each one is extraordinary and it would be quite impossible to pick a favorite. I am so glad I found it to share with you. Happy New Year.

Click HERE.

xo

New Year's Day Food for Good Luck

I slow cooked all of my New Year's Day lucky food on top of the stove today. Dish on left is cow peas, middle is organic brown rice, dish on right has collard greens. I ate mine on a blue willow divided dish and I had two helpings. It was so good. I should have made cornbread but I didn't. I thought I had black-eyed peas in my pantry but only had dried cow peas. They were actually better than the traditional BIPs. They are redder in color and have the same dark center. I emptied the bag in a pot and added 4 cups of boiling water and ended up cooking it for two hours and they were perfect. I had to add two more cups of water somewhere along the way. The rice took only 45 minutes and the collards 35 minutes. I like my peas on the soupy side. I had almost totally forgotten about this traditional southern meal until I got a text from someone in the midst of cooking hers with a ham hock. 

Did you cook anything special for New Year's Day?

I found these birds on Google Images.

xo

Happy New Year and A Sunrise Photo

I took this sunrise photo on Friday morning to capture this sky on fire. Today I woke up to fog for New Year's Eve morning. 

♡My wish is for health and happiness for you in 2023♡

xo

2 Favorite Pics of the DOWAGER DUCHESS OF DEVONSHIRE

Pictured smiling with some of her animals inside her beloved home. Hugh Stewart photo Vogue 2003

With her chickens. Hugh Stewart photo Vogue 2003

Remembering The Last Mitford Sister

BY LAUREN MILLIGAN 25 SEPTEMBER 2014

I enjoyed going back and reading about her again.

A life well lived!

xo

NOPE. Not going outside today.

"Maybe we'll just stay inside today."

Darling photo found here.

xo

The Best of British Taste

Like this detail? Wait until you see the rest of this Welsh dresser all decked out for a party.

You will see more inside this amazing English house too.

There are a total of TEN (10) photos on one Instagram post @bibableofbritishtaste HERE

bibleofbritishtaste Sunday lunch chez painter and muralist @a_h_dodd , a beautiful muddle of stuff assembled with an artist’s eye, a double row of milk jugs hanging on the dresser, a tented bedroom in Regency stripe, a minute hall hung with linen printed for the House of Lords by Giles Gilbert Scott - and chinoiserie upstairs, all in an old red brick house with a friendly face. Dodd has lately and very justly been featured in BOTH @cabanamagazine and @theworldofinteriors - but I suspect they tidied everything up

I love this beautiful middle of stuff, don't you?

See the Instagram of painter/muralist @a_h_dodd (Alan Dodd) HERE

Enjoy it all.......xo

White on White Scottish Christmas

Glencoe Village Scotland

Image from Instagram @map_of_europe 

Click to learn more about this village in the Scottish Highlands

Photo by @garyhook2 

Too pretty for words, isn't it?

xo

Synchronized Birds Feeding

This made me laugh. Two birds eating in unison at my feeder. I learned a new trick with my camera too. I took a live photo and learned you can edit how you want to view them. I chose BOUNCE for this one and it converted it to a gif. This is so much fun. Hope you had a nice Christmas and are enjoying the day after as much as I did. xo

UPDATE:

I looked through my other photos and found this one taken earlier than the one above. It looks as if the cardinal was practicing the pecking rhythm shown above.  

L@@K below and look carefully at his nodding head.

Do you think he is practicing too? 

I have quite a few shots of him standing still, just observing.

Have a good week.

xo

Christmas Day: Snowstorm in California 1920

William S. Rice 

Snowstorm 

Calaveras, Calif. 

1920 woodcut

via

MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone.

I love this image and hope you do too. I prefer "dreaming" of a white Christmas rather than having one since I have to drive later today. I hope you are all safe and cozy wherever you are.

Click photo to enlarge.

xo

Wonderful Before and After

This before and after in Cashiers, North Carolina is fabulous.

I want to come back and explore more when I have time.

This designer says she's showing the inside next

and it's scary. Look at the before photos here.

I love the Adirondack gate♡

xo

English Robin in the Snow

Lovely English Robin in the snow.

Photo found here.

xo

More of My Christmas Decor

I decorated my dish towel dryer with ornaments.

I did this last year and liked it.

Two favorite ornaments.

This is shows my fireplace blocked by the flat screen tv I bought last summer. I enjoy my tv much more than a few open fires and my house is much warmer since the heat doesn't go up the chimney. I cut a piece of pink rigid insulation to fit the opening and put an antique storm shutter in old blue paint to cover everything. I draped some cranberry beads and hung two stockings and I'm ready for Santa.

I saved this Christmas Card box lid from a partial box I purchased years ago at a tag sale. It never fails to make me smile. 

My kitchen windowsill at night.

With the last one I shall say goodnight to all.

See you tomorrow.

xo

Bird with Perfect Camouflage

This bird give new meaning to "blending in" with its perfect camouflage. Found on Instagram @birds_perfection. 

Willow Ptarmigan(lagopus lagopus)  

Photograph By:©Anthony Madden

xo

A Little Christmas Decorating Happened

I put a stool for books and a floor lamp beside my sofa a couple of days ago because the lamp on the other side isn't good for reading and I am really enjoying it. It overlaps the opening to my hallway but I think it looks nice. I put my wooden cranberry strands around a lot of my artwork too.

It's not much, but it's a start.

I have straightened this painting since taking this photo. I can remembering stringing popcorn and real cranberries with my mother for Christmas trees in my youth. She loved these wooden ones!

Happy decorating and wrapping.

It's almost here.

xo

Sunday Morning around My Cottage

Filtered sun streaming in my windows.

Try as I may and try as I might, I simply cannot stop myself from piling things on my farmtable. This half is opposite my vestibule which is unheated. I always take of my shoes and start dumping at this end.😂

I took this photo late Saturday just before sundown. I liked the way my kitchen polished chrome sink faucet shines but nothing else shows.

My birds keep me busy refilling their feeder. All perches are occupied and a little chickadee patiently waits his turn.

Enjoy your Sunday.

xo

An Owl in His Element

A snowy owl in the snow!

What could be more perfect?

via

Just.Wonderful

Night shadows in the snow are the best, aren't they?

Photo found here.

There are no decorations but it looks like Christmas.

Nature provides the best natural ones!

xo

Best Christmas Tree

It's very old fashioned, isn't it? The candle lights look almost real candles and there aren't many ornaments. Most of them are probably handmade. I see a box of ornaments on the floor and some red ball fringe so I suppose there will be more decorations. I wish I could see it after they finish. I think it looks perfect just the way it is right now.

Photo found here.

xo

Amazing Photo of Clouds

I am a big fan of cloud photos and this one is amazing.

Found here.

I had a productive day today.

Hope you can say the same.

xo