Almost Time to Store The Watering Cans

I caught up on my mowing over the last three days and it felt good to be outside and working hard. September days are so nice and I want to do some more serious weeding in the front and call it done until next spring. The geraniums that are looking so lovely outside will have to be potted for overwintering in the house. Getting things done before gloves and mittens are needed is my goal. I will be watching, with saddness, the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II tomorrow on BritBox (on a continuous loop all day) saying a final goodbye.😢 

xo

image source

 

Last Night it Dipped into The Low Forties

Isn't this the perfect description for the upcoming fall season?

via

life starts

all over

again

when it

gets crisp

in the fall

f. scott fitzgerald

xo

Beautiful Cat in The Fall

Such a beautiful pose for this lovely cat.

Found here.

xo

Public Garden on the Welsh Border

Bryan’s Ground, a public garden in Herefordshire on the Welsh border. See many more lovely photos here.

xo

UPDATE: More information about the history here with more photos and visiting information. It's REALLY interesting and worthy of a blog post all by itself. Be sure and visit.

Princess Anne at 70: A Documentary

PART ONE ~ PRINCESS ANNE AT 70

I was astonished at how busy Princess Anne was every day during her mother, Queen Elizabeth II's, later years. She was honestly on the road from dawn until dark most days. This documentary was on PBS and has been added to YouTube for your viewing pleasure. Her children are lovely and she has a very supportive and nice looking husband. I was glad to learn she has a happy family.

PART TWO ~ PRINCESS ANNE AT 70

PART THREE ~ PRINCESS ANNE AT 70

I hope you enjoyed learning about the devoted daughter of Elizabeth and Philip. One can only imagine the sorrow in her heart this week. xo

Cat's Face ~ Perfectly Framed

This cat has chosen the best part of this fence to perfectly frame her face. I love this photo and the tabby cat too. xo 

via

My Amaryllis Bloomed

This was a gift several years ago and it didn't do well in my house during the winter because I keep my house too cold. It's still in the florist pot and I've always overwintered it and this year it has a double bloom. This is the perfect time for it to be in my house too, long before it's time to turn on the heat. I didn't do anything special to it except water it. I was shocked to see it come alive again and the blooms are spectacular. Hope you are having a great weekend. xo

Stirring Speech by King Charles III

I thought King Charles II's 9 minute speech was quite wonderful. Especially the last line. 

"May 'flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest'." 

That was the perfect Shakespeare quote for his Darling Mama.

They truly enjoyed each other's company.

Read the article in THE MIRROR here entitled: Soul-stirring meaning behind King Charles' 'flights of angels' line for the Queen in his speech. Long live the King.

Last Photo of Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth on Sept. 6, 2022.
JANE BARLOW - WPA POOL/GETTY

I thought she looked so lovely in her Scottish plaid pleated kilt and powder blue cardigan. And now, only two days later, she is gone. This is her last photo after she met with the new Prime Minister. She truly worked as she promised, all of her long life. Photo from his article. I watched her coronation in 1952 and have admired her ever since and will miss her.

xo

Some Beautiful Sheep

Isn't this a handsome group of sheep? via

I love their white faces.

Another busy day regrouping.

xo

Clouds Reimagined

There is a new one every day! So fun♡

I just found this Instagram @adailycloud 

See them all here. You're welcome.

xo

September Clouds

The white fluffy clouds that you see in September are right on time and I love them. I took this photo late in the day on Sunday and I'm glad I did because today is overcast with rain coming tonight and for the next two days. I hope you are having a nice Labor Day weekend. xo

Final Photo Showing Chairs at My Front Door

I promise this is the last photo!

I bought these chairs last winter on the first day I was able to get out of my driveway after a blizzard. The patina of the heavy metal matches my lighting fixtures. They are so much better than the old shutters were flanking my front door. I gave them a good coat of lemon oil for protection from the upcoming winter weather. The seats are basket weave woven.

Enjoy your Sunday. xo

Fence Finial + Before & After House Paint Pics

Remember my post about finding three Artichoke finials at an estate sale? Now I can finally use them. I had to "doctor" this photo and remove all the color because they are not wood and the color is yellowish. I will probably paint them when I touch up some of the fence posts and pickets with a small brush. I put one on each side of the gate and one on the corner. I am so excited about finally being able to use them.

Eileen in Fla. made a special request to see a photo of my house in a BEFORE photo because she can't remember what it looked like in order to appreciate the transformation. 

Well, here goes.

I wish I had chosen white with black shutters 20 years ago when I restored my cottage but as the old Amish saying goes, "We are too soon old and too late smart."

I forgot to mention I removed the full length shutters on either side of my front door and I like it so much better without them. (The painters were happy too!)

xo

Some Gorgeous Hollyhocks + Hornets

Is there anything lovelier than hollyhocks up against a wall?

I think not.

Every year I wish I had these summer flowers but I'm glad this was not the year to try them because of the dry month of August. My dahlias don't have a single bud. The ones they had dried up. They are very tall and healthy looking though. I don't like having to dig them up in the fall either. I have been trying to get my life back but hornets have invaded my kitchen. I found their entry point on Tuesday and sealed it up. I have been sucking them up with the crevice tool on my vacuum cleaner and today I think I've finally gotten most of them. Tuesday after the painters left and Wednesday they were terrible but I never gave up. I turned the air conditioning on and they thought it was winter and gravitated to the warm window glass and were rather sluggish and easy to catch. I didn't get stung either. It's always something, right?

Hollyhock photos here and more for you to drool over.

xo

Crocheted Cat Hammock and Goodbye August

I love the expression on this cat's face. He seems to be taking for granted his owner crocheted him this wonderful hammock. I have always liked these smoky gray cats. Photo found here.

It's hard to believe August is only a few hours away from the end, isn't it? It was hot and dry but I got a lot done and once September rolls around the days literally fly by. See you next month. 

xo

My Newly Painted Cottage: So Happy♡

I was at the paint store this morning at 7am because today was the last day my painters would be here. We moved mountains getting ready for their departure and it all worked like clockwork. I am so proud of the end result. While the helper primed and stained the outside boards surrounding my balcony, the main painter and I hung the shutters and afterwards he went around and touched up this and that. The sky with big fluffy clouds really cooperated to set off this photo, didn't it? I absolutely love the black shutters and the black front door. My handyman suggested this and I will be forever thankful. It has transformed by cottage into a classic. The wing to the left doesn't show but it has a newly painted picket fence and my bedroom that sits back behind it. It's impossible to show the entire front in one photo. Needless to say I am glad it's all over but I will miss all the excitement of this transformation as I helped right along with the workers to move the project along. I have skills that had been dormant for a long and it was great to see how capable I really am. I honestly could not be happier.

♡xo♡

Cat on Rug -- Dutch Painting

Salomon Meijer (1877 - 1965)

The only subject that has been a constant during Sal Meijer's painting life is that of the cat. He paints portraits of cats as individuals; they are frontally depicted and look the viewer directly in the eye. Meijer's cats are seen in the comfort of their own home and in close up.

I love this one, don't you?

Auctioned by Christie's here.

Wonderful Shakespeare Quote

Still working on the house but can see light at the end of the tunnel. My days have been busy and long lately and I am so looking forward to a lazy Sunday morning to recharge my battery. I found this Shakespeare quote on Pinterest and I love it. My gift for the past two weeks has been teaching my painters things they didn't know and they are so very appreciative. 

Have a great weekend.

xo

Rainbow Over My Cottage + A Project

This rainbow appeared Tuesday evening after my handyman left after doing rotten wood repairs. I was still outside cleaning up when it started to rain very gently and this beautiful rainbow appeared over my cottage. I was so happy to be outdoors to see it and luckily I had my phone in my pocket. The rainbow seems to be pointing to my roof so maybe it approves of the repair. I think it's blessin my cottage and all of my workers.♡🌈♡ The painters got here a little after 7am this morning to get an early start before it gets too hot. I did my wood repair with the product I ordered and now it has to harden until it can be sanded tomorrow. I was going to document the process with photos but my fingers were covered in the stuff and I could barely open my door let alone take a photo. xo

Am I the only one who always does projects at the kitchen table no matter how messy? I have always considered setting up a flat working space in my basement but knew in my heart of hearts I would probably end up at the kitchen table anyway. http://www.abatron.com/

Before and After Wood Repair at My Cottage

Before: My handman came to the rescue once again.

After: Isn't this a wonderful transformation?

I couldn't be happier!

What would I do without him?

♡

Circa 1800 Cat Portrait

How wonderful is this Rare Georgian Crouching Cat Portrait? It is embroidered needlework encased in the original oval frame, English, Circa 1800. It's SOLD, of course, found here.

xo

Power Washing Day One at My Cottage

I couldn't be happier with the work he did all day yesterday. After lunch he called a helper to come and do my red barn/garage while he tried to finish my house and balcony. I have never seen such good workers. My only other experience with power washing was just a once over. The painter doing my house kept going over and over. He was using water only until he got to my balcony flooring and he used a soap solution for the mildew. They stopped at 5pm and my main guy came back this morning for about two hours to finish up. Nobody is coming tomorrow and I am so glad. I need a break and Missy is the only one I have to direct tomorrow. She came at 4:00 this afternoon so I have her for 3 suppers and you can be sure she will have a half-ration breakfast when she goes home on Tuesday. Have a great Saturday evening and a nice Sunday tomorrow. xo

Clover is Green Despite No Rain

My grass is like straw but the clover is thriving. I have been working nonstop outside since I hired a painter to power wash and paint my house. I found him through my handyman who will be doing any wood repair. He stopped by on Tuesday afternoon to do a few chores like chainsawing some weed trees and wisteria and several other chores I couldn't do myself. I mentioned I had interviewed 6 painters and still hadn't found one. He said he knew one he had been working with for 3 years. I called him right away and he came Wednesday morning, gave me a quote and I hired him. Since then I have been working outside nonstop getting ready and I have moved mountains. He's coming to start the power washing tomorrow at 8am and I couldn't be happier. xo

Wonderful New House Compound

Catherine Sloan Architect on Instagram. 

Click here.

xo

Rooting Sage Cuttings in Water

I pinched some sage cuttings from a friend's garden yesterday after a delicious brunch and put them in water when I got home. Little roots are already starting to appear. Really. I haven't grown sage in a really long but my friends patch was beautiful. It has square stems and is in the mint family so I will be cautious where I plant it. These cuttings will be put in pots and planted outside next spring. The little rosemary plant looks really nice in person. This photo doesn't do it justice. I was also rooted in water from a cutting. I waited until late afternoon to do some weed pulling in my driveway and got a dumper cart full. It was nice and cool and I'm very pleased with the way it looks. I mowed with my old-fashioned reel mower over the gravel and it does a much better job than my gas powered mower because it cuts nice and close and there's no danger of stones being thrown. I try to do one really awful task each day and this was mine for today. xo

Converted Barn Home

♡So.Fabulous♡

My favorite feature is the sliding barn door shutters. This clever design has one cutout so you can still see outside when they are closed. I also like the enclosed steps and railings leading to the front door. I spy a screened porch too. There are many other barn homes to view here but this one is my favorite by far. Have a great Sunday. xo

Knitted Frog and Toad Wearing Clothes

Just.Darling

Read article here.

Order knitting pattern here.

The artist based these two on a book called

Frog and Toad Are Friends.

It's pictured in the article.

Enjoy your weekend.

xo