Lovely Bicycles

I've never seen bikes with pick tires but I like them. It's much cooler this morning and I'm so happy. Now maybe my stiff neck from the air conditioning will go away. It feels better already since I turned the air off last night and slept with the windows open. Have a great Sunday. via

Gorgeous Green Draperies

Click photo to enlarge.

This beautiful living room by Hudson Interiors is a perfect summer room, isn't it? I love the moss/sage/lime green fabric that was chosen for the draperies. I had a room painted the color of these walls once in my life and the paint color was called Lemon Sage. Now I'm loving it all over again. To see more photos, choose Wellesley Estate when the website opens. I love the symmetry of this view and you know I am a huge fan of black lampshades. Very.Nice.Indeed.

Wild Grape Vine Detail

     Photographed here at the cottage one day this week while on a nature walk with Webster. I love the shape, color and intricate design on wild grape leaves and this one is perfect. Stay cool in this heat wave. Ours is supposed to break on Sunday and I cannot wait. I am so tired of having the air conditioning on 24/7. It's okay during the day, but I really miss sleeping with my windows open.

     The big walk-in closet is empty downstairs. I cleaned it top to bottom yesterday and it looks so nice. I took a break for a few days but now I am moved to continue dealing with my mother's ground level dwelling. I have donated most of the clothes and am feeling good about that. She had the best taste in classic dresses and jumpers that never go out of style. I put aside a few of my favorites and I have them airing outside. Don't ask me why but one day I'll know the reason. 

     There was an interesting segment recently on NPR about "The Global Afterlife of Your Donated Clothes". I didn't know that 80% of all donated clothing ends up in the hands of textile recyclers. Anyway, it's better than having them end up in the landfill. Article and podcast here. Read it and weep.

     Have a great weekend and try to keep cool. I'll see you later.

Wattle Arched Rose Arbor

I love it. What a fun project this would be. Buy here if you live in England.

Happy Duck with A New Prosthetic Foot

After--the bright orange one is artificial.

Before--having a peg leg was no fun.

Works in water too. Happy Duck Face, forever after.

More photos here with pictures of the genius doctor who designed and made the new webbed foot for this lucky duck. There is no text but the pictures say it all. I adore human interest stories like this, don't you? 

The Cat Did It

“Mischief – Cat and Workbox”
Newbold H. Trotter (1827-1898)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, dated 1858
SOLD -- before the ink bottle was overturned.

Iron Sharpens Iron

Great typography. Great quote. via

Childe Hassam Flags - July 4, 1916

Frederick Childe Hassam
Oil on canvas. 36" x 23.13
Private collection.

Childe Hassam - July 4, 1916

The Fourth of July, 1916. The Greatest Display of the American Flag Ever Seen in New York. This painting was inspired by the climax of the Preparedness Parade in May of that year. It must have been an inspiring sight to behold. Thankfully, we have this world-famous painting to document the historic World War I parade down Fifth Avenue.

Enjoy the Independence Day fireworks tonight. via

Webster On The Move

Click photo to enlarge.

Webster and I just got back from a walk after a brief shower. It's so muggy out there you can hardly get your breath. My camera lens was fogging over after a minute or two but I did manage to get a decent picture of the Wonder Dog. Did I ever mention he's addicted to air conditioning? Last night was the first time this year I left it running all night long. I think I'll leave on tonight too. Good night all. Have a great July 4th.

My Blog is 5 Years Old

My official blog birthday was yesterday but I forgot all about it because I was so busy. We are celebrating the occasion today, with post number 5,130.  Wow, it's so much easier now. When I first started, I used to hyperventilate because it was so stressful. I had to teach myself how to do everything and back then it was harder than it is now! Thank you, wonderful friends, for sticking with me. It's still a joy to share my life experiences here at the cottage with you in the form of beautiful images, brief text, and information I have personally found to be useful. Sharing these things is so rewarding.

Would you believe 5 in blog years is more like 40? Really! You can't imagine how much you have to know to keep a blog running smoothly. So far, so good. Webster is happy too. I usually give him 4 small dog biscuits each time we come in from a walk. Today he got 5. I think I'll make some lemon buttermilk popsicles to celebrate. Today I plan on using the juice of one lime instead of the usual lemon.

A Daylily and A Cotswold Cottage

On my last walk with Webster yesterday I ventured into a very thick weed patch on the edge of the woods to photograph this daylily with my iPhone. I was wearing my wellies so I'm not worried about getting poison ivy.

I had a real estate closing yesterday so my July is getting off to a great start. Hope yours is too.

You can only imagine how thrilled I was to have found and sealed the deal on a wonderful Cotswold Cottage. Who knew there was an authentic piece of England so close to my own cottage and no passport was required? My buyers are thrilled.

Stunning Hollyhock

This photo leaves me speechless. Isn't it stunning? via

Raised Beds in a Kitchen Garden

These raised beds look very substantial and I like them very much. The copper edging is a nice touch. Found here (scroll down to last photo).

Rescued Island Cottage: Before + After

Dibs. This spot is mine!

Are you impressed yet? Read more about this amazing renovation here.

Beautiful Picnic

One of the nicest things about summer is eating outside, especially if you have a wonderful view. This farmland is beautiful and the salad greens were probably just picked, eating local at its best. via 

It is overcast but cool and misty on this first morning of July here at the cottage. I got in some serious mowing over the weekend and the back is looking good. I'll tackle the front one day this week in between thunder showers. See you later.
UPDATE: It's as dark as pitch and pouring rain. Thank goodness I had my gutters cleaned last week.

Laundry Room Mud Room Combination

This is the perfect setup for anybody, isn't it? I love the herringbone brick floor and the plank ceiling painted porch blue. This one was my favorite but there are more multi-purpose laundry room setups to consider here at Houzz. Who knows, you might prefer the one in the butler's pantry across from the wine. (smile)

Maison à Castel Meur - Pointe du Château France

Click on the following link for a much larger view. via

Talk about being between a rock and a hard place! This fantastic looking house in an idyllic coastal setting and located between gigantic granite boulders is in Plougrescant, a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor in north-western France. The house was built in 1861 as protection from high winds and storms and is popularly known as "Castel Meur". It is still a private property of the original family.

The house and the area became famous world wide through a picture postcard issued by the local municipal officials, anxious to develop the coastal tourism in this coastal area. The owners however were not amused as this brought horde of tourist trying to climb the house for taking photos etc. It is understood that now any representation of "Castel Meur" for commercial purposes is prohibited. 

The preceding text was copied from this site where there are more photos of this wonderful stone cottage snugly resting between giant boulders. It's really an architectural marvel.

I found a 22-photo slideshow here of the surrounding area. The closeup of the house is photo #22. It is a real testament to the art of the stonemason, isn't it?

Entertain on a Carpet of Green Grass

This garden designer loves the idea of a path that leads to an open tapis vert, or green carpet. The path is lined with boxwood hedges and a mix of annuals and perennials. The "carpet" is surrounded with taller bushes and trees for privacy. Angus McRitchie photo via Canadian House and Home May 2009 issue.

Gorgeous Owl

Forgive me for being so tardy with my morning post. I'm still running around in circles here at the cottage but it's good to be busy. I hope you are having a great last weekend in June. Can you believe the year is half over? Where did it go? This owl certainly has good taste in perching places, doesn't he? I love the wrought iron fence or gate. via