Riverside Cottage in France

What a nice French riverside cottage. Sign me up for the month of August.*

Dance Around the Maypole

Dancing around the Maypole

Half of the dancers should go in one direction around the Maypole, while the other half dance in the opposite direction. Each dancer should alternate between going under or over the dancers that they are meeting. This will weave the ribbons around the Maypole.

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.

Tiny Paris Balcony

Here is another way I could rid myself of lawn mowing. Move to Paris and have an upstairs flat with a tiny vine-covered balcony. Too bad I don't speak French. It's lovely, isn't it? *

House on Stilts

This looks so appealing to me. A great looking house with no lawn. My grass is getting thicker and taller every day and the dandelion crop is thriving. I hope my riding mower will start without a tuneup since I paid a fortune to have it fixed very late in the fall last year.  Have you done a first mowing yet? Does this house on stilts look good to you too? *

Doorway Decorated for Spring

Now if this doesn't look inviting, I don't know what does. It's nice to see an entrance decorated for spring since we've waited so long for it to come. I don't embrace the sudden heat though. I just like a gentle increase at a slow rate without the blast furnace being turned on high, please! *

I overslept the morning and I'm running late and rushing to get ready for my weekly office meeting. See you later. 

Wonderful Shelter in The Garden

I'm totally smitten with this post and beam covered dining area with a tile roof and a back window. The structure begins where the high garden wall ends so the window lets you peek through to the other side. image PeriodHouse.net

Botanical Prints as Wallpaper

I couldn't possibly tell you where this image is from. It's one I've been saving to my computer for ages. This wall took some serious planning finding just the right prints to paste on the wall without having to trim away too much of the margins. Looks very nice indeed.

Beautiful Shells

Beach weather is quickly approaching. It was 80 degrees yesterday and was really hot sitting in sun so I sat in the shade. This is a beautiful beach composition, isn't it. You could really hear the ocean in that big conch shell I'm sure, even when far away from the shore. *_*

Tandem Bicycle for Ten | Yikes

Such fabulous images! I've never ridden on one of these, have you? Famous Bicycle Built for Two 
Vintage photograph from detnews.com

Feathers Flying at My Cottage

When I woke up this morning there were feathers everywhere. I was pretty sure the fox had been in the hen house. Upon closer examination I found a slit in my summer-weight down blanket. I think Webster must have gotten hot in the night and when he jumped off the bed, one of his nails must have gotten caught. I was sound asleep in my food coma after a day of Easter treats yesterday.

When I went back with the vacuum cleaner the culprit had claimed my space and was oblivious to anything out of the ordinary. 

Old Trees in A Mist

 

Such a wonderful grove of gnarly old trees. I love anything in a foggy mist. I'm gearing up for the final episode of Upstairs Downstairs tonight. The perfect end to a perfect day. *

Rose Cottage

Blue door, thatched roof, tree roses, white picket gate, stone wall love. I ate too much at my brunch. The weather is quite warm and I am resisting a nap. Hope you're having a nice Easter day.