A Big Sheep + An illustrated sheep quote . . .

Thanks for stopping by the cottage. Hope your day is wonderful. Mine has gotten off to a late start. I woke up to the sound of the lawn guys next door mowing away. It made me feel a little guilty that I was still asleep while others were hard at work. I often work into the night polishing silver while I watch tv so it all balances out, doesn't it? ♥Rosemary




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Rolling Garden Bench of my Dreams

This is the rolling garden bench of my dreams. Scanned from one of my favorite books ~ GARDEN ORNAMENT Five Hundred Years of Nature, Art, and Artifice by George Plumptre; Photographs by Hugh Palmer. I always wanted to have one made and even collected quite a few antique metal wheels. I can't believe I gave them away when I made my last move in 2004. But I remember who I gave them to and I might just have to be an Indian Giver and take them back...sometime soon. I have been seeing the following picture around the internet of a modern version being made in the Netherlands. I want the English version above. The caption in the book identifies it as "an ingenious moveable seat at Felbrigg, Norfolk." Dibs...it is MINE! I saw it first. I even put my name across the front. You can enlarge the photo for a better view.

A good bench is sturdy and heavy; it's also very hard for one person to move. Dutch designer Rogier Martens has handily solved the problem with this barrowbench.
I would like his modern bench better in a garden setting if it had a metal wheel like this one. I scanned this barrow from one of my early 19th century English engravings.

Wonderful video of skating babies (Evian commercial) . . .

Clingstone ~ The Old House and the Sea: maintained by work weekends . . .

CLINGSTONE, A faded, shingled 103-year-old mansion set on a rock in Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay, is one family's labor of love. It has been maintained for the past 47 years by working weekends in exchange for free lodging and food.

The Newport Bridge is visible from the windows of the Ping-Pong Room, to the left of the fireplace.

Casual array of multi-colored ping-pong paddles. There is time for play too!

The dining room table seats 14. Refinishing the chairs is a task on the list for a future work weekend.

Clingstone has survived through the love and hard work of family and friends. The architect owner (since 1961) says the house is always going to have rough edges. It's never going to look like the Breakers.

There are 14 photos in all that can be seen in this slideshow.

I was fascinated by this story when it appeared in the New York Times on August 7, 2008. I have been saving it for those of you who missed it. Enjoy.

Random photos I've been saving . . .

More photographs by many talented people in no special order with no words. Enjoy the beauty. Thanks for dropping by the cottage today. ♥Rosemary

Life's Little Instruction Book, pages 110 + 111 . . .

Happy Monday. I had a wonderful weekend. Hope you did too. I did absolutely nothing constructive on Sunday with no guilt. My internal battery is super-charged and I'm ready for a week of work. Feels good. Thanks for stopping by the cottage for a visit. ♥Rosemary

...To be continued...