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

Fun Hotel in Uruguay

Casa Zinc -- the Hippest Hotel in Uruguay. I really enjoyed the photo tour of this unique place to stay. Everything is reclaimed and recycled and fabulous. Maybe you will get some ideas for your own interior design, especially if you like vintage industrial and architectural elements. Click here to read a great article and see more photos.

Isn't this room charming? The arched windows were salvaged from a train station.