Long view in my cottage of the English landscape.

via Instagram http://ift.tt/24N3Bjn Long view in my cottage of the English landscape. #oilpainting #royalacademy #markfisher #england #ig #mycottage

I actually posted a close view of this painting at lunchtime today on Instagram but I forgot to include the code to make it post on my blog. You can see it here and read the title on the plaque.

A Gorgeous Mansion

This architectural wonder is really beautiful, isn't it? It's not too big either. I would love to see the interior. The outside is elegant simplicity. See you later. xo via

Peony Friends

I figured out a way to automatically post my Instagram photos to my blog so my readers won't feel left out. I used an app called IFTTT which stands for If This Then That. You create "recipes" to trigger an action. I created a recipe to automatically post any new Instagrams to my Blog. I know many of you don't subscribe to Instagram. Now you can enjoy my photos the minute they are live. This saves me the step of having to repost to Blogger. I continue to enjoy learning new things! Have a great Sunday.

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1UogPlc

Princess Charlotte Waves from The Palace Balcony

She's a natural, isn't she? Prince George looks puzzled. What a beautiful family!

Something's funny here. Wish I knew the inside joke. It was quite a day in England with The Queen's 3-day 90th birthday celebration and Prince Philip's 95th birthday today. It was also Princess Charlotte's first public appearance from the Palace Balcony to an adoring audience. Both photos from Vanity Fair. Read more here.

Blue Spruce Looking Blue

I just posted this on Instagram with a copy to Twitter. I just figured out a way to show you too by taking a screen shot with my phone. The new growth on this tree that I planted about 22 years ago looks really blue, doesn't it. I moved a number of trees to my cottage from my former house where I had a farm assessment and over 300 trees planted as saplings. Have a great weekend. xo

Peonies Nearing End of Their Season

Lovely Monet quote.

My drooping peonies after Sunday's hard rain. I cut back the ones that were beyond saving and this is what was left.

The white ones are singles and they weathered the storm much better than the pink mop heads.

I keep replacing the blooms one by one when they start to shrivel. They really are nice in the house when they get too heavy outside. How does your garden grow?

Good Morning from My Cottage

My pink peonies have too many petals to stand up to a hard rain like we had late Sunday. I pruned back all the ones that couldn't be saved yesterday. The singles in white held up pretty well. The singles in red did not.

My outside chore this week is hand-pulling weeds from my driveway. Not fun. I like doing it really late in the day since I'm not fond of direct sun. It is very pleasant outside today and I haven't had my central air on for quite a while. Now I'm off to see what kind of breakfast I can whip up. xo

History of Queen Elizabeth's Eight-Decade Love of Corgis

Ten-year-old Princess Elizabeth and her corgi Dookie at 145 Piccadilly, her childhood home in London, 1936. By Lisa Sheridan/Studio Lisa/Getty Images.

The Queen has kept corgis even longer than she has known her husband of 69 years, Prince Philip. In 1933, her parents, the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later known as the Queen Mum), acquired the royal family’s first corgi, named Dookie. On her 18th birthday, in 1944, Princess Elizabeth received a corgi of her own, named Susan, who tagged along on her honeymoon, three years later.
There is a delightful slideshow and more corgi history at Vanity Fair. I was quite surprised to learn that nobody else inherited her love for this breed. Others find them annoying to say the least.