VICTORIA, Season 3 Premier TONIGHT

Set your DVR or prepare to watch Season 3, Episode 1 tonight on PBS. I am thrilled my favorite series is back, finally! 

Mark your calendars: Season 3 will begin on Sunday, January 13.

Stars Jenna Coleman and Tom Hughes will reprise their roles as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Season 3 will begin in 1848 as the royal couple faces the challenges of their growing family and worries that the riots and revolutions breaking out across Europe will make their way to England’s shores.

“It’s a time when the whole of Europe is falling apart,” creator Daisy Goodwin said during PBS's session at the biannual Television Critics Association Press Tour. “French kings were getting thrown off the throne, there were riots in Berlin. It’s all going pear-shaped.”

How much of Victoria’s multi-decade reign will Season 3 cover? We’re not sure. But what we do know is that it won’t get to 1861. Goodwin has promised that Albert will be part of the full season, meaning we won’t have to face his death just yet. Article found here.

Vintage Attic Storage Idea

I love this attic print storage and art room. I have something similar in the attic of my cottage and am always looking for new ideas. via

Cutest Doggie Door Ever

How Darling.

If the door to the house is closed, it appears there is a holding area on the porch where the dog can have shelter and dry off. Photo found here.

xo, Rosemary @ Content in a Cottage

New House with Classic Elements

I adore linen presses in hallways of old homes and so appreciate seeing them in new construction. High ceilings and transoms over the doors are another feature I like and these floorboards are wonderful. xo

Distressed Cat Face

Look at that cat's face in the last photo. I don't blame her for being distressed about having to share her food with a possum. So adorable! Photo found here.

Topiary Perfection

Could anything be more lovely? I think not. The house. The walk. The clipped topiaries. Perfection. via

Kanopy: Free Movies w/ Library Card

The public library from my old house is much closer to my cottage than the public library of the town where I pay taxes. Last month I turned in my old library card from 1975 (sniff) and got a new one from The Library of the Chathams because they had just gotten the KANOPY streaming service for card holders. I can stream 10 free movies per month and many of them are current Golden Globe winners.

These photos are screen shots from my laptop. Click either photo to enlarge. I pulled up Kanopy from the Madison NJ library so it wouldn't show my log-in information. Click here to see the website. Don't try to log in because you will need to log in to your own local library to see if they have Kanopy https://www.kanopy.com. Hope this isn't too confusing. Read the articles below first.

The New York Times wrote a great introduction to this service that streams 30,000 movies and documentaries. My librarian told me academics love it for the meaty content and many colleges offer it to students and staff. Even die-hard movie fans who see everything that comes out at movie houses will still find something they haven't seen. Read the article and be amazed. You can call your library to see if they have it or are planning on getting it. I am happy my library picked 10 as the number of free movies for members. The Morristown library near me only offers 6 to their members. It's an arbitrary choice for each library. If you live in a small town where they will never get this service, I remember reading somewhere that you can get it as an individual for $150.00 annually. That is about the same price as Amazon Prime though it doesn't stream TV shows. I would imagine an individual membership might offer unlimited access but I'm not sure. 

Anyway, I just wanted to make you aware that this exists. It streams to your computer, iPad, or phone or other mobile devices. You can stream through your TV with Apple TV or Roku or Chromecast too.

Check it out, I know you will love Kanopy. Hooray for Libraries!

PS: I had to mail something today and the postmaster said first class stamps are going up to 55 cents each starting 1/27/19 so buy some forever stamps before then. 

Video: Nordic Skating on Thin Black Ice in Sweden

This small lake outside Stockholm, Sweden, emits otherworldly sounds as Mårten Ajne skates over its precariously thin, black ice. “Wild ice skating” or “Nordic skating” is both an art and a science. A skater seeks out the thinnest, most pristine black ice possible -- both for its special smoothness, and for its high-pitched sounds of cracking. This is so exhilarating to watch!!!!!

View full screen if you are watching this video on a computer. It is truly amazing and don't forget to turn on the sound. If you cannot see the video, here is the link for a National Geographic feature on YouTube.