Monday, October 19, 2009

A Vintage Halloween Postcard Video . . .

I couldn't embed this wonderful video because the feature was disabled. Click here or on the image above to go to the slideshow of Vintage Halloween postcards with music. Trick or Treat!

Thanks for stopping by the cottage to get in the mood for everyone's favorite holiday which is less than 2 weeks away. ♥Rosemary



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Sunday, October 18, 2009

AGA Rangemaster Cookers Go Dotty After 300 Years.

AGA goes dotty over new (limited edition) Emma Bridgewater model covered in brightly colored polka dots. It's a little too daring for my taste. I prefer neutral everything with my antiques providing color and contrast. What do you think of these wildly emblished stoves? I think this one costs around $10,000 in case you were thinking of placing an order.

Four leading personalities in the British Isles have given their take in a series of decorated cookers to celebrate AGA Rangemaster’s 300-year heritage.

Renowed pottery designer, Emma Bridgewater, has designed an iconic polka-dot AGA. Atomic Kitten singer, Natasha Hamilton, has embellished a Rangemaster cooker with cupcakes. Eco designer and TV presenter, Oliver Heath, has created a patchwork wood-burning Rayburn and Michelin-star winning chef, Nick Nairn, has designed a fabulous tartan Falcon cooker that signifies his Scottish roots.

I don't often do two posts in one day but I found these stoves so interesting, I just couldn't wait another day. Thanks for stopping by the cottage again. ♥Rosemary



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Saturday, October 17, 2009

2012 Olympics pictograms launched this week . .

One of the most eagerly-awaited design elements of the London 2012 Summer Olympics was launched on Friday - the pictograms. Read more and see a second version.

Click here for the official Olympic Games site (past and present). Thanks for stopping by the cotttage. Enjoy your Sunday. ♥Rosemary



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Bless this mess . . .

I took these pictures yesterday to show the condition of my kitchen after working for 2 weeks with my carpenter/handyman around the cottage.

Every tool, rag, can of paint, etc. that I provided for various jobs ended up on my kitchen table. To eat lunch every day, we just shoved the stuff aside.

I have the weekend off and won't do much besides try to put everything away. He's coming back on Monday to help me put weather stripping on some exterior doors to make the house warmer. I've got a list going of other things I want to get done too.

We're on a roll and I can't let him go until the major things are done to get ready for winter. We are going to paint the exterior next spring. It feels so good to have accomplished so much in the past 2 weeks.

I would love to get all of my tools organized and in one place. I usually can find most things pretty easily which is a miracle since I have them in the basement, in the attic, in the pantry, in a kitchen drawer, in the garage, and sometimes in the car.

Hopefully, by the time you read this post I'll have this mess cleaned up. Thanks for stopping by the cottage. ♥Rosemary



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Friday, October 16, 2009

Life's Little Instruction Book, page 137 + Recipe for Chai Tea w/ Soy Milk . . .











It is absolutely freezing at my house. I'll have my chai tea steaming hot, please. In the summer I drink it over ice. Thanks for stopping by the cottage for a page from my favorite book by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. and a great drink recipe. ♥Rosemary



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Thursday, October 15, 2009

Blog Action Day 2009 ~ Queen Elizabeth Fights Climate Change . . .

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip at Balmoral. Her Royal Highness has instructed her police bodyguards to trade their gas-guzzling Range Rovers for black mountain bikes whenever possible.

The switch to bicycles is designed to reduce fuel consumption and establish a greener way of guarding the Royal Family during their summer break. The officers are pleased to be getting good workouts and saving fuel at the same time.
This is nothing new for Queen Elizabeth; she started going green more than two decades ago. The main castle's boilers have been converted to burn wood chips instead of oil and she is said to go around Buckingham Palace switching off the lights. Good for her!

The Queen's company, The Crown Estate, has purchased the world's largest offshore wind turbine known as the Britannia project. The company is also involved in the development of offshore windfarms in Scottish waters.

I think it is wonderful that she is so proactive instead of just sitting back and leaving the problem of global warming for Charles to take care of on his watch.


Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day on their own blogs with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. Blog Action Day 2009 will be the largest-ever social change event on the web. One day. One issue. Thousands of voices.

Keep working hard to reduce your carbon footprint. We all share the same planet and it's in pretty bad shape right now. Thanks for stopping by the cottage. ♥Rosemary



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Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Piano Stairs in Stockholm, Sweden . . .

The experiment worked. Make it fun and more people will choose to get their exercise by walking up the stairs instead of using the escalator. Reminded me of Tom Hanks in the movie BIG playing that foot-operated piano keyboard.

Thanks for stopping by the cottage for a little fun today. ♥Rosemary



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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Ramblings about the cottage . . .

My leaves don't have this much color and have just started turning loose. Not enough to rake yet. I plan on doing a good mowing as soon as it is dry enough after today's predicted rain.

I got this miniature painted rocker at a house sale for almost no money several years ago. I love it.

I didn't get poison ivy even once this year and I'm so pleased. Maybe the horrible case I got 2 years ago helped build up my immunity. Hope so!

Webster would be right at home with this gang of tv-watching dogs. Of course he'd have to have a cusion and a blanket.

I scanned this image from one of my books and made this illustrated gardening quote by Rudyard Kipling a while back. I've been in a carpentry/painting mode lately and am quite glad I don't have to take care of any plants just now. My geraniums that were recently moved inside are just enough.

My helper and I got the fence painted yesterday with one person on the inside of the enclosure and the other on the outside. It was twice as fast with 2 people painting simultaneously. We beat the rain too. It would have taken me 2 days to do it alone. Thanks for stopping by the cottage for a short visit. ♥Rosemary



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Monday, October 12, 2009

Happy Columbus Day . . .

Hopefully you don't have to work since today is Columbus Day. I just woke up with nothing prepared so I'm sending you to History.com to learn all about this holiday. You'll be able to watch videos and click around to your heart's content if you are curious. My helper is already here and I haven't even had a cup of coffee. Home maintenance around the cottage is never done. Thanks for stopping by. ♥Rosemary



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Sunday, October 11, 2009

Kansas City Library Parking Garage :: Community Bookshelf . . .

"I found a picture of this the other day while searching for photos from Kansas City and I knew I had to go photograph it myself. This is probably one of the coolest things I've ever seen. I live here and I've never heard of it before—it makes me wonder what other secrets my hometown might be hiding." Jonathan Moreau

What secrets are hiding in your hometown?

Some info from the kclibrary.org website about the books, an art piece called "Community Bookshelf"

"The Community Bookshelf is a striking feature of Kansas City's downtown. It runs along the south wall of the Central Library's parking garage on 10th Street between Wyandotte Street and Baltimore Avenue. The book spines, which measure approximately 25 feet by 9 feet, are made of signboard mylar. The shelf showcases 22 titles reflecting a wide variety of reading interests as suggested by Kansas City readers and then selected by The Kansas City Public Library Board of Trustees." See more photos in the following article: Read more about the features of this architectural wonder here.

Thanks for stopping by the cottage for a repeat performance. I published this post over a year ago and it remains popular. Those of you who haven't seen it should enjoy it. Make the most of the long weekend...I know I will. ♥Rosemary



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Saturday, October 10, 2009

Saturday around the cottage on Columbus Day Weekend . . .

It was too wet to paint my new fence yesterday. Today looks much better according to the weather report. We'll see how it shapes up after the morning mist burns off. I'm looking forward to opening that brand new can of white paint! This is my balcony earlier this summer.

It's Columbus Day Weekend and I hope you are going to spend some time in the country. The fall color is just beginning to pop at my house but it is in full swing as you drive farther north.

I love this open porch with the painted floor and the beautiful view. The benches are very special on either side of the farm table. The whole setting is very nice.

I've always loved this Picasso quote. I made this illustrated quote and published it on my blog earlier this year. Yesterday I helped put up a hand rail going up to the loft above my garage. I learned something new by helping the carpenter.

I took this photo of a maple leaf in full fall color with a black fleece blanket as the background. It's more fun to photograph the leaves that it is to rake them!

Wooden blocks with words of wisdom stamped on all sides. These would be fun to make out of scrap lumber.

"Do something everyday that you don’t want to do; this is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain."

Have a great holiday weekend. Thanks for stopping by the cottage. ♥Rosemary



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