Do you have vacation plans?

What happened to June? Can you believe today is the last day and this is actually the week of July 4th? Time flies when you aren't looking. via

Perfection with Weeds

You can't imagine how good this photo makes me feel. These people have manicured bushes and beautiful plantings yet they have weeds in their pavers just like the ones I have in my gravel driveway. It's good to know somebody else doesn't want to spray either. I actually mowed my driveway last week and it's looking more and more like an extension of my lawn. via

Cattle Egret Bird Parents with Young

Mr. and Mrs. Cattle Egret look pretty shocked, don't they? Their triplets look like little aliens but the parents are quite handsome so this awkward, just-hatched stage will soon pass. via

The Studio with Pots of Flowers

This looks like a delightful multi-purpose room, doesn't it? via

My Wisteria When It Was Blooming

This wisteria is not mine. I don't allow anything to grow on my cottage. via

This is mine earlier this spring. It's pretty close to the bedroom end of my cottage and I have to keep an eye on it because it's always trying to climb up the downspouts. 

Marc Johns: Polka Dot Elephant

This surprises me too. via

Pretty in Pink: Flamingo with Chick

Isn't this a beautiful photo? Somehow I never imagined what these big birds looked like when they were hatchlings. via

Love the Interior Stone Wall

I like the cat too. What a great bedroom! via

Screen Porch w/ Fireplace and TV

j. paul moore photography

Now this is what I call outdoor summer living.

Best Friends Forever

The title of this photo is so cute.

"Forbidden Love"

via

I can't wait to get in my bed. I mowed and weed whacked all afternoon and I'm pooped. I got way behind because of all the rain we've had. I mowed yesterday too. I still have a lot to do but progress is being made. Yay.

I can't stop watching this.

I'll bet you can't look away either, right? via

Lovely Butterfly.

Butterfly or moth? I can never tell which is which. Anyway, it's a lovely composition. via

S is for Selling in Summer

via

These people are all set for summer and are hopeful about selling their beautiful home. Found on the MLS. I think they have done everything right from the looks of the outside, don't you?

Sweet Dreams: The Owl and The Dog

Dreams by Tanja Brandt

These two like each other when they're awake too.

Click on the link under the first photo and keep clicking the forward arrow to see more wonderful photos of these unlikely friends. Sleep tight. Zzzzz

Philip Mould's Oxfordshire Garden

Little wonder that the Oxfordshire garden of art dealer, writer and broadcaster Philip Mould, should be so appealing. Mould has had a life-long passion for plants and his 18-acre garden, a combination of wild meadowland and expertly-tended-to formal beds, demonstrates this love of horticulture.

Taken from the June 2013 issue of House & Garden.

Are you watching POLDARK on PBS?

I watched the premier episode of Poldark, Season 1 last night and loved it. Here's a little preview of 6 things you have to look forward to from PBS.

If you watched last night and are unclear about anything that happened, here's a recap from The Wall Street Journal. SPOILER ALERT -- Don't read it if you didn't watch the show.

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I really liked the show that came on after Poldark about the WWI nurses called The Crimson Field. This link will allow you to watch the entire first episode if you missed it last night. 

About the Series: In a tented field hospital on the coast of France, a team of doctors, nurses and women volunteers work together to heal the bodies and souls of men wounded in the trenches. The hospital is a frontier: between the battlefield and homefront, but also between the old rules, hierarchies, class distinctions and a new way of thinking.

Old Indigo Blue Textile

Vintage Japanese Indigo. This graphic design reminds me of an American wedding ring quilt.

Cutest Ad with Animal Sounds by Children

I love this advertisement for bottled water that is suitable for making baby food.

All of the animal sounds are voiced by small children, even babies. Click here if you cannot see the video above.

An Elephant Crossing

photo source

Isn't this amazing?

Such a considerate pachyderm.

Testing the Wings.

source

Nope, they're not quite ready yet.

Perfect Summer Textiles

photo source

Blue and White Awning Stripes.

Blue and White Ticking.

Blue and White Checks.

I love them all, especially in the summer.

Storybook Lake Cottage in Norway

photo source

This is absolutely picture perfect, isn't it? Surely this charming cottage must be a vacation home no one ever wants to leave. Have a great weekend. 

Great George Eliot Quote

via

All Decked Out for Summer

photo source

Isn't this wonderful? I really love the DIY table made from a double decker stack of pallets painted white with heavy duty casters. That would be a fun project that would be practically free. So clever and attractive too.

Bedroom Bookcases and A Window Seat

Who could ask for more? Not I. via

Small Summer Cottage in Denmark

This looks very nice, doesn't it? Isn't that huge window fabulous? See the floor plan and many interior photos here.

Wendell Berry Environmental Quote

“...the care of the earth is our most ancient and most worthy and, after all, our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it, and to foster its renewal, is our only legitimate hope.”

― Wendell Berry
The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays

Google Images

Wendell E. Berry is an American novelist, poet, environmental activist, cultural critic, and farmer. A prolific author, he has written many novels, short stories, poems, and essays.

Born: August 5, 1934, Henry County, KY

He's 80 years young and still going strong. A truly inspiring man of the earth.

View from A Friend's Terrace

The beauty of mature landscaping photographed from the terrace of a friend. Then I went home to my weed patch. Sigh.