Finale of Inspector Lewis on PBS tonight

Tonight is the final episode of the final season of Inspector Lewis. Boo Hoo. I love this show and being an armchair visitor to Oxford, England. Maybe they will bring in a new show starring Hathaway. That would be nice! Enjoy

Kitchen Love

I love everything about this photo, especially the exhaust fan treatment over the range. via

Antique Garden Urn with Tulips

Could anything be lovelier? I think not. via

The Queen Mother's Decorating Style

The Queen Mother’s collection of Vanity Fair caricature prints at Birkhall in Scotland. Often called SPY prints in the trade as this was the signature of the artist on many. Love the tartan carpet on the stairs! via

Library and Reading Room Under The Stairs

This is the best use for that area under the stairs yet. Don't you love the built-in book shelves and the comfy chairs for reading? Found in Country Living Magazine. Link here.

Portland Apartment w/ House Tour

Take the tour of this Portland stylist's apartment. via Apartment Therapy

Lovely Signed Bookplate

I have been fascinated by bookplates forever. They are tiny works of art that reflect the taste of the owner of the book. I love this miniature bucolic landscape with trees and clouds and a garden urn. Found in a 1931 second edition of 'The Scented Garden'. Signed lower right by bookplate artist and designer Bank B. Gordon. Bookplate collectors will know this name. Shell added for interest.

I think the heat wave has broken today. Fingers crossed. My heart goes out to those affected by the flooding in Louisiana. Mother Nature can be very cruel. I am so fortunate to live in a somewhat protected area. I understand we are all in for a very bad hurricane season. Oh dear!

My car has been in the shop for a couple of days in the hands of a new mechanic I discovered. Nothing was wrong with it, but it was time for a tuneup and a once over to get it ready for fall and winter. I even vacuumed it with the shop vac before taking it in. It's going to be ready today. So excited. xo

A Cat Named Pyewacket

This cat doesn't stop moving and it's very hard to get a good photo of him. He belongs to a friend and his name is Pyewacket. He's named after the cat in the movie Bell, Book and Candle. I love the garden bench. The heat wave is starting to break and it's supposed to be over on Wednesday. Thank goodness. It's been brutal. xo

Old House -- Before and After

Remember this old cottage near me that was abandoned for years? This photo shows it after Hurricane Sandy took down a tree that took off the front porch.

This photo was featured on my blog recently. The 18th century cottage could not be saved and a new house started going up after the property was finally sold.

The outside is finished! I took this photo yesterday when driving by. Interior work is still being done. The garages are on the right. I don't think this front door will be used very often which is a shame. I understand a family with three children will soon be living there. They must be very excited. The property was on the market for years and years. Thankfully, someone had a vision and the patience to wait for their dream house. So nice! I'll post another photo when the landscaping is finished. 

Illustrations from About Robins book

I thought I'd share two more color plates from the book I featured earlier. They are so beautiful. Happy Friday. Have a great weekend. We have been having rain storms that are short and fierce. xo

Perfect Dahlia Flower

Photographed at the home of a friend this morning.

I continue to be amazed each time I see one of these beautiful flowers. Now it's in a vase in my house so I can continue to enjoy it. xo

A Beautiful Book About Robins

Pictorial Board on a delightful early 20th century large format book about Robins.

The illustrations by Lady Lindsay are like fine art. This book is a real treasure.

The Loveliest Fern Garden

This is a small detail of the nicest fern garden I've ever seen. I took this photo yesterday at a realtor open house. I love ferns because they are trouble free and they take care of themselves. They are so nice in a shady spot on the edge of the woods. 

Stunning Classical Bathroom

I love the architectural engravings in this stunning bathroom. via

Images from my iPhone

I have had a very fun Monday playing around with the "Layout" app on my phone. I posted these on Instagram. See my feed here.

The sky when I woke up this morning.

Marbled paper in two old books.

Blossom on my limelight hydrangea.

Tabitha sunning herself.

Summer Pleasures

I hope your summer is going swimmingly. Don't you love this British expression? Image from Vanity Fair

Bermuda Shutters

I wish I had these on my two living room windows for about two hours in the afternoon when the sun is going down on a blazing hot day. Bermuda shutters are so much better than awnings.

Caught Up On My Mowing Today

Just in time for the rain tonight. I started at 8:30 and worked almost without stopping until late afternoon. My front grass was really long and it required two mowings but now it's done and maybe I can concentrate on weeding. How's your summer going? I am tired but it's a good tired from hard work with visible results. Happy Friday, the gateway to the weekend. xo

1873 Handwriting -- Cursive

This cursive letter written by a child in 1873 is probably a handwriting assignment for school. I think it is such a shame cursive isn't taught now. I went to a birthday party last week for a 9 year old neighbor who said she couldn't read cursive. Penmanship lessons were my favorite when I was in grammar school. I loved dipping the pen into the ink and doing those continuous ovals!

I have posted about handwriting in the past. This old post contains many helpful links to help kids learn this dying art. CLICK HERE.

Charming Bookplate

Detail of the Bookplate on the Thematic Endpapers in an old gardening book. I love the poem.

No wealthy monarch can possess

A greater store of golden hours

Than can be found in happiness

Of birds and books and flowers.

🔹🔹 C. A. Maude Eden 🔹🔹

Wild Turkey Family

I see this wild turkey family almost every day and they were the first thing I saw this morning. Yesterday when I took my late evening walk out back they were roosting high in the trees and all of large ones flew away and startled me with the loud flapping of their wings. I don't know if the youngsters can fly yet or if they were nesting in the woods. This sighting is such a great way to start my day. Now I can enjoy my coffee. xo

Feel free to check out my recent photos shared on Instagram here.

Thematic Endpapers

Don't you love these illustrated endpapers in an old 1936 Gardening Encyclopedia? It really is a wonderful introduction for a person who wants to garden and look up a plant's growing habits. via

Goodbye July 2016

G O O D B Y E   J U L Y

Where did it go? My Limelight Hydrangea is blooming. It is almost time for me to start putting the house to bed so I can watch some Sunday Nite TV in my bedroom. I am recording 'Dancing on the Edge' and 'The Tunnel' on PBS. On CBS, my DVR is recording 'Brain Dead'. Are you watching any of these programs? Have a good evening. xo

Barn for All Seasons

I showed an 1840 house in Mendham NJ on Friday. I stayed behind after my customers left to take some photos of the barn. The one with the Halloween Witch was already on my camera roll and has been on my blog.

I enlarged this photo to show the pig weathervane on the cupola in the shade of an old black walnut tree. We have rain on this Sunday morning. I'm so glad I showed this property on a nice day. xo

Covered Patio in a Barn

I showed a house today that had a barn with a patio inside. One whole side was open. This was in back of this house, not attached. It's always good to have a covered place for eating outside and grilling. So nice. A rolling picnic table and benches were stored in the other part of the barn. Have a great weekend. xo

A. Hays Town. Louisiana Architect

If this is his tool shed, what can his house be like? Find out here. Swoon!

I haven't been posting my recent Instagram photos on my blog of late. If you are curious to see what you have missed, see them here. xo

Pets Napping

This is too cute. I love photos of pet families spooning and napping. via

Office Under the Stairs

This is a better use of a space the usually becomes a closet, isn't it? via

A Raspberry Tart

I got a big surprise this morning and it's delicious. A friend picked wild raspberries with her two small sons and they baked some tarts. Mine was delicious. via

We had a thunder storm 🌩 🌨 🌩

via Instagram http://ift.tt/2aq1jHy
We had a thunder storm that brought the temperature down 20° from 93° and that's a good thing. 🌩 🌨 🌩
#thunder #lightening #rain #storm #cooler #hotday #relief #sohappy #ig

A Fiddlehead and A Fledgling

This is a great photo, isn't it? Wish I had been the one who took it. Tis the season for birds spreading their wings and leaving behind an empty nest. via Many fledglings spend 3 to 5 days on the ground when they first depart the next and are often mistaken for injured birds. Here's a great website for determining if you have discovered a bird trying to fledge. 

Clouds Change So Much in One Hour

I took this cloudscape from my balcony last night at 7:41. I mowed the back of my property a little over a week ago. My front lawn is an embarrassment it's so long. I am waiting for the perfect weather that hasn't happened yet. I plan to wait until this heat wave is over before using my walk-behind mower.

I took this big sky photo at 8:42. I guess all of the humidity we had during the day went into cloud making. 

I turned off my central air last night and it was so nice to hear the chirping insects that sang and chirped me to sleep. Open windows at night in the summer are the best. So far, there hasn't been one night that I slept with the A/C on. So happy. Enjoy your Sunday and stay cool. xo