Beautiful Morning at My Cottage

Today is one of those glorious days with cool winds blowing and deep blue skies full of white fluffy clouds. I wish I could share the wind on my face with you! My mind is racing trying to decide which outside chore I should do first. xo

Pink Peony Portraits

My pink peonies are way too heavy to stand upright and are in their last days in the garden. I put a white plastic bag on the ground to photograph this one after a soft, short rain yesterday.

Good bye peonies. See you next year in all your beauty.

Jessie Willcox Smith 1930s Covers

A very sweet Good Housekeeping Magazine cover dated June 1930 by Jessie Willcox Smith, one of my all-time favorite illustrators.

Here we have Picking Strawberries dated June 1931

Both covers found on Google images.

Drawers Under The Stairs

I like the six drawers under the stairs that have wainscot fronts to continue the wainscoting pattern above and beside. They would be perfect for scarves and mittens and small personal items that you don't want to display but need on your way out. This is probably a back staircase and not the main formal one. via

Best Porch Swing

via

Look closely for the cutest tiny dachshund on the tassels.

Cat Sharing Food with Pheasant

I love this cat, so willing to share her food with a hungry pheasant. via

Garden Shed to Love

I love the simplicity of this little garden structure. It must be in some sort of Historic Village like Old Sturbridge or Williamsburg. I have never seen a wheel barrow with a basket but I love it. I prefer old tools to new ones any day. Happy gardening. xo via

The Peony Garden from My Window

It's hard to believe the very spot where my peonies are planted was buried in snow higher than the birdbath in March. They bloomed much later than usual and I was a little worried at first because the buds were so small. They slowly got larger and larger until they were back to normal in every way, including their beauty. This is the view from the window over my desk in the pantry. Covering this garden with woodchips last summer was a huge task but it paid off with fewer weeds to pull this year. So far I have been able to keep up with them on a daily basis.

Duchess Peony Painting

Duchess Peony ~ Mia Tarney via

No Mud Allowed in this UK Mud Room

Leave your muddy boots outside, please, and use the bootscraper. Isn't this entrance stunning? I love the brick and stonework exterior and the fine woodwork is beautiful inside. It appears to be new construction too in the old tradition. More photos below. I love the fabric in the window shade.

via: South Downs House, Bespoke UK cabinetry by deVol

View from My Living Room this Morning

I was sitting on my sofa this morning behind the laptop screen you see in the lower left. I had both French doors wide open and I haven't had screen doors on them in years. I picked up my phone so I could share my beautiful view with you. It has been so nice having a few nice days with no rain. xo

Antiques at the Bottom of The Stairs

I love this arrangement at the bottom of the stairs in an old house. The built-in bench is wonderful. The antique table is full of wonderful things, the man in the portrait is handsome, the wood in the basket is handy for a nearby fireplace and an antique sidechair completes the arrangement. The original poster said she wanted to straighten the portrait. I agree. Smile.

More Peonies and A Field Mowing

Here are my ruffled white peonies open. They are my favorites because of their beauty and because they don't droop since the heads are so light. They close up on cloudy days and at night to protect their delicate blossoms. Peony season is the best, isn't it?

My friend with a tractor showed up unannounced late yesterday afternoon to mow my field and he ended up mowing my lawn too. Everything will green up and be uniform in no time. I didn't come inside again until almost eight o'clock when I took this photo. I still have to do some handwork here and there and I had to use my leaf blower in the front but that was fun. I am so glad to have this task behind me to maintain my field so trees don't grow back there. An unmowed field will become a forest in no time. 

I took this photo today at noon so show how nice my front lawn and garden are looking.

Today, it feels more like fall with an overcast sky and 63° at ten o'clock on Sunday morning with rain coming tomorrow. Tuesday will be filled with nothing but sunshine though and that makes me happy. Enjoy your Sunday. xo

First Peony to Open 2018

My single ruffled white peony is always the first to open, followed by my red ones, and then the pink ones are last. This one opened when the sun came out yesterday after the rain. It was very translucent, as shown by the raindrops on the top petal. They are on the reverse side!!! For some reason, the petals have a pink tint when they first appear but change to a bright white when fully open and one of my Instagram followers says they look like fried eggs.

The sun is out, the sky is hazy and it's going to be hot and humid today with 84° as the high. Bring it on because tomorrow the high will be only 66° and will be wonderful for working outside. Mother Nature is so unpredictable, isn't she? Have a great weekend. xo

Giving Credit where Credit is Due

Flanders Poppies:
I forgot to tell you where I found the link and ordering information for the Flanders Poppy seeds.

Karen Heniger @karen_in_va formerly from Connecticut posted the photo, ordering information, and planting instructions on Instagram as her Memorial Day Post. Click on her link and make sure you view all three photos. Thanks, Karen ! ! ! She is one of my favorite frequent posters on Instagram and a long-time follower of my blog.

I was happy to find the photo below on Instagram. This is how I am going to plant my poppy seeds.

Could anything be more beautiful than this stunning bed of red poppies, growing at Amanda Cutter Brooks' Fairgreen Farm in Oxfordshire? I think not. 

Happy Friday. Happy June. Now summer can officially begin. xo

Photos Around My Cottage

Potted plants on my balcony. The pink geranium in the beautiful white ceramic pot with matching saucer has finally adapted to being outdoors again after a long winter inside. The blue flowers on either side are lobelias. I have never had them before but I'm looking forward to seeing them grow. The five pots in the fabulous galvanized tin planter from a rummage sale have nasturtium seeds that should be sprouting soon. Fingers crossed. The ones I planted in the front two weeks ago are already up.

The plant identification spike names this variety as "Heat Upright Dark Blue Lobelia" with improved heat resistance. They should be right at home on my hot balcony with no shade until mid afternoon. The flowers are self cleaning and need no dead heading. How great is that? 

These lamb's ears were transplanted to a back garden against my foundation and they are loving the support of a wall to their backs. They should be blooming soon and will be able to hold the weight of their heavy flower heads that the pollinators love. 

This amazingly beautiful sky with a moon was photographed from my balcony at dusk five days ago. In no time at all after I snapped this shot it was pouring rain. We have had more rainy days than sunny days and the upcoming first week of June from Friday to Friday shows nothing but dark days, most with rain. Oh well, what can you do?

I can't believe it's already in its last day so I'll say goodbye to May. Maybe her promised flowers will be more beautiful in June. xo

Shaker Kitchen in UK Showroom

Here is a larger view of the kitchen I posted yesterday while wishing I had more photos of the room. Presto, my wish was granted! One of my readers and followers found a link! Thank you so much, Leslie. This kitchen is in a deVOL showroom in England and all the bespoke elements are swoon worthy. Click to see other views of The Loft Kitchen. 

A Country Kitchen to Love

photo source

I love this kitchen island with lots of drawers and two open shelves at the end. This large kitchen has a farm table too instead of bar stools. Yay, and a window seat too. The floorboards look old but the construction looks new; perhaps it's a restoration. I couldn't find any additional photos but I know I would like the rest of this kitchen.

FLANDERS POPPY SEEDS for Sale

Website Here

The red poppy is an internationally recognized symbol of remembrance for veteran sacrifice.

Each seed packet sparks awareness and conversation about the WW1 Centennial as it honors the legacy of the 4.7 million American veterans that served during World War I.

60 seed packets for $64.99 with free shipping

These seed packets would be great to include in your Christmas cards this year and the funds will help build the National WW1 Memorial at Pershing Park in Washington DC.
If you act NOW your donation is worth twice as much because the Pritzker Military Museum and Library will match your donation!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY
In Flanders Fields

Bunny Mellon Embraced Friendly Weeds

Giant Mullein growing in her poolside gazebo.

Vanity Fair once described Bunny Mellon as the “high priestess of pruning and pleaching” for her devotion to gardening and personal love for pruning. While Bunny had an affinity for picking wildflowers and celebrated vegetable gardens, she loved pretty weeds as well.

Verbascum thapsus, a biennial plant, was once used as an herbal treatment for coughs, congestion, chest colds, bronchitis, and inflammation. For most of the year, the huge, furry leaves flourish under Bunny’s gazebo, stationed next to her display greenhouse. She felt that weeds were friendly, and often added to the beauty of her home, hence why the weed mullein was allowed to sprout between the stones. Its common name may have come from the Celtic term meaning yellow.

Read the entire article at Oak Spring Garden Foundation

Happy Memorial Day. It's cold, dark, and rainy here at my cottage but I don't mind. xo

The above link will lead you to my previous posts commemorating this holiday, celebrated each year on the last Monday in May.

My New Glasses: Eyewear

I have never mastered taking selfies so this is my version that looks like a double exposure. My reflection in one of my balcony doors also looks through to one of my living room walls. I wanted to show you my new glasses and the photo below is an enlargement.

I am very camera shy and I can take better photos of myself than anyone else.

This closeup shows the subtle colors in the tortoise-shell frames. My old ones had smaller lenses and wire frames with nose pads. They were quite comfortable but not that becoming. I bought them because I had clip-on sunglasses that fit and soon after I got those glasses, I lost the clips, so that was a wasted effort in economy. I have clip-ons that fit my new glasses too but I didn't realize it until I found them in a drawer full of old glasses. I can see more clearly out of my new frames but when I watch TV in bed, I can see better out of my old wire ones since the lenses are smaller. My new eye doctor tweaked my left lens making it easier to read street signs so, overall, I'm happy. I think it takes a long time to get used to your own reflection in a mirror before you look like yourself to yourself if you know what I mean.

Enjoy this long Holiday Weekend. Be safe if you are on the road. xo

Organizing My Closet

I have only just begun, but this is an early view of the closet in my second bedroom. The room where I sleep doesn't have a closet so that's why I call this my dressing room. I dare not take a photo of the rest of the room right because it looks like a war zone. That's the only way I can work, by tearing everything apart and slowly putting it back together again. The two stacked shoe organizers, purchased yesterday at the church rummage sale, started it all. I have a way of stepping out of my shoes when I first enter my kitchen and leaving them there. No more! Now each pair has a home.

The books on top of my lingerie chest, decoupaged on all sides and inside the drawers with old sheet music, houses all the books I got at the church sale too. The chest was a garage sale purchase years ago that my mother enjoyed for many years. I need to look through the books before they find a permanent home. Most are on gardening. By the way, my nasturtium seeds are beginning to sprout!! There is more depth on either side of the closet for hanging clothes so it's larger than it looks with storage above for winter blankets, etc. I'm still not finished organizing my clothes into keep or donate piles, plus I wear the same few things all the time. Don't we all?

Here's a closer view. The two vintage shoe organizers with dividers are made from heavy duty cardboard and are covered with paper that makes me happy every time I open the double doors of my closet. When they were new, they were sold folded and flat and required some assembly. Someone kept them in perfect condition and they waited for me until I could get to the sale on the second day. Lucky me!

Wisteria and Outdoor Furniture

My wisteria was beautiful for a while until big halestone pellets destroyed the blossoms in a storm a couple of weeks ago. The setting above is gorgeous. I love the stone wall and the tiny patio. I see a base for an umbrella to shade the sitters from the hot sun while dining. It's so nice to be outdoors this time of year. My project for the day has turned in to my project for the week. Cleaning out and rearranging my closet has is a long overdue chore and I've just started chipping away at the iceberg. But it is quite satisfying to see that progress is being made. photo source

Official Royal Wedding Photos

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have released these three official photographs from their wedding day and the newly-weds are said to be "delighted" with them. 

Photographed were taken by Alexi Lubomirski 

@alexilubomirski

I couldn't resist this adorable photo of Prince George below. He looks so handsome in his pageboy uniform. I was thrilled with the wonderful behavior of all the children in this beautiful wedding.

Photos from Instagram @bbc

Gorgeous New Colonial

What a nice new house that looks old! I love the architecture with so many interesting features, especially the porch with a beautiful balcony above. via

Lilibet's Playhouse: Royal Birthday Gift

Princess Elizabeth’s little cottage at Royal Lodge, a gift from the people of Wales on her sixth birthday. Could anything be more wonderful? The estate is located three miles south of Windsor Castle in Windsor Great Park and has been the official residence of The Duke of York (Prince Andrew) since 2004. photo from Instagram

Since posting, I have more information. Click HERE for more perfectly delightful archival photos of the Royal Family and the history of "The Little House at Royal Lodge" called Y Bwthyn Bach.