Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Nature's curtains

I’m having a magical day. I’m sitting on Nature; sitting under a sky of green grapes...

What could be more romantic than sitting under a grape-covered porch sipping the fruits of your own labor? Ah yes, is pure bliss around here! The right combination of hot days and cold nights has made this a phenomenal summer for grape vines... and so, our back porch is beautifully swathed in grapes.


Tiny little finger-like twines of a magical vine wrap themselves in whatever they can get a hold on. If you are not careful enough, they’d wrap themselves around you too... especially around your hair!

Our porch is a billowing green corridor of curly grape vines right now... the vine has taken over it in a delicious way; it's like living inside Nature, or in a living tree. I particularly love how my favorite place in the whole wide world gets dappled in shade by Nature’s most wonderful curtains... and the best part of it is, I can eat them too!

Eating "Nature’s curtains" is a delicious way to get my daily doses of flavinoids!

And oh by the way, did you notice something wonderful and sweet on my table? No, not the grapes! Ah yes, a different kind of bird came to visit me today... he sits pretty on the lid of my new teapot and I just love it!


As I mentioned here, this cute teapot was a “Just Because” gift from dear Fairy Tesa and her sweet mommy... Tesa loves birds just like me, and when she saw this cute teapot she knew exactly who would love it as much as she did! The white porcelain vase (so perfect for my red roses) that came with the teapot was part of the gift too, but that I will have to show it to you later, because something that pretty it sure deserves a post all for itself...


We’re certainly approaching fall around here, and although I never ever going to love winter ever, I have to admit that cooler weather has brought some dreamy days and evenings; particularly lovely are the mellow evenings... perfects for tea hosted by elves, wouldn't you say!



Magic lingers in the evening air, you can hear the crickets chirping their nighttime lullabies until all of the sudden the gentle hum of the garden brings the world to a hush... I’m wrapped in rare calm, into that dreamy silence I immerse myself; the faintest brush of cool air against my face... and I laugh in secret joy.
I only wish I could bottle this magic and share it with you!





Sunday, August 29, 2010

Show Off Your Cottage Monday

Welcome to "SHOW OFF YOUR COTTAGE MONDAY", a blog party I host at the beginning of each week to celebrate the things we love about our homes and how we live.

The small house situated in a rural community in Northwest Netherlands had been uninhabited and neglected by previous owners, but for Elly it was love at first sight. The minute she walked on the property, she knew she would sacrifice anything for it... a careful and sympathetic renovation, plus an addition of a master bedroom and a bathroom turned this house into the lovely cottage of Elly’s dream. Walking into this light-filled turn-of-the-century cottage today, it’s hard to believe the place was once a dim warren of a tiny house. Ah yes, I'm sure you'll love this cottage as much as I do, so let’s take a peek inside, shall we?



Don't you just love this charming little cottage! And you can see more at Elly's blog. Would you please visit Elly and tell her I sent you! She's expecting you! If you are participating in "Show Off Your Cottage Monday", please link back to THE HOUSE IN THE ROSES. Linking back allows the readers of your blog to find the other participants, thus increasing visits for all who are joining in.





Pssss... Have I told you lately how humbled I am by your warmth and friendship? Ah yes, I adore reading your comments and the sweet emails I get every day, some of them with charming photographs of enchanted fields or a lovely rose garden you've seen during your walks. How special these emails are to me! And how blessed I am by having you in my life. Thank you... thank you for taking time out of your busy days to come here and read my ramblings. May your day be filled with blessings Like the sun that lights the sky, And may you always have the courage To spread your wings and fly!




Thursday, August 26, 2010

Excerpts of my life...

Enchanted creatures? I am the Tinkerbell of my little world. I fly around this flower-laden land deadheading here, pulling weeds there, cleaning this and watering that and only stopping for a little bit to rest or maybe take time to make some refreshing fresh fruit smoothie... those delicious, creamy, frosty fruit drinks that are so wonderfully yummy on a hot afternoon in the garden...
Do you love smoothies? I love them! For a basic smoothie, I use the following:
1/2 to 1 cup fruit (I love mangoes and strawberries—my favorite) 1 cup plain or fruit yogurt (I like plain better) 1/2 cup fruit juice (I usually use orange)
Add about 4 to 5 ice cubes, or more if you like it thicker, and combine all the ingredients in a blender. Process on high until the ice is completely crushed and the drink is smooth and creamy.
I like to add a dash of cinnamon to my smoothies sometimes, or nutmeg or vanilla, you can also add honey or maple syrup... add whatever you want; be creative, there is nothing more delicious on a summer afternoon than a creamy smoothie... and smoothies are a good way to add extra nutrition to your diets too!

It’s been hot around here, I mean really hot like in the 105 degrees... I am amazed, and sometimes mystified, by how my garden thrives in the heat of August. Despite the usual amount of bugs and fungal diseases that comes with the heat of summer, my roses are as healthy as they can be, and I think they must have confused the seasons too and think is June, for they're madly putting spectacular blooms everywhere again and again! Is pure bliss! While browsing the Internet the other day I found the most delightful site, filled with gorgeous free vintage images... This one in particular brought some nostalgic tears to my eyes. It has magic powers, I tell you... like a twister in the path of memories, it takes me back in time to those days of my childhood when the most important person in my little world was my dear sister Lissette...
I remember that both Lissette and I (I am almost 2 years older than Lissette) had massive amount of hair; particularly Lissette. I can remember being at the pool in the summertime, and enviously watching our friends’ hair dry gracefully into shiny Pantene waves while ours dried leaving us looking like members of Whitesnake. It amazes me how we both, still at this point in our lives, have kept our hair long... We have this thing with Rapunzel you know...

Oh, and take a look at my new pink vintage earrings!

I found these lovely round pink vintage earrings at St. Michael’s thrift store the other day. They were in a box outside the little store, along with all the other “free stuff” they put out every day for whoever would want them... I could not believe my eyes when I saw them! I decided to wear them to the office today with my black top and black and white skirt. They certainly add an extra sassiness to the otherwise austere look. I just love them!
(Pictures taken this morning at the office.... brought my camera with me! Tee-hee!)

I received the loveliest of package yesterday from dear Fairy Tesa and her sweet mom,... a "Just Because" gift! Aren’t those gifts the best gifts ever? Just because gifts convey an extra special meaning because they are sent when there is no occasion just to make someone feel special. They speak of unconditional love to me. I am thrilled and will be showing you what I got soon... and here is the lovely Ms. Tesa (dark hair) in her pretty fairy dress... isn't she the sweetest!

I peeked outside last night and gasped at the sight of the moon... I love taking pictures of the moon although my camera is not the best for doing this. I still love what I was able to capture... the mystery of the moon behind shivering leaves... Just amazing! Oh, and did I tell you that I had to hurried up inside after I took those pictures? Ah yes, I was all alone out there in the garden taking pictures of the moon and all of a sudden it turned scary; real scary... an unfamiliar and mysterious place if you would. I could hear estrange noises amidst the bushes, unidentified creatures lurking in the growing darkness. Vines grew hair and fingers with long nails and I could hear this shallow breathing behind the darkened butterfly bushes... when I turned around, I thought I saw the creepiest of image across the water in the moon illuminated birdbath. Something cold, like a shiver I felt, and run inside. Don't you just love imagining things? I also love to hear what you have been up to lately, so would you please take me to your world and tell me all about it! And oh don't forget to come back on Monday for another "Show Off Your Cottage Monday"! You would not want to miss what we have in store for you! See you then!

Wishing you all a happy weekend. From a magical and warm and sunny garden...

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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Early morning musings

Nature has mesmerized the house...

Nature has decided to wrap itself around the wall by the kitchen window...

so she can climb inside...

and take a pick around the house...

and view many different surfaces...

Nature has charmed my soul... I am stirred by its many wonders

Like the birds, I am enthralled by its serenity...

Entralled by its silent wisdom

And abundant of colors and shapes...

Sometimes Nature belongs to me... and wraps me in infinity, like a dance in the heat waves. My cup is filled.

When I set my eyes upon this slice of green earth, my heart grows wings...

I rejoice in the thought that I am the keeper of this precious bounty...

Enthralled in the moment I am; captured by sunshine and breezes as late summer melodies find a way through it all...

Is the melody of flapping wings, feather showers, bumblebees and buzzing buddies and dainty daises altogether...
On magical mornings, like today, the garden rests bathed in stardust... it makes a great carpet beneath bulbs, and around shrubs and perennials, and I love how it fills every space with twinkly magical lights as it settles down. That's how enchanted this speck of land is...

I hear sweet delightful sounds... can you hear it too? Somewhat similar to bell music; garden bells, enchanting hummingbird wind chimes...

The air is heavy with sweet scents... magic hovers over the garden bringing all sort of goods on its golden wings... tiny swirls of sweet-smelling breezes, ripples in the silence, memories of fragrant meadows never seen...

Nothing can break the spell that hovers over the garden in the early morning... I love the quality of light at this time of day... there is something magical in it, something marvelous... it turns the world mellow.

And if you're lucky enough, you would be able to see little creatures fluttering by... they like to hide behind the huge hollyhocks and purple butterfly bushes in the garden.

Mystical lights dance in the sky to the winds of morning. Spell of the nature fill my soul.

Ah yes, summer is on the wane here in our valley... schools are starting up, and I can already feel the melancholy of fall in the early air... the dying days of summer always leave me a bit blue. Maybe it's the diminishing daylight that does it or the candy hues of the late summer sky. Whatever the reason, the demise of summer leaves me feeling sad. Oh how I wish I could keep these lovely crystal skies and wispy clouds of late summer forever... but I know I can't.

Tell me... are you looking forward to the fall weather?