Golden days in paradise -

 

Some people confuse Ragweed and Goldenrod and blame both for their

 allergic reactions. Ragweed is the culprit not goldenrod. They are

 completely different plants and look quite different. Goldenrod is a

 perennial and ragweed is an annual.

Goldenrod does not cause seasonal allergies. The most likely cause of 

your sneezing and runny nose is ragweed pollen. Ragweed is a rather

 insignificant-looking weed that blooms at the same time as goldenrod. 

It is wind pollinated and disperses large amounts of pollen into the air.

Solidago, commonly called goldenrod, is a genus of several species of

 flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Most are herbaceous perennial 

species found in open areas such as meadows, prairies, and savannas. 

They are mostly native to North America, including Mexico; a few species

 are native to South America and Eurasia.  Some American species have

 also been introduced into Europe and other parts of the world.

An important source of nectar for so many pollinators—such as butterflies

 and native bees—goldenrod is especially crucial to the winter survival of

 many honeybees. Its pollen adds considerable amounts of protein, fats,

 and minerals to the late-season diet of the bees.

I know you're wondering where I took these photos of a meadow full of goldenrod.

Some of you already know Jeanne of Tahilla Farm in New Hampshire. 

Many years ago when we were all young, fresh, new bloggers, we followed 

Jeanne on her first blog Collage of Life. Her life as an ex-pat took her and her

 family to live in amazing places - Australia, New Zealand, England, Vietnam

 and China . . . . . and we bloggers loved following along. Personally, I have to

 admit to feeling envious that she was this amazing person who could pack up

 her life, her four children, dog, sun hats, books, and furniture and move

 seemingly overnight to another country in the footsteps of her husband. 

Of course now knowing Jeanne better, and having spent the most enjoyable

 times together since she settled back in the US, I understand that it really 

was a lot of hard work.

Now retired, Jeanne and her very special Mr. H, have made their home back in

New England where they started out, and this is their beautiful farm property.

I feel so fortunate that I have been a guest here in all seasons except winter.

Seeing Tahilla's landscape change colors under the shadow of the distant 

mountain range, in rain and sunshine, has been a true blessing. I just wish I 

lived closer.

You can follow Jeanne and enjoy her wonderful writing and photographs

 on her website ~ tahillafarm.com/tahilla-farm-story

Tahilla Farm, New Hampshire

I was here just over a week ago.

Jeanne very kindly gave me permission to share my photos of the

 farm with you.

Thank you Jeanne - see you next time!

July came fast and furious!

Saturday morning Breakfast Smoothie - Banana, Mango, Kiwifruit, Almond Milk, and a slice of walnut bread toasted.

It has been such a busy week here with the Independence Day celebration on the 4th, Bob's birthday on the 5th - which seems to have gone on for several days due to restaurants being closed over the holiday - along with five other birthdays among friends near and far. Yesterday we drove out of town to meet friends for lunch and went back to their lovely home for an afternoon cuppa. They were formerly our across the street neighbors who moved away 19 years ago - still great friends and enjoyable company.

The July weather pattern continues with its usual oppressive daytime heat reaching close to 100F, nights not much cooler. Thank goodness for air conditioning. Rain here around us has been nothing more than a 5 minute late afternoon shower now and then, not much help in keeping the gardens going and green. We took a drive to the local 5-acre 'sunflower field' where the city plants 200,000 seeds annually, but it was still just a huge swathe of tall green leaves, no golden blooms yet, whereas my little garden patch is lovely with the tallest sunflower now around 71/2 feet high, it's flowerhead still in bud! 

Hang on ---------- I'll run out and take a photo with my phone!

So, just took these pix, so humid and overcast outside - not the best weather. The tiny yellow flowers are my neighbor's cucumbers and he has already gifted me with a large one which I plan to use for a green gazpacho tomorrow. . . . a perfect chilled soup for this weather. 

While out snapping the sunflowers I caught these guys having fun on our white oak.

One of Bob's birthday (83) get togethers was at our favorite pub/restaurant where a few family members joined us and granddaughter Jasmin brought along a carrot cake - Bob's favorite!  How quickly the years are passing. How grateful for family who continue to care about us. Sad that some apparently don't!

Time flew by with new friends -

I do like being at home again. . . . . . but getting away and flying across

 the pond was so enjoyable after such a long time.

Seeing family and old friends, and meeting new friends or making

 acquaintances was fun.

Our new friends included a sweet elderly blind man, Monty, from Wales, 

whom we breakfasted with at the hotel on several mornings, and two

 amazing ladies, Myra and Pat who are gorgeous, funny cousins in their

 eighties. They were on holiday from Newcastle. They kept us in stitches

 even when we couldn't quite understand their Geordie accents. 

There was also Wendy whom we met on a bus ride and discovered

 we were at the same school together. We talked about the teachers we

 had and the silly things we did as teenagers. Such as sit in the classroom

 seats next to the French doors and stick our legs out sideways to get a

 tan on those few and far between sunny days of early English

 summer. . . . before the school holidays started and we were

released from uniforms, Panama hats, ankle socks, and uptight

 rules and regulations of an all girls' Grammar

 School back in the 1950's!!!

An evening visit, one of several, to our favorite pub, and luckily

 just a hop and skip away from our hotel, was interesting. We ordered

 drinks and food and settled in to listen to some awesome live music. 

We sat at a table next to two men, one a surgeon, both part of a 

Trauma Team who go to Africa to help provide free surgical care for

 patients with broken bones and traumatic injuries in rural Kenya. 

Very interesting conversation for us as we have visited there and have

 seen how botched, or often no surgery, leave men, women and children

 unable to walk properly, or to use their arms to work and provide for

 their families.

If interested in reading more about, or supporting this worthwhile charity,

go here:  https://www.futurehealthafrica.org/traumateam

Bob outside the Hole In The Wall, favorite Torquay pub.

Bend your head though, the beams are very low!

Torquay's Oldest Pub – Circa 1540

With its cobbled floors and low-beamed ceilings, the Hole in the Wall has been a regular for smugglers and business people alike. Providing a traditional pub atmosphere with great food and quality beer, the Hole in the Wall aims to provide first class service with a great social experience for all. Good selection of ales to include Doom Bar,  Butcombe Bitter, Otter Bitter and with as many as four changing guest beers and traditional real cider too, you will not be short of choice!

I'm busy catching up here at home. Unpacking and laundry, lots of garden chores as lack of rain and very high temperatures - it was 99F when we disembarked our flight in Raleigh - have wreaked havoc on plants and shrubs, and the grass is browning out. However the figs are plumping, daylilies blooming, and some hydrangeas survived and welcomed us back with paler shades of blue.

 Have a great weekend - I'll be around to catch up with you soon, and hope to add more stories from our really fun trip.

Fragrance of Christmas!

With Christmas preparations in full steam ahead mode, one really needs 

to stop and smell the pine and fir trees now and then.  My dining room

 table vignette was casually gathered together yesterday. It includes fresh

 fir branches. I also recycled a few of my autumn pumpkins stored in 

the potting shed after Halloween . . . . . my favorite grey green one, 

and two golden beauties which I've spray painted nickel silver for the

 holiday season.

Yesterday my special friend Jeannette and I managed to meet for a pot of

 calming hot tea at a favorite coffee shop - and shared a delicious Asiago

 cheese scone while catching up on news.  We exchanged Christmas

 gifts and one of my pretties is a candle with the fragrance named

 'Tree Farm'.  

Awaking to a heavy fog early this morning, I stumbled into a still dark

 kitchen and lit the candle (Jeannette thoughtfully added a cute box of

 old fashioned matches) on the island. In minutes I was transported

 to the the winter woods of my childhood.  It was lovely.

Do special scents at Christmastime bring back childhood memories for you?

The tangled threads of life -

transitive verb. 1a : to disengage or separate the threads of : disentangle.

 b : to cause to come apart by or as if by separating the threads of. 2 : to resolve

the intricacy, complexity, or obscurity of : clear up unravel a mystery.

Life has had many moments lately where I've felt tangled in a web of 

unhappiness, loss and pain. I don't like to use my spot here in the blog

 world to 'air my dirty linen', moan and groan about aging and health

issues, disparage family or friends, or write reams about negative

 pandemic issues etc. 

I strive to make this my 'happy place' where I can share good things.

Nature, travel, the garden, decorating, photography, fashion, cooking and

 baking. During the past few weeks the deaths of two much-loved

 travel friends, one in the UK, the other in Arizona, and then last

 Friday a dear family member - a second cousin in the UK - have brought

 me great sadness.

My thoughts have been for the families of those three special people.

 All will be so missed by so many.

My own current personal mobility issue, due to what seems to be a

 major right leg hamstring strain, is making walking, bending, any

 type of movement, so painful. It's definitely knocking me for a loop! 

I started PT two weeks back and have to admit I've yet to receive

 any relief. I'm good about doing the exercises at home on days when

 I don't go to the facility, but I still have excruciating pain.

Anyway, I'll keep going and hope this condition will eventually be resolved

 and I can get out of bed and stand up in the morning without screaming!

********************

Leaving you with some pretty Autumn peeks for the weekend. . . . which

I hope will be enjoyable for you and your loved ones. 

Autumn Collage - 2020

My house - Autumn 2021

Celebrating emigration and friendship. . .

Yesterday marked the 59th anniversary of my

arriving in America!  It was to be just one year of working

and seeing the wonders of this vast land . . . however, because

 I met and married Bob, it turned into almost a lifetime visit.

Yes, I'm a legal immigrant and have dual citizenship with

the United Kingdom!

I gathered an armload of flowers from Trader Joe's on Thursday in

 preparation for friends visiting.........and because I like fresh flowers

 for the dining room at the weekend.

Now here it is Sunday and I'm taking a rest!

It's been a busy last few days around the house as I prepared for 

yesterday's visit from our Oregon friends, Marilyn and Jim.

We last visited with them in Portland in 2016.

Where have all those years gone?

They were passing through Raleigh on an East Coast visit and it was

enjoyable to have them stop here for lunch with us at a nearby

 restaurant, followed by a quick visit to the the cottage for dessert prior

 to heading west to the North Carolina mountains.

 On the front porch with my longtime blog friend Marilyn ~ visit her at

Delights of the Heart

where you'll enjoy beautiful words, nature, the Oregon coast, flowers,

 and learn a lot about tea, her specialty!

P.S.  Last chance to enter my knitted cowl giveaway - drawing will be tomorrow.

Leave comment on that recent post to be included.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning in Devon -

The life of the Brownings was a great love story, part of which is set in my

 hometown Torquay, in England.

Famous writers, such as Agatha Christie and Charles Darwin wrote 

books there. . . . .  and the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning,

wife of poet Robert Browning, lived there for a while when her health

 deteriorated, before moving to Italy where she died in Florence in 1861.

We've booked an Airbnb in Torquay in what we are hoping will be
 "the merry, month of May!"

It's next door to the Hotel Regina where Mrs. Browning lived for a short time 
when her declining health required a warmer climate.
It's still run as a hotel, but is apparently nowhere near as glamorous these days. 

 Most of these historic buildings have lost their glow now they are over 200 years old.
Owners seem financially hard-pressed to make repairs, freshen up facades, 
and keep interiors bright and clean. 

This amazing old copy of Mrs. Browning's book of sonnets was sent to me by

 my lovely blog friend Shane in Auckland, NZ. It arrived last year before I knew

 I'd be staying within a stone's throw of where this famous poet sat, long ago,

 putting pen to paper and writing beautiful poems. 

So yes. . . . . . for those of you who've asked if I'm planning a trip anytime soon,

This week will see me going home to visit family, old friends, and new friends!

More another time.

Happy day.

The English Primrose. . . . . . . .

Being English 'born and bred' as they used to say - maybe some still do - I'm a 

wild primrose gal. 

When the primroses bloomed we knew it would soon be goodbye to winter.

Later, perhaps a memoir will be in order describing how we children gathered 

these lovely spring flowers from the rolling Devon hillsides - yes I definitely

look forward to writing that one.

My lovely, and very special friend Mary Ann, called Wednesday to say she was

 on her way, and bringing a little something! 

Within twenty minutes she was walking across the lawn carrying this beautiful

 spring display in a perfect for me pot. . . . . . . and I was just thrilled to bits. 

It's so beautiful and brings spring into the cottage. Planted with delicate ferns and 

yes, a perfect yellow primrose, it immediately made me somewhat homesick for

 an English spring!

Thank you again dear Mary Ann for planting up such loveliness - you always know

 how to pick the perfect gift for me and I'm so glad we are friends.

Be kind -------------

I played with my roses yesterday, taking photos of what I now consider

 the perfect flowers. They were part of my Valentine bouquet from Bob. 

Although now wilted, I'm continuing to dry them because they are so beautiful. 

Their very rosy pinkness has faded now to what I consider true dusty rose. 

Along with a tinge of rust, they are perfect and should remain this way for some

 months before the petals start to fall, scattering silently across the table.

The quotation seems appropriate. More compassion is needed in
today's often sorry world. Too many wilted hearts struggle to find 
answers.  Be kind, be compassionate, make this beautiful world 
a good place.

Friendship. . . . . . .

I've been rising a bit earlier lately on many mornings.

I like waking when the house is still as if buried under a soft blanket, 

dark and silent, all sounds muffled . . . . . . . . . . . . .most recent mornings
 being chilly, however this one beautiful with sunshine and promised warmth.

Bright Saturday in the southeast, and plans for a meeting with a very dear
friend and her lovely daughter this afternoon. 
Many of you who've followed me over the years will remember Vanessa, my
special younger friend originally from Brazil. We met via our blogs, then
spent several years treasure hunting together to stock our shared booth
at SuzAnna's Antiques, as well as painting furniture, shopping the fun stores
 such as Anthropologie, baking and drinking coffee. . . . . .and hanging out
 together almost every week.
When she and her family moved away to Charlotte, NC a few years back, we still
 managed to meet up now and then, but I have really missed her and all the fun
 things we used to share. In all honesty, she made me feel young again!
Now they are moving to California in a few weeks. . . . . . .so much farther away.
Getting together will be even harder - but we will hopefully now and then!

Early morning light in February

This morning I quickly designed a new header for the blog - I just

felt in need of a little change. This is the month of the year I usually

dislike most - just something missing and it brings me anxiety.

Seeing Vanessa's always brilliant smile, and sweet Luna now almost twelve

 (she was in a stroller when we first met!) always with a glowing happy look 

on her sweet face, will be cheering despite having to say goodbye. . . . . . 

 for perhaps a long while this time.

Friends and friendship, a very special part of life.