Sleeping comfortably in an uncomfortable time!

Some glimpses of the master bedroom makeover. . . . . . as promised.

Still working on the master bedroom makeover in this small 'cottage style' house.
 At last it's able to be used again now there's new furniture, bedding and
 lighting. . . . . . and Bob has at last put most of his stuff away! 
I lined my dresser drawers with pretty paper - he wanted no part of that!
This coming Wednesday the new window shades will be installed and then
 I can either rehang the linen drapery panels. . . . . . or could search for
 something new.  
I'm thinking the linen panels are fine and I'm not planning shopping 
anywhere for some time.

Above, a few things I've made over the years - and they will remain in the

bedroom - cushion covers and lampshades.  

This weekend I framed the original watercolor of a country barn scene I've had

for years in the attic - no I didn't paint it - in a black frame, and two small prints

 by a favorite British Printmaker & Painter Angela Harding. Do check her amazing

 body of work if you are a nature lover, or even if you're not, you will be amazed

 at the beautiful bird and wildlife art she creates.

I bought this black/gold wood framed fern print at Hobby Lobby when shopping

 last week for frames and mats. It just caught my eye, was inexpensive

and perfect for the room.

The chair was one I painted and had upholstered in antique French linen

years ago - it's a favorite and moved here from the dining room where it

was hidden behind a door.

The matching black/green lamp bases are made from a pair of candlesticks,

and I also made those cute clip on shades - fabric is actually wedding gown 

heavy textured silk. I certainly would not have the patience - or eyesight -

required to sew these shades now!

This botanical print between glass with an aged black wood frame I moved 
from the living room. I've done a lot of 'shopping the house' rather than buy
all new for this room.

I love the taller dresser of this new furniture - being tall myself it just makes sense.
You can see the photo of me with my dear mother. Today marks 17 years 
since her death at age 91, an always and forever very sad day for me, 
but the memories are rich and full of the love we shared. Fortunately I arrived
 home in England to see her the day before she passed. She was the best, 
most talented woman I've ever known.
 The smaller of the two vintage silver lidded crystal powder bowls, was my
 mother's 21st birthday gift from her father in 1932 - a 'treasure' I treasure.

So now there's the question of these swirled silk shades I made years ago! 

 Can they stay? Can I do something to make them look a little less frou frou?  
I'm going to try because they are still quite lovely and are special to me, mostly
because my dear mother taught me how to make them when she came
to stay with me whilst I was recovering from cancer surgery a long time ago.
All the shades I've brought home from stores to try, just don't work for me!
There's really no way to change the trim around the top of each shade -
it's glued on and might tear everything if I try to remove it, but the base 
trim (gimp) on the lefthand shade I'm OK with. On the righthand shade,
fortunately the fancy bow trim at the base is stitched on. I can
 easily remove that and replace with similar plain gimp trim.
I'll see how it all works out.

I hope we can all stay in touch during this stressful time. No matter where 

in the world we are it seems we will all be struggling with exactly the same

 problems for some time. 

Here, our school system is closing down for at least two weeks as of

 tomorrow, creating a difficult time for parents. Retail is shrinking as shops lock

 their doors, and we all wonder how we'll fare regarding replenishing items from

 food to household necessities. If quarantined in our homes life will be much different.

But, chin up, hang in there. . . . . . there's much to keep us busy at home.

Most important, stay well, practice social distancing, listen to beautiful music,

sing like the Italians are doing, cook, bake, garden, read that stack of waiting

books. . . . . . . . . .and pray that hopefully this will pass very soon.

With love -

Mother's child. . . . . . . .

On a recent day I felt very much my mother's child. Do you ever feel like that?
Baking was on the To Do list - some to nibble and more to freeze.
Wholewheat cheese scones for soups or salads, and blueberry muffins
 for breakfast.

Mother was definitely a brilliant woman. She could do just about anything she set her
 hand to. Dressmaker to royalty, tailor, wedding dresses, my childhood wardrobe
 perfection, my adult wardrobe fashionable - I sent the fabric and Vogue designer
 patterns, she mailed back the clothes! 
Gardener with a very green thumb, awesome cook, jam maker, cake baker.

Bartender in her father's pub in her twenties. Served in the Royal Air Force 
during WW2. A chef (no formal training but they loved every dish, and her
 amazing cakes) in an exclusive business club. 
She managed shops; lighting (where she handmade the silk lampshades); furniture;
and china departments as she knew all the beautiful British china 
patterns. . . . . . . . and before retirement, managed the busy theatre box office
 in our lovely seaside town where she met the famous, including the Beatles!  

. . . . . . .and the tea towel?

The Princess Theatre building is just visible on the left of this old but loved tea towel.

 Built in 1961, the year before I emigrated to the USA, it sits on the waterfront

 of my hometown in Devon, England. Celebrities galore have crossed its 

stage - from the pirouetting Russian Bolshoi Ballet to prancing Mick Jagger and

 his Rolling Stones!

. . . . . . . this tea towel reminds me of my mother and much of what

she taught me and passed along to me. What a hard worker she was,

what an amazing woman. I'll miss her always.

Blog tour 2014~~~~~~~~~

I've been invited by my dear friend Jane, well known in the blogosphere as "Blondie"

at Blondie's Journals, to be a part of the current blog tour……known as 

Touring Through Blogland.

I've met Jane, and her charming husband in person - in Asheville, NC and here in 

Raleigh, NC, and we had so much fun each time.

Jane's blog is awesome and enjoyed by a lot of gals who are into decorating their homes, 

enjoying time with their families, spending time lakeside in Summer, gardening, cooking etc.  

She always writes candidly and has a great sense of humor. Jane is the perfect blogger and if 

you don't already visit her I suggest you head on over soon.

I started my first blog, Across The Pond, in 2007, this current one in 2010, so have been 

blogging over seven years. In the early years it was a lot different of course, fewer 

bloggers and limited editing programs for posting great photos - and let's face it, we all 

want to share our photos don't we?

I'm to answer four questions………so here goes. 

All photos are my own.

My cottage home.

1.  What are you working on right now?
To be quite honest, not much!  In the oppressive heat of Summer here in the southeast,
being lazy seems to be the best thing, and having recently returned from a busy trip to the
Baltic and Russia, I'm just catching up on regular things around the cottage, while sipping
chilled beverages on the side!  Being British I do not like hot weather one bit. If it wasn't for
the humidity, bad evening storms bringing an overabundance of rain, followed by clouds of
mosquitoes, I would be outside gardening, perhaps painting some bits of furniture I see waiting
out in the potting shed, and of course walking much more. I am cooking a lot lately - easy hot
weather dishes - after buying a really great new vegetarian cookbook - will share that with you
another time.

2. How does my work differ from others in this genre?
I travel often and love taking photos of amazing places around this awesome planet.
Besides the usual vacation venues, I have been fortunate to do a lot of expedition travel via
small ships, not something enjoyed by the majority perhaps, but a special way of seeing areas
of other countries usually off the radar for regular travelers. Having now visited all seven
continents, Antarctica last year being the 'jewel in the crown', I have so loved sharing these
wild and wondrous places with blogging friends.

There are several thumbnails in the right column of my blog page which open up to many of the
places I've visited.  If you've not read those posts and would like to see my photos from around 
the world, please click on them.

My Garden over the past few Summers.

3. Why do I write/create what I do?
I am a creative person, born and bred, sharing my late talented mother's genes I suppose.

She was an amazing dressmaker who actually made clothes for Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, the mother of our present Queen, in the mid-1900's, then taught me to sew and acquire a great interest in textiles and fashion.

She let me redecorate my bedroom, over and over again, helping me choose wild
wallpaper designs of the '50's - hence perhaps my love of interior design.

She was a great 'from scratch' cook - doing it professionally for a while, and yes I love to cook too.

In my childhood garden she showed me how to raise and care for beautiful flowers,
from climbing sweet peas to dinner plate sized dahlias, fuchsia bushes the size of small trees,
and always gorgeous roses. Gardening, a very creative pastime and, as they say,
"A thing of beauty but a job forever",  I certainly agree.

Having worked in several professions, my most-loved were the years spent in the art and advertising business. My blog, though started as a way to journal and hopefully share aspects of my life for my children/grandchildren in the future, has really become my personal creative outlet. I love words and therefore try my best to write interesting content on my blog. As for photography skills, those I've had to teach myself. I was a lousy photographer with a basic camera when I started blogging, now with better equipment and fabulous places, wild animals, flora and fauna appearing in my lens, I'm doing much better but still have a long way to go. I am also prepared to spend hours editing my photos - this alone is probably the most creative time for me these days - I love playing with my photos!

Places I've been around the world.

4. How does your writing/creating process work?
I confess I spend perhaps too much time on blogging! Each morning when at home I'm here raring to go - to bring something cheerful to my readers' day. I don't post every day, sometimes writing one and then leaving it in draft for a later date. I could post daily as I'm never without something niggling at my brain, some subject to expound on, or a photo about which I can tell a little story. I do understand though that we bloggers already have a hard time keeping up with each other……there's just so much to read and comment on, right? When traveling I always carry my trusty MacBook Air, using it to post when Internet is available, and also downloading the photos I take each day so they are backed up in a second safe location. Although I have no further 'big trips' lined up for 2014, next year appears to be another busy travel period and I'm hoping to share many more interesting places with you here.

Thanks as always for stopping by - I love it when you have time to leave a comment but understand if you're too busy, then I just hope you enjoy peeking at something I've enjoyed sharing with you.

I now have to pass the baton to two more bloggers who hopefully will share their stories with you.
How about these two lovely ladies who lead interesting lives and take us along to special places~~~

My wonderful 'keeps me young' friend……whom I've spent so much creative time with 

over the past several years……Vanessa of Dreaming Shabby

My 'hope to meet in person' some day……long time, very kind Southern California blog friend
Sara of Come Away With Me 

Happy weekend everyone and thanks for stopping by.