Lavender from the garden..................

Lavendula: Lavender

This week I was able to cut the bunch of lavender shown above from my garden. I left about the same amount growing because the bees were also enjoying it so much, and we do need our bees for pollination. I love, love lavender for its wonderful fragrance, its color, and for all the many uses for perfuming our surroundings. Fragrance for the body in soaps and lotions, linen water to spray as we iron, or on the pillow to help sleep on those nights when we toss and turn, In cooking, especially baking, it can add a flavor like no other......and then there's always lavender honey! 

Here are some of the lavender photos I've taken over the past few years - funnily I can recall each particular place when and where I spied the lavender............always beautiful, always fragrant.

Some of these pics of lavender products were taken close to home at the Sunshine Lavender Farm here in North Carolina. My lavender plants were purchased from there three years ago and are doing well.

Go here to visit Annie's beautiful place and learn more about planting and growing your own lavender.

My very own French lavender - love it!

Linking this post to A Favorite Thing Saturday 
here at Mockingbird Hill Cottage - hope 
you'll stop by to join Claudia and friends 
celebrating their favorite things this weekend...before 
we all get busy with Independence Day plans.

Home interiors update..................

My living room is small and comfy. The wall of windows faces north so the area is somewhat dark, especially on cloudy days, with no direct sun shining in. Many old stately trees in my garden, and in the property directly behind, also create shade at the back of the house.

I've added several mirrors in this room, even the coffee table has a vintage foxed mirror top. Mirrors can work wonders in a darkish room, as can subtle lighting.....and don't we all love to burn candles in the evenings.

I love this wooden lantern with the filigreed 'silver' top - found last week at Homegoods. I'd been looking for a really large one but the prices were high in places such as Pottery Barn. This one was a steal at just $24.99, and I already had the tall linen wrapped candle. I was actually quite bowled over at Homegoods....haven't stopped in for some time and was amazed at how much better the store looked, and the offerings, especially in the china department, were awesome. No, I refrained from purchasing more dishes.........but admit it was hard to pass up those pretty Summer inspired plates with coral, starfish and shells.

I did a little dusting and rearranging in the armoire - which is still expecting a long planned paint job. My Annie Sloan chalk paint is waiting, all I need are a couple of free days to drag that baby out from the wall and wield a paintbrush. So, nothing new added here, just rearranged my collection of decorating books.......and I did get rid of the dried hydrangeas in the basket on top as they were disintegrating. I should have plenty of this season's blooms to dry later in the year and can fill the basket again. 

Next week I'll be taking a little trip westward with my honey - and celebrating his birthday along the way......more on that coming up.

Atlasova Island, Russia............

Continuing the sail through the Russian Kuril Islands....... 

........an early morning sunrise and waking to the 

magnificent view of Atlasova Island.

This cool (39F), cloudy morning I decided to join the stalwart Brits - to show them I was still an able walker despite years of being a car-reliant, naturalized American, haha! I chose the scheduled 'medium walk' over the 'long hike' , the latter with no stops for photos and supposedly a long distance. This was a general interest walk to view the human and natural history.......but actually ended up being longer than the hike as we lost the trail and clambered over some pretty steep terrain, and all in Wellington boots as it was also a wet landing to get ashore!

I loved it all though. Just the fresh, clean air and silence was breathtaking. We saw an Arctic fox cross the snowfield. Several birds, their songs blown away on the wind, flew overhead. The vast expanse of plant life was just renewing after the long months of snow cover and freezing cold..................

..........stunning shades of green and purplish heather peeking through the gold and brown of the lingering Winter landscape.

Returning to the beach for the ride back to the ship....

..........with an escort of delightful sea otters, several 

with their youngsters along for the 'tummy ride'. 

Click photos to enlarge

All in all an exhilarating morning.....definitely worked up an appetite for that waiting lunch. I never eat breakfast when a lengthy morning ashore without 'facilities' beckons!