What a lovely Mother's Day...

Hello dearies,
Hope all is fine and dandy with you all. I have spent my Monday catching up from my Mother's Day hurrah. Yes,  Mother's Day does afford a day of rest, but, unfortunately, the chores do pile up while you're being pampered. At one point, I ventured into the kitchen (to top up my glass of vino), only to be greeted by piles of wet clothes (left over from a water fight in the garden), dishes oozing out of the kitchen sink and dishwasher, and a path of toys (both children's and dogs') strewn like a breadcrumb trail through the house.

Not that I'm about to complain, as the hubby did do a spot of ironing for me on Sunday morning. He made a mere dent in the mountain of ironing which smirks at me on a daily basis... But any little bit helps (I think it also helped him appreciate what a god-awful task it is)...

Anyhoo, I figured I would share a little of my special day with you...

Catching up on the latest Country Living

It was spent in my little garden. I'm so proud of this space that my heart swells when I sit in it and appreciate it's beauty. It's ever-evolving and I'm never quite sure what I'm going to end up with... I just plant and leave it up to the gods, letting the blank canvas evolve in front of me...

This year, I am over-run with Evening Primrose. I'm not even sure where they came from. The pale pink doesn't sit naturally next to the orange of the Coreopsis, or the deep pink of the Dianthus (an annual that never died back during our mild winter), but, hey-ho, I just let them all grow with free abandonment... I'm sure there are a lot of more experienced gardeners out there that would 'tsk-tsk' this hodge podge of colours, but I've never been one to conform...

I've finally managed to get the hang of roses, with several David Austins planted around the patio... I'd always envisaged sitting out in the evening with a nice glass of wine and the air heavy with the scent of roses... Hopefully, this year, I'll be doing exactly that... although, I think the air will also have a strong citronella smell to it too (blooming mosquitos). I've also popped in some climbing roses... they're starting to wind themselves around a wrought iron arbor... I'm going to wait until a few more are open before I share that picture with you, though.

Anyhoo, whether it be the fragrant roses which are just beginning to display their beauty, the butterflies and bees flitting between the honeysuckle and foxgloves, or the birds splashing in the bird bath, all of it is a pleasure for the senses.

At one point, a neighbour popped over and congratulated me on the tranquil space I have created...

... and that, my dears, is exactly what I was aiming for. I so rarely end up with what I envisaged, but I think I've finally cracked it in the garden... mind you, there is always room for improvement... And that's the great thing about a garden: it's a piece of art that is forever evolving and, while you can control it to a certain degree, you can never be sure of what you'll end up with!

So, my Mother's Day was spent doing what I love the most... Watching my little girls play fairies in the garden all day long (with no major tantrums), enjoying the peaceful space I have created, and just being thankful... thankful for being alive...

... and being a Mum.

Thank you for popping by. I'll catch up with you next week.
Take care all.
Lx

What a lovely Spring...

Hello, there...
I'm still here. I've just been a busy bee finishing off projects (and starting new ones) around this old place... I tell you what, your work is never done when you're living in an old rickety house like this one! I have to say, though, while the sun has been shining, I have been neglecting the old indoors and spending as much time as possible in the garden. Now that, my dears, is food for the soul!

I don't think I am ever happier than when there's dirt under my nails, the sun on my face, and a nice cuppa in my hand (the best reward after grafting all day in the garden).

So, "What have you been up to?" I hear you ask... well, let me tell you, we have shifted three tonne of gravel, laid umpteen stepping stones, cleared a zillion tree roots and finally have a path which leads us all the way from the front gate to the back door! This is a huge deal in this little old house, as it now means I can get from the front door to the back without the need for wellies... Thank you for small mercies.

I was hoping to pop a picture up on the old blog showing the spoils of our labour, but alas it was raining, so you will have to wait... I promise, I will get some up here (pinky promise)... I also owe you some bathroom shots... yep, I did eventually finish that, too... I'm just so behind on pictures... You know, I find that with this blogging malarkey, it's not the writing which takes up my time (writing's like talking for me; I always have plenty to say), it's the pictures I struggle with. I have a million and one things I want to share with you, but never have the pictures to back it up!

 Anyhoo, hopefully I'll get better, as the hubby bought a new DSLR camera (I dropped the old DSLR and smashed the screen)... he has (cautiously) said I can use his, so, with this new gadget, I might finally get around to getting those piccies (weather permitting).

Meanwhile, here are some Spring shots taken a couple of weeks ago, when everything was just starting to bud... the garden now looks like it's mid-May... Oh, and it has a lovely path leading to the front of the house... Did I mention that?

Right-o, I best be off... it's getting late and I'm sure a gal that needs her beauty sleep!

Have a great weekend!

Lx

A spring day in January...

Hello you!
Happy Monday! I can't quite believe that it's January. We are supposed to be in the depth of winter and yet, here in New Jersey, we are enjoying weather that would be more befitting to the first flourishes of Spring. I even have a bud on one of my roses. Yet, this time last year, we were up to our armpits in snow... not literally, but it sure felt like it.

Anyhoo, making the most of this clement weather, I packed the kids off outside and did a spot of tidying in the garden. Although the weather was Spring-like, the garden confirmed that we were, indeed, not even half-way through January.

My little garden was devoid of any colour  (except for my wee rose bud)... just an array of bare brown sticks poking out of the ground. I am always in amazement that, in a matter of months, these sticks will once again come to life and I'll be seeing the sprouts of green pushing up through the ground. Yay for perennials, the plants which just keeps on giving.

Anyways, while the girls and I petered around in the garden, the hubby donned his DIY cap and set about installing bead board in the bathroom... a project that has sat on the back burner for the past 6 months... but, as I said, this is a new year, a year where we are going to get things done about this little old place... starting with finishing our poky bathroom.

It will still be poky on completion, as we haven't the room to add on, but given it's size limitations, we decided to build on it's cozy cottage appeal... in fact, that's the ethos we're adopting for the whole house!

Hopefully, I'll finally be able to show you the finished project by the end of this month, but judging by the fact I just had to stop typing to deal with the hubby's (now missing) thumb nail, I won't hold my breath!

Anyhoo, I just thought I'd check in with you and share a bit of our Sunday with you.
See you later in the week!
Lx