MUSIC IN THE GARDEN

Early morning is the very best time to enjoy the garden.

To simply listen to the quiet.

Not a single car drives by.

The steams rises from my coffee cup and mingles with the perfume of the flowers.

 

Bumbling, bumbling, bumbling,

Bumble Bees hum their song

Bumble bees their feet dusted with gold.

My coffee cup warms my hand.

Then from from the distance I hear music.

Far away across the fields  a truck parks waiting to make a delivery.

A semi trailer with an extra large cab.

A home on the road.

Music drifts  across the fields.

A  solitary trumpet  playing a soulful song.

I sing along with the music.

“I was dancing with my darlin’

to the Tennessee waltz

when an old friend

I happened to see.

I introduced him to my darlin’

and while they were dancing

My friend stole my sweetheart

from me”

A  serendipitous moments that I share with a truck driving musician.

I sing out loud and clear “Thank you for the music.”

Quiet – then a shy toot of the truck’s horn.

My unknown musician takes his bow.

THE EMPRESS OF IRELAND – and how we almost never made it into the world.

My younger sister Heather is the family historian.  I always check my dates with her.  Today she E-mailed me that she had mistakenly given the wrong year for our grand-parents immigration to Canada.

They sailed on the Empress of Ireland July 1913.

It was a ship of Edwardian splendor – for the first class passengers.

Originally they planned to sail on the Titantic in 1912.  Their passage  on the fateful maiden voyage of the Titantic was cancelled.   Grandmother was experiencing a difficult pregnancy and was unable to travel.

In 1914, a year after my grandparents sailed on her,  the Empress of Ireland was rammed in dense fog by the Norwegian collie, Storstad.  She sunk fourteen minutes later in the St. Lawrence River.  1,014 souls, passengers and crew,  died in the worst maritime disaster in Canadian history.

More lives than were lost when the  Empress of Ireland went down,  than in the sinking of the Titanic.

Fate intervened. My grandparents made a safe ocean voyage, and  consequently we made it into the world.

THEADORA’S BIRTHDAY

A red head woman

in Paris

types stunning words

that fills our heart with joy.

Adorned with pearls

and rings

she sashays out to celebrate.

The lights dim.

The candles are lit.

We sing.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY THEADORA

CHILDHOOD SUMMER MEMORIES

I was leafing through my favorite French magazine, CAMPAGNE DECORATION,   when I spotted a beautiful pillow with a summer photograph as part of the design.  Brilliant!!  What a wonderful way to capture a summer memory.  And how easy to copy.

All you need is a black and white photograph of a beach scene and a T-shirt transfer kit, and an ink-jet printer.  Scan your photograph into your computer,  and if  in colour use PhotoShop to change it into a black and white print (classier that way).   Enlarge the photograph as large possible.  Then follow the simple instructions on the T-Shirt transfer kit.  You can buy the kits  at office supply or craft stores.

One pillow looks perfect on my new favorite reading chair.  Two pillows (with different beach scenes) would look charming on a summer bed.

There is an interesting story behind this beach picture of falcon, myself and my two older siblings.   You can read about it on   EMMA LAKE SUMMERS  .  I promise you it has a happy ending, and a delicious recipe for lemon pancakes.

HOW TO MAKE A VINTAGE FRENCH BOOK

 

You could spend a glorious Sunday afternoon browsing Georges Brassens Parc antique book market.

 

And look what you found!  Vintage cover-less books to create ancient memories.  So very very French.

or   . . .

Take one old, battered book.

Some French graphics from the GRAPHIC FAIRY

A tea bag

And an old ribbon.

This book was in sad shape.  So much so it was in a bin marked Free at our local used book store.

This wasn’t a thick book – just over 200 pages – so I ripped it in half along the spine – being careful not to tear the pages.

 

 

I uploaded this vintage French invoice from THE GRAPHICS FAIRY.  Using a damp tea bag I stained the paper.  I went outside the actual graphic to make sure it would cover the pages of the book.

 

 

To get the feathered edges on your invoice paper dampen where you want to trim and then rip your paper using the straight edge of a ruler.  This will give it a vintage look.

 

I gave the seam binding an aged look by dunking it in very strong tea.  You could also use twine.

 

 

Now tie your bundles to gather and  – VOILA!  Look what you’ve just created.

 

 

Your beautiful vintage French books.

 

 

Now how easy was that.    Wouldn’t this make a fabulous gift for those yearning for a bit of France.

HOW TO TIE A LONG SCARF

Listen up you fashionistas and styling guys. You see them everywhere – the long Pashminas (or Pashmina knock-offs).  There are lots of ways to wear these scarves.  I recently sent two beautiful long scarves to my sisters.  They weren’t exactly sure how they should wear them.  Of course  I want them to be au courant.  There are many ways to tie these scarves but this is my favorite way.

Now how easy is that!

SPRING CROCUS

 

 

In blue and yellow from its grave

Springs up the crocus fair,

And God shall raise those bright blue eyes,

Those sunny waves of hair.

Not for a fading summer’s morn,

Not for a fleeting hour,

But for an endless age of bliss,

Shall raise our heart’s dear flower

Harriet Beecher Stowe

To walk out in the garden.  To close your eyes and simply breath the smell of spring.  Then to discover the magic of blooming crocuses.  A wonderful surprise for these were volunteers.  It makes them doubly precious.  A thrilling  gift that brings a bit of happiness to ones day.  Spring is indeed here.  Oh Joy!

BASIC DATE LOAF (Otherwise known as Blind date Loaf)

Of all the quick breads I make the date loaf is my absolute favorite.   The very name dates conjures up exotic images of date palms and desert sand.  In one of our restaurants we baked date loaves in round pans.  They were sliced and sandwiched together with a combination of cream and old cheddar cheese.  It was a favorite on our luncheon menu. The recipe is very versatile with several variations. BASIC DATE LOAF should be in your apron pocket, after all you never know when you might need a blind date loaf.

CHRONICALS OF A PERFECT HOUSE … memories

 

A house filled with dreams and memories is a perfect house.

An accumulation of thoughts collected  in a tangible way.

Memories to hold close.

Memories to share with others.

 

 

Decades of memories spinning out their days.

 

 

Open me.  My memories would love to meet you.

 

 

We have such wonderful stories to tell you.

 

 

Calico cats and  mice.

 

 

Victorian dolls that are terribly nice.

 

 

Kitten pretty in pink.

 

 

Picnic dishes in a heap.

 

 

Naughty little dolls with nothing to wear.

 

 

Tall giraffes at a country fair.

 

 

Angels, bunnies and merry-go- rounds.

 

 

Story books where tales abound.

In this perfect house when the  dark sets in.

The parties, picnics and frivolities begin.

 

 

In this perfect house   there are memories that fly away.

 

 

And memories that always stay

Outside the cabinet

Close to me in every way.

 

 

 

 

HOW TO DE-SEED A POMEGRANATE

Locked away in the thick skin of the pomegranate  are luscious, ruby red seeds.   There is something both decadent and dangerous about a fruit that holds its treasure so close to its heart.

The very sight of them has me longing for sitar music.  A divan laden with silken pillows.  A soft voice reading the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.

Come, fill the cup, and in the fire of Spring

Your winter-garment of Repentance fling.

The Bird of Time has but a little way

To flutter — and the Bird is on the wing.

How to de-seed a Pomegranate.