A Spotless Abode

Warmth and I have lived in small flats before. He is much tidier than me. I'm quite happy with piles. I'd smiled when I read this passage during Persephone Reading Weekend and now as we find the path of decor styles and levels of tidiness it chimes true.

This comes in Round about a Pound a week under the chapter 'People'

It is a fact that a woman the law of whose being is cleanliness and order at all costs may, to a slovenly man, make a most tiresome wife. Her little home may be shining and spotless... at the cost of her vitality and temper.
...
But a steady woman who is not as tidy as her husband might wish her has many ways of producing a semblance of order which makes for peace.... better for the man's sake, the children's sake, and the woman's sake, a dingy room where peace and quiet are than a spotless abode where no love is.' Maud Pember Reeves

Thingsorganizedneatly

How does it work itself out in your abode?

Charming Little Notes

We've been left a beautiful very old stamp with our address on, it looks a little like letterpress when used. I spent a delightful few afternoons using it to make our change of address cards. Scribbling small messages, or for friends far away writing letters to enclose in them. So when I read this it made me smile.

"My dear little Jane, everyone is born with a vocation, and yours is to write charming little notes." Mary Ann shaffer & Annie Barrows The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Having lived in a flat for all my London years I'd forgotten how exciting I find the thud of letters through the letter box... It's bringing back memories of Twin and I racing for the
front door as soon as we saw and heard the post van turn up.

Have you received any charming little notes recently?

little notes

Late Summer Rain

I really enjoy reading short stories on holiday. Not normally a 'more than one book on the go at a time' woman short stories give a break from the main book, a change when able to read for extended leisurely periods of time. I remember reading Katherine Mansfield at school and have wanted to read more of her. A beautiful birthday gift meant here was my opportunity.

There were some days like this..
'It had been raining all the morning, later summer rain, warm, heavy, quick, and now the sky was clear, except for a long tail of little clouds, like ducklings, sailing over the forest.' Mr & Mrs Dove (in Something childish but very natural by Katherine Mansfield

summerrain

Not the first woman

As I didn't post last month I thought this week would be a catch up of a quote from each of the books read in August. It took a long time, partly through the break of Paris in July but I finally finished it.

'She was not the first woman, nor the last, to resent watching men with considerably less talent than herself enjoy far greater and challenging opportunities.' Amanda Foreman Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire.

and a chaise longue

Our new house started to feel like home as soon as we unpacked the boxes of books. They are in no particular order, and we already need more book space.

'Thus: of windows, there were two. Both of them faced south, and were high off the floor... Between the two windows was a fourth shelf - the shelf for English and French books. Against the left-hand window was an office-type desk, flanked by a small table for the portable typewriter on one side, and on the other by a fifth bookshelf, this one for Italian literature, classic and modern, and for translations: mainly from Russian - Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekov. On the floor, a large Persian carpet, and at the centre of the room, which was long but rather narrow, three armchairs and a chaise longue to stretch out on while reading.'The Garden of the Finzi-Continis Giorgio Bassani

Hope you get a moment to laze and read this weekend.

a beautiful world

The Month of August

Settling in to our new home. The days took on a gentle rhythm. Warmth leaving for work. A gradual awakening, a potter downstairs, watering the gardening, admiring the lovely roses. Maybe picking one and putting a single stem in a jar. A clean of a room, an unpack of a box, a little bit of a garden, the joy of being able to hang washing out outside. A wander into our new town center to explore and do a few chores. An internet browse - of blogs and gorgeous home ideas and possibilities. Waiting in for a delivery or someone to check on something be it aerial or internet or new bed delivery. BBQ suppers because we had no cooker.
Cleaning and a little more cleaning and imagining the women who'd have cleaned in this house of the years.... Feeling the need to have a scrubbing brush.
Visits from both sets of parents, within days of moving in.
Meeting a dear dear friend along the Southbank. I team taught with her as a newly qualified teacher. She is my friend, mentor and Early Years Guru.
Delightful bubbles in Selfridges and then along to Aubaine for supper. This included the purchasing of a fantastic denim tunic from Gap.
Twin and the blessings came up. They'd made a chocolate cake the shape of the house decorated with jelly sweets. So lovely to have a garden for them to play in.
A delicious day in Regents Park with goddaughter and mum. A picnic, a play on the climbing, alot of chat and a great ice cream to finish the day off.
A guest post over here.
Loving having a garden. Picking roses and hydrangeas to display. All the little glass bottles I've been collecting have a purpose. Enjoying the garden. Enjoying thinking about the plants and flowers and how spending time sitting. Weeding is a novelty and I, at the moment enjoy it. Though currently the blackberry bramble is winning the fight in whether it stays or goes.
Tea with our new neighbour.
Another gorgeous day with a friend in Regents Park.
Putting together said John Lewis deliveries. Or rather supporting Warmth.
Having read alot about da Polpo I finally sampled the delicious food. And my it was lovely. I already want to return there and eat in their two other restaurants. Pudding was courtesy of The Icecreamists.
We celebrated a second wedding anniversary in our locality at Cafe Buenos Aires with views of sunset over Blackheath. By the way the sunsets in south east London are just incredible. And oh my the rain....
Decorating the spare bedroom, the bathroom and house in chaos with a glamorous damp proof course being done. And finally on the 25th a cooker arrived.
A total of nine BBQ's for friends and family over the course of August.

Having a garden, no cooker and all the visitors means we've explored different foods. Lots of salads and our favourite marinades. Missing not having an oven to bake. Still hurrah for refridgerator cakes, Boodles, jelly and no bake cheese cakes. Experimenting with cake pops. I'm not sure about them. I have a sweet tooth and found them a little sickly. What are your thoughts? First cakes baked in the new cooker chocolate and hazlenut and an apple cake with apples harvested from our apple tree!

Books read. Finally I finished Amanda Foreman's Georgiana, tripped delightfully through a small book of Katherine Mansfield's short stories (Something childish but very natural) raced through The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows. For book club The Shadow of the wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Reader, I gave up after about 20 pages.) Starting Persuasion early. Reading many home decoration magazines and Decorate and modern vintage styling.
Returning from a blogging holiday and looking forward to seeing you all.

Blogging Holiday

Whoop Whoop hurrah we've moved home. I'm taking August off posting, but still hope to read your blogs, for starting the journey of making our house our home.
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Verity and Ken

Dear Verity and Ken,
On this your wedding day,

A poem,

Hinterhof by James Fenton

Stay near to me and I'll stay near to you -
As near as you are dear to me will do,
Near as the rainbow to the rain,
The west wind to the window pane,
As fire to the hearth, as dawn to dew.

Stay true to me and I'll stay true to you -
As true as you are new to me will do,
New as the rainbow in the spray,
Utterly new in everyway,
New in the way that you say is true.

Stay near to me, stay true to me. I'll stay
As near, as true to you as heart could pray.
Heart never hoped that one might be
Half of the things you are to me -
The dawn, the fire, the rainbow and the day.

James Fenton

Flowers and books.


A gluten free pink wedding cake for you.


Just Married bicycles for you and Ken, knowing that Ken likes cycling.

And balloons - well what's a virtual celebration without virtual balloons?

Wishing you both a wonderful day, honeymoon, celebration lunch and marriage.

xrachel

The Month of July

Started with receiving a date for our move. Hurrah.
Celebrating a birthday with drinks in town. A great night but bad pub. I was asked if I wanted ice with my G&T!
Friends for lunch delicious time to cook together for Warmth and I before hand.
Celebrating Warmth's birthday with an evening of 20-20 cricket at Lords with friends.
Buying an iPad. Oh how we love it.
Supper with dear friends at Rocket.
Joining Mama and Papa Warmth at Cleaver Square Fair.
A second visit to The Summer Exhibiton with printmaking friends. Lovely to see favourite paintings again and seeing others for the first time.
In the midst of rain an afternoon at The Berkeley for Pret-a-Portea. It was delicate. It was delightful. It was delicious. And there was a very lovely pistachio green cake bag to take a few treats home with me.
Then onto Baltic to celebrate all the recent birthdays with Warmth's family. And the next day another meal out to celebrate all the recent birthdays in my family. Yes basically everyone I know is born in June or July. I'm running behind on presents and cards too....
Back to my dear and much missed friend Portobello Road for leaving drinks with dear friends at The Electric. Even though they're leaving the area we will return for Porn Star Martinis. We even have the date in our diaries.
Finally the end of term. The end of the school year.

Paris in July celebrations
Reading Ripening Seed by Colette, rereading Chocolat by Joanne Harris, The Cat by Colette.

By the time you read this we shall hopefully be in our new home. I've decided to take the month of August off blogging as there will be too many lovely/tiring things to be doing in our new home.
Happy August and see you in September!

My Mark

Today is Granny's birthday. Our first without her with us. Granny had asked for this to be part of her funeral and it seems fitting to post it today.

'My daughters, I am written into you forever.

When you have children I'll be written into them too.

There will always be a genetic inscription that reads - MY MARK.'

Morris West - Eminence

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