so its january, and I love january, don't get me wrong. i have shared before I am a moody cold winter person. tucked into flannel sheets, i am all cozy tonight looking out the window at the beautiful falling snow in nyc, and just loving every minute of it. i am not craving spring!
that said, i was looking through some old photos of my tiny little country cottage, and I found some pictures of my old garden at its peak. stopped dead in my tracks, i had a moment. every element in this picture was created by my own hand, back when life was slow and simple and alice was little and chase was a tiny puppy and i really really love that. i remember wanting to create a romantic fantasy in my fenced in garden patio for my young little family to play and dream...
every tree I planted by myself, every flower grown from seed. i was even my own grass cutter. poison ivy was my middle name. the only thing I needed help with was when i replaced an old ugly concrete patio off the kitchen side of the cottage with stone. i remember driving the stone guy absolutely crazy with my instructions to make it somewhat uneven and unlevel so as to mimic the rough patina of an elegantly aged patio. we even chipped some of the stones and i opted to not grout in between the stones...just some sand and moss and mess makes this eight year old patio look one hundred, at least!
the metal chairs and table had come from target, all shiny and new and coated white. quickly I went to work with my benjamin moore essex green/ black mixture to customize all the pieces to my liking. these same chairs are now actually white again. and rusty. the garden was crammed with so many flowers...cosmos and daisies and lilies and zinnias...
the roses at the time were pretty healthy, and there were about six or seven different varieties and these were perhaps david austin janet? i forget now, and most of them are gone now anyway, so I am going to restore the garden to its former unruly romantic glory this year.
got my david austin rose catalogue in the mail last week, and i am sitting here planning and dreaming of all the hard work ahead. thinking i might choose olivia rose this year.
looking forward...
I find it hard to believe you are a cold winter person after seeing these gorgeous sunny warm-weather photos. How very meaningful it must be that you created this beautiful space with your own two hands (and cut the grass yourself!!). Your commitment to make a gorgeous lovely space for yourself and loved ones is so admirable and I have learned so much from all your posts. I am a single mom with two almost grown daughters and I am trying so hard to fill their lives with flowers, music, books, classic films, etc... I am dreaming now of stone patios, roses, and coffee on an iron table!!
ReplyDeletelol I always love your comments so much! Yes!!! I really really am a winter person! Born in December, and addicted to boots and snow and fireplaces. I know I am truly a freak in this respect, and most people think I joke or exaggerate...anyway, last night I was walking down memory lane, and was looking through pictures from my old blog, which was all about life with a little one, and I could not resist...we had so many beautiful moments as a family in those surroundings. Enough to sustain us both I am sure. Maybe for old times sake I will re post some oldies...So happy to hear you are living like so fully xxxxx
DeleteAh, well, Cynthia, you may indeed be a winter person, but my, how you manage to put no small amount of energy into your spring/summer living space. Your photos hint of it, it is, of course, that thing we all crave in our outdoor world, the hidden garden, the secret garden, the special place where it all gets blended together, colors, sounds, smells, of plants, animals, earth. The good life, right…
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I also think that it is the fate of every stonemason to be driven crazy by his client, just the nature of the beast…
It was the good life...It was funny to sit back and remember how pretty that place was, and how I threw myself into it. I remember squeezing little trees into the back seat of my car, sticking the tops out the sunroof, and dragging them up hills. Doing the work and planning myself was just as much fun and pleasure as sitting back and enjoying the view...all the senses were in proper place for sure, and gave me almost spiritual direction if that makes sense? In those days, I was NOT a manicured girl though lol...and the stone guy/mason thought I was crazy for wanting an uneven patio. It was a disaster in his eyes, but I could not have been happier. xx
DeleteOMG _ are you serious! i am dying over here and i did embrace winter for about 3 weeks but now i am really suffering. I need to channel some of your enthusiasm for it hehe
ReplyDeletelol...sorry? Ive been like this since childhood. I feel very calm and centered in winter. It is quiet and when I feel my energy. I wish I could enjoy summer and sun! All I do is complain about mosquito bites and spiders and sweat and hide under big hats! If I had english summers maybe that would be better! xx
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