It's Christmas

I have been delinquent with my blog posts! Just a little tired and alas, no new ideas or material to share on my blog. A few unglamorous but necessary home maintenance projects is all I have been up to lately. Although we did have new carpeting installed in the basement as a result of our elective sewer line upgrade. Ha!

 

Moving on, I do believe our Christmas tree delivered from Nova Scotia's Porter River Christmas Trees, is our most beautiful and bountiful balsam yet. The MacIsaac cousins delivered and set-up this lovely coniferous specimen last week.

 

Oh, and no matter what you call it, it's Christmas.

 

 

~ Merry Christmas! ~

 



Painting Projects

I went into a brief period of hibernation after returning from France. A few days after we had arrived home, the weather turned and we were faced with an intense freak snow storm. The city found it very difficult to cope with the amount of snow. It was a such a set-back for autumn as many leaves were still green and had not yet  fallen. Fortunately the weather warmed considerably, and after Thanksgiving the snow had finally melted. The return to mild conditions allowed for me to repaint our front door from Benjamin Moore's 'Fallen Leaf' to a soft black, Benjamin Moore's 'Satin'.

 

Before: 

 

 

After:

 

 

My next project will be our slightly pathetic entry way. It's small but could use more pizzazz. Andrew suggested painting it in Farrow and Ball's 'Lamp Room Grey'; a  color we had used in our den in our last house. It's a medium tone in a smokey blue that would pair nicely with the rest of the décor. I also plan to: add some art ascending up the stairway, switch out the small vintage chair for a white Japanese garden stool and add a colorful patterned rug. We'll see how it comes together in the end...  

 This little project should keep me out of trouble for a while. Enjoy the beautiful month of November!

 

 ~~~

Paris in September

I was really hoping to change the color of our front door before autumn arrived. It's time for a change from its current warm chestnut brown color to a nice shade of soft black. However, temperatures have plummeted here and for the past three weeks we've had rain or wet snow most days. My door painting project will have to wait.

We've just returned from our trip to Paris. Lots of walking and so many beautiful sights to behold. The people were lovely and so patient with my rudimentary school-taught French. Dinner on the Eiffel Tower was a distinct highlight. Some pretty images of this cultured city as we say farewell to summer and embrace autumn...

 

 

 

 

~ It's Canadian Thanksgiving next weekend and I can't wait! ~

 

 

Early Autumn

 

 Another damp misty morning... Autumn has come so early his year. It's been rainy, wet and cold for the past week. There was even a dusting of snow! The garden seems unaffected and the trees don't mind. I admit I've enjoyed having the fireplace on regularly. We've already started on garden clean-up - lot's of work to do!

 

~ Do you look forward to Autumn's arrival each year? Or, do you dread it? ~

(With winter weather yet to come?!)

Grocery Shopping

I popped to the grocery store a few weeks ago for  some of Andrew's favorite British foods. It was a grocery store that I don't normally shop at, but it stocks British Food so I had to make an exception. While leaving the store, I noticed a silent auction set-up for a print that immediately caught my eye. It was definitely time to replace the framed print above our fireplace, so I doubled the minimum bid and wasn't surprised that I had the winning bid a few days later. OK, doubling the minimum bid was probably more than I needed to be successful.

 

The piece is framed beautifully and is probably worth much more than the print itself. Unfortunately, it's not framed with non-reflective glass (always do this!!) which is obvious in these photos. Nevertheless, this print of Authur Lismer's 'The Channel' is a welcome addition!

 

~ Have you been bundling-up on these cool crisp mornings? Here comes Autumn!... ~

Edwardian Dinner Party

What a wonderful evening we had attending an Edwardian dinner party last night in a beautiful garden setting. The event took place at Calgary's Heritage Park at the Prince House exhibit. Guests enjoyed canapés and sparkling wine, while playing a little croquet with music from a harpist in the background.

 

Dinner was set-up on the lawn of the Prince House and was hosted by the Selkirk Grille which is one of the restaurants located  at Heritage Park. Many of the ingredients used to prepare the meal were grown right in the park. It was a delicious meal!

 

 

The highlight was a surprise unrestricted tour of the grand Prince House where we went behind the scenes in areas typically closed for public viewing. Lastly, we were shocked and delighted to win the prize for best-dressed!

 

 

~ We're already looking forward to next year! ~

 

Not My Garden

A walk through the neighborhood of Inglewood here in Calgary last weekend led us to the Dean House Restaurant and their spectacular gardens. Admittedly, it left me absolutely green with garden envy! I found myself thinking: "Why doesn't our garden look like this?" "I need to work harder!" Here's to more fertilizer and a little patience... While some new perennials fill-out more next summer, I'll look forward to a slightly more spectacular garden at our house.

 

I've just added some Holly Hocks to our garden this year for some height and interest. In keeping with the title of this post; alas, these are not mine. We parked across the street from these beauties growing behind someone else's house. One of the Holly Hocks I selected from the garden centre is a blend of different colors. I'm really hoping to see some brilliant pink blooms emerge eventually!

 

~  Whether it's your own, someone else's, or a public garden, ~

make sure you take the time to enjoy and appreciate it - it's hard work!