It’s a new day, a new week

 

Good morning Friends ~ It is Monday morning, partly cloudy out at 20 til 9 a.m. EST. My feline alarm clock, Miss Tork, woke me up at 4 again this morning. I was ready once I saw what time it was. I have things I want to do today and hope to get most of them done.  I’ve already got a loaf of Coconut Milk Bread going in my bread machine.  It’s starting to smell good in here.  It is made with canned coconut milk, a very easy recipe.  I looked up my recipe for Ricotta Pound cake and plan to make that this morning. I want to make Moussaka too today.

I’m on a vacation from work for the next 2-3 weeks as my boss just about emptied the shop. He loaded and took a truck to the huge antique show out in Round Top, Texas.  He goes twice a year.

So, I’ve made up a list of goals for this time off. One of the goals I have is to get some pieces listed in my Etsy shop. I’ve not had anything in there in months.

Yesterday we had another thunderstorm which dumped LOTS of rain again.

This photo is looking out from the kitchen’s screened porch, drive way like a river to the right of the shed.

This is looking out the north ‘scullery’ window.

This is looking out the west ‘scullery’ window into the ‘cat-rium’.

This is looking west out of the bedroom window into main garden. Look at the water pouring out of the rain-barrels’ overflow. When the rain let up a bit I went out and reconnected the drain so that it would go elsewhere in the garden.

I am standing in the driveway here, the ‘secret garden’ gate is standing open. This is on the east side of the cottage.

You can see the caravan behind the red bench, this is looking northwest.

I’m on the path now looking east. You can see my little wash-house/storage behind the birdbath. From under the awning there you can walk under an arbor out to the clothesline area.

This is one of two matching tiled cement benches that DH found many years ago.

Walking around the bench, you come to the ‘caravan’.  I bought 5 bags of potting soil the other day. I stacked them, then covered them from the expected rain.

This photo is looking east and you can see the rising sunlight through the trees separating us from the apt. complex next door. The DIY arbor is being filled up with Confederate Jasmine and for now Moonflower vine too.

Here is the other DIY arbor that goes into the clothesline garden area. This arbor has blue pea vines, moon flower and passion flower vines growing up and over it.

Two more angles.

Keep walking to the left of the above picture and you’ll be in the driveway heading south. DH found the street sign many years ago, we decided to put it on my shed.

This is another overgrown/weedy area at the front southwest corner of main garden. The road is running behind the left ‘faux bois’ chair, and behind the right chair is our neighbors’ driveway. The chairs are just two of eight that our friends who have an antique shop next to where I work gave us many years ago.  They were going to pitch them as they are falling apart, but suckers that DH and I were we loaded and brought them home.  They are heavy, being made out of concrete. They had these shipped from France. (Faux bois (from the French for false wood) refers to the artistic imitation of wood or wood grains in various media. The craft has roots in the Renaissance with trompe-l'œil.)

This is the front patio looking northwest. This wall is the front wall of my little 6’x8’ creative space, off the living room.  That is a door, but we chose not to use it. The iron piece in front of the window has mint on the bottom shelf, and baby roses and a wonderful lavender that does very well down here in tropical FL. It is Lavendula Pinnata or Jagged Lavender. It smells wonderful but the flowers are not edible. (I hope to paint the house this fall/winter when the weather is cooler.)

The next two photos are of the front patio coming from the west side. The gate at the back of the second photo opens up to the driveway.

Ok, that’s it for another tour around Plum Cottage.

Here are two last photos. I crocheted a beaded edging for this heart and sewed it on.

My latest creation was very enjoyable. I really like how the beaded edging looks like lace.

Have a good week, wherever you are, whatever you are doing.

Learn and grow.

Live, love, laugh.

Thrive.

FlowerLady

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“Write it.
Shoot it.
Publish it.
Crochet it,
sauté it,
whatever.
MAKE.”

Joss Whedon