Amber days

"The foliage has been losing it's freshness, and here and there a yellow leaf shows itself like the first grey hair amidst the locks of a beauty who has seen one season too many"

(Oliver Wendell Holmes)

Autumn's luminosity is re-grouping and re-assembling. The sun is getting ready to go on holiday and while it's still quite warm there's a touch of "something" in the early morning breeze.

(Image Source: Magnolia Pearl)

I, too, have been re-grouping and re-assembling. I have stood still and listened to our home's new sounds. Less footsteps, shorter showers, a pantry door that's not opened every half hour...small, subtle changes with such big impact...

Stormy days filled with wind and rain, a frantic rush to hold and capture a dying Summer.

(Image Source: Pinrest)

Long walks, meeting with friends, the glorious feel of holding a cold glass of wine and watch the sunset.

Going shopping, curling up with a good book. Meditating, eyes closed, slow breaths, wondrous walks deep within, opening doors and discovering new chambers that shimmer with a light that's startling new.

(Image Source: Google Images)

I've been sort of quiet, moving about softly, afraid to disturb an inner ripple that came as a result of outer and inevitable changes. I've felt cushioned, enveloped in an aura that has made my senses sharper, keener.  In my heart, tiny fairies play songs only I can hear...

(Image Source: Weheartit.com)

  The end of Summer at the Caravan has been spent

choosing curtains and dressing up the makeshift sofa...



watching Abby enjoy the sunshine, mesmerized by the love and loyalty I find in those amazing brown eyes...

Enjoying afternoons in which the dying sun made every special thing even more special...

Summer is gone. Gone too, is the tinkling song of the ice cream truck. Autumn is here. As the light changes, so does the mood of the house... sounds are muffled.  Everything seems to be getting ready for the coming colder days...
 

Beds look more inviting...

Gorgeous leaves everywhere...

Cooler nights spent in my craft room ("studio" sounds a bit pretentious to me :0) creating a birthday gift for a dear friend

A stylish little witch to celebrate the season...

I love altered art. Mixing paper with fabrics, sequins, ribbons and discarded items. Altered art reminds me of ordinary days. A mixture of sounds, feelings, colors and textures. New experiences laying the background for new ones...

Time marches on. Plans are made, birds and  squirrels run about busy. Searching. Building warmer nests. All around, the cycle of life is asking to be heard, to be seen. Let us stop and listen!

Times they are a' changing...



Sweltering heat, wooden floors that feel as if they had a fever. Long lazy days that melt and disappear into glorious golden sunsets. Fireflies that come out and guide my footsteps round the darkened garden paths. The crickets' lullaby, the fluttering of wings, the sound of flowers bursting wide open. The smell of earth after a brief and fierce thunderstorm... I have succumbed. Helpless. Intoxicated. I don't want to move, am afraid to break the spell... 

But the spell has been broken and life as we know it has changed. The last of our children, our sweet daughter Adriana is moving out. We are now part of that group called "The Empty Nesters." As I help her pack, organize, shop, and decide, I can't help but wonder: where has time gone?! Already the house is permeated by that peculiar scent of change, of closing chapters. The spirit of Melancholy hides behind the boxes, playing hide and go seek with Excitement. There's confusion when they collide, bewildered, they stare at each other only to turn around and run again.

I am very happy for her, proud to see her making the right choices. I have  no doubt she and Mitch will be fine together...and yet, she has not even left and I already miss her... our morning chats, our late evening glasses of wine, our silly tears over a movie or a song, our "fighting" over the bathroom mirror :0) Those carefree moments of everyday life when kids still live at home, and while I'm ready for the new special ones to come, I can't help but mourn for those that will stop. This feeling reminds me of  a book I once read (The Other Side of the Fire). My children were still very young and the empty nester years seemed very far away, but even back then these words caught my attention: "Sometimes she wondered whether it was her own childhood she mourned, or the childhood of her children."  Amazing.

I am back until Monday, then I will return to the country. The porch is done except for the floor, which will be painted sometime next week before bringing in some pieces of furniture. I want to keep it simple and just allow the surrounding beauty be the focal point.

Abby knows I'm busy so she keeps a look out for unexpected visitors

 such as this one.

She also lets me know when the Clematis bloom

My dear sweet Abby :0)

The guest room is finished

There's still a lot to do but for now I need to slow down, try to take it all in, re-adjust and go along with the changes.

(Image Source: Weheartit.com)

"We live...for moments...minutes, fractions of an hour...for these intervals are timeless. While they last, we have complete understanding, happiness and strength.  We live in a true sense and we perceive the meaning of life." 

 British Butterflies (an antique butterfly book)

May all your moments be wonderful,

Welcome Summer!

(Image Source: Bing)

"This is June, the month of grass and leaves...already the aspens are trembling again, and a new summer is offered me."

Henry David Thoreau

Hello Everyone,

How I've missed you all! Can't wait to have a chance and stop by to see what you've been up to :0) I am back for just two days then will return to the country. These past few weeks have been a blur of paint, brushes, and trips to the local hardware store. The porch is almost finished. I still need to paint somethings here and there, but the bigger part is done. I am so looking forward to hanging the curtains, and pay attention to the garden. Days go by too quickly, don't you think?

Remember what it looked like?





This is now...





It was a happy moment when I was able to hang the butterfly that had been sitting in the attic for the past three years waiting for the "right spot" 

Abby has also been hard at work. She's discovered the joy of digging huge holes in the ground :0) 



Some puppies have all the luck!

I must get going but before I do, I just want to wish you all a wonderful Summer filled with joy, magic, and cotton candy fun.

See you soon! XO

Rainy Thursday

(Image Source: Bing)

There is something special about rainy days. One walks about the house lulled by the sound of raindrops softly falling on the windows and roof. A perfect soundtrack for a morning meditation.

But...meditating is tricky. There you are, eyes closed, sitting perfectly still, trying to free the mind from anything mundane, breathing gets slower, you float away, your soul travels to a distant shore and you arrive at the Rithang Monastery when suddenly, leaping out of nowhere, uninvited thoughts arrive.  Loud-mouthed ruffians clad in black leather pants...frightful! The lovely vision shatters and you rush about trying to pick up and hold on to the remaining pieces...sigh...

Those horrid ruffians refuse to go away, so for now I'll just stand by the window and listen to the rain... 

Wishing you all a "ruffian free" day :0)

Love and light...

Bedtime wishes

(Image Source: Bing)

It's bedtime, the quiet, silent hour when the house finally settles. The shimmering fairy lights guide my way as I make my "rounds" to make sure everything is right.







One last cup of tea, plumping a cushion on the sofa, making sure all candles are out, running a warm, bubbly bath. These rituals, performed almost absentmindedly comfort and reassure me. They are the very essence of being home and fill my heart with peace.

I love to open a window and look up to the sky, whisper a prayer, make a wish or two, and listen to the beat of my own heart. Worries are shed as the peaceful darkness wraps around me like a soft, magical Mantra, and I feel a Divine presence stand right by my side...

Love and light always,



PS. Been back since Thursday but have been suffering with SEVERE allergies. I've missed you all and can't wait to visit and catch up on your latest news. Progress on the screened porch has been made, will be sharing Before and After photos quite soon. Here's a sneak preview of one of the doors :0)



XO

From England with love

(Image Source: Weheartit.com)

A wet and windy day was magically transformed into a sunny, bright one when I received a most special gift from my dear friend Olive.

All the way from England (land of  my dreams :0)

A beautiful bag and a photograph of Penny Lane's sign!

"Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes..."

Abby refused to be left out :0)

The fact that Olive thought of me when she saw the bag and that she remembered my huge love for The Beatles fill my heart. Thank you Olive, you are the best! XO!

I can't wait to use my gorgeous bag this weekend when we finally return to our Purple Caravan. My husband went out this past week and with the help of our friends pulled out the wall to wall carpet. We now must decide on the type of wood flooring to be installed. I  love the wider planks (but they are so much more expensive)

The caravan came with one bigger bedroom and two small sleeping quarters furnished with two bunk beds each. They were way too small (even for someone as short as me :0) so we decided to knock down the dividing wall and make just one room.

A platform was built to place mattresses and big fluffly pillows.

It's now a cozier, more private area in which our friends can actually sleep and stretch their legs.

Needless to say my mind is just swimming in pools of colors. I lay awake at night planning and imagining how it will look once it's done.



We will be building a screened porch (hopefully soon) and then I will be able to garden and decorate to my heart's content. I will, of course, keep you posted and would love to hear your thoughts and ideas.

And speaking of ideas, I am totally obssessed with this butterfly bench I saw on the Internet. I can't stop thinking about it!

(Image Source: Bing)

Wedding plans are moving along. We have already made arrangements for the venue and photographer, but best of all, the gown has been selected! It was quite a moment to see my little girl stand in front of me with her cheeks aglow with excitement and a sparkle in her eyes. She really took my breath away! I promised her not to show any photos of her gown until "the big day" but it looks somewhat like this...oh, to be young and slim and have all our body parts in their proper places... sigh

(Image Source: Bing)

And so, life goes on, another week is about to close, another month has started. Tiny buds are getting bigger and stronger, the cycle continues. Hope you are full of exciting plans and innovative ideas!

Love and light, always...