HAPPY MAY DAY!
Goose Girl & Foxy decided to invite their friend, The Flying Scotsman over for a little dance around the Maypole celebration! They all had a wonderful time!
Tag: spring (page 12 of 14)
When Spring seems to be in the air and sunlight dapples the path of my walks in the woods, it always makes me a little homesick. For Spring at home means dogwoods in full blossom, the tingle of the sun on your skin, the smell of pluff mud and the sparkling view of the ocean as you hit the bridge for the first beach trip of the season.
I am from the South and the promise of warm weather holds so much weight. Warm weather not only brings beach trips, a great hot dog from Jack’s, sweet tea watered down from the heat of the day, but a certain vibe all of its own. It brings with it, its own music; beach music.
Heading down to the beach during Spring/Summer in the South, meant hitting a certain part of the journey where you would lose a good radio signal. But about 20-30 minutes after that, you would pick up the sounds of the beach. Nothing but good old Shagging kinda music. We would roll the windows down to catch that first smell of the pines, the sun beating down on our skin as the car was filled with the sounds of the coast. The music filled our beach house too or echoed from someone else’s as we sat on the screen porch, watching my parent’s dance around.
I can’t get in my car and head to the beach in England, but I can bring the memories of the beach to me. All, I have to do is hit “play” on my Ipod and the upbeat, soulful, happy tunes from the “Beach Music Anthology” fill my house and if I close my eyes real tight, I can almost taste that hot dog and smell those pines, feel my toes digging into the sand, the breeze dancing across my skin, the waves hitting the shore and the sound of beach music floating across the air from someone’s radio. I love beach music!
Here are just a few of my favorite beach music melodies:
(Image: film still from “Shag:The Movie”)
If life gives you lemons, make lemonade as the embroidery sampler in my Mom’s kitchen says! This has been a week, where I just haven’t stopped and I am not going to get the chance to either! I have had a lot of lemons this week and I am making as much lemonade as I can! I might need to set up a stall outside of my house to sell it all.
I have guest coming this weekend, a house that needs to be cleaned, a brunch to prepare for tomorrow and I need to get myself in the mood to entertain. Which normally is not my usual take on things. My parent’s are fabulous entertainers, they have created a home where you always feel “Welcome”, and they have given that gift to myself and my sister. But, this week has been so hectic and next will be as well with Art exams that I am not really in the mood for company. But, I know I will enjoy it when it is all happening.
I was flipping through my cookbooks, trying to find the perfect Spring time dessert for tomorrow and when nothing jumped out at me, I turned to a tried and trusted source: The Pioneer Woman’s Tasty Kitchen Blog. And, it was here that I immediately spotted what I wanted to make. A scrumptious Buttermilk Blueberry & Lemon Cake that looks like it holds the essence of Spring inside it. So, after everything else is done, this is going into the oven tonight, because I have a bowl full of lemons and you know what they say….
It is still bitterly cold here at times. As I came home from work last night and proceeded to open the door to come inside, I noticed that my fresh pot of sunshine yellow primroses already had a few ice crystals on their little blossom faces.
There is still the chance of snow, even though green is popping up here and there. My climbing rose has fresh growth as does the jasmine that I am training over the porch cover of the cottage. There are daffodils and crocuses in full bloom in front of a number of houses that I pass in the big red bus on my way to school.
The color of Spring is beginning to be all around us and that makes me smile. There is a promise of warmth and the growth of sunny flowers on the way. While catching up on my blog reading last night, I read a post of Spring Time happiness over at The Purl Bee. I know there is still the chance of snow, very likely more frost and it could be the same for you wherever you live. But, with these bright and happy projects, you can bring the Spring indoors to YOU. Enjoy!
(Click on the images above to be taken to the projects)
“What big teeth you have!”,exclaimed Red Riding Hood, to what she believed to be her ill Grandmother, lying in the bed, only to discover that it was in fact, a wolf! This seems to be the week of grandmothers turning into wolves, where all is not what it seems.
A week where everyone seems to be baring their teeth. I do not know if the “new” moon has made people crazy, or if the stars and planets are simply not aligned this week? Is there something in the water? Have people begun to drink the Kool-Aid? Has the long Winter finally made people just snap? Or does everyone have Spring Fever? This past week has been a week where almost everyone I have crossed paths with seems to be completely off kilter.
People have been snappy, or in an unusually odd mood that is out of character for them. I am so happy that it is the weekend. Hopefully, next week will bring with it a sense of calmness to everyone, because the franticness of this week was almost more than I could take.
This has been a week of being with “wild things”! As Maurice Sendak, wrote in one of my favorite books (Where the Wild Things Are):
“And the wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws.”
There has been a lot of roaring and gnashing this week. There is something in the air, others I have spoken with have noticed it as well. I am just hoping that all this windy weather we are getting at the moment, will blow it right back out of here, because I would like an easier, calmer and more peaceful week next week, then this one has been!
Wishing all Mothers, but mine in particular a very Happy Mother’s Day. I am blessed to have you, thank you for being my MOM!
(Image by the great Mary Blair, embellished by J. Michie)
This picture made me smile this morning, when I was getting caught up on my Blog reading today. It is from the Nie & You Blog. I like how he (or she?) has been casually set on his little perch, waiting for someone to come back and play with him.
It is so lovely outside today, I wish I had someone to go run and play with. The sun is streaming down, the wind is lightly blowing and it would be a wonderful day to walk down to the park and play on the swings.
Maybe tonight after dinner we will do just that! A little ice cream and getting pushed higher and higher on the swings, never hurt anyone! You are never too old to bring out your inner child and just have fun!
“Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you’ve never been hurt and live like it’s heaven on Earth.”
✤ Mark Twain
(Sock Monkey image copyright The NieNie Dialogues, Swing Time Fun by Jennifer Michie)
I have always loved this story by Johanna Spyri. I especially loved watching the Shirley Temple version when I was growing up. Seeing her play with Schwanli and Baerli, her two little goats. Running through the gorgeous Alps, picking flowers and eating her lunch of crusty bread and fresh cheese out of a little pail lined with gingham fabric with Peter by her side.
But, most of all, I loved her little bedroom. Being tucked up in the eaves of the house, her window overlooking the mountains, the smell of fresh air and warm hay around her as she drifted off to sleep.
Yesterday, I felt just like her. The day was just so perfect! A Spring day that gives you a taste of Summer yet to come. I stripped the bed and washed the duvet cover. I let it finish drying over the airer and it was slowly baked in the warmth of the sun, as its edges rippled from the breeze coming through the window.
I fell asleep last night to the gentle pitter-patter of rain and the smell of the sun and fresh air against my cheek. I felt just like Heidi nestled in her little loft with the sweet smell of hay surrounded by the beauty of Spring.
Do you remember our Easter basket and this beautiful pink box from Rococo?
It was the one piece of Easter candy amongst all the others that I was saving till last! I opened it last night and here is what was inside:
It was divine! I think the chocolate just tasted better because it was in the shape of ducks and lambs and bunnies! I even shared, which was a very hard thing to do with such scrumptious chocolate in front of me!
Even the tissue paper was beautifully designed with images of vintage chocolate molds, I just love it! It was well worth the wait! I just knew it was going to be delicious when I saw it was wrapped with such a girly pink gingham ribbon! It is just happiness!