No bacon in my pan...

 

The glow of the afternoon sun is warm and wonderful...

With the last few days' "heat wave", the newly planted violets seek my attention 

with small gasps of thirst, and the watering can is always at the ready.

When the three bacon lovers in this family indulged their pork-yearning palates at 

Sunday morning breakfast, I filled my own pan with something - to me - much more palatable...

 ... idly ignoring the need for a proper scrub of both bench and patio... 

Instead I later sat back to enjoy the rays of sun reflected in the windows of the conservatory, 

casting a warm gleam on my little corner of violets, rust, pots and... spring!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

Helena

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Lunch on the lawn...

 

This past weekend offered glorious summer temperatures here in the South West UK. Everywhere, the sound of flip flops and lawn mowers enhanced the summery feel, and on Sunday, the boys and I decided to have lunch in the garden. As the young family members had spent the morning playing football, I did not bother with any fancy table settings for them...

 

... but after they had finished and I saw the small table there in the shade...

 

... a little tired and in need of some TLC...

 

... it seemed to be cajoling me to dress it up and make it feel pretty for a moment...

 

So, inspired by a few small Indian wooden stamps I picked up in London last week...

... I dug out my old wooden stamps bought in Turkey 

(some still with traces of paint after I used them for card making)...

... and let their oriental feel set the tone for the table décor...

(Yes, I know I have mixed very different Asian details here, such as the old Turkish book pages wrapped around the violet and the onions, mixed with East Asian chop sticks... oh, and yes, Moroccan style lanterns which obviously do not belong on that continent at all! Ah well, we will have to adopt a rather liberal view on theme loyalty here, I think...!)

 

As I was playing around with these - in my opinion - rather beautiful wooden stamps, another idea was born. I hope I will be able to show you some results of that idea in a few weeks. I just need to find the material and...ah, yes, the t-i-m-e....

Wishing you all a really lovely week!

Helena

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Counting sheep...

It is the first few trembling minutes of Sunday here in the Swenglish house. We are trying to remind ourselves to forward the clocks in the house before we go to bed, and we are pulling funny faces in front of the mirror as we hope to spot a modest tan after today's summer experience.

Except for the golden light from a few candles, the house mostly rests in darkness now, and the photos bear that grainy, sleepy quality I wish I had the skills to avoid...

On the sofa where my favourite curling-up corner can be found (I can see through the dining area and into the garden from here), rests an inviting lambskin. Given the glorious temperatures today (+19-20!), this ought to be put away until next winter, but I am hesitating. I tell myself that the evenings might still be cold, and surely its cosy appeal can fight off the deceptive summer vibes and allow for it to linger a little longer...?

Yes, here we are, finally arrived at the theme of this blog post. 

The clue is in the "baah".

Bath is a very hilly city, and just outside the city, the countryside continues 

this up-y-down-y trend, however here painted in green, 

with a scattering of woolly wonders.

But, hang on a minute, could this be the world's cheekiest lamb? Let's zoom in for a second...

Yes, definitely! The little lamb is clearly sticking its tongue out at its mum, behind her back! 

Tss, tss, caught on camera, my woolly friend!

I know I risk some of my readers falling asleep during this blog post...  

... but I just could not resist introducing you to these sweet little fleecy friends, 

posing so kindly for me the other day...

To those of you who have managed to stay awake all the way through this post,

I wish you a  lovely Sunday and hope it brings you stunning weather and 

lots of fun and play!

Helena

Ps. A special hello to those of you who may have found your way here from lovely Annalisa at The Apple Market, who wrote a blog post about The Swenglish Home a few days ago. It was an honour to be featured in your blog, Annalisa, and thank you for all of your kind words!

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Shabby Chic Gardens 2012

A little shabby in your garden at this time of year won't go amiss. Here are some inspired ideas for your outside spaces...I am loving the hanging birdcages and the chandelier dining!

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Layered  loveliness...

Snow drops are on their last breath on the road side, ready to move over and give way to other colourful spring-petalled cousins. A few days ago, with fingers itching for some floral play, I grabbed a handful of the snow drops, a couple of stems of Chrysanthemums from the flower shop, some ribbon, left-over linen fabric and burlap and there, ready to go, I set to work. Hearing my heart humming joyous spring tunes, I also decided it was time to air my latest DIY project, the wooden cake stand... 

I made this cake stand in the same way as the one I made with plates and a cup a year ago, but this time I used different sized "plates" of birch, covered the wired metal rod with strips of burlap/hemp, and topped it off with a left-over piece of the wooden branch from which I made napkin rings before Christmas.

The wholegrain strawberry yoghurt with grapes, served in small tea light holders from IKEA many years ago, was devoured just a moment after these photos were taken...

Funny that, how two hungry boys just having returned from school seemed a lot more interested in the edible props than stopping to admire mum's little decorating frenzy...

***

Magazine feature

For those of you who subscribe to Country Homes & Interiors, you may see a familiar face in the April issue that arrived today (due to arrive in UK stores on Thursday, March 8th). In April last year, photographer Brent Darby and journalist Hazel Dolan did a feature of our home. Both were such lovely people and very skilled at making me feel at ease, despite my being rather uncomfortable having to appear before rather than behind the camera. Below are two of the pages from the feature:

***

Thank you SO much for all your kind comments on my last blog post. Those of you enjoying old English stone houses, "watch this space" as there are more to appear here soon. I confess to lately having gone a little wild and crazy with my camera on my walks in the spring sun...

To those of  you who may have found your way here through the magazine feature, a warm welcome and thank you for stopping by!

All the best, 

Helena

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Colour cravings, anyone...?

Well, that makes two of us!

So, sticking my tongue out to the chilly wind, I today "recycled" a few tulips that were on their last legs, for a little colour therapy by the wall at the very back of our garden. In the wind, it was touch and go if the petals were going to stick to their day job long enough to let me play, and later, when I was carrying my "toys" indoors again, these pink princesses bowed one last time and then spread their glory all over the ground... 

I have lived in the UK for over six years now, but my affection for 

the old stone walls in this country has not subsided. 

Not. One. Little. Bit.

And as a true quality of play, the imagination is allowed to run wild...

So what if a small green cabbage was not meant for this... 

So what if it is perhaps rather more bizarre than beautiful...

Tickling the creativity for a brief but blissful moment, and aaaaah -

- my smile is instantly a little broader and more sparkling than it was a moment ago!

So, today's conclusions?

1. Allowing yourself to decorate in less than conventional ways can put a smile on your face - HEALTHY...

2. I have said it before and I will say it again: Playing with your food is a GOOD thing...

3. The wind did indeed play a February tune, but with a promise of the main act, 

The Spring Overture, being only moments away...HOPE

4. A purple shawl that in real life matched the tulips perfectly can indeed look very different 

in a photo...!  Hmmm, I think I will have to stick to the "so what"...here too!

 

Thank you so much for all your kind words and anniversary greetings after my last blog post!

A warm HELLO to my readers who have been here for a while, 

and a special HI THERE to all of you who visit The Swenglish Home for the first time. 

A WAVE and a WINK to my new followers, 

and a HELLO, HELLO, HELLO to all of you anonymous readers - I am happy to see you all here!

Wishing you all a great start to the new week,

Helena

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