CHILDHOOD MEMORIES......

"Can We Go To The Sea" Dresden Basket......

These wonderful Dresden baskets were made as a salute to my childhood and the joys of going to the sea. The main body depicts a sand pail with a little boy and girl hoping to go to the sea for the day. Our family were always closely associated with the sea as my father had been in the Navy and because of this we always had a boat of one sort or another. Any free time was spent down at the quay working on the boat and heading out to sea......

My favorite place was called Ringhaddy in Ireland where we used to moor our boat 'The Joliment'. Immediately after school we would all pile into the family car and venture off. Once there we would row out to the boat mooring in our dinghy and head off for a new adventure......

Many times we would happily come to a halt when far enough from shore and get out the fishing rods or swim. My father would tie a rope around our waists and we would jump into the water. I was not a natural sea nymph and used to have a fit when I felt anything brush against my legs. My mind would conjure up things like a shark or the Lock Ness Monster. Believe me it was not long before I was climbing back up the ladder to get on board......

Every opportunity was spent either on the sea or on the sea shore, with weekends sleeping on board. As a child I did not realize how lucky I was and now I really appreciate the memories associated with those long days of summer.....

One of my greatest joys was to walk up and down the banks of the shore searching for the perfect rock pools. I could spend hours looking amongst the sea weed and bits of driftwood, carefully turning over rocks hoping for a treasure from the sea. Then the sheer joy when my eye would capture the sparkle of a piece of sea glass or pretty shell......

The colour of these lovely baskets are to me the perfect piece of sea glass in all of it's azure glory, just waiting to go home with me. I hope you enjoy 'Little Treasures' from the sea also......

FOR THOSE WHO LOVE DOGS......

"Which May I Keep" By Arthur John Elsley (1860 - 1952)......

I hope you enjoy this wonderful painting......

MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH FLOWERS......

Tussie Mussie Style Lavender Sachets......

These lavender sachets have always been my very favorite style of lavender sachet to make and embellish. They are so pretty and feminine and make a wonderfull lasting gift for someone to treasure. The Tussie Mussie originated from France but enjoyed it greatest popularity in Victorian, England......

They were also known as the 'Talking Bouquet' and were a very successfull way of telling someone how you regarded them. The language of flowers enjoyed great popularity during this time and many books were written on the subject. Even today each flower will suggest a particular emotion......

When a single young lady received a Tussie Mussie from a gentleman caller she would rush to her book of flowers to eagerly look up the meaning of the bouquet. I think it is still a lovely sentiment today and a romantic way of showing someone you care......

Red Rose - True love
Red & White Together - Unity
Red & Yellow Together - Happiness
Thornless -Love at first sight
Light Pink - Passion
Bell Flower - Thinking of you
Pink Carnation - A women's love
Yellow Carnation - You have disappointed me
Daffodil - Unrequited love
Hibiscus - Rare beauty
Jonquil - Return my affection
Lavender - Devotion
Lettuce - Cold hearted
Love Lies Bleeding - Hopelessness
Rosemary - Remembrance
Snowdrop - Consolation or hope
Red Tulip - Declaration of love
Blue Violet - Faithfullness
White Violet - Modesty

This is only a small sample of the many meanings of flowers and the list of emotions is endless. You can understand why they were such a popular tradition and why it was enjoyed for so long a time......

I hope that you begin your own tradition of the 'Talking Bouquet'......

MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THESE......

Spam sandwiches, fairy cupcakes and lifes simple pleasures......

There is a big place in my heart for vintage tins and this comes from the days when I was a little girl. My dearl grandparents used to take me out for drives in the Cambridgeshire countryside where they lived and we would do the grand tour......

We would putter along in my grandfather's old green Morris Minor 1000 and when a suitable place turned up (usually the entrance to a field) we would pull in for a small picnic. No fancy picnic spots for us, just anywhere a little car could find a parking space with a bit of a view. Should the view be a field of ripe wheat.......

The humble Morris Minor 1000......

There was nothing posh about the picnics and they were nearly always held inside the car. Out would come two old biscuit tins both lined with greaseproof paper and goodies. The first tin would hold the Spam sandwiches......

I know, Spam......

But honestly to my little girls heart they were heaven indeed. Fresh white bread, yummy English butter and slices of spam in between, there was no better feast than this. The second tin would hold fairy cakes as they were known in our family, in the States you call them cupcakes but to my grandparents and I they were always fairy cakes......

Truly something delicious and magical indeed......

My favorites were with juicy soft sultanas baked into every yummy bite. Of course being British there was always and I mean always the flask of hot tea. It did not matter how hot it was outside we always had our hot sweet tea. My grandmother would get the old tartan litho flask out and carefully unscrew the little cup and stopper at the top. The steam would rise from the contents and then the ceremony would begin of pouring each of us a little cup......

Tea when it has been in a flask all day has a completely different smell and flavor and I remember it well. The tea was always made with tea leaves and not teabags, good old fashioned strong and sweet English tea. The little windows at the front of the car would be wound down and the soft summer air would whaft through the vehicle. Once my tummy was full and I was content I would sing in the back of the car like a little bird......

This was the best part of the day for my grandparents......

I still have one of those precious tins and to me it's value is above pearls, it is the second tin from the top and covered in pictures of fruit. Isn't it funny how the best memories in life are rarely about anything of any great monetary value, but more about the people in our lives and how they touched us......

May you find joy and happiness along the path of life and remember to stop and enjoy your spam sandwiches and fairycakes......

THE GREAT ROMANTIC NOVEL......

Vintage Romantic Novel Dated 1956

As a young teenage girl I can happily remember reading avidly the great romantic novels of my time. For every young girl who's little heart flutters in her chest at the thought of her first kiss there is a romantic novel somewhere that has been read and read again until the pages become worn......

The plot never varied much, there was always the young and dashing romantic hero, the swooning damsel and destiny that tried to keep them apart only to have them find true love in the closing pages......

Be still my heart, I can clearly remember clutching the latest romantic novel to my young bosom happy in the knowledge that one day my own hero would also come galloping up on his white charger. Little did my future boyfriends realise that they would have large shoes to fill in order for me to finally find the love of my young dreams......

Today these wonderful old romantic novels have a very soft place in my heart and I have enjoyed collecting some lovely examples......

In my guest bedrooms there are stacks of these lovely vintage books ready for a light read before going to bed and not any romantic novel will do. I have a great love for the original dust jackets with their wonderful graphics. The minute I see one of these beautiful covers it transports me back to the young girl with dreams of her own Knight in shining armour......

I hope you all have your own dashing romantic hero, enjoy......

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME WOULD STILL SMELL AS SWEET......

Beautiful Chromolithograph of 1940's Glamor Pin Up......

I have for as long as I can remember always loved roses. I think this love goes back to my dear grandfather. He was a passionate gardner and my lovely grandmother used to call the garden "his mistress", she was happy with this as she always knew where to find him......

As a child I can remember trailing behind my grandfather and watching eveything that he did when he 'pottered about'......

On beautiful summer days we would go off in his little car to a garden centre that would be developing new varieties of roses. I can still remember my excitement when I beheld my first blue rose. The rose was called 'Blue Moon' and was more of a lavender colour but it was considered to be one of the early attempts at a blue rose. To a young child it was magical indeed!......

From that point onwards my grandfather always had a 'Blue Moon' rose bush growing in his garden just for me. When I eventually had a home of my own I too bought a 'Blue Moon' rose bush in honour of my grandfather......

This this is the first time in my life that I no longer have a 'Blue Moon' rose bush in my garden as I now live in Southern Florida. The soil (which is sand) and the climate do not really lend themselves to the growing of roses. Even though I no longer have roses in my garden I have tried to make up for it with beautiful vintage chromolithographs from the early 1900's......

These are a few of my favorite vintage prints and I just love how beautiful the women were then. There was just something so pretty and glamorous about the hair and make up and I treasure these vintage prints and enjoy their company every day, I hope you enjoy them also......

Blessings as always......

AND SO IT BEGINS......

My Family Minus One......

Hi, This is my very first blog and I wanted to begin with an early photograph of myself when I was a baby. I am the chubby child on the right and my sister Janis is on the left. I do have a brother but he had not arrived at this point in time......

My young parents had their hands full with such young children. We had about a year between us all, so my mother was a very busy young mum for a long time......

This photograph was taken in Rhodesia at the time but it is now called Zimbabwe and I and my brother were both born there, my sister had been born prior to living in Africa and was an Irish baby......

What can I say, we got around a lot!

I am completely new to blogging and it will be a learning curve for me, but I hope that you will follow me along on this journey......

I know I am going to make lots of mistakes and on some days make a complete idiot of myself. That said life at the end of the day is not a dress rehearsal and there is still time for me to learn something new......

So thanks to everyone that takes the time to read my little blurbs about myself, my life and my joys......

Blessings always......