Test drive to lunch at the palace next door.

It's a long weekend here in the UK and a festival of speed at Blenheim, our palace next door.We thought it would be loads of fun to drive our his and her's TVRs to the festival.But we decided to make a test run to the palace first because Robert has made some modifications to my TVR engine and wanted to test it out, and also, our season's passes have run out and we didn;t want to be stuck in line waiting to renew them on Sunday.So we hopped in my TVR and Robert drove it out to Blenheim listening to the engine.We drove thru winding little streets and sleepy little Cotswold villages. It's a beautiful drive.And arrived at Blenheim just in time for lunch and just a few minutes before a rain shower.So we plonked the roof panels back on, which is when I had a brainwave which reminded me that the roof of our own house was in need of a roof service. We then locked the car, sprinted to the palace and had some lunch. Locksmith Walnut Creek installs best spares and locks to ensure the safety of your vehicle is not compromised.We stayed inside the palace until the rain shower passed and then went for a walk in the grounds.Here are the upper terrace water gardens.And the lower terrace water gardens.Oops...Here's one wing of Blenheim Palace from the bottom of the water gardens.I wanted to see the roses and so we walked out thru the Capability Brown landscape to the rose garden.Autumn is definitely on the way.But the wildflowers are still doing well. It's been a damp summer.The roses are fantastic.Here at the rose garden, there are only about six varieties growing but in large masses, so the effect is stunning.From the rose garden, we walked back to the palace and went inside.I love the eyes above the entrance and often forget to look up to see them. This time I walked back outside because I remembered too late.Actually, looking up in Blenheim is a great idea. Many of the rooms have beautiful painted ceilings.So we had our ususal walk thru of the house...And ended up in the great library.I really love this library. Wish I had permission to pull out and look at all the books.Then a quick stop in the gift shop.I resisted all the temptations. (How good am I?)A last little look around...And I drove the TVR home.Love the new engine modifications.Thank you so much Robbie.Blenheim Festival of Speed is up next.

Lately round here. Birch and Tili Box cosmetics, lunch, life in the village, and art. A bit of random.

Hi everybody,It seems like the three months of me in Europe have flown by in the blink of an eye, but here we are in the ebb of August and most of my thoughts and efforts are turned to getting projects done here at West Cottage before I return to Vancouver in September.Hence, very little blog postage!So I was looking at my pathetically small collection of photos from this week and have managed to put together this little post.Thing one I wanted to tell you about is my great and rather inexpensive experiment with subscription beauty box samples!Oh my gosh, I may have been sucked into the Birch Box for July and August and the Tili special edition box.Now, I'm no beauty blogger, and, as a matter of fact, think that by the time you get to your fifties you probably really should know what it takes to make you feel and look your best, but it's always fun to try something new. Samples are just ideal, aren't they, because this stuff is really expensive these days. Who wants to spend a fortune on products which you may or may not like?Here's the inside of the Tili box.Overall, it's great fun.The box was supposed to come with a lovely, baby pink OPI nail polish, but this teal one was included instead. Fine with me because they do say they may have to substitute, and anyway my teen neighbour Stephanie loved the teal, so everyone was happy.It got me thinking; are any of the new products so good that I would consider adding them or substituting them into my beauty routine?Here is what I'm currently using:Lush and Alba shampoos and conditioners, Kiehl's cleanser, and a thick moisturiser (rotating brands because my oily, Mediterranean skin gets too used to them). That's about it except for my always and will never be replaced coconut oil for everything and Retinol for rebuilding collagen.The verdict is that none of my existing products are going anywhere, but these three are great additions.I really love them.In the makeup section, my Charlotte Tilbury mascara is definitely losing out to the new Benefits Roller Lash and I think I will switch. But the new Meech and Mia eyebrow pencil is definitely not as good as my Anastasia one.And as for concealers or foundations or powders, I rarely use any, but my Dior powder foundation is so translucent and perfecting, that it's superior to anything in the world...except maybe Bobbie Brown's tinted moisturiser (for those not so great skin days), that none of the foundation samples can't even come close.There you go. Me with new makeup.Lastly, my hair...even though it's slightly shorter than the usual two feet at the moment...I'm always struggling with the classic just-stuck-my-finger-in-the-electric-socket look caused by the hard Oxfordshire water, which Robert affectionately calls the "Darth Vader's helmet" look. So, I decided to try hair extension and I am planning to start with The Lauren Ashtyn Collection.Despite miracle promises, texturizing sprays, anti-ageing shampoos and conditioners (what is that anyway?), or even dry shampoos (which are a gross powdery white and cause terrible static), nothing beats the Frizz Ease.So the Frizz Ease is in and the rest of these products are coming back to Van for Chloe to give them a try. On the other hand, my clean and pure Vancouver water might just make some of these viable. (Except for the dry shampoo. That stuff is just gross.)We had some friends drop by to spend last Sunday with us, and the weather cooperated enough that we could have lunch in the garden.The Wednesday before, I spied these lovely 1940s art deco dishes at the thrift store and thought they would be fun for our lunch table and so bought them.As it turns out, I love them to bits. There were only three lunch plates and so I bought a green transferware plate to mix and match.Our friends came over and we thought it would be fun to go to the car boot sale before lunch and each of us buy a silly tea mug for a maximum of 50 pence.Here is our selection!That Incapability Brown is my choice!Do you all know Capability Brown, the greatest garden and landscape designer of the Victorian era?Nic bought the little sheep, Sarah the Mr Strong, and Robert's is the floral cup and inside it has an infinity type swirly, wooey-wooey pattern.And Nic brought back 20 pence!While I was hunting for things at the car boot, I managed to find a fourth plate to my new art deco lunch set and a tea pot!Our Victoria plum tree...which thinks it's a grape vine...is so laden with fruit that we can't keep up. The other day I invited a strange lady to pick her fill and she took away two grocery bags worth and it hasn't even made a dent in the harvest, so I keep using them how ever I can. For our lunch I made a lovely, tart plum crumble.In other news, I had completely reorganised the third bedroom; which is, in fact, Chloe's room when she's in E. but functions as my studio.There's still a bit of cleaning up and when I get that done I can show you a better pic.And that's about it for now guys.Here is the only painting I managed to semi finish so far. It's a Eurasian Jay who I spied in Prague in June.I've really got to get cracking and produce some art in these next two weeks because I have a couple shows coming up in Vancouver in September. Yikes! Always so much to do.Got to run now. :D

Visiting Waddesdon Manor. I could live here...already have part of what it takes - 1/2 of the name...lol

Hi everyone,I love my friend Elaine. Each summer, she takes me out on a visit to some lovely manor or stately home.This year we went to Waddesdon Manor; a French château built between 1874 and 1889 for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild.It was his weekend home and his place for entertaining."Oh," he would say, "let's away to the country for the weekend...don't you know."This next photo pretty much sums up the manor.Think gold, think rich velvet, think jewel tones, and imagine a priceless collection of paintings, furniture, and knick knacks.Everything in this manor is so over the top that it couldn't be any more over the top if it tried.It feels like you stepped into a museum.This is the ceiling in the front reception room.It's Hercules received into Olympus by Jacob de Wit (1695-1754)It's done in three panels and fixed to the ceiling.Here is a ginger jar, Mrs John Douglas by Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1728), and an art deco lamp.And we've only just walked into the first reception room!This room had four life-sized Gainsborough portraits.There is a view from this red reception room to the grey drawing room.This was the ladies' drawing room.And in the opposite direction, is a dining room.Frech tapestries, marble walls, the hugest crystal chandeliers, and roses and roses and roses for days.Can you get any more opulent than that?Well, yes, as a matter of fact, you can always get 4 Titian paintings for the top of your 4 gold mirrors!At this point, I thought I might just die and go to heaven...but these were only the first two of the 30 rooms open to visitors, so I decided I better not die just yet.Down the hall is a little private library. This was the Baron's personal space.All along the carved marquetry of the walls are these small jewel-like paintings in opulent gold frames.This one is Pastoral Conversation Under the Statue of a River God, one of seven John-Baptiste Pater (1695-1736) paintings in the house.Here we are in the Baron's drawing room under Dorothea Bland, 'Mrs Jordan' as 'Peggy' in 'The Country Girl' (1762-1816) one of four paintings by George Romney (1734-1802).Under the Romney painting is Queen Victoria, who stayed in the house, plus family portraits and small treasure paintings. That's Baron Ferdinand on the right.Here is the tower room.I can't even begin to describe the treasures and the gilding and tapestries.But these two beautiful portraits by John-Baptiste Greuze caught my eyes.Here is the Morning room.It was added so the weekend gentlemen and ladies would have a place to write and read their correspondence.Here's the brilliant thing about antique treasures and modern technology. Often sunlight has to be kept out of rooms to prevent further damage to tapestries, wood and painted surfaces, but modern LED lights offer bright light without any of the harmful sunlight effects.Do you see those slim LED lights above and below the paintings? Look how they illuminate the paintings without disturbing the eyes.I need those!The Tête-à-Tête: A Lady Playing a Lute, and a Cavalier, by Gabriel Metsu (1626-1669)Here is one of the desks you could use to write your correspondence at.A Girl with a Basket of Fruit at a Window by Gerrit Dou (also known as Douw, 1613-1665)Here is a view from one of the tower staircases down to the small library.Me, looking absolutely overcome!This, you guys, this is an automaton.It was made in 1768 and plays a tune and various parts move.It is rarely wound up these days but there is a movie playing so everyone can see it move.here is a brief description: ""The elephant is operated by two keys inserted in the belly of the elephant and the base. The base plays a musical tune. The triumphal Emperor riding the elephant and the four musicians on the base move to and fro. The paste flowers, designed to imitate diamonds, rotate and open and close. Glass roundels in the base reveal revolving snakes and stars, as well as architectural scenes."Also, the elephant moves his trunk and tail and eyes from side to side.Small sad story: Baron Frederic's wife and child died in childbirth and he never remarried.His sister took over the running of the house, and his sister decided that proper Victorian gentlemen didn't smoke in the main part of the house and certainly, bachelors didn't stay in the main part where the ladies were, so there is a dedicated bachelor's wing of the house.Here is one side of the sitting room in the bachelor's wing...John Nost Sartorius (1755-1828)...and here is the other.Tell you what, I might just be tempted to stay here the whole time!Jon Nost Sartorius again.Here is the play room in the bachelor's wing.Walking out and around the house to get to the wine cellars.And deep under the house there are 15,000 bottles of historic wine!Labels painted by Dali, Warhol, HRH Prince Charles!I'll leave you with this last painting deep int he wine cellars.It is God's Banquet by Gillis van Valckenborch (1570 - 1622)I had to search for that one painting since there was no name on the frame. It seems that it was acquired by the estate a few years ago at auction for approximately $400K.I guess if you have a Rothschild wine cellar it only makes sense to have an old master's painting in it.Sigh.Hope you liked this glorious little peek into this French chateau.I couldn't get enough so I dragged Robbie back for a second look.I came away with over 400 photos.Still blissfully looking thru them.

Oxford day, appointments and chasing the Moors.

Hello everybody, how's your week going?I've had a rare treat!Robert came with me into Oxford and we had a beautiful day.I must say that Robert rarely comes into Oxford with me, but he had an appointment in town and so we decided we would do a little more research into the Moors together.I stopped at Pret-a-Manger for a croissant and tea.Do you know this lovely little UK coffee bar? I understand that now they have a few locations in the US as well.Our Pret is located in one of the oldest buildings here. Right beside a little church.The church is surrounded by this fence with "do not park your bike here" signs.I guess the signs mean something to someone...lol.Like I said in my previous post, the only clue I have to the Medieval frescos are the faded circa 1930 photographs saying that the originals are in the Bodleian Library.But that was then.The Bodleian Library no longer functions as it once did. Over the years, the discovery of more history and scores of documents have made it necessary to relocate branches of the library. The most likely place for my drawings seemed to the Westin Library, (where Medieval scripts and paintings are recorded in photographs and books.) After speaking to the chief historian, in now looks more likely that the paintings have been moved into the vaults on the Ashmolean museum...although no one knows where they actually are.So we set off to the Ashmolean, spoke to the clerk...who said everyone in the history department is stopped for lunch.Nice! We didn't mind. We had a lovely hour mooching around the museum.When everyone came back from lunch, they sent word to the clerk to supply us with email addresses and have us make a formal enquiry and they would look into it.So there we are.We had another two hours before R's appointment, and so we decided to visit the botanical garden.The botanical garden here in Ox is a beautiful little spot right on a canal of the Thames.Tons of people were out punting and generally mucking about in boats, and so R had a seat on the bank to watch the hilarity of the punters trying not to fall in or play bumper boats, and I went for a walk thru the gardens.This is not a very big garden...as botanical gardens go...it's only 4.5 acres, but it's an important one. It started life as a university physic garden and is the oldest botanical garden in all of the UK. For all its compact size, it contains over 8000 species, making it one of the most important gardens in the world.It is divided into two sections by a great stone wall.The first section is a sort of park (above), and the second section is comprised of veg, fruit, wild meadow, damp shade and water gardens, plus an orchard.Here are a few shots of the veg garden.I love veg gardens and am always learning something new.See these beautiful rhubarb cloches?I wish I could have them in Vancouver. Nothing like this is sold in Van and these are just too heavy to haul on the flight.Just past the veg gardens is a little orchard. That reminds me, I said I would buy a small apple for our garden here to replace the one which had to go to make way for the car port.Past the orchard is the most amazing thing.Look! It's a jumble of flowering plants and grasses, five feet tall!It's a planting called seeds of change.A direct sowing of drought tolerant plants designed to have minimal impact on the environment while providing maximum benefits to wildlife.Amazing!The end of the botanical garden is a shady and damp area for shade loving plants.It's right beside the river and has loads of places to sit and rest around ponds and under trees.That's the view back towards Ox.One more place I want to show you, the south side of the wall and these incredible 12 ft deep borders.Some of the plants are over six feet tall.Oh to have the room...huh?The most fun was walking back to wards a smiling Robbie who has been sitting by the river watching the punters almost knock each other off, hit the banks or trees and get attacked by wildlife! :DThen we walked several miles to R's appointment, and then back into Oxford and we had a very late lunch/early supper at Will's restaurant The Vaults.It was lovely. They were all set up for afternoon tea (you know, scones and jam), but we asked Will if we could have some supper and he made us the best tarragon chicken with veg and roasted potatoes.Then we had a chat and a bit of a catch-up.Then, early evening, we walked out of Oxford and drove home.This beautiful Dutch masters painting at the Ashmolean (A lady sitting at table attributed to Simon Kick (1603 - 1652)) is a little like me right now.Waiting for replies to emails and doing research into the Moores.

On the trail of the history of the Knights Templar next door

Hi guys,I'm on the track of the history of Thomas and Isabelle Moore (AKA de la More, AKA Isabella, AKA Isabel...wish history would make up its mind...but then I suppose it's the same as agreeing on Shakespear Shackspeare Shakespeare.)So apart from the different name spellings, I've discovered a few more things.Thomas Moore died in 1361 and was interned in the private Moore chapel in the church beside his wife who died earlier.This is the position we find the Moores in presently in the North wing of the church, but their original position in a Western recess, was on a pair of knee high cross-slabs, side by side, with Isabelle in front of Thomas.Here is Thomas with some Medieval frescos above him.So now, here is the trouble with building a Victorian church, on top of a Reformation church, on top of a Catholic Medieval church. (And darn the Victorians anyway for their destroy modernize everything ethos.) If the Moores were moved, what were these frescos for?Here is Isabelle and I have the same question. What are the frescos above her?I found out another little key bit of info; this North wing of the church was believed to be the private chapel of the Moors, so maybe the frescos are part of the private chapel.These frescos above Isabelle are really the only ones where I can make something out of them.To me, it looks like a classic Medieval painting of Christ and possibly Thomas to the right, There is a slight trace of a figure on the left. Maybe that was Isabelle.There is one more figure above the alcove Isabelle is under, and it seems to be an angel holding a scroll or something. I can just make out a mirror image of the scroll on the other side.On another wall are images I cannot see here in the North chapel at all. They must be somewhere else in the church.The trouble is that the space where the Moores originally lay is now right under the church bell tower, and that space is the vicar's room and is locked away. (I'll have to call in some help to unlock that area and have a good hunt around to see if any of these frescos still exist.They are badly faded photos of some original watercolours. The little sign says that they were painted around the 1930s when the wall paintings were uncovered. The sign also says that the originals are in the Bodleian Library in town. So it's off to town I go to begin to unravel this mystery.Hopefully, I'll find the paintings and be able to photograph them for the village and we will put this mystery together.

The history exhibition at Northmoor village

Now, this was a treat!I walked down to the village (under threatening clouds),and into our Northmoor church St Deny's,Because my friend Julie put on a history day inside the church.All throughout the church were either tables or makeshift tables propped up on pews, holding maps, ledgers, books, doccuments and photographs of Northmoor thrut he ages.I walked up into the tower, past to the bell pulls, and to the balcony to get a photo of the whole space.I love this balcony and it's my favourite place to sit and listen to the Christmas service.Here is the view across the inside.You cannot see the knight templar and Isabelle because the church is built in the shape of a cross and they are in the alcove to the left.I looked thru some of the ledgers.What amazing hand writing.Some of the hand drawn maps were so beautiful.Wish I could find some more hand drawn maps for me to paint on.Lots of neighbours came and we had a great time catching up and talkign abotu the history of our village.Some friends brought yummy treats......and some drinks...While we walked around discovering how the village came into being.Look at this photo of Northmoor school children int he early 1900s.And these school children discovering their giant schoolyard yucca in the 60s.Love the look on the little boy's face! :)Not much was posted (or really known) about my Knights Templar and Isabelle,And, when I complained abotu that, Julie deputised me to assistant historian curator and sent me out into the depth of Oxford and the history vaults to find more.I'm ridiculously excited about that!Watch this space. :)

Hello from Sunday night (version 2.0) and, I bought the TVR!

Hi everyone,This post is my regular (ahem) semi regular hello from Sunday night post except it's the 2.0 version...the one where I wrote a post last Sunday but felt like I had nothing to say, (and the photos were pretty lame), and so I never published it.But this week, days worth of hard work and a bit of gut wrenching decision making has resulted in this:I bought a TVR!(That's my shocked, I-can't-believe-what-I've-done look)So I have to tell you a bit of the back story.Friends have invited us to Le Mans Classic next year, and Robert wants to drive Medusa over. Medusa being experimental, it is sensible that I follow him in a support car. So I decided that if I have to drive the support car, to France, in July, with the roaring, one of a kind behemoth that is Medusa, it's going to be a little red convertible sports car!Also, I'm in love with R's TVR, but it's too scary to drive his experimental engines, especially to France, on the wrong side of the car, on the wrong side of the road.Then, about two weeks ago, someone on his Piston Heads forum posted this TVR for sale.We drove out to see it then, and we both really liked it, then I fell in love with it...completely accepting that if it wasn't sound or if Robbie said it needed too much work, then it wouldn't be The One...but then R checked it and it was sound and in great shape and almost a steal for what it is, and I bought it.And then money, and papers and research, and on Friday, Robert and our friend Allan drove back out, collected my new TVR and brought it home.Look at that!I know it's not red; it's British racing green.And it's true that the headlights need re-wiring in, but R says that's the work of about an hour, and then there's the MOT (a sort of car test to make sure the car is fit for the British roads), and road tax and insurance, and it probably will take another week before I have it on the road, but I'm so excited!You see my license plate?NGP for No one Gets Past!I'm as happy as Harry.This is Allan's dog Harry.Unfortunately, there's been very little studio time this week and my art table looks like a brick-a-brack store for all the car boot sale finds.Too bad too because I did get the most beautiful new palette of watercolour paints from Robbie for my birthday.It's a full set of 32 St Petersburg paints. My favourite brand.This is what happens when I sit at my art table.I did start a little project.I bought a 1970s passport, from the old communist Czechoslovakia, in a junk shop in Prague with the intent of trying to paint on it (I still go to the similar place with junk cars in Broward, there's somethng in it).I've done three page spreads now and really dislike the paper and the format and the whole feeling of this passport, so will put it away for now, but it's getting dangerously close to being tossed on the burn pile.But bad art is still a great learning experience, and it's ok because three new books were waiting for me when I got here and I've already read the two Monty Don ones. Loved every minute of them because I love Monty Don. Hope I like Meadowland too. It was a bit of a gamble when I ordered it, but it has lovely reviews.This weekend has been very lovely here in our little corner of the globe. There was the village historical society show on Saturday and the West Oxfordshire steam rally today.I've taken some photos and I'll show you tomorrow.Hope you're all doing well and are having a lovely summer.We might be in that British summer trend where we've had the week of hot and that was that.We shall see.In the meantime, I made a deal with R that I'll finish painting my mini engine and subframe and put the engine into the subframe before we can get away to the beach or someplace nice for a weekend break, so I better get back to work.

My birthday and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

Hello everyone,I almost want to say, "welcome to my annual RBG Kew post!"But it's true.On my birthday it's traditional for us to visit Kew and, in all of England, there's no other place I'd rather be.I get absolutely giddy walking into these gardens. I just can't help it!One tiny problem of a July visit is that Kew holds evening concerts here and so closes the gardens a wee bit early.Tonight All Saints, featuring Mel C Spice Girl, were playing but we're not really fans, so just enjoyed our day and didn't plan on staying for the concert.This year the gardens were just spectacular.You know, some years these beautiful deep borders are full of vegetables, or herbs, but this year, it was flowers all the way.Masses and masses of flowers.Eight to twelve feet deep!All being well tended to by the gardeners.My new favourite find this year is this rose. (Are you surprised it's a rose? LOL)It's Rosa Kew Gardens and it might be my new favourite rose.We walked down the main walk to the Orangerie to have my birthday lunch.And after lunch, to Kew Palace, the palace medical garden, and then on to the kitchens and the kitchen garden.The little, walled kitchen garden is one of my favourite garden in the world.This is inside the little garden shed.I just love walled gardens. Such an amazingly clever way to make your own micro-climate for the best and earliest veggies.I've wanted to have a few rhubarb cloches for a million years now, but can't think of a practical way to import them to my Vancouver garden.Oh, I just noticed the little black bird sitting on the wheelbarrow. He's probably after the raspberries.Everywhere you look there are beautiful veggies and fruits, many ready for harvesting like these onions.This isn't a very big space, but it's big enough for all the veggies and fruit for an entire family.Oh heaven to be able to garden in a space like this.Inside the palace kitchen is an upstairs where the housekeeper used to sit and keep ledgers.reading these ledgers is something. You can see that they recorded meals which included something like 12 chickens, 24 pheasants, 16 rabbits, and a swan for one meal.Do you like my summer dress? I love it. Bought it in Prague.On this level is a lockable cold pantry where preserves, cheeses, and smoked meats were kept.And downstairs are the kitchens.These are the shabby chic rooms of my dreams!I could live here.Just need to add an Aga, a big jug of flowers, and I'm done!Every year, after lunch and the kitchen garden, I drop Robert off in the nearest gazebo so he can have a rest, and I go thru the water gardens and the big walled garden.This walled garden is a bee paradise.In the water garden, one of the gardeners was cleaning out the ponds.I asked her why the water looked so deep and black, and she told me that Kew has begun testing an organic dye, which darkens the water, doesn't do any harm at all to the plants and creatures, and inhibits some of the algae growth because the algae cannot photosynthesize thru the dark water. Not to mention that the pools look like something out of a fairy tale.How amazing is that?I tend not to go into the Princess of Wales conservatory very often, and mainly because there are so many other places I love better and time is usually short, but the grasses in front are amazing.I'm really beginning to love these grass gardens.Wonder how it would look to incorporate some grasses into my urban garden.Wonder if you really need a much bigger space for grasses.The reason I don't really devote time to the P of W conservatory too often is because it doesn't change very much and it's right beside the walled veggie and Kew student gardens. I love these gardens and always find so much inspiration.This summer had a much warmer start, so most of the roses are bloomed out, but the veggies are well ahead of schedule.One thing which I always look for, especially for my urban gardens, are the various tricks the gardeners use to grow vertically.This year, for the first time EVER, the student's were selling off some fo their produce and flowers.How amazing is that?I bought some of the beans, some chard, a cucumber, zucchini, parsley, and those sweet peas. Veggies to feed the body and gotta have the sweet peas to feed the soul!Then I walked back to where I left Robbie and we carried on past the Hive to the glass houses.This is the waterlily house.Inside are tropical vines growing all over the walls and ceiling.And in the middle is this pool full of black water and aquatic plants.That little yellow blooming plant is Chloe's favourite Mimosa Pudica, the sensitive plant.In Vancouver, she has trouble growing the smallest pot of it and here it's stretching over the pool and half way down the side!So all we need is a warm, humid, tropical waterlily house in the back garden and C can grow her Mimosa all she likes!The Palm house has remained my favourite glass house for the past several years.Actually, even before the Temperate house shut down four years ago for renovation, the Palm house was still my favourite and even more so now because most of the Temperate house plants had to be relocated to here, so it really is like a thick tropical jungle.I alway take the time to walk up the old Victorian staircase to the tree top balcony.The climb up puts you right next to the flowers and tree crowns.And from up high, the view across all of Kew is amazing.Robbie usually skips this house and waits for me on the other end.My last stop of the day is always at the Marianne North gallery.She was a Victorian botanist and botanical artist.She was one of those very rare Victorian women with the money and freedom to do as they pleased.She knew Charles Darwin and travelled the world painting plants and scenes and collecting botanical specimens.At Kew, there are 832 of her paintings.A couple years ago Kew bizarrely put up "no photography" signs in this gallery. Yeah, like that's going to stop us.But over the years when photography was allowed I've photographed probably every painting here, so for me, it's not such a great loss.So there you are my friends. A rather long post of my ideal day.The commute from London to Oxford was twice as long as the commute in courtesy of the rush hour, but we didn't care.With all these lovely Kew veggies, supper was just minutes away.If you have trouble cleaning pool, check out pool service in Orange County to get an excellent service.

Cooking and painting in my vintage painting box on this rainy day

And that was summer!...is not what we want to think round here, but overnight the lovely weather has broken and in came a day of torrential downpours.It's actually a good thing because the garden needs it.This was our view almost all day.And, although we tried to work thru it, we couldn't help but feel as tired as Theo looks.(Actually, Theo had the night shift so he had a good reason to crash all day.)Sometime during the night, the wind kicked up and pushed the curtain into my glass of water which spilled into one of the small pallets of paints I have been using on my rough-legged buzzard map. The water sat on the paints for such a long time that the paints are a bit too liquid for me to safely use on the map and so no map painting until they dry out.So while Robert got on with Medusa, I made a large pot of beef, vegetable and lentil soup, a veggie frittata, and endless cups of tea.Here, next to yesterday's homemade granola, is my current favourite tea.It's Pukka chamomile, vanilla, and manuka honey tea and it's absolutely amazing. The night time one is fantastic too, and there's also my usual rooibos Earl Grey by Dragonfly Teas. I love this rooibos tea so much. I wish it was imported to Canada, but for now it isn't and so I stock up and bring it with me.So, after a mornign of cooking I really felt like getting some work done. I did tons of office work yesterday and really felt like painting, and, with some of my watercolours out of commision for the day, I decided on a little oil painting.Robert's sister Catherine gave me this amazing vintage painting box for Christmas, (thank you so much, Catherine, I love it so much), and today was the perfect day to have some fun with it.Opened it looks like this.There are two gessoed wood panels and a palette.The palette slides out revealing a large space for my paints.I usually keep all my oils in a plastic bin, but this space is the perfect place to isolate the colours I'm using for the painting.No more digging thru the bin.And the panels slide out of grooves which keep them nestled in place.I looked around for a subject for my little study and what could be more perfect than one of my vintage ink bottles.So I made my fourth, fifth, sixth cup of tea today......sketched out the bottle and some flowers and squished a few random colours, plus some Liquin onto the palette.Soon I had a background which I loved and the outline of the bottle, and then I painted the flowers but just didn't like the complication of it all.So I rubbed it back and only painted the lavender.I like this simple little oil painting.I thought I might eventually add more of the flowers, but the more I look at it, the less likely that feels.The rain is supposed to break up overnight and hopefully, we'll get back to lovely sunshine.

Hello from Sunday night which turned into a Monday post again

Hello from the Monday after a very quiet and maybe even boring weekend at home. (But you know what? Exactly what I needed.)Our weekend turned into a dealing with various car projects weekend.Robert drove my Land Rover out from under cover and boy was it dusty!This part of my Landy hood is black!So we got out the hose and gave it a quick once over.Looking better.There are a couple nagging Landy issues on Robert's mind. The brakes aren't working as ideally as they should despite the previous owner fitting completely new braking gear on, and, since the car doesn't have power steering, turning the steering wheel to the right, produces a massive kickback of a rotation and half back to straight.So Robbie decided to investigate.My project for this summer is to get on with rebuilding my vintage mini and this is the powerful little engine.My first project is to strip the old paint and rust, take apart the engine, replace the seals and gaskets and repaint it in that beautiful Austin mini green.So while Robbie jacked up the Landy,I used his power drill plus some wire brush atachments to get on witht he mini engine.Look, half way done in one afternoon!After a while, R thought he sorted some things out and it was time for a test drive.This is the part I like!Well guys, the brake problems are still not sorted after the test drive and, after further investigation, it seems that the previous owner installed the brakes on completely backwards!So this means poor Robbie has to take all four of the very heavy wheels off, take the brakes apart and put them back together properly!Can you believe it?It's a good thing he loves me so much.I'm a lucky girl.