And so to bed...

I am tired of my bedding.

I realized that I have not taken any proper pictures of my bedroom and the picture below is NOT one...

However, you can get a bit of a sense of what the current bedding looks like:

It is a pale silvery blue and is at least 6 years old and showing every one of those 6 years.  There are stains now and it is looking very worn. 

So I have turned my steely gaze to finding just the right bedding for our room.  The walls, except for the one wallpapered wall shown behind me, are a peacock blue as shown below...

Things that I am taking into consideration as I purchase new bedding:

1) there is a third "person" in bed with us - our 13 year old Lhasa Apso, Indy.  In other words - must be washable and must not pull when claws walk on it.
2) we are thinking of going to a lightweight duvet and duvet cover.  Before this last bedding, that's what we used but we got sick of it.  However, I believe we got sick of it because it was a cheap duvet that had completely uneven fill.
3) I love the colour of my bedroom walls and do not plan to change it.

So I have been searching online and have identified some possibilities, but would love any thoughts/ideas/recommendations you might have!

Option 1: Pottery Barn Duvet Covers:

A paisley?

A trellis pattern?

A floral?

 

 

Some birds?

A very plain linen and silk?

Option 2: Garnet Hill and Eileen Fisher

If money and puppy claws were not an option, this little duvet from Eileen Fisher would be on my bed:

Isn't that grey silk divine?

Maybe a washed linen in grey instead?

Option 3) Nordstroms

A lovely print by Tracy Porter's Poetic Wanderlust:

These are what I have found thus far that I like - would love any ideas you might have!

Thanks and have a great Sunday!!!!  Stay safe out there!
 

Random Saturday Musings

If the sun is shining, when you read this I will be standing in my driveway, selling my junk.  sigh...

1) Nigella is divorced

I don't know about you, and of course I have nothing to base my thoughts on except for the media and we know we can't always trust the media, but...I am glad Nigella Lawson has divorced Charles Saatchi. 

Or should I say Billionaire Charles Saatchi, since that is how every media outlet describes him.  From what I have read the man is a bullying control freak (did you know I read that he wouldn't eat her food - that is a sign of someone who really wants to belittle their partner...apart from the most recent antics..)  It turns out you can get a quickie divorce if you say you don't want any of the billionaire's money.  Good for Nigella.  She has had a lot of tragedy in her life, and while a powerful man may seem exciting and interesting at first, if he is of the ilk of Charles Saatchi, she can most definitely do better...

2) Mick Jagger Turns 70



Source

Some of us are getting older.  I can remember when Mick was a fine young thing (I was a significantly younger fine young thing).  Mick has evolved into quite a dandy in his later years, though he still takes the band out for a spin now and then (likely to pay for all the houses and children from various women).

It is a funny thing as the original rock warriors age.  The Stones were bad boys who liked to have a good time and didn't mind if people knew.  I would argue that their last great album was released in the 1970s, but they have filled every major venue for so many decades, who cares?

Happy Birthday, Mick!

3) Fall 2013 Colour Trends

A few week's ago, Pantone released its fall 2013 fashion colour trends:

The older I get, the less these colour stories speak to me, though I guess we all get impacted depending upon how fashion designers interpret and present these colour stories.

When I was in St. Andrews this week, I purchased a couple of items in a colour which I find infinitely flattering - tea rose/rosy pink.  See my scarf below.  I also bought a sweater in the same shade from a different shop which I will model for you in the next week.

I have always loved this pink and it is always flattering for my colouring. 

 

 

Despite loving it, I have sometimes avoided this colour, as it is such a sweet shade, but matched with grey (as above) or browns or nudes or whites, it is a lovely colour.  What I also found, as soon as I wrapped the scarf around my neck, was how happy this colour made me.  I mean, I felt seriously good wearing this shade.  The only other colour that makes me feel that good when I wear it is this colour:

 

 

This is an Eileen Fisher Top in Crystal Blue, but I think of this shade as more of an Aegean Blue or an Adriatic Blue.

 

it makes me think of Greek Seas:

 

 

Either way, these are two shades which are very flattering on me and which make me feel fantastic.  Expect to see more of these in my wardrobe.  You have been warned.  And no... they are not a trendy colour for fall.  Oh well...

How about you - any colours you are particularly loving these days?
 

 4) Sanctuary!!!

 

 

Just heard that Quasimodo - whoops! Edward Snowdon - has received asylum in Russia!  This can hardly be a surprise.  I mean the US and Russia, despite public protestations of grudging respect, are really the Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots of our times.

Apparently, Snowden has "made a lot of friends" during his time in the airport.  Uh-huh. Mary had a lot of "friends" that helped her out, too, including old Elizabeth. I wonder if Snowden really thought this all through before embarking on this adventure.  Whether you think he was justified in his actions, a traitor, or just simply a very naïve young man, I do wonder how this story will eventually end...

And that, my friends, is what I am thinking about today (besides how much I ought to charge for an old lamp...)

Stay Safe out there!
 



Miller Time Friday - Let's take a day trip, shall we - I want to go home

 You can never go home again, but the truth is you can never leave home, so it's all right

 Maya Angelou

You all know me to be an overly sentimental sort.  I don't mind being filed under "S" for sentimental - better that than "I" for indifferent.

And I am never more sentimental than when I go back to my old stomping grounds - St. Andrews-By-the-Sea and St. Stephen, New Brunswick, where I grew up.

I swear that I pass myself on the street, my voice still echoing as I chase my brother and sister in the backyard, sneak through the neighbours yard to spy on them, stop into a shop and buy a little wooden table and chairs for my dolls.  I am everywhere and nowhere when I am back there. 

I recognize no one when I am on the street today, but I can tell you everyone who lived in every house in the 1960s and 1970s.  I wonder that they don't notice the tattoo that is burned into my forehead as I walk about: I AM FROM HERE.  THIS IS WHO I AM.

One of my happiest things to do in the summer is this:

• Go to St. Andrews.  Walk streets.  Shop.  Have lunch at Kingsbrae Gardens overlooking the gardens and the bay.
• Drive to hometown (10 minutes away) St. Stephen.  Buy chocolates from Ganongs.
• Have tea with my mother's best friend.

Honestly, I could rinse and repeat this once a week all summer.  It isn't a long drive from here, but the roads are not the best from our neck of the woods and frankly, even my mother's best friend would tire of me.  There is something pathetic about those of us who are motherless sometimes; my mother's friend is the closest thing I have in this world to an older woman who truly loves and likes me - I lap it up like candy!

But I digress.  When we arrived in St. Andrews a farmer's market was going on.

 

 Lots of crafts and food and music.  It is fun when the town is vibrant.



Cockburn's drugstore has been there forever.  You can get your prescription filled and pick up a sand bucket and nail polish..

Nearby I spotted two Irish Wolfhounds, which struck me as very Harry Potter-ish:

If you want a porch to people watch and have a drink, well this is it:

 



Between each house and shop on Water Street is this view:

sorry about the blur!

Then we drove out to Indian Point to watch the tide go out for a few minutes:

 No time for searching tide pools today - we are off to Kingsbrae Gardens and lunch!  Considered ones of the ten best garden attractions in Canada, this is definitely worth a visit.  We have been many, many times.  This time, we walked straight to the little café.

But of course en route, there are a few small gardens...

who is that delightful creature in the mirror?

Ah there's the café (located in an old "cottage" (St. Andrews was and is still, albeit to a lesser extent, the playground of the rich..)

 

 





 



 Inside the café:

 

But it's a gorgeous day, we'll eat outside, under the apple trees:

 

 And of course Barry is already sitting there:



I always want to sit outside to get this view:

I think I am looking very Virginia Woolf in these photos - I even know where the Lighthouse is!

Beside Kingsbrae Gardens you can stay at the Ultra-luxurious Kingsbrae Arms:

the back of the house...

The front door is guarded by a matching pair of whippets, who are quite stately sentinels, in my opinion:

The jewel of St. Andrews is the Algonquin Resort, which is currently undergoing a multi-million dollar refresh and will reopen later this year.  I cannot wait to go back there soon!  This would make a lovely spot for a club meeting...

Let's leave St. Andrews, as I have a tea time scheduled with an old friend and en route I need to pick up chocolates and peppermints at the The Ganong Chocolate Factory's Gift Store.

 

Chocolate Truffles all around!

Then off to see my Mum's Best Friend, who is 88 years old and a going concern.  Isn't she beautiful?

Today would have been her 68th wedding anniversary.  She is originally from England and married a dashing young New Brunswick lad who was talented enough to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross.  We had tea and looked out over this view:

 The end to a perfect day. 

I think this day could use a little Tennyson (In Memoriam Section CXXIII  - my favourite section):

But in my spirit will I dwell
and dream my dream and hold it true
for tho' my lips may breath adieu
I cannot think the thing farewell

I do like to go home.  And while I sat on that deck, drinking tea and sharing stories with someone who has known me for almost my entire life - since a time I can barely remember - I felt nothing but joy and gladness.  We are witnesses to each other's lives.  And on a beautiful August day, I am grateful for that.  And now it is here forever, with you all.

And since we were by the salty sea, let's make a couple of Salty Dog cocktails, shall we?

Ingredients:

• 2 oz gin
• 4 oz grapefruit juice
• Salt for rimming
• Lemon or lime wedge for garnish

Preparation:

1. Pour the ingredients into a collins glass rimmed with salt and filled with ice cubes.
2. Stir well.
3. Garnish with a lemon or lime wedge.

 There - isn't that refreshing?  Thanks for taking the day trip with us!  Have a wonderful Friday and stay safe out there!

Whither the Hudson Valley? Trixie Belden Land of course!

So, one of the most exciting moments for me on my recent trip from Ontario to Stockbridge, Massachusetts (heretofore to known as "Wendy Cuts Cross Country" - points for those of you who recognize the homage to the Betsy-Tacy books and Betsy selling her story "Emma Middleton Cuts Cross Country".) was when we crossed the Hudson River.

THE HUDSON RIVER.

Oh sure, I had seen the Hudson River in NYC, but not the Hudson River of upstate New York.

Why so significant?

Glad you asked! 

Because Trixie Belden grew up in the Hudson River Valley in the fictional town of Sleepyside-on-the-Hudson.

Yes - THAT Trixie Belden.  The Trixie Belden with whom I spent many hours from the time I was 8 years old until I was around 12 or 13.  The Trixie Belden with the aw-shucks older brothers, Marty and Brian.  The Trixie Belden with the rich best friend Honey Wheeler and her adopted brother Jim Frayne (whom Trixie had quite the crush on!).  The Trixie Belden who was fully capable of solving mysteries sans boys, thank you very much, and didn't mind getting down and dirty when she needed to.

So when we went over the bridge that crosses the Hudson River near Massachusetts, I cried out "Trixie Belden Land!" as only I could, and to which Barry replied "huh?" as only he can...

I was never a Nancy Drew girl.  Not sure why.  But Trixie (and Donna Parker - I'll save her for a future post) - I was all over Trixie.

I wanted to live in a little house with my three brothers.  I wanted to solve mysteries and have adventures.  I just wanted to ride on a school bus for goodness sakes!

When I got home from my trip I dug out some of my vintage Trixie Belden books, which I borrowed or inherited 40 years ago.

Trixie Belden is from a kinder gentler time, but the author(s) were wise - always have your main character have a rich best friend - you are going to need the money to keep the story going at times...

The series began in 1948 and ended almost 40 years later in 1986 after 39 books.  The series had two official authors: "Kathyrn Kenny" and Julie Campbell, but many authors wrote under the Kathryn Kenny nom de plume.

There is a wonderful website about the series: http://www.trixie-belden.com, which basically tells you everything you ever wanted to know.

So now I feel like I have been to Trixie land.  And I only have 29 books left to find on Ebay...

What girls series did you love growing up?

I am off to St. Andrews tomorrow for a day trip and will take lots of pictures - stay safe out there!

Oh - Happy August!