I'm inviting you in today, to one of my most beloved secret nooks.
In my conservatory, I have a large table that I fill with dried garden findings and favorite books.
It's a very special spot for me because there is an air of creativity always swirling about.
Yesterday there were so many roses, that I pruned some to bring in.
I've also picked some little white pumpkins and limes.
I am a big lover of dried garden treasures.
From poppy pods to paper petals, I love them all.
They live in perfect unison with very old books...
And antique ephemera.
I love to press petals into scrapbooks.
I'm drawn to all things old and tattered.
I find great inspiration in this space.
It's like a living mood board.
I just marvel at tiny petals, crinkled ever so delicately, with beautiful shades and colors.
There is endless beauty to be found in the garden.
Not just in perfect flowers, but in stones and dried bits of wood and twigs.
Vacant wasp nests and dry rose hips do delight.
I don't just love cupped and heavily petaled roses...
But the ones that flay open, with floppy ears for petals, sure make my heart skip a beat.
It might look like a big mess to some.
But to me it is a space of creativity and inspiration.
I find so many ideas here.
And, because creativity grows creativity, it's a wonderful place to stop and infuse the soul.
Before you know it, an idea for this and that and the other pops up.
I snip stems and petals drop.
I make a big sort of an Edward Scissorhands mess, and then I sweep it right up into my dustpan.
In this house, we do not worry about making a mess or being practical.
We care more about magical makings that make the heart happy.
Nothing more, nothing less.
No matter how many treasures I may have, the simple things I find in nature are still my most favorite.
I'm certain that my daily joy comes from the fact that I have zero expectations of anything.
I find my own joy in the simple things, and anything else that comes along is just an unexpected surprise.
I could live in a shack in the woods or be the princess and the pea.
I could build a tattered cottage by the sea, or I could live in a house in a tree.
Whatever it may be, you can find joy, if you are in love with nature.
Then beauty is endlessly around you.
You can make garlands from leaves and crowns of berries and petals.
What I'm saying is, you don't need a super fancy life to be happy.
I have lived many journeys in my life.
A tattered cottage, a curious villa, a tiny house in the garden, a townhouse in the city before that.
No matter where I have lived, I have found that my happiness never comes from what I have.
It comes from what I grow, what I find and collect in a walk.
That is the true joy of the heart.
If you find that simple beauty fills you heart, then you might always be happy.
Zero expectations lead to endless surprises.
I suppose that's my message for the day.
What more can I say?
Please add to my thoughts as you wish.
Elaborate, share your little joys.
Right now, I am rich in limes.
I would give you some if I could, I promise I would.
And maybe one or two or three for Miss Amy, who had all her limes put in the snow.
Remember that?
Well, off I go for today.
See you soon,
Love Vanessa