A Fanciful Twist

Magical Summer Unfolds at the Country House

Another summer unfolds at the beloved country house...

Birds are happy, light streams in, pups run through garden paths, pumpkin leaves grow.

Baby hummingbirds play during watering hour.

Diving in and out of my water spray.

It is Mister Lovee's birthday weekend.

The rose arbors are full.

The cardinals are tweeting.

Do come in through our little stone path...

The most beautiful sherbet scented roses bloom in baskets full.

Caravan wagon behind, with twinkle lights that will turn on at sunset.

The aloe are blooming and in swoops my favorite little hummingbird.

I am able to identify this wee darling by the piano key feathers in black and white.

This little adores splashing in water.

It looks straight at me, and I think smiles.

I can think of nothing more delightful than playing water games on a warm day with a sweet little hummingbird.

My heart is full.

It's that time of year where everything is happening in the garden.

Spring is waning and summer is taking over.

Time for garden baths through the secret gate.

Popsicles and swinging from the ancient tree.

A second flush of wisteria...

My little gallery gobbled by roses year after year.

This is the building I converted into a little gallery shop when there used to be art studio tours in my neck of the woods.

It's still filled with treasures and fun.

Mister Lovee's birds count on him, even flying right up to the window if they are waiting on him for breakfast.

He is the kind bird keeper.

How I love those cardinals as well.

It seems the colors of the garden are pink and coral swirl in abundance.

Aloe flowers like coral flames...

And coral pink swirls of rose petals.

What more could we ask for?

Nature is wonderful medicine for the soul.

As always, I have been meaning to be here so often.

Alas, I get busy in my gardens and homes and dogs and baking and painting.

And well, all manner of things, and time just marches by.

Time, the one thing I can never get a hold of.

I don't even try.

I have been, well, doing lovely things.

Along with regular world busy things too.

But have really been focusing on being kind to myself.

I am with Poppy and Teddy 24/7.

Those two fill my cup right up, I loooove them so!

I've been baking delicious things for Mister Lovee's birthday and getting little treats ready for him.

Treats and treasures for the elusive Mad Hatter.

The zinnias are just about to bloom and the pumpkin plants are getting big and huge.

One of greatest joys in life, the garden.

I suppose it's the one thing that keeps me sane.

It's my refuge, my place to work out all the kinks of my brain and life and everything else.

Eternally grateful for the garden.

I've picked soooo many herbs that are drying.

And I spent several days pruning away all of spring and making way for summer.

The sunflowers are getting big and tall.

Now we wait for the big dramatic clouds of monsoon season.

I can't wait.

I made homemade carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

But don't you agree that we might need lemon bars as well, for a proper soirée?

Well, I suppose I better get back to all the birthday planning things.

Nothing could make me happier than Mister Lovee being alive and well to enjoy another celebration.

(knock on wood for luck)

I'll cook up a lovely meal and we can play music in the country house garden.

Teddy will sit on ML's lap, as no other place will do.

And Poppy will sit for a long time in her pool, just sniffing the air and looking up at the trees.

Summer in the country.

Thankful, grateful.

 

I hope you are well out in your neck of the woods.

Lots of Love, 

Vanessa

 

 

See ya soon <3 <3 <3

 

 

Lemon, Lavender, Sunshine Tea-Time

The days have been astoundingly beautiful under the big lemon tree.

The way the sunshine floods my garden does something indescribable to me.

It fills me with joy, hope, inspiration, love.

It's a tonic for a flood of good feelings.

I make sure to live in the moment.

A cup of tea and a chair will do that instantly.

My garden is at the place where it makes all of its own magic.

The rosemary and lavender have decided to thrive in this rolling hills garden.

I've never had much luck with lavender, but I think because it's on a little hill, the water drainage is just as it likes.

The huge lemon tree in my garden had so many dead branches when I first got a hold of it.

I cleaned it up and shaped it a bit better.

It gifts more lemons than I can ever keep up with.

I send everyone away with big paper bags filled with lemons.

I juice many and save the juice in little ice cube trays with lids, so that I always have fresh lemon in the freezer.

To be used once the lemons are all gone.

I bake endlessly with them and have fresh lemon in hot water every morning.

I put lemon on everything, and I just love it.

Free vitamin C is the best.

I just adore a lemon, do you?

I float a lemon slice in my peppermint tea.

So fresh and delicious.

Just taking a moment to infuse my being in lemon tree sunshine.

What more could I ask for?

It's just what I need.

Before I built this garden, it was a brush filled landscape made up of many little rolling hills.

Some hills could be leveled by hand with a shovel by me.

I did so much work to imagine a garden out here.

I worked completely alone in 2020, weaving a little dream.

No real plan, just a shovel in hand.

How to work with little hills everywhere?

So, I made little stairs and planted on some of the smaller little hills as seen here.

All the plants on this little hill are very happy.

There are stairs to the right, to then go up to an area that I leveled flat over the course of a couple of weeks in 2020.

(How many times can I say little hills in one post? Teehee)

Don't ask me how I did it, haha.

Determination and lack of reality made it happen I suppose :-)

I am a very determined woman.

Once I set my mind on something I must do it.

I see the possibilities and somehow find a way.

Or I work with what I have to find a happy medium.

Right now, I am only using 1/3 of the space in the secret garden.

I am on the highest part, so when I stand right here, I honestly feel as though I am in Tuscany.

Looking out at rolling hills and sunshine through the arbor.

How golden hour creates so much magic I will never know.

It illuminates everything just perfectly.

Quite like a dream.

I believe that it's very important to make the time to not just observe beautiful moments, but to be a part of them.

Let the sun shine all over you, as it does on the rosemary and roses.

Be immersed in the beauty of nature.

It's immensely healing.

I personally have not found a better way to heal from anything in life.

It's always nature that fixes my heart.

Working in the garden, appreciating the garden, being out there with the birds and bees.

And a couple cute faces hidden amongst the growing things, of course.

Teddy!

Goodness, I love him.

All he wants in life is to sit on your lap and cuddle, that's all.

Oh, and bring you a toy.

He must always bring you something.

The minute I wake up in the morning I see him searching for a toy in his big basket.

Then he jumps on my bed and sits on my chest and delivers it and then throws himself onto me like a big hug.

His head on my chest just looking up at me.

Now that's true love.

(I think he's wondering if Poppy is about to tackle him here)

Tea with dogs and sunshine.

That's the perfect menu offering for me.

The last flash of fairy tale movie magic sunshine pours through the garden.

Foxglove, Queen Anne's lace and poppy heads all come to life in the glow.

I suppose I come to life in it as well.

Luckily, I had my camera in hand and was able to capture a bit of it to share with you.

I am very busy in the garden these days, pruning and enjoying.

The rosemary grows so huge in this garden, that it is absolutely astounding.

One thing I love to do is dry rosemary and crumble it into medium sized sheer sachets.

I then hang them in closets and such, because they act like cedar to ward off moths and things.

I love cooking with it as well.

The flavor and the scent are absolutely delicious.

Today I have to prune the lavender, which I have put off because I just love seeing it in full bloom in the garden landscape.

Incidentally...

I wanted to mention that the comments section in the last post was so beautiful, thank you for that <3

It warms my heart so much to know that a little group of us are still here in the blog world.

I have found that when you allow yourself the space to feel your feelings you start to feel better.

It's like, your mind and body can begin to rest.

I slept 10 hours straight night before last.

I had not done that in so long, I can't remember when I last did.

I had such vivid dreams of my childhood home.

I looked all around, and I saw details that I can not believe my brain had stored away.

Things in my dad's bathroom drawer, where I'd abscond with his quarters.

My mom's closet, things on shelves.

Bedrooms, gardens, nooks and crannies.

It was all there, photographically preserved in the depths of my mind.

I went back in time.

It was such a wonderful experience.

I woke up feeling so happy about it all.

I immediately told my mom about it and we reminisced.

I suppose that's a gift of healing.

Memories, like vivid passages to the past.

Some of them so heartwarming and wonderful.

Today I am thankful for those memories.

I close my eyes under sunshine lemon tree and appreciate all the good memories.

Nothing is too lost nor too far away from a memory, thankfully.

 

With that I shall say, see you soon.

I hope you are well in your neck of the woods.

 

Lots of Love, 

Vanessa

(and Teddy, since he is in this post, and I know full well he would want to hug you too)

 

 

PS: If you find it difficult to post a comment from your phone...

I find that turning my phone sideways to landscape mode then shows me the post button, etc.

<3 <3 <3

 

 

Golden Hour Secret Garden

When your heart feels a certain way, chase golden hour.

The magic lives there.

In those last rays of golden light.

Illuminating everything in its fairy tale haze.

I stand in the last beam, closing my eyes, marveling.

Taking a deep breath.

Fluffy white tail running through the rose arbor.

Golden light bouncing through Queen Anne's Lace.

It's Easter evening and Teddy all of a sudden looks quite lambish to me.

Must be the ears :-)

He and Poppy are about to do their wrestling, which happens all day long.

Wrestle, nap, snacks, repeat.

Our wild Poppy girl, making us all feel whole again.

It's as though she was always here.

Keeping us all on our toes.

Guarding the garden.

So like Matty in many ways.

In her pink and yellow garden.

Waiting for her Teddy to come back from a walk with Irishman.

It seems that even the Marc Chagall roses got the color combo memo.

I stand at the top of my rolling hills garden.

The last of the light setting in the mountains to the west.

I can not miss a golden hour.

They fill me with everything I need late in the afternoon.

I used to talk to my dad every evening, so now it feels like something is missing.

Because, well, there is.

It's funny, this life experience.

Some days, I'm light and cheery and then all of a sudden, I feel deep sadness over my dad.

Today I was thinking, how everyone is going through something.

How sometimes we feel so hopeless and lost.

I wanted you to know that, it's okay to feel sad, you're not alone.

Life can feel so difficult and overwhelming, I know.

I just want you to know that, I feel the same way sometimes too.

I suppose that's part of why I come here, to invite you into the garden with me and Poppy and Teddy.

To share a little light, to bring you with us.

I try to capture the moments in my photographs as I experience them.

In hopes that you can imagine being there too.

I thought I knew everything when I was younger.

I feel like I have a lot of wisdom that grows as I get older.

But I also feel like, I know nothing.

Just when we were happiest, when we felt like we had arrived at some wonderful place, my dad died.

We had so many things we wanted to do, places to go, things to see.

I'm sorry to come to this happy place and talk about this, but I am nothing if not honest.

To lose your person, your rock, is the most difficult.

It's almost like, you have to find your joy within again.

I was a girl with a dad who loved her, and supported her, and guided her.

Over the last 10 years I have become emotionally stronger than I ever thought I could be.

I smile to myself, at the irony of life, how it was preparing me to be able to go through the big things.

You cannot ever be truly prepared, but younger Vanessa would not have been able to get through this time.

All that guides me now is wisdom, faith, coping skills, and knowing that you have to just allow yourself to go through.

So, I seek golden hour light every single day.

I paint all night, I kiss my dogs.

I walk around garden paths and I listen to music and audiobooks and make healthy meals.

It's okay to go through things in life and to allow yourself to feel what you need to feel.

But it's most important to take care of yourself and be kind to yourself.

Stand in golden hour light, bathe in golden hour light.

Take a deep breath.

Sing a song.

You're not alone.

Life is filled with ups and downs.

As my dad always said, allow yourself to laugh and cry every day.

It will take me time to heal, I hope you understand.

Mister Lovee was telling me that when his mother died many years ago, it took him 6 months to realize what had really happened.

I feel the same way.

Of course, I was there, I held his hand as he left.

I know what happened, but the raw reality has hit a bit harder lately.

The thing is, I know what to do.

I know to allow, and cry and feel and chase golden hour, and smell roses.

And talk to my dad, and listen to the birds, and run to the top of the hill to watch pink mountains at sunset.

But it's also okay to cuddle up with a blanket and a dog or two and shed tears.

Talk to friends, go for an early walk.

Above all, be extra kind to yourself.

I'm learning things as I go through this part of my journey.

I will share as I go through.

And I hope you will share with me too.

 

Lots of Love, 

Vanessa

 

PS:

Just wanted to add that I will be responding to comments in the comment section.

Unfortunately, my blog service does not allow me any way to notify you and let you know that I have answered.

So, if you fancy a peek, there will be responses :-)

 

PPS:

I sometimes like to share what I was listening to when I was writing my post.

This song came on as I was typing and I listened to it a few times.

I thought you might find it lovely, as I did <3

Surreal by Ryan Stewart.

The comment section at YouTube says the whole CD is wonderful.

I love a lot of his songs.

 

 

 

Cottage Garden Spring Awakening

Spring magic is in full swing just in time for Easter weekend.

The breathtaking Colette roses are blooming like never before.

They took years to take off like this, but it's proven to be worth every week, month and years because they are spectacular this year.

Absolutely dream like in every way.

The High Society rose seems to be in competition, gobbling up the chicken coop in all her floriferousness.

I sat right in this spot this morning and just basked in the magic of spring.

Alliums reaching for the sky.

Wind chimes blowing in the breeze, birds chirping, cardinals chasing each other.

I let the poppies and the Queen Anne's lace do as they please in early spring.

Seeing as how they self-seed, I feel like they truly deserve it.

Just go wild girls.

I adore every second of my wildflower hide away.

Last year at this time I had adopted Poppy and we were trying to come up with a name for her.

We all called her Puppy, so one day when the poppies started blooming, I thought of course, Poppy!

It seemed like a perfect transition from Puppy to Poppy.

Although, Mister Lovee still calls her Puppy, and I do too sometimes.

Along with other nicknames such as Popalara, Popsicle, Mrs. Pickles, and my favorite Periquita, which means Parakeet in Spanish.

All that to say, I already loved Poppies, but now they have a special place in my heart.

Often when I call her Poppy in front of people, like our Fed-Ex delivery gal, people say oh he is so cute.

And I say, Poppy is a she, and they ask, then why do you call her Papi?

I have to say, no not Papi, Poppy.

They look at me perplexed and then I have to say, Amapola, like the flower.

Which is Poppy in Spanish.

So now I sing this song to her all the time.

(Amapola sung by Andrea Bocelli)

When I peek over the wall into our secret garden to see where the pups are all I hear is Poppy's high pitched joyful yelping and some happy growls from Teddy.

Because inevitably...

They are happily wrestling.

All instigated by Amapola about 100 times a day.

She throws him to the ground and nibbles him all over, yelping like a hyena.

It's quite hilarious, but cleaning them up becomes a bit much :-)

Alas, if they are happy, that's all that matters.

And luckily Teddy lets us vacuum him with the dog vacuum hose and a brush attachment, teehee.

And so, those are my current tales from beyond the garden gate into our jungle.

Where poppies sway and crimson camellias bob in the breeze.

The enchantment of this time of year is always inspiring.

The garden is just filled with such hope and joy.

You never know what the new season will bring.

And it seems like each season is a gift that we forget, even though it was only a year ago.

I marvel at all the bright green leaves everywhere, the fresh blossoms.

Almost like I had never seen them before.

Funny how that happens.

Spring after winter is truly the gift of all gifts.

To have a garden again is a dream.

I have been going on long walks around the garden paths at both houses.

Admiring the trees that I have loved for so long.

Forgetting how they canopy like a storybook tale.

Just being in the moment, no phone, no camera.

Although I am glad I took my camera out with me this morning, so that I could capture these images to share with you.

I had written this entire blog post and went to save it and I got an error message and lost the whole thing.

So, writing it a second time, I am sure I have left out so many things that I wanted to say.

But then, perhaps the photos say it all.

I am mesmerized by the dappled morning light, illuminating the beautiful rose petals at first light.

I wait for bees to wake up.

Sometimes I see them sleeping right in the center of a rose or poppy.

Sort of frozen, awakening as soon as the sun hits their gossamer wings.

I hope you are having a delightful spring in your neck of the woods.

I know some of us begin earlier than others.

We must make sure to absorb all the magic this season holds.

Fruit trees in flower and all the other wonderfulness.

I hope to visit with you again very soon.

All my best to you and yours!

 

Love, 

Vanessa

 

 

Of Apple Blossoms, Bee's Knees, and Fur Love

Somehow it is March...

Time wastes no time.

Days skip by quickly, sometimes I wonder, what is time's rush?

We have so much to see and say and do.

Why are you going so quickly?

Then I understand, I must slow the time for myself.

A quiet garden morning, bees buzzing, dogs playing, birds chirping.

Spring is on the horizon.

The apple trees can no longer contain the secret and burst forth in laughter.

They have their own journey and cannot bother themselves with whatever the humans are going through.

They must attract bees and grow applets.

They rejoice in the sunshine.

They see me smiling.

They beckon us in the morning, birds tweeting before the sun even rises.

Our resident Princess Poppy has to think about going outside.

Teddy and I go first, and she then scurries behind us, not wanting to be left behind.

But first she must stretch and let out this hilariously loud and wonderful screech yawn.

I love her for it.

For everything that she is.

Sassy, funny, playful, loving, affectionate, silly, serious, darling.

I dreamt her one night, and then the next day she appeared on the humane society website.

With no rhyme or reason, overtaken by a sort of insanity of love, I raced down to save her 10 months ago, when she was 3 months old.

Somehow, it feels like I have known her always.

Of course, our critters save us as much as we save them, if not more.

But that is a tale for another day.

Today it is March 1st, and it's all about the apple blossoms.

Must not miss a moment, as they disappear all too quickly.

I spent January and February hibernating and feeding my soul.

Painting, walking a whole lot, listening to birds, playing with my furs, chatting under the sunshine about everything with Mister Lovee.

Spring cleaning at the country house.

Or perhaps I should call it winter cleaning, but since we have had no real winter and just one long springish season, it's felt like it has been spring for a long time.

I've painted nonstop, listened to at least 6 audio books, and then all of a sudden, the apple blossoms were here.

I am delighted to see them, somehow attempting to come out of the cozy January-February space that was gone in one fell swoop.

The bees seem shocked too, as they are buzzing to and fro frantically.

The light of early spring is so magical.

It brings with it a glowing haze of sorts, and a brilliance that makes everything sparkle.

Teddy and Poppy are delighted, running around, sniffing everything.

It's the awakening of a new season for certain.

This morning, I discovered something so wonderfully swoon worthy...

The actual bee's knees!

I had to zoom in on that photo above so you could see it for yourself.

Isn't that the most darling adorable thing?

Just the little dose of fairy tale that my soul longed for.

How I have giggled :-)

Poppy and Teddy are quite the pair.

A littleish dog and a very very big dog, sniffing around together, wrestling like mad.

Poppy starts all the wrestling matches, which can be a bit over the top wild.

As the bees fly by, she snaps her little underbite teeth in the air.

She must wonder why I want to look at her little teeth all the time, but they are just so ridiculously adorable, I can hardly handle it.

Life is very exciting for a one-year-old supermutt.

That is what she was listed as in the doggy dna test site, because she is made up of so many different breeds.

From Australian cattle herding dog to Boston terrier, to Pug and a bunch others.

The really touching thing that happened recently was that I went into the doggie ancestry site to see her results again (which I hadn't looked at since last year) and much to my surprise, her sister and mom were in the system, and I got to see photos of them.

I couldn't believe my eyes, I cried from joy.

I had wondered what had become of her sister who I wasn't allowed to adopt, as they don't allow two dogs from the same litter to be in the same household.

Most places have this rule in place to protect the dogs, because usually one dog beats up on the other (dominance), not always, but it can be an issue.

Anywho, all that to say that I got to see Poppy's sister and mom, owned by different people in my state.

I was soooooo delighted beyond words.

My spunky sweet Poppy girl, how I adore that wild flower-child.

I couldn't love these two more, they just break my heart with their sweetness.

I'm not sure what I did do be gifted two of the most beautiful souls I have ever known.

I cherish every moment with them.

Under the apple blossoms, in this new month upon us.

Bees all around...

Bluest sky, wonderful breeze.

The world can be absolute madness, but we hide here, in our little secret garden.

Admiring the petals and then painting for hours.

Kitty and her Feline Valentine kept me company all of February.

Along with a fancy cake loving gal and a huge floral painting I'll share soon.

I love when sweet, unexpected little characters emerge from my fingertips without warning.

I sit down to paint and all of a sudden there they are.

Keeping me company, with dogs snoring at my feet and birds chirping out the window.

What more could I ask for?

Maybe just a cup of tea and some biscuits :-)

And so, here we are in our secret hideaway, with apple blossoms emerging from all of our apple trees...

Enchanting, dappled light, a swirl of spring and winter.

I am immersed in creativity these days.

Painting, sculpting, doing all the things that have always been a deep part of my soul.

I can remember the first day I painted in our family garage on a huge canvas.

I was 11 years old, and my parents encouraged me to go and paint.

Likely trying to get me to go outside and do something, rather than sit inside watching MTV, haha!

Although, I would always go and explore the desert by myself for hours.

I'd take snacks and my neon peach Sony tape player to a favorite hidden tree that I'd climb.

I'd take A-ha (hunting high and low), Tears for Fears and Depeche mode cassette tapes with me.

But this one day when I was 11, I did a large-scale abstract painting, losing myself for hours in that place you go to when you are painting.

It was on that day, in that moment (that I can recall like it was yesterday) that I knew I needed that expression of creativity in my life.

I called it painting my emotions, and I was entranced by the place you go to when you are painting.

Another place in time, a faraway place of sheer fulfillment.

I know to go to that place for my heart and mind.

I know the way to it, my own map to myself.

Perhaps I've been painting so much, night and day, because I am still healing.

It has been six months since my dear dad died.

I am still in disbelief, but I am okay.

Sad yes, shocked, yes.

I ask myself, did it really happen?

My person who I spoke to every day is gone, but I still speak to him.

Whispering on the breeze, Hiiii Dad, I'm here, are you there?

I always tell him that I love him and that I'm so sorry he had to go through all that.

I've had so many chats with Mister Lovee about it all.

After attempting to find peace with the loss of my father and how terribly the whole thing went down of his rapid illness and death, and the trauma of seeing him go through that, and holding him as he left this earth...

I have come to accept, that there will be no peace made with it, and that is the answer.

There are some things in life you will never be able to reconcile in your mind or heart.

Nothing will be able to cure your pain or save you from your feelings.

And so, I accepted that I will likely not ever find a reconciliation of the pain and loss.

But I am okay with the understanding that it is an impossible loss that I cannot attempt to escape, and so it just is, and that is okay.

I am no longer searching for a time when I will make some huge peace with seeing my father die and the feeling of hugging his body when he was no longer there.

Of sitting by his side for months in a hospital as he slept.

Eating hospital food for weeks, walking the halls alone in turmoil, living in a different city, the unknown, feeling lost.

Of not being ready to see him go.

I have allowed myself to be okay with not being okay.

And that has somehow set me into a more healing place in my heart.

I am no longer carrying my pain deep within me, but instead it's just over there on the side.

A deep loss that exists, that you can't repair, but becomes less painful with time.

You cannot erase the experience, the pain or the loss, but you can put it in its own space.

Not within in you, but over there, and that is okay.

You don't have to carry it around with you all day everywhere you go.

It's like clouds in the sky.

Each one holding a story, and you can look up at them and see the story, but it is just floating around, free.

No longer yours to drag around, with a little storm over your head.

Although at first, I decided that I would start doing things and going places and take my little sad cloud with me, until it floated away into the sky one day.

Of course, you will have moments of deep sadness again, and that is okay too.

We must go through these journeys in our life it seems.

There is no way around, but through, as they say.

And so, I go through.

With Teddy and Poppy and birds and bees, with apple blossoms and paint.

With the characters of my heart that emerge into clay or canvas.

And, I mostly feel lucky to have created a map to myself at age 11.

A place I built, of whimsy and fantasy.

A place where I can always go.

Art does heal.

It truly does.

 

I hope you are well lovely friends.

Somewhere out there in our neck of the woods.

I think I can see the candle flickering in your cottage window through the giant trees.

It is spring here and perhaps snowing there?

Or perhaps it is spring there as well.

February spring, what a funny thing.

 

With Love,

From me to you!

See you soon,

Vanessa

 

 

 

 

Happiest New Year Wishes to You

Hello Lovely Friends!

I am testing this post before I write to you at 11:50 p.m. on January 1st.

I have been having some blog glitches over the last months and will return with updates to this post in about 15 minutes.

I just need to make sure it works first.

<3 <3 <3

 

And I am back.

Hello Hello!

So good to be here writing to you from our little New Year soiree.

We celebrated in front of one of our caravans at the country house.

One that I owe you a story about.

The same one that we have wanted to renovate since autumn of 2019.

But somehow, the peeling blue paint in the most perfect shade keeps me from feeling any pressure to do so.

Mister Teddy holding court as I was setting up...

I just used any things I had around the house to decorate.

A striped fabric from India, a paper garland, and glitter stars that I made a lifetime ago.

Can you believe I have been blogging for nearly two decades?

So much has changed, some wonderful, some not so wonderful.

Wonderful below.

Poppy.

Added quite serendipitously to our lives in April 2024.

The breeze wafts through. 

Ridiculously glorious weather we have been having.

Perfect for celebrating this evening.

Bumpy ornamental lemons from one of our trees.

Gorgeous golden hour light illuminating the evening.

Clinking glasses with ginger ale and sparkling apple cider.

I sigh with joy.

All that is gained, all that is lost.

All that remains the same, all that changes.

Not very long ago, I thought the greatest days of my life had come to an end.

Matty and Miles were gone.

It's not just losing someone, but also feeling that you are losing a wonderful era in your life.

But then, like magic, Teddy and then Poppy came into my life.

Proving to me that things do end, things do change.

There will likely be impossible losses.

But there are still beautiful parts of them alive in your heart and mind.

There is love that can come into your life in different ways.

This year I gained a Poppy girl and lost a dear dad that I love.

I am someone different, and yet the same.

I get older and wiser, knocked around a little, dusted off and then moving forward again.

I am naturally a happy person, I seek the light in a way that surprises me sometimes.

Ever since I was a child, if something happened, I would wake up the next day with a fresh set of eyes.

I have gone through my profound loss, the worst of it, straight through the gauntlet.

I have seen more than I ever wanted, I have been stronger than I ever expected.

I have been heartbroken, broken, patched back together and set back on my path.

Lost in the woods and then somehow miraculously emerging.

Albeit it with wounds and memories of the past year, so many.

Still some tears, which is always okay.

But there are the lifelong memories to date, so many good.

One thing I know, you will be ok.

Somehow.

And even if you are not ok, that has to be ok too, because it is out of your control.

Some days will be wonderful, you will almost forget about your pain.

Others, you will be reminded again.

But one thing I know for sure is that you must go forward.

And with time, you will get better.

You will laugh, smile, love.

You will not forget, but you will feel a little better in time.

Some days you will have setbacks.

You will ebb and flow.

This is all okay.

This is life.

I started writing this blog in December of 2006.

It is one of the greatest joys of my life, and I would very much like to continue.

There are some huge issues with my blog service, which I will not bore you with.

Loading photos takes hours and many tries to get one to stick.

What I have done is backed up my blog, just in case this service poofs one day.

But look for me, because I will return again if that happens.

It's so scary to think about losing 18 years, but I have learned so much this last year.

Nothing lasts forever, and your experience is all about how hard you choose to take it.

Will you be pliable, elastic?

Will you be firm and unwavering.

Change is all around, no matter how much we would like things to always stay the same.

As my friend's mother said, before I had surgery over a decade ago...

Nothing will be as bad a what you yourself will put yourself through.

Boy was she right.

Look, the truth is, some things will occur that we can't just be all happy go lucky about.

But if given the choice, why not try to reach for the light.

I will seek it out, even if it's the tiniest orb of light in a dark wooded path.

And maybe that is what this year of 2025 is all about.

Be more pliable, more elastic.

Be kind and forgiving to yourself as well as to others.

You don't have to stop loving your old loves that have gone to the great beyond.

But you can allow for life to gift you other wonderful happenings.

Be open and willing.

One of my favorite sayings that I always say wrong, but it's my interpretation, is - 

"It's in the moment that you make a decision that the universe conspires to assist you."

Be it a pet, a hobby, an adventure, a dream, a voyage, a state of mind.

It's really all up to you in so many ways.

State your wish, your intention, write it down...

And watch it begin to manifest.

It might not happen the way you expect but be open to the unexpected.

Take it from me, sometimes things will happen in the most curious way.

You will look back and say, oh my goodness!

I can't believe how that unfolded.

I personally like to look at life as one long journey, as opposed to a year-to-year basis.

But for the sake of how our lives are set up and how the world operates in years...

Then I shall end my chat to you by stating that in 2025 I want to be kind to myself.

I want to be mindful and present and enjoy each and every day to the best of my ability.

I will write down my dreams and hopes, and I am open to how any of them would like to unfold.

Shall we try that together?

 

Happy New Year.

I wish the best for you always.

May you go into the New Year in a calm mindset of self-love and dreaming aplenty.

Love, 

Vanessa

 

See you soon!

 

Enchanted October

Hello lovely friends.

I hope your October is treating you well.

I have been immersing myself in the season by painting.

I have enjoyed every moment of painting the characters and critters in this piece.

I used a 1.5" deep canvas so that I could paint around the sides as well.

I've been listening to wonderful spooky podcasts whilst painting fireflies, fox and more.

The weather turned wonderfully cool so the owls in my trees at the country house have been extra loud.

Which in turn inspired me to add an owl in a tree hole.

I listed this piece in my shop today and it found a new home.

I will be sad to see my little characters go, but very delighted that someone else will be enjoying them.

So, I am very happy about it as well.

I think it's important to share your work.

It's not always easy because, at least for me, there is bond formed as you bring the characters in your mind to life.

I am especially fond of the kitty and think I will paint that sweetie again.

Given everything that has happened in my life in the last few months, I really didn't feel like pulling out all of my Halloween bins.

So, I thought that perhaps a Halloween inspired painting would be the most perfect option for me.

I would get to spend time inside of a storybook place and feel the real spirit of the season that I love so much.

It has been the most wonderful magical few weeks of painting.

I've loved it.

And in the end, I decided to do a little decorating at the tiny cottage that is in the garden of the country house.

I'm finding my way back to happy, little by little.

I can always count on the magic of art.

As they say, art saves.

 

Lots of love from that place where the desert meets the forest,

Vanessa

 

PS:

I wanted to be here so many times in the past few weeks, but unfortunately something is going on with Typepad, my blog provider.

It has become increasingly difficult to upload photos and sometimes I have to try 10 times to get one photo loaded.

I am in the process of looking into other options.

In the meantime, I'll keep trying, even if I can only load short posts.

<3 <3 <3 

 

 

Meet me for a Chocolate Cake Tea-Time...

Hello lovely friends.

So much to catch up on with you, as a magical spring has fully unfolded.

I cannot think of any better way to do it than with tea and cake.

Can you?

A dreamy chocolate cake with a hot orange tea under the apple trees is just the thing.

Spring has come to life ever so beautifully, with fruit trees in full bloom and endless buckets of roses.

Golden hour light is now shining through my garden like a fairy tale.

I learned that the sun does not shine so magically in winter through my arbors as it does in the warmer months.

It inches over just enough to burst through the arbor just as the roses are in full bloom.

I gasped when I realized this for the first time, I could hardly believe it.

This spring has brought more flowers than ever at both houses.

The days were going by so quietly and calmly...

Teddy and I had fallen into a sort of lazy routine of cuddling after our chores.

Watching our favorite shows together as he smothered me with love.

Painting at night, reading in the loggia above the pool.

Watching the bees quietly.

Tending garden in the country.

But then a series of curious events unfolded.

In fact, these events have been the biggest reason that I was so silent for 2 months.

One afternoon I was paging through the Humane Society website when a new pup popped onto the screen.

Her photo had just been loaded and I gasped.

I felt such a deep connection.

Here I was, just enjoying my calm little life with Teddy by my side, when I became unfathomably obsessed with rescuing this little darling.

And so, I did.

Can you believe it?

It was totally unexpected and unplanned.

The thought of her took over my mind, I couldn't even sleep.

I somehow knew she was ours.

And so, she is.

Cheers with cake and tea :-)

I will be sure to share much more about our little Poppy soon, but for today I could not imagine coming here to say hello without giving you a snippet of that news.

Now, if you follow us on Instagram then you know every single little thing going on.

I try to post daily videos of our life in the garden and such.

But if you do not, then ta-daaaaa, I have a new little girl.

She is about 5.5 months old and has brought a crazy wild avalanche of busyness and goodness into our lives.

She's been with us nearly 2 months I think.

Mister Lovee adores her, and so does my sister and Irishman.

She has a curious little family that smothers her with love.

But most importantly, she has a big brother who plays with her all day and will give her anything she wants right out of his mouth.

A toy, a treat, anything.

So precious.

We've had daily early puppy mornings, chasing everything in sight, a real hunter of a little dog.

She's about 22 lbs. right now, so we will have to wait and see how big she gets.

She has a very petite face and legs, so I don't think she'll get too big.

But then again, I could be wrong.

It'll be fun to watch her grow up.

She's cuddly and loveable like Teddy.

I never thought in a million years that I would ever have love like Matty and Miles in my life again.

And yet, here I am with two very loveable dogs, and my heart just expands and expands enough to fit everyone in fully <3

Love is MAGICAL!

Teddy and Poppy <3

I did a doggy DNA test on Poppy and I received the very interesting results.

(mostly to find out about her health, since no one at the Humane Society really knew her breed)

She first has a lot of Brittany in her DNA (spaniel), then a bit of pug, Boston terrier, cattle herding dog (like Matty), and a few others.

She has an adorable ginger spot right on her side and freckles in her white fur.

I couldn't love her more, it was divine intervention, I am certain.

She has a pink collar now, but she borrowed Matty's at first, as seen below.

In the midst of all the good news, a loved one has fallen quite ill.

Not ML or Irishman or my sister, we are all fine (knock on wood).

With that have come many days in hospitals and a bit of topsy turviness.

That's predominantly why I have not been around, you see.

I have been inspired to love each day ever the more.

Watching a hummingbird mama have a baby hummingbird.

Then watching her baby fly off.

Only for her to return and build a new nest on top of her old nest and lay another egg.

I am truly speechless and will share photos with you next time for sure.

I just noticed her new nest about 10 minutes ago, so I must go and take photos today.

I love coming here to chat with you, it is so calming for my heart and soul.

Spring has been utterly beautiful beyond words.

It's funny how that happens, when life has hard moments, nature gives you more than you could ever hope for.

I haven't even been picking many flowers, I've just been enjoying them in the garden.

Although I do have a small few elderflower in my flower press right now.

I hope to come here to say hello again very soon.

One thing I have been doing all spring is taking my big camera out with me and taking tons of photos.

It's so much fun to put on good music and just sit and scroll through the photos.

Taking the time to take photos is such a wonderful act of mindfulness, I love it so much.

 

I hope you are well in your neck of the woods, and I hope to see you soon.

Please let me know how you are and what you have been up to if you feel so inclined.

In the world of scrolling, I know leaving a comment is not that fun to do, but I'd love to hear how you are.

 

All my best!

See you soon <3

Love, Vanessa

 

 

PS:

Here is a lovely collection of songs to listen to.

I enjoy them so much <3

 

 

Apple Blossom Tea-Time with the Bees and a Boy

February's magic is all around.

The early apple trees have blossomed and taken our breath away.

I have a mixture of Dorsett Golden apple trees and Anna apple trees, as they work together for best pollination.

These trees are also meant for a warmer climate, so that is how I am able to have apple trees in the high desert.

They also are ready for picking in the summer and not autumn, which makes for the nicest summer treat.

I love seeing the bees go wild with excitement, they hardly sit still in their frenzy.

The weather has been sublime, sunny in the 60's and 70's.

But there has also been quite a lot of rain, which has turned the garden into a cottagecore dream.

I wish it would stay like this all year, that would be the most unreal thing.

With such perfect weather, what better to do than...

Pack a basket of crafts, treats and stories to read.

With a big huge quilt under one of the apple trees, exactly where we need to be.

Bluest skies and decadent breeze, with my Theodore Laurence.

An afternoon made for the memory books.

Looking up at the clouds and the trees...

Birds, blossoms and the humming of bee wings.

Teddy and me, delighted beyond measure.

Tin of sewing notions...

Bluest blue imaginable.

Time to sip and nibble.

We chose the absolute most perfectest day to have a picnic together.

Teddy adored the quilt and rolled around, stopping to nap and slowly opening one eye to watch a huge hawk fly right above us.

I just gaze up at the beauty of the blossoms.

How can they be so beautiful?

I choose a little book to page through and read.

Garden sounds almost lull me to sleep.

Teddy's coziness is contagious.

We enjoyed a couple of hours in the sunshine, and then the most unexpected thing happened.

I looked around at all the poppies that self-seeded from last year and thought about watering them.

It had been so rainy, that wildflowers popped up everywhere.

No sooner had I thought about their need for water, when grey clouds rolled in.

The clouds added a wonderful moodiness to our picnic.

I started to pack up my little tid-bits in my favorite tin from my sister.

She gave it to me a few years ago...

And I decided to paint it into one of my paintings.

I finished this painting a while back, but I brought it out to add some details in the sun.

I giggled when I realized I had the tin with me too, and so I took a photo of them together.

We were feeling ready to pack up our picnic when a huge clap of thunder roared.

Perfect timing, as we were just about to go inside.

The air changed as the giant clouds seemed to drop lower, to where you could almost touch them.

The change in the weather changed the entire mood of the garden.

It too was magical in its own way.

The bees worked feverishly, knowing that they would have to take cover soon.

I snapped one last photo of another apple tree as we walked out of the garden.

As soon as we went inside it started raining torrentially.

How could our timing have been so perfect?

So much rain came down that the wildflowers seem to have doubled in size overnight.

February has been such a full month for me.

My sister came to visit for a couple of weeks, which I always look forward to.

We have such a wonderful time together and Teddy is crazy about her.

We do all sorts of things and spend time at both houses.

We watch Teddy run at the speed of light around the country house garden paths.

Teddy insists on sitting on my sister's lap whilst she is embroidering.

We do dollhouse projects and bake lovely things.

I loved taking this month to refuel after the holidays and enjoy so much time with my sister.

Now spring is beckoning us into the garden at first light.

Every morning I am eager to jump out of bed and go out to see what new things have happened.

I put in many many hours of garden work this month as well.

I must have made 8 gigantic piles of brush from last summer and autumn.

Did a huge clear out and pruned all of the roses.

I am ready for what is to come and swoon when I see little tiny clusters of leaves start to pop out of rose canes.

The loveliest of days are embracing us, I am so grateful.

I wonder how you are in your neck of the woods?

Do you have snow?

It did not snow here in February as it usually does.

Although last year it snowed on March 1st and melted the next day.

The apple trees had bloomed but handled the snow like nothing had ever happened.

Here is a link to that snow last year.

It was just amazing, and of course, our dear Matty was still with us.

Ah life, such a strange little place.

I am off to plant a few seeds today.

I am starting my tomatoes and pumpkins inside the house, as well as popping a few others right into the garden.

 

I hope to see you very soon!

Thank you for visiting us where the desert meets the forest.

All my best.

Love, Vanessa

 

I'll leave you with a little video on YouTube of Teddy and me in the garden.

 

 

 

 

 

ps: This is what I listened to whilst writing this post.

 

 

Of Winter Delights & Garden Petals

Lovely friends, how are you?

I had the most wonderfully delightful visit with my family for Christmas.

I returned to where the desert meets the forest with a mind determined to organize, dust and refresh my life.

I have spent a few weeks doing just that.

I've been on ladders moving things to and fro, deep cleaning and listening to a thousand podcasts.

It has been lovely, and I cannot explain how unexpectedly light the rooms feel.

In the meantime, winter has definitely arrived here to the land of sun.

There has been so much wonderful rain and big fluffy clouds.

Dried flowers and books are just the thing to make one happy during these magically moody days.

I love all the seasons so much.

This morning I was peeking through the wet garden, watching nosy birds jump from branch to branch, whilst early spring flower sprouts push up through the earth.

Ivy explodes over makeshift stairs as drops of water plop onto the very top of my head as they roll down the sides of lemons hanging in the trees.

There is magic all around.

Winter is brewing spring, wet earth sinking in self-seeders that dropped their seeds last season.

Poppies and hollyhocks have leafed out in green, as they don't mind the cold much.

Poppies rather love the cold for proper germination, and they all seem to be okay with a little February snow.

Old rose leaves turn yellow, soon branches will begin forming the tell-tale little bumps, where new leaves will grow out of in March.

Water droplets like jewels catch my eye.

Somehow a few winter roses turn up here and there drooping, heavy with rain.

Still, very beautiful.

Dried hydrangeas make me so very happy, as the sun teases through thick clouds.

The clouds have been epic really, so heavy, some even sinking down low.

I love the storms of January and February because of all of the dramatic clouds they bring.

For now, I am inside, cozy as can be, getting ready to migrate to the country house, as I go back and forth regularly.

It's during winter that I am extra delighted with my obsession of collecting flowers to dry in spring and summer.

They are like paper art, filling flower voids in their own wonderful way.

I do lament that I was not here sooner to say hello, but I have enjoyed my little break of tidying and organizing.

I started in November and took a break for the busy month of December but am now back on my mission.

I have made a huge amount of progress.

I bought clear containers for cabinets and have organized things in a way that if you say, cut your finger, you would come inside and grab one little clear container filled with assorted Band-Aids, ointment and cleanser all in one place. It was all in one cabinet, but just grabbing a little container filled with everything you need makes things so much easier.

I have been going through each cabinet, from kitchen to laundry room, doing the same.

I've been dusting the tops of built in cabinets and fan blades as well.

I mean, the list goes on and on, but I find it enjoyable and meditative.

3 days ago I organized all my yarn, which was so inspiring, and going through all the beautiful yarn tickled me to no end.

In the process you often find things you think you have lost.

The only curious thing happening right now has to do with a lost 19th century papier-mache doll.

She was always tucked safe into a fabric cabinet at the country house, and now she is nowhere to be found.

I hope to find her again one day, as I have given up my crazy search for her.

I remember learning in a psychology class that your brain can invent where you might have put an item, but it's not usually the place.

I have invented a scenario of me throwing her away, which I know I would never do.

And so, hopefully I will find her one day.

My bee brooch that I have lost on 3 occasions was found recently after being missing for 13 years.

Mister Lovee says that if you keep something in one place for a long time and then move it, you can only recall the first place you ever put it.

I suppose there is much truth to that, especially as you get older, haha :-)

I also have a necklace and bracelet missing for about 7 years now that I'd love to find one day.

Have you lost anything very special that you cannot find?

I've learned that if you do a really deep cleaning/organizing, all manner of things will turn up.

I will retell you my bee brooch story that I posted here many years ago, about when it was first lost in 2002.

I lost it again 13 years ago, and as I said, I recently found it and just squealed with delight.

I really cannot believe that it was sitting at the bottom of a bowl in my studio that I keep antique wood printing blocks in all that time.

It must have fallen off and just plopped into the bowl and slid to the bottom.

But its first time being lost was a bigger adventure than that, and if you fancy that tale I shall tell it next time.

Well, I am off to make a roast dinner in the country as Teddy and ML are waiting for me.

 

Much love to you <3

Until we meet again, 

Vanessa