Today (Thursday) has been lovely and bright, but colder than normal. We west-coasters are not used to freezing temperatures, but feel a bit silly complaining about them when other parts of the world are in deep winter with oodles of snow and frigid cold. A bouquet of tulips and hyacinths jumped into my cart at the grocery store and the sweet fragrance of hyacinths wafts in the air when I pass the bouquet sitting on the hall table. They came attached to partial roots with instructions to not cut the stems, but they look rather floppy in the vase and I think I'll cut them down tomorrow.
The cold has not stopped the camellia bush from flowering. There are many many buds just waiting to open and I look forward to enjoying the flowers for several weeks. I've been thinking about how much I love my home. With the brighter days, I have felt the need to do some deeper cleaning. Yesterday I washed baseboards and the floors, and tidied a cupboard or two. I look around now and feel great satisfaction in the work that I've done. Perhaps no one but me will notice, but I feel as though the house thanks me for caring for it by looking particularly well.
I do love reading about other people's homes in books - the estate house in Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher is a favourite, along with those in her other novels The Shell Seekers and Coming Home. The coziness of the opening scene in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women is appealing in its simplicity -
It was a comfortable old room, though the carpet was faded and the
furniture very plain; for a good picture or two hung on the walls,
books filled the recesses, chrysanthemums and Christmas roses
bloomed in the windows, and a pleasant atmosphere of
home-peace pervaded it.
I am currently seated in my chair under a pool of lamplight. A vase of Lenten Roses aka Hellebores, smaller than the one shown above, is on the table in front of me. A fire glows in the fireplace, providing warmth and colour. I can see the dining room in shadow where Tim's grandmother's lace cloth graces the table and a pot of bright red amaryllis shows off its second bloom. I am content.
From my kitchen window I see the Hellebores blooming in the garden, so hardy in the cold. There are many stems of flowers and I cut a vase full for the kitchen. This is a luxury, I think, being able to cut flowers from my own garden. My greenhouse is unheated, but I've started sweet peas there and they are growing well. Despite the freezing cold at night, during the day the temperature inside the greenhouse is 20 degrees Celsius with the sun's heat.
I made some Orange Pistachio Oat squares today from a recipe from Victoria magazine, using pecans in place of pistachios as that's what I had on hand. They are not too sweet and healthy with oats, nuts, coconut, honey, olive oil, and orange zest. A nice thing to nibble on while drinking a cup of afternoon tea. I've just begun the book and so far the story is intriguing.
Work on my own book continues. The line edit has begun and I'm working on a cover design. Then comes layout and printing. Such a long process.
On Instagram I follow the Van Gogh Museum account where they feature paintings, small stories, and quotations. I quite liked the one below and will leave it with you as I close this post. May your weekend be filled with love and beautiful moments.
It is good to love as much as one can,
for therein lies true strength,
and he who loves much does much and is capable of much,
and that which is done with love is well done.
Vincent Van Gogh
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