A new day......a sad day

The huge double-trunked, dangerously leaning oak, on the side of our property was taken down on Monday..............................our neighbor is sighing with relief no doubt!

.....................followed by the three large trees on each side of the driveway whose giant roots have undermined and cracked the concrete (new driveway next Spring!). These I'll truly miss because the birds loved perching in them...........but our cars sitting under them suffered! The front porch will have no shade now so I'm hoping to have a large dogwood planted later. The birds will then have somewhere to perch again when they visit the birdbath and feeders, and we won't feel exposed when enjoying a glass of wine on the porch on a cool Spring evening.

Then they trimmed branches from several trees in the back garden......which mean squirrels' nests will need to be built closer to heaven!

Anyone want to send me some trees?????????

Jasmin's self-portrait taken as the trees came down.

Granddaughter Jasmin, like me, had mixed feelings about felling our trees - she looked much prettier than me Monday as we sadly snapped away with our cameras.......so you get to see her!

Photos from Monday morning by Jasmin and yours truly.

Carrying On

Bet you've seen this saying a lot recently. It's popular as a framed poster in many colors. I was thrilled to receive this mug for Christmas - there's even a red crown on the bottom inside - from my wonderful friend Elinor. I've been adding a few touches of red to brighten up my kitchen as all my dishes are white or cream now, so I love this mug!

BUT.......do you know the story behind this saying?

It was 1939 and Britain was on the brink of war. In anticipation of this the British Government's Ministry of Information commissioned a series of propaganda posters to reassure the population they would be defended at all costs.

The posters were to be displayed all over the country once war was declared. Using only the crown of King GeorgeVI this particular posted simply read "KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON". It never actually made it onto the walls of Britain and was never officially issued.

A crumpled copy of the poster was however rediscovered by chance many years later amongst a pile of dusty old books in a book store in Northumberland, England.

This simple poster with its simple message is just as relevant today as it was back in the 1930's.

I'm definitely trying to keep calm and carry on this chilly morning. I'm sitting here with the mug filled to the brim with cafe au lait as I await the "tree guys". Any minute now their arrival, accompanied by a crane, bucket truck, stump grinder and mulcher, could turn the cottage garden into a chaotic mess. We are having to take down three large trees and have a lot of trimming done. Hate doing this but we have a dangerous situation. Thoughts of an ice storm with falling trees and branches this Winter have become scary.

KEEPING CALM.........kind of!!!!!

Not So Shabby

HAPPY BOXING DAY. This is my favorite day of the year ~ and if I can't be home in England having real Boxing Day fun, I'll do the best I can here and share some more NYC fun.

Shabby Chic Couture - 117 Mercer Street, New York

Many of you, like me, were thrilled to learn that Rachel Ashwell is back. Rachel brought the 'shabby chic' look to decorating some 20 years ago. Following difficult times with her brand a year or so ago, she closed all her retail shops (her 'Simply Shabby Chic' linens have continued to be available at Target ~ I use them on all my beds and love them). Rachel has now opened two new shops in the USA, one in Santa Monica, CA the other in New York City. Although many of us have her beautiful books to get us through decorating dilemmas, and can cozy up in a favorite reading nook, turning the pages and dreaming, actually visiting the new shop was at the top of my list for the NYC visit last week. Despite my adoration of all things French, my English roots still require some roses, shabby slipcovers, faded chintz, royal crowns and pretty lampshades thrown into the mix!

Rachel's Christmas decorations in this breathtakingly beautiful shop were quite simple but lovely.

More of the shop next time with a glimpse of what I brought home ~ and a surprise.

Christmas Day

WISHING YOU A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS

High Flying.......

View from our hotel room.

Life at the top can be dizzy.......................freezing, windy, but oh so fabulous seeing New York City from the 86th floor of the Empire State Building after the first snowfall.

Flatiron Building - snowy streets.

Even your tootsies would be red and frozen living up here!

We're home safely after five wonderful pre-Christmas days in the city. Off to tie up all the loose ends and then sit back, relax in the warmth of home and enjoy the real meaning of Christmas.

A very blessed and happy Christmas to you all.

Holiday Dress Up

I remember those days so well...............searching for glamorous outfits to wear over the holidays. Of course those were the days when our mothers and others did most of the cooking.........wearing freshly ironed Christmas aprons and comfy slippers, wiping their brows after opening the oven to check on "the bird" with one hand, stirring the bubbling gravy with the other.

I still love high fashion but realize it's mostly for the young, slim, rich..........with enough stamina to spend hours trolling the crowded department stores, survive the heat of tiny fitting rooms while pulling on and tugging off a ton of clothing, and still have legs strong enough to stride out in 5 inch heels!

Hey, guess what..............I've somehow become that woman in the kitchen enjoying stirring something delicious on the hot stove in my apron and flats!

Dressing up for Christmas..............New York style.

Images from Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's, Anthropologie, United Colors of Benetton and Aldo.

Night on the Town

View of the Empire State Building from our hotel window on the 33rd floor. Yesterday we rode the elevators to the 86th floor of that building to look down on New York City under 10" of freshly fallen snow!

Last night was a special night on the town. In a nutshell, we left our hotel room after sunset....................

..........walked gingerly along the slushy, slippery sidewalks.........through charming Bryant Park (Janet, thanks for telling us about this lovely place which is opposite our hotel!), complete with European style Christmas Village shops, and packed skating rink and carousel.......

.......sighing over Saks windows full of amazing red dresses.......

........shoes and accessories.........

.............and sparkling decor.............

We arrived here at Radio City Music Hall, great tickets in hand (center stage, fourteen rows back!) excited and and ready to enjoy the Christmas Spectacular with the world famous Rockettes.

A great night of beauty and fun.

.........ending with the true meaning of Christmas, thankfully!

The Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, Dec. 20, 2009

Winter in New York City

Evening at Rockefeller Plaza, NYC

Thankfully we made it here before the 'epic storm' hit the city streets.

Jasmin and Mary - Times Square before the snow arrived.

Window - Bergdorf Goodman

Window - Bloomingdale's

Anthropologie's amazing windows were already 'snowy'.

Will show more of the city later...........more beautiful windows dressed for Christmas, the sights, shopping venues, parks in the snow, and all that fabulous New York City offers the traveler. Off now to venture out into the snowy streets.....see you later.

Pink Saturday - Christmas Traditions

A tree to decorate - not Christmas without one.

I'm in New York City! Arrived ahead of the storm which will be hitting the city this afternoon. Heavy snow, up to 8" predicted so don't know what we're in for. New York City, an amazing place which actually holds no traditional memories of Christmas for me. I first arrived here many years ago on my way to Washington, D.C. All I remember of that cold night, following a long flight across the pond (my first time ever in a plane), was having all my luggage opened and examined by Customs & Immigration because, after all, I was an emigrant!

So, like most of us, my Christmas traditions go back to my childhood. In England we celebrated in a much simpler way in the 1940's and '50's, the years when I was growing up. These images were not taken that far back, but they will give you an idea as to some of the things that still mean 'tradition' to me.

Stockings that actually were everyday stockings or socks.

Snuggling by a roaring fire and reading this, the most wonderful story ever of British Christmas traditions. Best is the audio version actually read by the author, Dylan Thomas.

A British must, festive Christmas Crackers to pull at Christmas dinner - so you have a silly paper hat to wear.

Definitely a must, Christmas china to serve all those holiday foods - this set was at SuzAnna's Antiques a couple of years ago. Love the simple design of a holly sprig - now that's tradition.

Of course there's plenty more that is traditional in my home but the city calls, time to pull on boots, bundle up warmly as it's freezing here, leave you and head out to see the Big Apple sights before they're blanketed in snow.

Be sure to visit Beverly at How Sweet The Sound where all the Pink Saturday participants are sharing their holiday traditions.