Golden Days

Summer is a time of endless possibility with its long sun drenched days.  And, as Summer draws to a close, I long to capture those golden hours to light my way during the coming Autumnal time.  As luck would have it, Monsieur and I were strolling through a favourite store, Anthropologie, during one such sunshine day when Monsieur's keen eye spotted the Helianthus Goblet in amber.  Monsieur very kindly acquired a set of four for what could be more delightful than to toast life with tokens of golden amber?

Or better yet, to greet the day looking into the face of a loved one, toasting life together.

Now I see threads of the sun winding their way through my home, leading me back to those laughter filled days of promise.

Little bursts of the sun glowing around L'Heure Bleue At Home.

And now when I see those little bursts of the sun, they spark a matching, glowing sun in me filled with memories of golden, heart glad, moments suspended forever in time.

Do you have favourite summertime memories?  Please share them with me so that we can warm our hearts together.

I am linking up to A Beach Cottage,  Between Naps on the Porch, My Romantic Home, Serenity Now, French Country Cottage, A Stroll Thru Life, The House in the Roses, A Delightsome Life, Faith Grace and Crafts. 



Cooking With Love

I have discovered something so powerful, so transformative that I wonder that I was blind to it for so long.  Let me backtrack a little and explain.  Recently, I did some renovating in my kitchen and dining room.  I agonized over light features, sinks and countertops.  I fussed over paint chips and the perfect finishing touches.   I replaced all the tired appliances in my kitchen with whizzy new ones with a bewildering array of features.  In fact, the features were so bewildering that I dared not use them!  Monsieur, however, took up the challenge and treated me to a culinary feast that would have impressed a Roman emperor.  The day started off on a lovely note with a bouquet of perfect blooms.  You will notice that the roses are not quite red and not quite pink but that eyecatching union of the two.  Now, I know that a red rose signals passion and a pink rose signals love so for the twain to meet in perfect harmony in the velvety petals of a rose, what better opening act could there be than that?  But there was more to follow.   Monsieur prepared tartines of Chaource cheese which is a wonderfully rich cow's milk cheese made of triple cream, an earthy pork pate and slices of baguette.

All the while, this Muscovy duck, stuffed with oranges and  farmer's sausage was roasting away.

Fingerling potatoes and shallots finished off by roasting them in duck fat.

The piece de resistance was dressed with a Concord grape reduction made with white wine and pan juices.  The tart sweetness of the grapes were an unexpected counterpoint to the richness of the duck. 

Only the best china for Monsieur's efforts so everything was served of course on Wedgwood china.

There is one other ingredient to this feast of culinary delight which lifted this meal from the extraordinary to the sublime and will, I guarantee, do the same for any meal.  It is that it was done with an abundance of love.

So what was my wondrous discovery?  That all the renovating and decorating in the world counts for nothing without that missing "X Factor", loved ones living, loving and laughing, transforming a house into a home.

I am linking up to A Stroll Thru Life, A Beach Cottage, My Romantic Home, Free Pretty Things, Serenity Now, A Delightsome Life

Memories of Love

Do you have certain somethings in your abode that whisper in your ear, tug at your heartstrings, echo in your mind?  I have a collection of vintage cameras that, for various reasons, do just that.

The first one, starting on the left, is a Zeiss.  It was given to me by someone wondrously dear to me.  When I look at it, I remember that one moment of soul shock when I was presented with it, that sense of heart gladness that someone knew me so well, knew what I desired even before I knew it myself.

The Zeiss has that aura of  Old Hollywood glamour, with connotations of paparazzi and the flash of their cameras aimed at some Hollywood starlet standing outside Mann's Chinese Theatre.

Then I have a Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera that I found out thrifting for mere dollars.  The marvellous thing is that it came with the original box, manual and all the accessories.  So when I look at it, I feel again that thrill of the treasure hunt.



And lastly I have a Canon that was once my father's.  I have a whole store of memories of him clicking away with it, wearing a white shirt and tailored trousers, looking totally "Mad Men".

Each camera holds a place in my heart, each valid in it's own right, but it's the memories behind them that are more precious than mere words can describe.

Please let me know about your precious somethings and let us inspire each other!

I'm linking up to Tales from Bloggeritaville, The Thrifty Groove, Vintage Revivals, Common Ground, French Country Cottage, Southern Hospitality,  A Stroll Thru Life, A Beach Cottage