MrsL's property of the week - part the second

I put up a link and a couple of pics of the property posted below on Facebook,  which elicited some interesting responses, not all expected. I look at this home, and this home has soul. It has integrity. It sits well in its place in the land. It holds the secrets of hundreds of years within the fabric of its walls. It speaks to me in a way that very few houses anywhere have ever done. That is what attracts me to it - not the colour of the Aga or the kitchen units, not whether it's big or small, not whether it would cost a King's ransom to heat............... When something this special appeals, all these thoughts and more - the practical, grown-up realities of property ownership, shall we call them - never even enter my head. They can be addressed if deemed necessary, but I for one would rather live there and be cold in the winter and really not give a toss about the colour of the Aga, than live in a place that did nothing for my heart and soul. Priorities I suppose, but my inner self is more important to me than my physical being. Inner happiness is paramount, happiness of the heart and peace of the soul.

MrsL's property of the week

Having my weekly romp through the property pages again lol  Hereis this week's absolute gem: http://residentialsearch.savills.co.uk/property-detail/317782/list More gorgeous pics within the link of you're interested.  What a stunning house - just radiates peace and tranquility to me, I can just see myself swanning around in a floor length velvet dress and sitting looking out of those beautiful windows.......................

Buzzards

Will let you read this first: http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/314516-rspb-stunned-by-defra-plan-to-imprison-buzzards Now, for me, these words say it all - 'the pheasant shooting industry'.  Appalled that birds can be seen as any part of an 'industry ' at all. Pheasant shooting in big organised shoots is immoral on so many grounds, including those birds shot and unwanted being left in huge piles to rot, the whole exploitation of life - taken so freely by so many  in the name of 'sport'.  There is no 'sport'  in shooting birds bred in captivity then flushed out by hoards of beaters until they fly with little chance of escape, often probably suffering an agonising death without a clean lethal shot. Surely in this day and age we should have left all this behind? So to the buzzards - yes they will take the young and inadequately 'protected'; they have themselves and offspring to feed, they will take what they can to do so. To try and prevent this is to go completely against nature, man trying to control again - can we not learn from bitter, bitter experience that it will all go wrong? Again? I will admit to having had pheasant for supper tonight, and it came from a small local shoot, where I believe a small number are shot at a time and all birds are taken at the end of the day. However, this news of the buzzards leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and I will no longer accept even these birds in future, as I can see it now as still supporting what is perceived as a 'sport'. My conscience won't let me now, following on from nagging doubt over the past few years. (photo from Isle of Islay Photography website) I see a lot of these magnificent birds around here, wheeling high above, hovering, shooting downwards with amazing speed for the kill, doing what buzzards do. The world will be a much sadder place if these birds are trapped and moved, culled or worse.

Paeonies

- are beautiful, whether or not you spell it with an 'a'  :)  My first one is out in the garden here, so thought I would change my background to one with paeonies on it. They're such happy flowers.

Peasant Arts

I came across this really interesting blog a couple of weeks ago when I was searching for something else -love the serendipity of the internet! http://peasant-arts.blogspot.co.uk/  Anything to do with arts and crafts has always interested me, and I could read for hours on it and related subjects. Also a big fan of William Morris, pre-Raphaelites, Bloomsbury set - all those sorts of creative endeavours. One day I'll get to Kelmscott Manor; so far I've been lucky enough to go to Charleston, and when I lived in Paisley managed to see quite a lot of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's work. I managed to get to London too as part of an OU course to a pre-Raphaelite exhibition.  Always inspiring, bringing beauty to the day :) How wonderful would it be to have your own printing press?  To spend your days designing textiles and furniture, painting and drawing............. these were different times, though, and a lot of such people had servants to cook and clean for them.For now, I have to fit my creative bits in with animals and gardening, laundry and cooking. But it's the managing to fit it in that's important to me, I can't stop creating, it's such a large part of me. http://www.kelmscottmanor.org.uk/home http://www.charleston.org.uk/

Funny old day............

Just been a bit odd lol Spent some time out in the garden this morning, but it got too hot,amazingly, so came in for lunch and felt really awful - can only conclude itw as theheat, so I took myself off up to bed for a couple of hours. The wee room is on the north east corner of the house and well away from the 24 hour Rayburn, so keeps lovely and cool in the hot weather. I slept, and felt much better when I woke up, I think it was a combination of a stupidly late night catching up with me and the heat. I had a bit of a run-in with the bank this morning too which wasn't helpful, majorly frustrating,  and now I have to go into town and try and sort it all out, so that put me on a bad footing for the rest of the day too. I just feel unsettled now, as if I'm waiting for something to happen, whether big or small, major  or minor, not sure.............. can feel a headache brewing too,might be weather related; . sitting down now with laptop  and a glass of very posh red reduced to half price though ;)  ) and will try to settle to some knitting in a bit. Dishes can wait for now. Something's out of kilter but I don't know what............................

The Garden in the Clouds

I've just finished this book, and can honestly say it's one of the best books I've ever read; superbly written, hugely entertaining, poignant, hopeful, optimistic, completely mad. Wondderul. One of only 3 books that have actually made me laugh out loud.  Even if you're not actually interested in gardening, there is so much to be got from it - railway carriages and mountains, gates and beekeeping, human nature, joy and sorrow. Anything is possible. Read it.

What are sunday afternoons for...........

............. when it's too chilly for the garden?  Sitting in the kitchen, ignoring the washing up from this morning, eating toast and honey, reading your new gardening book, half a pint of cider and a snooze by theRayburn. Contentment :)