the cottage at the top of the stairs

Sunday's Garden

2012-02-12T21:20:00.001-08:00

A day in the garden

is good for the soul :)

Sunday was mellow,

and it felt so good to be outside,

pottering around in the veggie patch..

(don't mind the lettuce gone to seed in the front,

I'm saving them for a friend,

and her chooks :)

The strawberry patch was on the list of things to do -

snipping off the runners,

and ending up with heaps of new plants,

which will hopefully mean,

heaps more berries next year.

And I don't want to skite,

but I'm pretty impressed with my tomatoes this year.

Countless hours of loving attention,

careful watering and feeding,

and many a conversation with them

have paid off.

They are loaded,

and they are good :)

And the flowers ...

....the palest pink....

...raspberry pink ...

... pretty in pink ...

... and the loveliest little daisies...

Sunday's garden :)

Sweet Peas

2012-01-12T00:58:00.000-08:00

A deliciously sweet bouquet :)

Given to me

as I was admiring a gorgeous cottage garden.

So sweet

in every way.

Christmas at the Cottage

2011-12-13T20:46:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas :)

The art of sowing seeds.

2011-11-07T18:44:00.000-08:00

Think I might have been a little heavy handed

with the seeds :)

And to think I was worried that nothing would grow...

...what does one do with a gazillion and one cosmos and lettuce seedlings??

I will plant them out,

and I will never have to buy another lettuce from the supermarket,

and cosmos will flower in my garden for eternity :)

I remember thinking

when I was scattering the seed,

how many should I scatter?

Apparently I may have scattered a few too many :)

And then there are the tomato plant seedlings...

... well - how was I to know that every seed would grow?

When deciding on how many to scatter

I reckoned that some wouldn't grow,

so scattered a few more!

Now, planting these babies out will be more difficult

as I do not have a glass house

that is 20 metres long!!

I can't bear the thought of not planting them, though,

so I will ponder this little glitch

a little longer.

I think I have quite a bit to learn yet

about the art of sowing seeds :)

Garden's looking very pretty,

even though the wind did it's best this week

to batter and bend my flowers.

We even had a light dusting of snow one morning this week!

These gorgeous granny's bonnets self seed all over the place -

I love them.

So pretty :)

See you,

Jenny

Divine!

2011-10-30T03:59:00.000-07:00

This is what I see as walk down the hall

to the front door

each morning...

And once I'm through the other side,

I turn round,

bury my face in the blooms,

and breathe in !

It's truly divine :)

Of course it's hanging way too low,

but who could possibly take the snippers to this beauty.

You've just gotta duck below it :)

These are loving it under the magnolia,

what are they?

I'm sure I should know!

I tried a bit of an experiment this year,

and chose not to prune this rose bush,

'cos it just kept on flowering all year

and it seemed such a pity to cut it back.

So I wondered if it would be as good come spring,

and sure enough

it's amazing!

Absolutely covered in buds.

This garden is definitely one of my happy places :)

Around the back in the veggie patch,

I've been looking after the strawberries...

...and I've been sowing carrot, beetroot and bean seed,

put some potatoes in the ground,

been carefully tending my flower seeds that have all popped through the ground already,

and generally just trying to keep one step ahead of the weeds :)

Cut down an ugly old tree last week,

so once it's all been tidied up

I have plans :)

A little bit of woodland in the city :)

Here's the "before plans" pic...

It may take me a few months before I can show

the ''after plans'' picture,

but it will happen :)

In the meantime, looks like there is some wood to stack!

See you.

2011-10-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

Coming up the path to the front door

is a pretty little trip

at this time of the year.

Everything is so green

and new

and lush.

And plants seem to sprout and grow taller

before your very eyes.

The perfume of the magnolia

and wisteria

is divine.

Here's Charlie,

our super energetic cat!

He has a spot picked out for each part of the day -

mornings are on the front chair ...

then he moves round to the north side of the house...

early afternoon is spent in the garden against the back fence...

late afternoon it's the top of the outdoor table...

and finally just before dinner time,

it's the back porch.

His exercise for the day comprises

the stroll

between sun traps!

Just as well he is cute!

How else could you get away with being soooo lazy!

Unlike Charlie,

I've been a little less lazy :)

This was the state of our glasshouse

after being abandoned over winter...

Not a pretty sight.

It's had a bit of a tidy up,

'cos I'm determined to make it work this year.

I am struggling to grow tomatoes here,

not through any lack of trying though.

The first year was a disaster,

the second year only marginally better.

Well,

this year,

I have read,

and googled,

and got all the information.

I have cleaned it from top to toe

and I've painted the fence behind it

('cos somewhere along the way I read it helps

if there is a dark wall behind,

it helps radiate the heat - makes' sense I thought).

I've planted my first four tomatoes,

and I also planted seeds for more.

Who knows what will happen,

but if determination counts for anything,

I'm winning :)

I've decided to have a go at growing quite a few things from seed,

some vegie seeds,

and flower seeds.

Hope they ''happen''

This is one of them that is happening:)

and I am quite excited really.

It's a sweet pea seedling,

liberally surrounded by a dozen or so snail pellets!!

I've not had much success with these either.

Mostly when I plant them,

not a single sprout appears,

so you can imagine my surprise

and delight,

when I spotted several of these coming through the ground

a couple of days ago.

The snails don't stand a chance!!!

I have also had stern words with Charlie

as these are planted in the back garden,

and I do not want to see him park his furry body on top of them

whilst sunning himself!!

I have dreamy notions

of vases of sweet pea

liberally dotted around the house

filling the rooms with their perfume:))

I'll let you know how that dreams pans out!

And what's so interesting about this picture...

... well, not so much really

except that the hedge that's growing behind the wooden fence

used to be another 15 - 20 foot higher

until yesterday.

I feels like someone has turned the light on

in the back garden.

I cannot get over how much light the hedge was blocking.

This is going to help my tomatoes

I'm sure.

I'm also thinking

we will have about another two or three hours

of sun in the afternoon

before it disappears.

Guess Charlie will be happy about that too.

I'm off to check my seeds:)

See you.

Spring at the Cottage

2011-10-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

The prettiest time of the year is here,

spring flowers and lush green leaves.

It always seems to feel like

I've been given a zap of ''spring'',

straight to the veins,

and my favourite little gardening fork and I end up

spending quite a lot of quality time together :)

These are what I found
while I was having a wee wander round this morning...

... celebrated an anniversary this month -
it's been two years since we arrived at the cottage
though it seems like only yesterday
that we were lugging the furniture up the stairs!

When we first saw the cottage it was winter time,
so you can imagine my delight when, by the time we moved in,
it was spring time,
and the garden was just starting to bloom
like it is now.
Spring at the cottage -
definitely my favourite time of the year.
You just never, never know
what you will find
when you have a little wander round the garden,
and 'aint that the beauty of it :)

Just like magic!

2011-09-08T22:33:00.000-07:00

Spring is happening in the garden -

it's quite magical to watch,

when there's lots and lots of empty space and straw mulch,

and then it happens!

Starts with this...

...which becomes this, one week later...

...and then one more week later it becomes this!

And then there are lots of these...

...and a whole tree covered in this,

that's just outside the kitchen window...

...these are popping up all over the place...

...and even the little so called "weeds" are pretty...

... told you it was magic, and this is just the beginning:)

This little table and chairs sit under the front verandah,

nice place for a cuppa

in the morning sun.

Enjoy the day:)

Jenny

Finished :)

2011-08-24T02:46:00.000-07:00

I've finished the room :)

Well, almost -

still needs a little quilt for the end of the bed,

and another couple of pillows,

but apart from that,

it's done!

I love the change -

so fresh and airy and pretty much how I imagined it might look.

Loving it!!

Specially love the wardrobe..

...made a little key trinket,

with a button from Barb ...

Remember the green bathroom...

not green anymore!!

Let me loose with a paint brush, why don't 'cha!!

And while I was looking for stuff,

under the house,

(you would not believe the stuff that's under there!)

I found this really really icky old chair,

disgusting dark brown varnish,

and a little rickety,

but look at her now!

And out on the front verandah,

my gorgeous old family chair now sits,

where I will no doubt sit in the sun from time to time,

listening to the birds maybe,

enjoying a cuppa,

and thinking about the next thing:)

Getting ready, now,

for lots of visitors -

coming to see the rugby.

Go the All Blacks!!!

See you,

Jenny

Progress

2011-08-03T16:53:00.000-07:00

That quick repaint

turned into a not so quick repaint:)

Took a little longer

but progress is being made...

And 'cos I'd totally overestimated the amount of paint I'd need,

but hey,

show me someone who gets that right,

I decided

I'd change this room too.

(it really was a bit in your face!)

It's not green anymore,

but I have't got a pic yet

'cos I've not put the shelf up and weird as it sounds,

I've got to work it out,

it's not as simple as you would think.

And then, somewhere along the way

I decided

that the beds in the front two rooms

would look much better

if I swapped them around.

This is what the sun room used to look like

until we moved things ...

I thought that we would put the chunky cream wooden bed

in the Sun Room

and move the iron bed

to the Garden Room.

In my infinite wisdom (ahem!!)

I thought it would be easier to do this

if we left the beds intact

rather than pulling them apart.

I thought it would be quicker!

About 2 hours later

and several disagreements

between the child and I

(he wouldn't listen to me,

and I wouldn't listen to him,

so where does that leave you -

when you are two inches short of space -

straight to ever so slightly raised voices

and much rolling of the eyes)

anyway...

the task was completed!!!!!

Next time -

we take the beds apart.

By the time I come back here

I'll have pics of both the rooms -

finished and dressed:)

Unless of course I find another room to paint!

See you later

Jenny

A Simple Repaint

2011-07-24T21:43:00.000-07:00

I'd been thinking alot about this room,

it was a pretty room,

blue and white,

but some found the blue a little too much

I think.

So, I thought, let's just repaint it.
Nice and simple,
a quick update,
won't take long at all.

Took all the furniture out,

except the bed,
and started on the undercoat.

Then I got to the unit in the corner.

To be honest, I have always struggled a bit with this unit,

I think it was the mirror at the back of it

or something,

so once I started with the heatgun and sandpaper

to take it back,

I decided the mirror had to go...

... and behind the mirror was a hole in the wall!!

'S okay I thought,

I'll get a new panel made to fit where the mirror was

and while I'm am it,

I think I'll replace the doors as well.

I love the t & g look,

and in a previous house I replaced some kitchen cabinet doors

with new ones made from simple MDF

but grooved out to look like t & g.

A quick call to the joinery guys

and doors and panel were under control.

Right next to the unit is the fireplace

and the fire surround,

made from kauri I think,

but so full of borer holes and tracks

that really it had to go.

You can see how the quick repaint is progressing:))

A couple of turns of the screwdriver

and the surround was gone.

The top of the surround is going to make the perfect seat.

But the rest...

stored under the house.

A trip to the local salvage yard followed

and it was destiny I'm sure,

as there at the very front of a whole stack of fire surrounds

was the perfect one.

It needs a little tlc,

but nothing that some sandpaper and paint wont fix.

Now, next to the fireplace is the wardrobe!!!

Why stop at just the walls, unit and fireplace I thought.

Let's change the wardrobe as well.

Whipped the front panels off,

though whipped is not really the right word,

cos they were seriously screwed on

and I reckon glued as well !!

My simple repaint is coming along nicely,

and it's probably just as well

that there are no more fixtures in the room

that I can get my hands on!

The new unit is looking fine:)

And the room looks a little like this right now...

I did intend being in there today putting on a top coat

'cos I can't wait to see how it looks.

But there's been quite alot of this the past couple of days...

...and it's a little chilly up that end of the house,

much much nicer down here by the fire :)

I'll do it tomorrow.

These little pretties don't seem to mind the snow...

Nor do I:))

See you

Jenny.

Time to Paint

2011-07-13T15:37:00.000-07:00

There is a time and place for painting in winter,

I have discovered.

It's between 11 and 2.30,

and in a very specific spot in the back yard.

At this time and in this place is the ~~best~~ only chance of catching the sunshine,

and the other thing I discovered...

is that a little bit of sunshine is good - so that you can feel your fingers,

and hold the brush:))

Here's what I've been painting.

One very old rickety bench....

In desperate need of some tlc...

this bench, and the next chair, both sat on the front verandah

at the family home in Geraldine,

for as long as I can remember,

I think they were always there and it was a place to sit,

in the sun,

watching the world go by.

I think my Dad made the bench, though maybe it was my brother,

I'm not sure, but I think it was my Dad,

and I can't remember where the chair came from,

it was just always there.

When my parents moved from that home there was no place for the chair and the bench,

so I took them cos I think they are neat:)

And then there is this stool...

I bought it many many years ago, liking it's shape,

but not liking it's colour!!

Always said I would paint it one day,

just that the ''one day'' took a while to arrive :)

So, with a good coat of undercoat...

... and a coat or two or three of paint,

they are nearly done.

Some cushions to sew, for the bench and the seat,

then the seat will take it's rightful place,

on my front verandah:)

I painted this little old shelf, too ...

Need to go make some cushions,

and I know just where to go to find the fabric:))

The cottage and it's garden

2011-07-04T02:05:00.000-07:00

Two years ago I found the cottage at the top of the stairs.

I visited once on a Saturday, once the next Saturday, and once again in the middle of the following week.

Then I knew for sure that this was where I wanted to live.

(actually, to be honest, I knew the very first time I walked through the front door, and Jake knew that I knew, 'cos he saw that look in my eye!!:))

The cottage is our home.

And it is a "bed and breakfast" for guests from all over the world.

I have plans and dreams for the cottage and it's garden,

painting and colours,

plants and garden beds,

verandah nooks,

gorgeous bedrooms,

quilts and pillows,

places to sit and relax at the end of the day.

Where to start?

In the garden, I think.

These beds - along the back fence - desperately needed some loving, and slightly ruthless, attention.

I've neglected them a little and I made a gutsy decision to rip out any plants that I did not like!!

This was about half way through the ''lets get rid of the uglies'' garden session - now it's looking pretty bare, but there are foxgloves replanted, rose bushes have been moved in, and penstemon cuttings transplanted.

This is a look down the other way...

There are spring bulbs coming up already in this garden bed, though you wouldn't have known it before I got started - I'm ashamed to say that it was so overgrown here, I had no idea what I would find.

A little house for the garden faeries :)

Even though it's pretty chilly at the moment,

and much of the garden seems to be in hibernation,

there are still pretty little pockets of colour...

So after tackling that garden bed last week, I felt like doing something a little different this week.

Painting!

Furniture, though, not the house.

Old pieces that I have been meaning to repaint for years.

I've done all the undercoating,

and now I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a good day tomorrow so I can do the top coats.

Show you soon:)

Keep snuggly and warm.

Jenny