Category Keeping Up Appearances
Christmas at the back door
Thanksgiving was lovely and I’ll put up some pictures when my sister sends me some… and in the meantime we’re moving full steam into Christmas! This year I decided the back yard needed some Christmas cheer. Little used in prior years, during the pandemic it has become my primary entrance. It’s cozy and private (surprisingly […]
My bedroom is so famous
Look what Ashley found on Pinterest! A pirated photo of my bedroom with “bird wall art” photoshopped onto the wall by Etsy craftspersons. As a lawyer, I’m supposed to be indignant at the infringement of my copyright. As a designer, I question the adulteration of my ensemble with uninvited decor. But as a human being […]
Kidney stones!
I’m going to start with gratitude. For the emergency room doctors, nurses, and technicians who took care of me; for the ambulance drivers who took me to them and made empathetic small talk on the way; for my dad who answered my early anxious phone call and encouraged me to seek care right away in […]
Fountain!
I’ve got the fountain in my back garden running again! I will spare you the gruesome details of all the slugs the size of my fingers that were forcibly spewed from the water shaft when the new pump kicked into gear… Instead, let’s focus on the delight that gurgling water brings to a garden. It’s […]
Fixing the fountain
One of my absolute favourite things about my house has been the fountains in the courtyard and backyard. They brought birds and movement and play of sound and light, and confirmed my belief that every garden, no matter how small or urban, ought to have a water feature. Alas, the fountains did not survive my […]
Second chances start with science…
Remember the Great Goldfish Disaster of 2020, when we discovered that my pond was essentially a cauldron of death? Well, I’ve decided to have a second go at it—only this time I’ve done more homework. Why do fish die? Maybe low oxygen levels in the water—add an aerator . . . Why else? Unhealthy levels […]
Blue and white
Because you can only go so long in a pandemic eating takeout Thai food and enchiladas without having enough smallish hand-painted Danish porcelain dishes to serve it on. And also they were on sale, so surely it would have been foolish not to carpe the diem.
Art installed!
As we ease our way out of the covid shutdown I’m slowly ticking off the unfinished projects of moving in. The last big one, and certainly the most anticipated, was hanging the artworks I brought back from London. As it happens, hanging large and heavy works of art is nearly as intimidating as buying it […]
It’s not all roses and rooftop grilling
After my post yesterday I scrolled back through the blog and realised that I might be doing that thing where people post their unrealistic best selves online and leave out all the messy details. So lest you think that my life is all roses and rooftop grilling, here’s a shot of my “home office” where […]
Roses!
Now that I’m a gardener of roses I get to do glamorous things like accidentally break several branches while planting and then make the best of it by putting the blossoms in a pretty vase on my dining room table and feeling joy every time I look at them.
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 