A Few of My Favourite Things

One of the things I like about blogging is the action of sitting down, looking at a blank page and then deciding what to write about. Sometimes, it comes so easily – I see something that sparks my interest and or I visit someplace that I think will interest you. Other times, I sit down, usually at about 11 at night, and fret over what I am going to write. I have a few go-to places that usually yield something. One King’s Lane and the Guardian (a UK newspaper) are two favourite resources.

However, I think that all of my posts are like children. I love each one equally. But I do have some that I like a wee bit better than others. In no particular order, they are as follows:

1. Our House – I found some images of the house where my family lived for about 30 years. I hadn’t seen them before, so I “borrowed” them from my mum, and scanned them. I loved this house so much. It was such a beautiful elegant place with gardens that my father worked hard to keep under control. I think that this might have been an early picture of the dining room because later on, we had a large rug on the floor, and a more oval table.

2. Puppy Love – When the New York Times wrote an article about sleeping with your pet(s), their commenting community came down almost evenly on both sides of the argument. I however, have been converted to the sleeping dogs in bed side, mainly because regardless of what I want, Connor gets on the bed. You all pretty much agreed with me on this post.

3. The Tale of Two Paintings – I found two paintings done by one of my mother’s second cousins (we’re Southern, so we know the degree of kinship!) and bought them at a local auction.

What makes these two paintings extra special, aside from the fact that they’re of two well-known Baltimore locales, is that the painter was the person who introduced my American mother to my English father.

4. The Joy of Having a Clothesline – Seriously, this makes me so happy! I must admit that in Wales, I HATED drying everything on the line, mainly because it was almost always cold and damp. Here, the sunshine and breezes make drying clothes, towels and sheets on the line such a pleasure. Affixing a clothesline to the two existing poles at my house was one of the first things that I did. And I am sure that the T-poles are at least 50 years old!

5. Cooking! Since I moved into the new house, I’ve cooked more than I have in the past five years. People who are newer friends are amazed that I can actually cook, because they’ve never known me to cook. When I actually made butter this fall, I am sure some of my friends were certain that I’d been taken over by alien beings. But I do like to cook and entertain, and now I have a place where I can do it!

6. The Craziest House – Beautiful from the outside, insane on the inside. Painted by a mad person who had a little too much time and a faux painting course! To a person, we all wondered why the estate agent didn’t suggest gallons of white paint!

7. CONNOR & HALAS! We love having Halas stay with us, and the two dogs just love each other! They’re so funny together – playing, sleeping or horsing around. It’s either perpetual motion, or totally zonked out.

That’s about it… as I said, it’s hard to pick the ones I love best!