Winter Wonderland

The weatherman keeps predicting snow for our area, although we live below the usual snowline. No snow yet, but one mighty hailstorm that covered the garden and hills with white. Here's a glimpse.

Thanksgiving 2008

We have much to be thankful for this year. Our family is enlarged by one, is healthy, and is cooking.

An Antique Linen Party in Town

A few weeks ago I attended an antique linen party at the home of my friend, Claudia, who collects and sells vintage tablecloths, napkins, pillow shams and other linens, many from Europe. Claudia hand washes, mends and irons her wares, all of which are delicate and beautiful. Another friend, Lucy, was selling some frocks she crafted for little girls from embroidered tablecloths. The ladies also put on a sumptuous tea party for their guests. We enjoyed our tea on Claudia's patio amidst the abundant greenery, and admired her celadon pottery displayed on the mantel before leaving for home with our chosen treasures.

Mourvedre

Before setting off to visit our daughter and son-in-law for Thanksgiving, we stopped at one of our favorite local wineries, TKC, to buy some of their famous Mourvedre, a Rhone varietal. Fall at the wineries is particularly beautiful. The vines pictured are head-trained.

Some More of Marius

Barely can a day go by without some new addition of Marius & Victorine photos and such. This poster was designed and printed in 1973 by Berkeley graphic artist, David Goines, for the Marcel Pagnol film trilogy, "Marius, Fanny, and Cesar." It is photographed on the wall of our newly decorated upstairs bathroom. Alas, Mr. Goines has apparently designed no poster titled "Victorine."

Get Away to the Country

Here are some rooms from country houses that I particularly like. Just above is a sunroom in the High Falls, New York house of Carol Schuster. The photo is from the December 2007 Elle Decor. I love the natural materials, graphics, and stone floors. The grey room with chandelier is of a French country house appearing in Cote Sud of June-July 2007. The two-story great room is in La Porchiglia, outside Sienna. The beamed bed and beamed sitting room are in the 13th century house of Monique Germain in the Coulommiers Valley of France, with interior design by the firm of Paul Mathieu and Michael Ray. With all these neutrals, the reader would think that my own home is comprised of neutrals too. But such purity is not to be, perhaps owing to my husband, Marius, the artist, who fills our walls with paintings, prints, scrolls and such, all of which add their bit of color to the mix.

Three Lovely Bathrooms

Since we recently finished sprucing up our upstairs bathroom, I have been looking at bathroom pictures for inspiration. The room with the footed tub is in the West Sussex home of Harriet Anstruther (wife of Henry Bourne) and appears in the April 2004 Elle Decor. The double sink room is in the June-July 2007 edition of Cote Sud and is from a French country house. The room with the single black sink is another by Axel Vervoordt, this one from a Belgian house.