Klik Here

This was the work in progress, last week, at attempting to bring a bit of the outdoors in....I was having guests for brunch and wanted a little decor to accompany the food...twigs and a few green branches from our woods... ....I had envisioned some tiny pears, still on the branch, to finish off the arrangement......luckily I found just the abandoned pear tree on one of the country roads near my home... .....the treasured, vintage French cookbook, below, under glass, was purchased at Refuge, my favourite home decor store, owned by Liz Hawley in Niagara on the Lake... It was pouring rain, when I saw the Bosc pear tree by the side of the road....but my garden clippers are always in the trunk.....I was totally drenched, but not deterred.... .....our country roads yield an abundance of material for anyone looking for some natural beauty to decorate with, especially this time of year....wild grapevines, gorgeous rose hips, wild sumac (beware of poison sumac!) and colourful twigs and gnarled

September is birthday month around here....mine, my cousin Mary's, my husband's..... Our anniversary....I love this time of year... .....the lower terrace late this afternoon..... I feel a kinship with the Earth, Mother Nature....these days....her groaning bounty of goodness you see at every fruit stand, the grapevines laden down, the bunches waiting to be harvested...peaches, nectarines and pears, all ready for preserves or just juicy enjoyment!   My own garden, offering up bursting blooms of faded hydrangeas, in just the perfect colours..the Japanese anemones, always flawless and abundant.... ....fuelling my imagination with woodsy, earthy settings of Mother Nature's priceless gifts to us....   ...from my Pinterest board Garden Views.... I begin to feel the urges of hunting and gathering...much like the squirrels and chipmunks outdoors... I begin to bake and cook....above a lemon torte in the making... .....and a chocolate hazelnut version of the same.....