A Quiet Winter Day

Hello lovelies,

today has been  grey and showery, but still rather lovely. This winter the dull weather doesn't seem to be getting to me like I has in recent years. 

I do love a sunny day but there is a quiet calmness to this sort of weather that I like too.

This morning, on my walk to the hairdressers I passed the florist and admired the wonderful display of bulbs......

 I LOVED those yellow clogs...........sigh.

Outside the church the first snowdrops are beginning to flower..........

 I wasn't in a rush and enjoyed being able to look for pretty things that caught my eye. Now I'm looking at this photo I'm fascinated to see the way snowdrops grow pointing upwards.......I've never noticed that before.

There aren't many flowers about at the moment, nor many leaves, so the bare branches are fully in view..........

As I passed the disused red telephone box I noticed it had been utilised as a place to offer free apples to the locals..........

There were even paper bags to put your selection in. The apples were looking a bit tired, but still O.K. so I picked out a couple and popped them in a bag..........

 A bit of googling told me that there are abundance projects all over the country.....where groups pick unwanted fruit and offer it  free to local groups and people.
 Like THIS project in Manchester. What a great idea. And in our case a great use of a unused but still loved RED TELEPHONE BOX

Later today mum and I did out usual trip to a local market town and I squeezed in a little charity shopping. I was delighted to find this brand new apple bird feeder........perfect for one of the free apples :0)

Sadly I have now finished reading Susan's excellent BOOK. Her delight in the English countryside was contagious and she visited so many wonderfully interesting and historic places.

I searched the charity bookshop for something else to read and uncovered a real gem...........

It's not written by Laura Ashley but I knew it would be my cup of tea when I saw the gorgeous seasonal wreath mosaic inside the front cover...........

And it seems like it will be another lovely gentle read too..........

It was published back in 1992 , but twenty two years later, I think traditional rooms like this still look wonderful ........

Maybe this looks a little more dated, but I still love the gingham and the baking scene..........

Back in the Nineties I did a lot of stencilling in my first home, I got really good at it. It was a lot of fun and  thought it looked wonderful at the time. 

I think this simple leaf design still looks perfect in it's period setting ........

And of course I love to see timeless blue and white china and indoor bulbs...........

This is such a restful image, don't you think..........

There are examples of country decorating from different countries. I loved this gorgeous illustration by Carl Larsson...........

HERE you can see this beautiful drawing looking much more colourful

And I loved this Provence scene with it's sunny feel and fresh herbs on the table........

I do hope I'm not boring you with all these photos from the book. There are just so many precious images I wanted to share...just a few more, O.K.

 This bedroom looks so fresh and welcoming..........

And wouldn't it be wonderful to have breakfast here on a sunny morning, with the door wide open.........

The only thing missing from this lovely book is a bit of traditional crochet.

 At least it's got lots of old linens and quilts used as tablecloths.........this is another room I would feel right at home in.

Today has been relaxed and it's always lovely to have the time to write a blog post and share these snippets of my very ordinary life with you lovelies. Thank you for being such kind people who, hopefully,  like these things too.

Jacquie x