I'd Rather Have Birds, A List of January Goodness

1. Birds

“If I had to choose, I’d rather have birds than airplanes.”

Charles Lindbergh

On these dun-coloured mornings and grey afternoons

 when Winter holds sway over all,

 it is such a delight to catch sight of a familiar flash of red, 

high in the naked trees.  

A Cardinal. 

 Undaunted by the cold, he swoops and dives like laughter,

 a tiny flame outside in the cold.

My Mother always love to watch the birds in the garden and so, years ago,

 my Father bought her the biggest, most elaborate bird feeder he could find. 

 Hating the thought of it standing empty since she died, 
The Songwriter retrieved it and set it up in the middle of our own back garden,

 just in time for some of the coldest weather yet. 

  He filled it with seed and before he could make his way

 back up the pathway into the house, the word was out!  

It is now filled with those gems of the winter,

 lapis blue jays, ruby cardinals, opal wrens, onyx crows.  

I adore the relationship with nature that bird feeding provides us, 

and encourage you to experience it if you don’t already.

Here’s a gorgeous bird feeder if you don’t have one.

Find it HERE

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2.  Tea

“Brew me a cup for a winter’s night.

For the wind howls loud and the furies fight;

Spice it with love and stir it with care, 

And I’ll toast our bright eyes, 

my sweetheart fair.”

Minna Thomas Antrim

A pot of hot tea sitting at the ready on a cold winter’s night

 is an incredibly comforting sight.

Nothing warms the body and the soul quite as well. 

  The ritual of making tea is part of its charm and, if I let myself,

 I’d have dozens of teapots.  

The one below recently caught my eye.  

Isn’t it great?  

You can find it HERE.

As for the tea itself, THIS is always my first choice, 

but lately I’ve been rather obsessed with THIS one.

And of course, one has to have THESE to make the experience complete!

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 3.  Friends

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive,”

Anais Nin

It’s no secret to The Songwriter that I’m not particularly fond of being photographed.  That’s why so many of our holiday snaps show a full length shot of my back as I toddle off in the opposite direction of his lens.  Therefore, when it came time to take an author’s photo for From The House of Edward, I was seriously dreading the process. 

 Of course, I’m luckier than most, as two of my good friends were uniquely placed 
to make me look infinitely more relaxed and comfortable than I actually feel, 

a true feat I assure you.
 ( You can see the result in the back of the book. ) 

One is a reknown photographer, you can meet her HERE. 

 The other is a celebrated artist and stylist who just happens to reside

 in a magical home that Edward absolutely loves to visit. 

 Both Edward and I are therefore so tickled to report that this wonderful friend,

 Thea Beasley, is featured along with her enchanting dwelling

 in the February issue of Country Living.  

It’s a must see!  

As delightful as she is gifted, (that’s her beautiful face in the photo above) 

Thea allowed Country Living to give us all a glimpse of her magical world. 

 Pick up this issue, or visit the website HERE. 

You can also visit Thea at her blog, HERE.

And below you’ll find a photo of Edward enjoying an afternoon at his Auntie Thea’s.  
 We are so lucky in our friends!

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4. Candles

“It snowed and snowed, the whole world over,

Snow swept the world from end to end.

A candle burned on the table; 

A candle burned.”

Boris Pasternak, from Dr. Zhivago

Candles are always burning here at The House of Edward.

  It’s quite true that everyone looks wonderful by candlelight, 

they make a house cozier and more romantic.

A dear friend tucked this one into my Christmas basket this year and I’ve loved it so during this winter season.  

It fills the house with soft scents of orange and cinnamon and smells perfectly delicious.

You can find it HERE. 

I also love the Jasmine one, for spring.

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5.  Andirons

“I don’t believe anything can do as much for a room as a glowing fire in an attractive fireplace.  Men and dogs love an open fire; they show good sense.  It is the heart of any room and should be kindled on the slightest provocation.”

Dorothy Draper

There are many things I cannot do.  

Gymnastics are totally outside my realm of capability and, Lord knows,

 math was never my strong suit.

  I cannot whistle, nor have I been able to twist my long hair into a satisfactory fishtail braid. 

 But stand back and watch me build a fire. 

 This, I can do. 

 Whenever Edward sees my don my heavy gloves and pull back the iron mesh skirt on the stone fireplace, he is thrilled.  He knows this means an evening by the fire, which is his most preferred method of whiling away a winter evening. 

 Fireplace accoutrements are some of my favourite antiques. 

 We have a pair of old iron owls as our andirons.  

Their glass eyes glow red in the firelight.

These antique ones above caught my eye recently.

Wouldn’t they be divine?
Find them HERE.

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6.  Tartan Pendant Lamp

“We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation.”

Voltaire

Ok, well maybe the artist wasn’t thinking of Scotland, let along tartan, 

when he designed this pendant lamp above.  

But of course, that’s precisely what I thought of when I spied it.

With a modern twist on a classic motif, can’t you just see a row of these in a kitchen.

With a red aga?

Find it HERE.

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7.  Dreaming of Spring Gardens

“No winter lasts forever, no Spring skips its turn.”

Hal Borland

Though we huddle inside by the fire, with our mugs of hot tea in our hands, 

still, we think and we dream, of Spring.

I sit at my window and stare at the naked garden, woefully neglected this autumn, 

and before the eyes of my imagination, I see gardenias blooming, 

great blowsy hydrangeas the colour of sky,

 rose-petaled pathways and green green grass.

And perhaps, this garden seat?

Find it HERE

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8.  Poetry

“To read a poem in January  is as lovely as to go for a walk in June.”

Jean-Paul Sartre

To close this list of things that make January such a special month, 

it is only right to include a poem.

I read poetry a lot, and seem to read it more in the winter months.

This one is a new favorite from the wondrous poet, Mary Oliver, 

from her latest collection, A Thousand Mornings.

Find it HERE.

I hope you are having a cozy, peaceful January.

Green, Green is My Sister’s House

Don’t you dare climb that tree

or even try, they said, or you will be

sent away to the hospital of the

very foolish, if not the other one.

And I suppose, considering my age, 

it was fair advice.

But the tree is a sister to me, she

lives alone in a green cottage

high in the air and I know what

would happen, she’d clap her green hands, 

she’d shake her green hair, she’d

welcome me.  Truly

I try to be good but sometimes

a person just has to break out and

act like the wild and springy thing

one used to be.  It’s impossible not

the remember the wild and want it back.  So

if some day you can’t find me you might

look into that tree or - of course

it’s possible - under it.