Monday, February 29, 2016

Looking Forward... a Long Happy List for Springtime


Looking Forward
A Long Happy List for Spring

We heard them long before they came into view, their conversations dominating the air all around us with the sort of fluttering, chattering, deafening sound only created by nature herself.  A large flock of red-winged blackbirds, filling the bare trees with ebony leaves that flashed scarlet like the blinking eyes of wolves whenever they rose and resettled.  We stopped still.   I held my head back and closed my eyes to listen, feeling almost avian myself - feathered, light and quite able to fly.  Edward gave a tug on his lead and we continued on our way, but the message was heard, loud and clear.
Spring is coming.

Of all the seasons that I love - and I love all four with abandon - Spring seems to be the one  that arrives with such fanfare.  It has none of the sublety of Autumn - no slow fade, no gentle fall.  Rather, it bursts, it fills, it overflows - its colors fairly leap over the hillsides; brown becomes green overnight.  It is a season of elation, not reflection, a season in which we throw open the windows and turn up the music.  A season for setting into motion all those dreams that we dreamt by the fire.  I’ve always been grateful for a Spring birthday, happy to have been born in this season of discovery and celebration of new life.  
Spring is a season for looking forward, not looking back. 
 So, here’s a list to help us all do just that.

 As for me, I’m looking forward to…

 1.  A Springtime Dinner Party
with this on the table.
I adore the embroidered table linens at Coral and Tusk.
Find them HERE

2.  Springtime Rambles in the Woods
And for that, I need these.
Wellies meet William Morris.
An inspired combination.
Find them HERE

3.  Springtime Tea Parties
On the screened porch or out in the garden.
Bees buzzing, birds singing.
Hydrangeas waving in the breeze.
And a coconut cake on this beautiful cake stand.
Find it HERE


4.  Breakfast by a Sunny Window
on these exquisite placemats.
I’m heading straight to Nina Campbell's shop 
when I arrive in London
to snatch these up for myself!
Find them HERE


5.  Spring Sprucing
It’s a cliche, I know.  But yes, I do get the urge to clean and polish 
every corner of my cottage at the first warm wind of March.  
A new cushion here, a new painting there.
Maybe a new rug?…..
A.   Or…. This fabulous London Map
For years I’ve loved seeing the gorgeous flat of Ben Pentreath in London.  
(If you don’t follow him, you should!)  
I’ve especially been enchanted by the framed map of London on his sitting room wall, above. 
Little did I know, it can be purchased from his shop.
Find it HERE

B.  Vintage Cushions
And for a special spot that needs something fresh, 
I’ve just restocked the shop with a few new, 
and very fetching, vintage cushions.
Find them HERE

C.  Inspiring Book 
If you're looking for home inspiration, there’s no better place to discover it than in Patina Farm,
 the brand-new book from Brooke and Steve Giannetti, of Velvet and Linen fame. 
 My copy arrived this week, and I find I just fall inside it whenever I open it even a crack.  
It’s lovely, and so inspiring.
Find it HERE

D.  Swan Wardrobe
Love this, too!
Find it HERE

6.  Warm Nights on the Screened Porch
When we’ll be listening to music and playing this.
The Songwriter’s favourite birthday present.
Find it HERE

7.  New Spring Shoes
You could hear me applauding from here when I read that Victoria Beckham
 has traded in her stilettos  for comfortable footwear.  
And she looks adorable in her white trainers.  
Victoria, we welcome you to the land of happy, free feet!
As for me, I’m eyeing this pair for Spring.
I Love, Love these.
Find them HERE

8.  A Fresh New Crop of Books
There are so many new titles on the horizon, 
I cannot wait to hold them in my hot little hands. 
 I’ve already pre-ordered this one!
Find it HERE

9.  New Art Exhibits
There are wonderful new art shows opening this Spring all around the globe.
Go see…
The work of fashion illustrator Kenneth Paul Block (above) HERE
Gorgeous American quilts and folk art HERE
Golden tapestries of the Sun King HERE
Fabulous theatre sets from London and New York HERE
A celebration of the life of Charlotte Bronte HERE 
and a show I myself am heading to soon, 
 one just perfect for Spring,  beautiful paintings of gardens HERE
(the Monet at the top of the post is part of this show!)

10.  and Lastly,  Farewell to Harper Lee
I think Spring will indulge me a small moment of looking back, to the most wonderful writer America can claim. Harper Lee.  Miss Lee passed away a couple of weeks ago and I doubt we’ll see her like again.  I came across an essay she wrote around the time of the publication of her miraculous book, To Kill a Mockingbird.  These paragraphs seemed pertinent to our times.  
Love to You All.

“Avarice never wrote a good novel; hate did not paint "The Birth of Venus"; nor did envy reveal to us that the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the two sides. Every creation of man's mind that has withstood the buffeting of time was born of love--love of something or someone…..

Any act of love …. no matter how small--lessens anxiety's grip, gives us a taste of tomorrow, and eases the yoke of our fears. Love, unlike virtue, is not its own reward. The reward of love is peace of mind, and peace of mind is the end of man's desiring.”



*****
If you enjoy these lists, you might wish to follow
Edward and me on Instagram, HERE
Loads of photos of Edward, movies, books, gardens, and fun.


12 comments:

  1. Not only is spring my favorite season, but look at all you've shown us. And, now I have to go join another form or technology, i.e. Instagram. I have kept off all social media except blogger, but I might have to peek at Insta.

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  2. Thank you so much for including "Patina Farm" on your Spring list, Pamela!
    I do hope that you will be able to visit one day.

    xo xo
    Brooke

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  3. Sigh, Pamela...I just adore your blog.

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  4. Pamela , I think you will like this blog. http://thankfulvillages.co.uk/. Thankful villages were ones that lost not one man in WWI, as you may know, being a great Anglophile. I am looking forward to the reopening of the refurbished Garden Museum at Lambeth Palace, which has not opened yet, I believe? (And on your visit,please tell the Brits that all southerners are not crazy racists, as I am sure the topic will arise!)
    Have a great time.
    Chapel Hill, NC

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  5. Your lists are always so much fun but I want to thank you very especially for this beautiful picture of Harper Lee and the quote. The light seemed to dim when I heard that she had died.

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  6. A wonderful list, Pamela! I'm so grateful to know where Ben Pentreath's map of London can be purchased. And I love those boots. And A.S. Byatt has a new book! Thanks for letting us know. Happy Spring, it's almost here!

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  7. A wonderful list, Pamela! I'm so grateful to know where Ben Pentreath's map of London can be purchased. And I love those boots. And A.S. Byatt has a new book! Thanks for letting us know. Happy Spring, it's almost here!

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  8. I think of pair of those wellies would do me fine Pamela. Love how they have taken inspiration from William Morris designs. Enjoy your Spring and I will slip slowly into Autumn xx

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  9. what a treasure trove of lovely your list is...that map of london! and the giannetti's book which i am presently lost in...swoon. peace to you, pamela.

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  10. I say it every time...but you know, I LOVE your lists. I save them...and always refer back. Ben Pentreath...don't you just love and his partner Charlie...and those beautiful flowers. Love seeing what those two are up to. ;) Stalking? You betcha! Best wishes for a wonderful weekend Pamela...xxx

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  11. I know you know I'll visit every single link you posted. I have to, otherwise I'd miss something important! Sending love to all of you....

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I love to read your comments! Each and every one! Though I'm always reading your comments, I may not respond in the comment section. If you want to write me directly, you may do so at pamela@pamelaterry.net. Thank you for reading!