As things go from bad to worse in Japan, I am feeling quiet. My heart aches for everyone involved.
Now. . . where were we? It has been a while, I know. Still sorting through photographs from England. These bits of blue and green make me happy ~ from this beautiful place. An idyllic refuge on a chilly winter afternoon.
Weary of shoveling. . . and very much ready for spring. It was still looking rather wintery up there in Connecticut.
The gentleman and I were in Connecticut this past week for various work appointments. We headed up over the weekend to stay with my brother and his family, and see good friends. A foot of snow still blanketed the ground, and as soon as we arrived Mother Nature sent along a few more inches for good measure.
"The budding twigs spread out their fan, To catch the breezy air. . . " (from William Wordsworth, Lines Written in Early Spring, 1798).
. . . for real! This past saturday I met up with Emile de Bruijn at the Richmond train station. As the sun struggled to make an appearance through thick, grey clouds, we walked along the Thames to that great Jacobean manse: Ham House. Such a wonderful treat ~ not only to be at Ham again, but to finally meet Emile in person (you may read his post on our visit here). After taking an abbreviated tour of the house (still officially closed for the season) we fortified ourselves with tea, sandwiches and scones at the orangery café, and dished about blogging and books, old houses and gardens. Then, being the diligent bloggers that we are, we walked around to take photographs.
A little National Trust wabi ~ flowering jasmine blossoms at Ham House.
Just home from rainy London, where even on a chilly grey day, a few lone trees were beginning to show their colors. So, my Valentine for you: a little proof that spring is indeed coming to the northern hemisphere!
Yesterday marked the four year anniversary of JCB! Since my first tentative steps into blogging, I have literally dragged my readers around the world. I have met amazing new friends, seen new places. I have fallen in love and gotten married. All in all, it has been an amazing adventure. Thank you all for following along.
Inscribed in French: "A ma meilleure amie Hélène, / ceci en souvenir d’une jeune parisienne / en regardant cette / photo pense quelquefois / […] et aux bons moments / [...] nous ensemble à Reims – / 20 Avril 1903 / Loéline Adam." Some of the inscribed words are cut off along the edge, so part of the message is missing. But I suppose this is enough to spark your imagination. {click image to view larger}
I almost hate to flaunt these raindrops ~ as so many of you are buried in snow right now! Last night I lay in bed listening to the rain, and dreading the ice we had been told would come. But, luckily there was only rain. Lots and lots of cold rain.
Time out . . . for dessert! A gorgeous spread put together by a few good friends to celebrate our nuptials. A belated wedding shower. The theme ~ can you guess it? Yep. . . books & booze! With a side of coconut cream pie.
This photograph just makes me smile ~ such great spirit! A recent acquisition, with no date or inscriptions.
Ahhhh, old man Winter. You are so harshing my mellow! However not to be completely outdone by cold and ice this past weekend, the gentleman and I decided to have a little fun in the kitchen. Making good on my promise to to be more adventurous on the fungi front, I bought a box of mushrooms at the market on sunday. And the gentleman turned it into wild mushroom risotto. Divine! We served it up with a salad of delicate Boston lettuce and fresh Texas grapefruit, dressed with a simple vinaigrette. Then paired it with a good Italian Pinot Grigio. Yummmmm.
January, quiet, quiet. Even time seems frozen with inactivity. The gentleman has been hankering for a house tour (me too, for that matter). Perhaps a virtual tour will suffice for now? Hmmmm. . . time to start making plans for springtime outings.
Hello tuesday! A cold icy day, following a long, cozy weekend. Household chores and paperwork consumed most of our energies. We also spent some time rearranging our library, and contemplating a cataloging system. Oh, and setting up our new computers. (!!!) After 10 years of service, I finally put my old MacBook to rest (yes, you read that correctly, ten years). We also invested in a MacBook Air for traveling (although we have found it rather nice for watching movies in bed, ahem).
Other than the fact that I found these two anonymous ladies in the same box (and that they have similar paper borders), there is really no reason to think they belong together. I just feel that they do. They don't appear to be related, but then who knows. Each is wonderfully striking in her own way. {click to view larger}
We escaped the worst of yesterday's east coast storm, and woke up to just over an inch of snow. Picturesque, but hardly treacherous. 
These two photographs were taken the day after the blizzard, on my birthday. I spent most of the morning nursing my cold, but late in the afternoon the gentleman insisted we take a drive. The wind was blowing snow over the roads, filtering the late-day sun in the most extraordinary way. 
I always plan to take on so much in January. Thank you notes. Over-ambitious reading lists. Catching up on emails to friends. Organizing the apartment. Here it is the 10th and I have done none of it. I am surrounded by a pile of tissues, and the gentleman is flat on his back with a fever. However, Lisbeth Salander has been keeping me company, as well as the residents of Downton Abbey (I am completely engrossed!).
The last of the blizzard images. I promise. 
It sifts from leaden sieves, / It powders all the wood. . . 
A bit more from our Christmas Eve outing on Blue Hill Mountain. The calm before the storm.
With two gentlemen and a little dog, on Christmas Eve in Maine. A soft December snow fell the day before we arrived, not so much to impede travel, but just enough to make things look pretty.
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