Friday Favourites: Welcome Spring!

 

Late daylight on golden daffodils. How beautiful they are. The sunny warm days we've enjoyed have brought out many blooms and gladden my heart. 

In the spirit of keeping it real, I confess that I am sitting on my bed writing this post at 6:30 pm. Two plates and two sets of cutlery lie at the foot of the bed. Tim and I just finished our dinner, purchased at the deli counter at the grocery store.

It's been a bit of a stressful week with tradesmen here refinishing the ceilings on the main floor, and they are still here, working much harder now than they have been all week. You would not believe the mess. Seriously. Splotches of plaster from here to there. Dust everywhere. I've been spending time with my daughters and working in the garden to avoid being in the house. The promised finish time of Wednesday has been extended until Friday morning. Grrr. That afternoon my parents arrive. I hope the work is done by then! I'm trying to be cool about it all, but it's exhausting, and I just want to get to cleaning it all up!

So let's look at beautiful spring things and practice avoidance. 

Our Persian friends brought us a beautiful platter for the new year, celebrated on March 21. Spring is such a logical time for the beginning of a year, don't you think? Everything on the tray (other than the sweets on the little plate) begins with the letter "s" in Farsi. "Haft-seen" meaning seven s' is a tradition of the season of Nowruz, celebrated for over 3000 years in the middle east. There are rich traditions in other cultures, and I love to learn about them. 

Apricot blossoms popped out this week, and I've seen bees and insects flying around, so I hope they are doing their important work that will result in lots of sweet apricots in a few months. 

A few grape hyacinths bloom in sunny spots, and there are many more to come. Hooray for early spring flowers that begin the parade of blossoms. Cooler temperatures and a bit of rain arrived today after I planted potatoes, arugula, radishes, and carrots. 

Last weekend, when I still had a functioning kitchen, I made a simple supper of polenta topped with sauteed asparagus and poached eggs. Fast and simple, and surprisingly delicious. 

The raspberry canes are leafing out. Such delicate colouring and fine shapes that glow in the evening sunlight. 

In another avoidance technique I read Charles' Todd's A Forgotten Place, featuring Bess Crawford. Reading is a stress-buster for me, as even 30 minutes with a book calms me as I lose myself in the story. 

There's a party this weekend, and my parents' visit to look forward to. Anything particular happening in your world in the next couple of days? 

Spring Puttering

"Nothing is so beautiful as Spring

     When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush...

    The glassy peartree leaves and blooms, they brush

    The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush

With richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling."

                                                                                                   Gerard Manley Hopkins

Spring is not my favourite time of year. I enjoy each one of the seasons, but Spring is too capricious and moody: one day smiling with sun, the next sullen with a chill wind that drives like a knife. Still, I cannot deny the absolute delight of seeing green shoots and flowers emerge from the brown earth. Blossoms in the rain are as equally beautiful as those in the sun. 

All the fresh newness outdoors inspires me indoors to putter. I looked up the meaning of the word today:

...to busy or occupy oneself in a leisurely, casual, or ineffective manner

Today I've been puttering. It's been leisurely and casual, but I hope not ineffective. 

Puttering goes alongside housecleaning for me. The house hasn't been dusted since before I left for Mexico. Taking everything off of mantels and tabletops in order to dust is a perfect opportunity to put things back in new ways. Above is the result of the living room mantel putter. 

The kitchen mantel is narrower and I have a hard time finding things to fit. I've been craving greenery and need to replace some of my houseplants. Today I went out into the garden and clipped whatever I could stick into water - rosebush leaves, trailing vinca, and a cornflower getting ready to bloom. The light is rather dull today with grey skies threatening rain and the clear glass with greenery brightens things a little. 

You might remember my "Her Ladyship" mug I received for Christmas. For Tim's birthday last month, I looked for the matching "His Lordship" mug, but Murchie's said they didn't have any more. 
What to do?
I spied the Chauffeur mug and since he usually drives when it's the two of us, I purchased it. He thinks it's quite funny. And I confess to thinking about Lady Sybil and Branson in Downton Abbey! 

I finished reading The Nightingale on our short trip last week, and re-read the ending again this week. It's the story of two sisters in France, during World War II. A lovely, sometimes heart-wrenching story. 

Before I left on my long trip last month, I went outside to take a photo of the back of the house (bottom left). Tim was planning to do some major puttering while I was gone. He replaced the sliding glass doors with a single door with a large window, and installed a new window in that blank wall to the left. This is all part of the ongoing kitchen renovation that is going to take years rather than months. The fireplace was the first step. The window and door are the second. 

There is still finish work to do around the inside of the door and window and that is being worked on in his free time. As well, we will paint the outside once it's warm enough. This project has made a huge difference in the amount of light in what was rather a dark room. I like having the table right up against the window.

There used to be a white lattice railing around the deck, but that was removed last fall. The new deck is in Tim's shop, waiting for a stretch of good weather for installation. After that there will likely be a long hiatus in renovations. 

It's been good to get back to home cooking again. Since halibut is in season, I pan roasted a filet and served it over roasted tomatoes from our garden (roasted and frozen last summer), with sauteed kale picked fresh from the plants that are bursting with green leafiness. 

Yesterday morning, while sitting at the table by the window, I spied a flash of colour in the lemon balm stalks that need to be cut down. This Finch, probably a House Finch, stayed long enough for me to change the lens on my camera and take quite a few shots. There must have been something delicious on those dry stalks.

Speaking of the seasons, Gladys Tabor writes, "Who can say which is the most beautiful? Each has its own charm, each bestows its own blessing, and we welcome each in turn...There is a security in knowing that spring follows winter and summer comes after spring...I wish all my friends, everywhere, the joy and sweetness of spring." 

Whether you are reading this in the midst of a late snowstorm, or perhaps in early autumn in the southern hemisphere, I wish you joy.

Linking to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Maggie of Normandy Life.  

Ta-da! The Kitchen Reveal

As my readers know, we've been doing some major renovations on this house since we moved in 14 months ago. And now, the biggest part is done. Finished. Over with. And we're relieved. So, here are some before and afters.

This is the before and after view from the front door. We took out the french doors to the dining room, and eliminated the upper wall between the kitchen and dining room (to the left).

Here's the before and after view from the other side of the kitchen. New countertops, which are Formica (Arborite) with a Corian edge. The same cabinets, painted. The tops are white, the bottoms gray. 

New kitchen sink. Under counter lighting is so nice for ambiance in the evening, and for task lighting. I really like this sink. It's by Kindred, and is a composite material. 

The tile backsplash really lights up the kitchen, too. Most of the tiles are 8 x 13 ceramic with some accents of the glass and stone mosaic. 

View from the kitchen sink towards the front door. You can see the dining room here. Before we took out that upper wall, the kitchen was enclosed. It's in the center of the house, without windows. Now I can be a part of what's going on. When we have guests, I can be working in the kitchen at this counter, essentially an island, and still converse. Which is a good thing, because I hate to miss anything.

One of my favorite features are the pulls we chose. I chose them for their looks, but now that they are installed I love them even more. They stand out from the cabinets further than most pulls. This means that when I open the doors, I never touch the cabinet surface. I'm sure this will help keep the cabinets clean. 

Another view of the kitchen. I wanted some open shelving for displaying my pottery from Ecuador, Spain and Vietnam (the teapot - a gift). I think the shelves enable me to add some bright color into the room, which is otherwise quite neutral.

And another view. We installed a sun tube in the center of the kitchen ceiling which adds even more light. Pot lights around the perimeter of the ceiling make this a pleasant place to work. The shelf on the island is wood, in a similar finish to the stair handrail adjacent to it.

What do I like best about this kitchen? The airiness, light and open feeling. I'm happy to be there cooking up delicious things for whom ever might stop by. So if you're in the neighborhood, let me know!

Now, I've said "we" throughout this post. Really, the work was done by my wonderful, talented, hardworking husband. He has a more than full-time job and yet has plugged away on this project in the evenings and on weekends. It was more involved than we had anticipated and we're just glad it's done. Now we're going to enjoy summer!

I'm linking this to a kitchen party at Modern Country Style.

Backsplash!

New countertops, new sink, and now, new backsplash. Here's my talented husband in action. This weekend he hopes to begin the grouting. 

I thought about cropping out the dishes in the sink, but hey, I decided to keep it real. My kitchen is not always spotless, especially when I'm cooking in one corner and tile is being laid in another.

I'm really liking the tile we chose in spite of the fact that the bigger tiles are not as white as I'd anticipated. I'm glad I've waited to choose the color of the cabinets until I can coordinate it with the tile. The cabinets are going to be a shade of white as well. 

When you renovate, do you make all the choices at once or as they come? I always thought designers came up with the total concept, down to the last paint chip, all at once. However, watching design shows more closely has me thinking that they don't. How something looks en masse is very different from one painted cabinet door or one ceramic tile. 

Kitchen Progress Report

This was the wall dividing the kitchen from the dining room - in February. A temporary plywood top, and note the ugly-to-me countertop.

Beginning of April. The wooden shelf is finished and nicely complements the floor and the stair railing. I love the way the light streams into this house.

And here is the new counter top. Tim finished it on Monday, and I'm so glad to be done with the green/orange stuff. Now I think all the green is banished. Not that I'm opposed to green, but the colors in the house were quite atrocious. This photo highlights the browns in the counter top, whereas the next photo highlights the grays. It's definitely more gray than brown. Amazing what light can do.

And a close-up of the counter top, where it meets the slide-in stove. Tim put a Corian edge on the counter and I like the way it finishes it off. Next, the tile backsplash. The materials should be in early next week. And after that, painting the cabinets - the last job. It's been a long project, but progress is definitely being made.

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

Before. The hedge along the street - chewed down by deer. The mesh along the deck - attempts to keep the deer from chewing the escallonia (with the poles broken by the winter snow). 

This WAS our yard until today. Everything we grew had to be deer proof. But they will eat almost anything - the only things they've missed are the rhododendrons, the lavender, and the rosemary (and small herbs). 

Here's the far corner of the yard. You can see where the deer have eaten the cedar hedge, and they walk right through it. We'll be putting up mesh along there to keep them out. The chairs look a little forlorn - it's been too wet and cold to think about being out in the yard. 

After. Dear Deer, you are graceful and pretty. But you eat everything in sight. Now I'll be happier to see you walk by my yard as you forage.  

Our friendly contractor finished the fence today. The gate is hung. Last night I had a hard time going to sleep because I was so excited about gardening possibilities. Hydrangeas. Roses. Oh, I can hardly wait. Good fences really do make good neighbors when there are deer in the vicinity.

We'll be painting the fence once the weather warms up. In the meantime, I'll be planning, digging holes, and cleaning up. Bring on spring!

What Removing a Wall Accomplishes

Hammering and nailing, tearing down, ripping up - the renovations have been going on here for many months. They're not over yet, but we've reached a stage where the results are visible and, in my mind, beautiful. 


Above are two before pictures showing the wall that we removed. The staircase is altered as well. Here's a link to a picture showing the re-do. 

In reality, the entire wall was not removed, just the upper portion. Two arched door openings were removed and squared off. Now the kitchen is full of light, the dining room feels connected and when I'm in the kitchen I don't feel like I'm in an enclosed space, away from the action. The enclosed valance needs painting yet. Tim installed the pot lights and a light tube in the kitchen which provide wonderful light. He'll install under counter lighting when we do the cabinetry.

Here's a view from the breakfast nook. Before. Note the bit of red wall to the left, and the putting green on the floor. 

Tim tells me that I'm going to miss that green carpet one day, but I don't believe him. Not. at. all. The ledge on the left here is a temporary fix until we commence work on the kitchen cabinets. You'll notice we left the dropped valance around the kitchen perimeter. We debated about removing it but that would have increased the work tremendously. And we've been told that it defines the kitchen quite nicely.

The new dining room. The glass-paneled doors were removed. I took these pictures quickly one day while the sun was shining and didn't bother to make everything "picture perfect." But I'm pretty sure that all bloggers have messes in their homes once in awhile. 


Next is baseboard and finishing up some painting. After that, we'll tackle the kitchen cabinets and countertops. 


For me, changing the floor has made a huge difference. I walk through the rooms smiling. The dark green was almost oppressive, and there was so much of it! For now, I don't even want an area rug in the living room. Nope, give me wide open spaces!

Progress is being made...

The green carpet is slowly disappearing and is being replaced by birch hardwood. Tim took 3 days of vacation this week and the living room, hallway, entrance and office are transformed! 

I've been painting to stay ahead of him. This Saturday I'll paint the dining room and then he can continue with the hardwood there. Soon the golf course green carpet will be nothing but a memory.

Dining room, kitchen and breakfast nook still to go. Then baseboard. Little by little. I love it. I love him for taking on this enormous task. 

It's Thanksgiving for all my American friends. I wish you all the happiest of grateful celebrations!

And the walls came a-tumbling down

Renovations took a back seat to the wedding and another project Tim was involved in for a couple of months. Now we're back at it. And boy, is it messy!

Three days of vacation this week are being spent tearing the kitchen apart. The upper wall between the dining room is now out. 

As I'm typing, he's continuing to tear up the floor. The house is covered in dust and I'm thrilled. Progress is being made.

Meanwhile I sit at my desk and try to study. My current assignment is writing a modern version of a fairy tale in French. It's kind of fun. I'm doing the Three Billy Goats Gruff. 

Epic Renovations...and a LOT of Dust

I was away last week. I left the house more or less clean. I knew some things would have changed by the time I returned...

This is the former laundry room - with the machines already removed.

And this is what I returned to. Progress is being made! We want to change out those busy spindle railings for ones that are more suitable to the house, and less ornate. I loved those spindles in our former house, but here, they just don't work.

There are 90 boxes of hardwood sitting in the garage waiting to replace the green carpet. That day will come, but there's a lot more work to do before that day comes. And I can do so little of it, so I have to be patient and wait.

Remember this post? I painted the dark kitchen this blue colour. But I waited to paint the French doors. I needed to be able to leave them open all day so they could dry. Our hottest weather was last week - when I was away. But yesterday was lovely.

Before....

And after. Today, I'm painting more doors. They are all in the basement - bifold closet doors and the door to the new storage room created by Tim. Yep, renovations up and down, all over the place. One positive thing about all this mess is that I don't feel compelled to clean. I tidy things up, and do scrub the bathrooms, but that's about it. No point in vacuuming or dusting. Oh, I might do some on Saturday, once the reno man stops work for the day. We can enjoy a "clean" house on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the basil is flourishing and I picked the first tomatoes yesterday. Just a handful, but oh, so sweet when added to a roasted cauliflower and avocado salad. Summer, I love you!