Saturday 25 April 2020

Away with the fairies

It was a balmy evening crowning a sun-kissed April day. The kind of blissful, life-affirming Spring day on which buds burst into flower with wild abandon.

It isn't hard to believe in flower fairies on such days and indeed I believe they have found shelter in the nooks and crannies of Dove Cottage's garden. They are dutifully staying at home, of course, and keeping their social distance, being responsible citizens of the world of magic and make believe.

I bet they are busy fashioning face masks out of the papery petals of spent Spring flowers.

The sun was dipping slowly but surely below the horizon, the intensity of her rays now veiled by wisps of clouds propelled along by a gentle breeze.




My dress, in a hard to fathom peachy brown colour, was liberally sprinkled with roses in palest pink and fantasy green. A strange combination on paper, it might seem, but quite becoming in real life, helped by the dress's wide V-neck collar and butterfly sleeves.

Accessorized with a pale green necklace and an armful of coordinating bangles and bracelets, I was nevertheless quite jealous of the green turban the lady on my brooch was wearing.

Having nothing of the sort and being hopeless at fashioning one out of one of my green scarves, I opted for a crown of flowers which would turn me into the Queen of the Garden.



Upon spying me from their hidey-holes, those flower fairies must have been green with envy!

My crown was actually one of the hair bands I bought a couple of years ago to decorate a plain Summer hat. See here!

Phoebe is keeping watch over it all from her Little Mermaid rock. Nothing escapes her attention until she's had quite enough and settles on the bench for one of her naps. The Queen of Napping, she is!


It was the Thursday before last and the start of the four-day weekend in my so-called new normal. As a rule, I am starting these extended weekends full of energy and good intentions, both of which tend to peter out as the days progress.



That morning, with the backdoor thrown wide open to let in the fresh Spring air, I continued with the kitchen Spring cleaning, this time tackling the shelves above the vintage cupboard  I cleaned and reorganized earlier this month.

The shelves themselves aren't very much to look at - they're from the Swedish furniture shop - but are stacked full of flea market and charity shop treasures, most of which are purely decorative. 


The top shelf is dedicated to two different sets of vintage ceramic canisters, both in a white and blue colour scheme.

The large ones, with their nautical scenes, are part of a set we bought from a consignment store we regularly visited in the early noughties. They mention their contents in French and also include a couple of smaller ones which are displayed elsewhere, and an oil bottle which is living on the bottom shelf.

The smaller set, mentioning their contents in Flemish, were a gift from my friend Inez. By pure coincidence, we already owned a larger tea canister in the same design. This too you can see on the bottom shelf.


On the middle shelf is the motley crew of tins we've collected over the years. That's to say, those which are in some way kitchen related. There are more in Dove Cottage's other rooms, as you can surely imagine.

I cleared the shelf for cleaning and brought them all outside, giving them a good wipe before more or less returning them to their previous positions.




Clockwise from top left are a toy bucket advertising the famous Belgian chocolate brand Côte d'Or and a biscuit tin decorated with an Easter scene, a 1950s Dutch Brinta porridge tin, three tins which used to contain chocolate paste and syrups, and an alternative view of the colourful porridge tin.


The Smiths crisps tin on the top left was bought from a delightful shop called Utter Clutter in Leominster, Herefordshire while on holiday.  Next to it are two biscuit tins including one for ice cream wafers, from the Dutch Verkade brand. The Tetley tea tin is a family heirloom, in which my Mum used to keep her shop loyalty stamps. Finally, on the bottom left, are various tins which used to contain stock or stock cubes. If I remember correctly, we found the large red OXO tin in a junk shop in Wells, Somerset, during another UK holiday.



The final tins are the odd ones out, as they are not just ordinary tins! They are both from Tala, which is one of Britain's oldest baking and kitchenware brands, originating from Vix's neck of the woods, the Black Country. Both tins still have their full original contents, being pastry cutters and an icing set respectively.


The bottom shelf has a jumble of mostly blue and white things, which has grown organically over the years. The eagle-eyed among you might have already spotted the oil bottle (huile in French) and the thee or tea canister.

On the top right is our very modest collection of T.G. Green pottery, a Cornish Ware bowl and salt shaker and a Blue Domino breakfast set for one, all picked up during our various UK holidays.

The kissing Dutch boy and girl got a good scrub with washing up liquid, but upon putting them back I decided it was best for them to practice some social distancing!



If you are intrigued by the Quick Cooker pudding bowl, here's a bit of history. 

Patented by Grimwades in 1911, an internal funnel allows steam to circulate through the middle of the pudding and cook it from the inside as well as the outside. The cover is grooved to hold string so the cover and bowl can be tied closely together. It has green printed pictures and instructions for use on the lid and inside the bowl, while the inside of the lid is covered with advertising for several of their other products.

Having come across this curiosity in the kitchens of stately homes in the UK, it might come as a surprise that we found ours, which probably dates from the 1950s, at a local flea market in May 2018.




A satisfactory job, all in all, enabling me to look at our accumulated treasures with fresh eyes.

Therefore, I was determined to continue with the job at hand on Friday. Rounding the corner, I dusted the framed ads and coffee grinder hanging on the wall and then proceeded to clean the outside of the huge vintage kitchen cupboard which came with the house. 




At that point I'd had quite enough of cleaning! 

After lunch, we drove down to the supermarket, as Jos hadn't been able to find a couple of things during his weekly shop on Thursday. Jos waited in the car while I dashed around the shop, finding most of the things we needed as well as some self-care products for me. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent reading and doing a blog catch up.



The skirt had been among my last Think Twice sales purchases back in February. As it's quite thin and unlined, it had been put aside for Spring, although I surely couldn't have imagined the circumstances we would be in when it finally got its first wear!

With a multitude of colours to choose from, I opted for a short-sleeved red blouse printed with a scattering of white flowers. From the Belgian Wow To Go label, it was a charity shop find, as were  the turquoise belt and the turquoise and navy beaded necklace.

The brooch was a flea market find, bought from the Brooch Lady back in 2016.



The final days of that weekend proceeded at a much slower pace. But although I didn't do very much at all, I did dress up as usual, and I'm sure I watered the plants!

But that, and more, will be for my next post!

In the meantime, do stay safe and sane, my lovelies!



36 comments:

  1. You have soooo amazing kitchen stuff 😍 Chicorée? realy? in a box?
    I love you dress up Ann, except in these difficult time. Thumbs up I love your colourful styles.
    Have a great weekend Tina

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    1. The chicoree is a coffee substitute made from dried chicory roots, which people used to add to real coffee to make it last. Which is why it was being kept in a canister like coffee or tea. xxx

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  2. I have serious pudding basin envy! Have you ever made use of it to steam a pudding?

    Not only have you made the flower farries jealous, you have me as well with that beautiful dress.
    Hope the weekend treats you well.

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    1. Thank you Goody! I have never been tempted to try and use the pudding basin, I'd be far too nervous to damage it! xxx

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  3. Hello Ann. Thankyou for showing us your beautiful collections. I love, love looking at vintage kitchenalia, as I've probably mentioned before. Your blue and white items are gorgeous. Their perfect colouring makes them so versatile, great for showcasing other colourful tins or kitchenalia beside them. That pudding bowl is exquisite. Have you used it?

    Love your big cupboard. I think nearly everyone had one of those in their childhood homes. I did, still have it actually, stored in our shed. Every time I see it I can't help but stroke it. Just its cream colour with pale green doors instantly transports me back to the age of 10.

    I have no doubt the fairies in your garden wait patiently every morning to see the splendor of your outfits. And I must add, you never disappoint!

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    1. You're welcome, Suzy! We have not used the pudding bowl, as it is quite precious. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if it got damaged. We'll never ever get rid of that big kitchen cupboard! xxx

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  4. That first dress is so beautiful and I like how you accessorised with the bracelets! it's interesting to see how many pretty kitchen decorations you have, it's great you are able to take this time to take care of them and keep things organised. I'm afraid there is not a lot of cleanign or organising going on here, other than my usual tidy and sanitising of the kitchen each night and my daily floor sweeping. Thankfully the kids keep their playroom tidy (although sometimes they need some helpful encouragement to do so, being only 4 and 5, haha!).

    I guess with it being a new house it doesn't need much in the way of a deep clean, but I am thinking it would be nice to reorganise some cupboards. The kids keep us pretty busy though, ha!

    Hope that you are having a lovely weekend :)

    Away From Blue

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    1. Thank you Mica! I haven't got very far with the cleaning yet, I'm afraid. I'm taking the opportunity to reorganize things a little bit, but that's what's taking the most time. I thought I'd be finished with the kitchen by now but I'm not even half way! xxx

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  5. I love seeing you as Queen of the garden, Ann! That dress is gorgeous and I love your crown! I also love seeing the Queen of napping! That black floral skirt is so gorgeous. It reminds me of a Japanese print. Lovely! Hope you're having a relaxing weekend, Ann. Take care! XXX

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    1. Thank you Sasha! I guess you're right about that skirt's print having a Japanese vibe! xxx

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  6. we designers call this pastell hue between brown and pink "rosewood".... the dress is gorgeous and you look like the spring on legs with the flower crown!
    :-D
    your shelves of many souvenirs are shining with freshness, as does the huge cupboard - which i find a very practical yet aesthetic piece of furniture.....
    i use to wear a massive underskirt under my thin/un-lined skirts if the weather is not tropical :-D
    happy sunday! xxxxxx

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    1. Thank you Beate! That's exactly the term I was looking for. Rosewood! That huge cupboard is indeed most practical, and will never get replaced by anything "modern". It holds all our equipment and much more! xxx

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  7. You really are the Queen of the Garden, dear Ann. What a dreamy, enchantingly beautiful look - coupled with an equally lovely (and fabulously creative) take on how the dear faerie folk may be handling this challenging chapter in our collective history. Reading what you wrote on that subject brought a mile-wide smile to my face and I sincerely thank you for that.

    Immense hugs & joyful weekend wishes,
    Autumn Zenith 🎃 Witchcrafted Life

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    1. Thank you Autumn, and I'm so glad to have made you smile! xxx

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  8. You had me chuckling at the flower fairies in petal facemasks and the Dutch boy and girl socially distancing!! I enjoyed seeing your kitchen shelves, such lovely collections. Thanks for the humour and colour - a cheerful read! Xx

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    1. Flower petal facemasks must be the loveliest ever, but perhaps not very effective! xxx

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  9. You lok so pretty with your rosy dress and flower crown, just like a flower fairy (without the petal mask!)
    Your collection of kitchenalia is astounding, I can't resist a vintage tin and I love blue and white pottery en masse, its so cheery and reminds me of my Grandma's dresser loaded down with her Victorian Willow Pattern colelction.
    That second outfit is so colourful, the print on the skirt is wonderul.
    Phoebe looks magnificent on her throne! xxx

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    1. Thank you Vix. We both love a bit of kitchenalia, so our collection keeps on growing, even if we're running out of space! xxx

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  10. Your dress must surely be fairy-approved, as is your garden, Ann! I love that browny-pink shade - it looks awesome on you - and I LOVE the flowers in your hair! Having grown out a very short cut a few years ago, I have oodles of empathy for your hair!

    Phoebe is queen of the garden, for sure - keeping any fairies in line, I'll bet.

    Your kitchen goodies are so fun to look at - I love the look of all that stuff, but hate the dusting (I'm mostly avoiding doing that in my house, ha ha). Good for you!

    Love that new-to-you skirt! The fan shapes are so interesting, and I'm sure this will lend itself to many blouse combos. I love that blue leather (?) belt - solid colour and shape.

    I hope you had a wonderful weekend, my dear! Hugs to you, and forced snuggles (hee) for Phoebe! Hi to Jos!

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    1. Thank you Sheila! My short haircut is a bit of a curse right now, but I've been trying to be creative with scarves and hair bands ... Watch this space! I'm not the biggest fan of dusting either, so some things only get down once in a while! xxx

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  11. You were def a Brittish lady in a previous life! What a treasures you have in your home. Love the distaning of the two Dutch figures. Your outfits are fabulous as always. The accessories make me greedy!

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    1. I think I must have been, Nancy! Thank you! xxx

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  12. I do love that peachy dress with brown touches on you. The green floral print is absolutely fabulous and so are the green accessories. That necklace is lovely and I do like the brooch. A darling styling!

    You have a fine collection of pottery. I imagine it must be satisfying to go over your treasures. Great job on the Spring cleaning.

    The second outfit is beautiful as well. I love the combination of a red printed blouse worn with that gorgeous printed skirt. You look fabulous. I wish you a fab week ahead.

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    1. Thank you Ivana! The Spring cleaning is a slow process, though, still haven't done half the kitchen! xxx

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  13. I’d call it coral. Or at least thats how it looks in the photos - it’s very pretty.

    I love the skirt! and the top for that matter, they go so well together.

    We should all wear flowers in our hair, I was going to say ‘a lot more’, but for me it should be “I should wear flowers in my hair’. What a lovely way to welcome spring!

    xx

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    1. I was thinking of coral at first, but I thought it was too brownish to be coral. Someone suggested rosewood ... There's something very feminine as well as exotic about flowers in one's hair! xxx

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  14. Dove cottage garden sounds quite magical and you could be the fairy queen with your flower crown!
    I love all the kitchenalia and it positively sparkles after your spring clean.
    The last skirt is almost rainbows, I love it, such a positive image to finish on. Take care and stay well- both you and Jos. xxx

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    1. Thank you Sally! Still way off having everything sparkling, though. We've got so much stuff it is a very slow process! xxx

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  15. Looking so fabulous crowned with flowers and dressed in those fab pinky shades and greens!, love to see you blooming and smiling in the sunshine! and love the lady's green turban too!
    I have a weakness for tin boxes and white and blue crockery so I'm in love with your collection!. So many delightful pieces. And love the Quick Cooker Bowl, so cute and also really practical.
    And obviously, I love your colorful skirt and how brilliantly you've styled it!. Love its fabulous print and love that it provides 'a multitude of colours to choose from'. Your red shirt is so cute and those accessories are so delightfully matchy!
    besos



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    1. Thank you Monica! Must try to stay positive and keep smiling, mustn't we? Our kitchen must be my favourite room with all the treasures collected over the years. xxx

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  16. Ahh, two glorious outfits (and I love the flower crown!) Glad you decided to wear your Think Twice purchase!
    Your houseware is utterly beautiful and looks all the better for its airing!

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    1. Thank you Kezzie! I do love my kitchenalia, and now I've got the time to really appreciate it! www

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  17. All hail the queen of the garden!

    I love your collections of tins and other paraphernalia - it's like a little window in time.

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