LIFE...

LIFE isn't about waiting

for the storm to pass, 

it is about learning to 

Dance in the RAIN

(Author unknown)


How true that is.....

A bientôt!

Isabelle X

Slugs, Snails and Rain

Firstly, I wish to begin by thanking you all for your birthday wishes and lovely, lovely comments! You really know how to make a 44 year old girl feel good! It is a wonder my head could get through my workroom door after reading all those kind words ;-)) Joking apart, I was very touched by all your lovely comments! Thank you. xxx

As mentioned in my previous post, we had a lot of things going on at the weekend, so we didn't really have time to celebrate my birthday. Alan has said we'll celebrate this Saturday instead, I look forward to that!

Over the past few days, the sunny weather has changed to rain. Although having sunny weather is nicer, I am glad to have some rain as it freshens up nature again. This morning I took a walk around the front garden in between the rain showers and I noticed how well the apple tree is doing. It looks like we'll be in for a good crop this year.



With the rain come the slugs and snails....
We get an abundance of them if left to roam freely in the garden. It is frustrating when they eat your newly planted flowers! However, I don't like killing them... and I don't like pesticides etc either... I am a 100% organic gardener. So this is one of the things I do:

I lure them into a pot with a piece of fruit of other left over food and come back later to find several of them eating away in the pot.




As well as doing that, I search for them on the lawn, path and plants. I pick them up (with gloves! Not keen on the slime) and put them in a pot. Then I take them to a new home, at the bottom of the field nearby. Over a period of time, the numbers of slugs and snails in our garden go down. It needs to be done regularly and the best time to catch as many as possible is early morning and at dusk but I am not always free then so today I did it mid morning.




As I made my way to the end of the field, the steam train went by much to my delight. Even though I am used to seeing it go past my house every weekend and on Wednesdays it still feels me with joy when I see it. I love the smell of coal in the air after it has gone by.

Larry usually follows me when I go for a walk in the field. He was waiting for his sister to get closer so that he could pounce on her! Lilly spotted what he had in mind and ran back towards the house much to Larry's disappointment.

The good weather is set to come back towards the end of the week!

A bientôt!

Isabelle X

Do pets and a vintage home mix?

I recently bought this pretty little vintage rug. Last night I thought "awwh".. when Lilly settle on it and happily lay there on her back with her four paws in the air.

However, today...Larry had different ideas...














"Well what's wrong, why are you looking at me like that, can't I have a bit of fun?"


" I know that look.... I'm off.."


"Why did she have to do that? I was having so much fun"

I love my cats and wouldn't be without them. I also really like vintage things, having a nicely decorated, clean and tidy house BUT with 2 cats and a child it's not easy having it all as you picture it in your head.

Take the windowsills and the white painted floor boards for instance, when it rains, it means constant cleaning as they come in with muddy paw prints. (I knew all that when I decided to paint everything off white)


Even though we have an absorbent door mat in the kitchen (where the cat flap is), it's amazing how much mud/water they still bring in!

We live in the countryside, our road is a single track lane used by tractors quite a lot which results in this when it rains...





You can imagine the state of the paws when the cats come back in. To add to this, Lilly has a bit of a droopy tummy so it also comes back wet and muddy...

The other issue I have about having cats is furniture scratching! ;-((
Our sofa is about to be replaced and I do not want this sight for the next sofa!


I have put some citronella essential oil in the areas where they like to have a good claw sharpening session but that hasn't worked! Cats are supposed to dislike that smell and it should have put them off but it hasn't. I would love to hear from any of you if you have found a successful solution to this problem.

I know that a lot of people would say that if you have pets and children you should furnish and decorate with them in mind. I'm not inclined that way...I would rather do that extra bit of cleaning/work and have the furniture & decor that I like.

The mop is on stand by as it is pouring down with rain again today! I forgot to mention that the cats are not put off by the rain. Amazingly, they don't mind it!...This means that they go in and out several times throughout the day (I keep them in at night) instead of staying in the dry and warm house like sensible cats would....

Despite all that extra work I wouldn't be without them!

I hope that you all have a good Easter weekend!

A bientôt!

Isabelle X

Dodging the showers

Today has been a bit of a mixed day weather wise. Sudden heavy rainfalls then sunshine again. Phoebe and I went out for a walk and bike ride close to the house. I put three loads of washing out but got caught out on the third lot, heavy downpour!


This field is in front of our house. Phoebe frequently runs out there when she hears the sound of the steam train approaching.


Here it is ... We often go a lot closer to the track at the bottom of the field and see the people in the carriages waving.


I LOVE having a steam train pass so close to the house. I love the sound and smell of the coal that stays in the air for a while after passing by. Nostalgia on my doorstep! Even though it goes by every weekend and in the summer every day, I never take it for granted. I appreciate it's sound and love watching it go by. I imagine that it is a scene that could easily have looked identical had I been there in the 1930's.


After having watched the train go by, Phoebe and I headed for the lane which runs parallel to the field.


We headed down the lane towards the railway bridge, where Phoebe likes to have a shout to hear the echo. She calls is echo bridge, has done since she was a toddler.


I love the cow parsley adorning the banks of country lanes


After a short walk and cycle down, we turned around and made our way back towards the house again.




Almost home


Phoebe cycling back up the lane


This beautiful embroidered picture arrived in the post today. I bought it on Ebay recently. I love the colours and detail and the fact that it is a thatched cottage scene.

I wish you all a very good weekend.

A bientôt!

Isabelle x