expectation

Soon by notraces, holds such texture and beauty in the suggestion of spring.

Winter Flowers from You Grow Girl is about bringing spring inside.

A Book Cover project from Moonstitches, which I would like to make to transport my paperback read. Cherry blossom branches are beautifully captured by Moonstitches.

And a warming dish from simply photo yesterday, acorn love squash recipe, lovely images.

roasted acorn squash from the kitchen diaries via simply photo

set oven to 350 degrees.
cut acorn squash in half and scoop out pulp and seeds.
lay squash cut side up on baking sheet {i put it on top of aluminum foil too}. put a small slice of butter in the center of each squash, together with a little olive oil, a couple of thyme leaves, salt, and plenty of ground pepper. roast for an hour. check occasionally, you want them to be tender when you pierce it with a knife. if you like them sweet, you can add a little maple syrup and cinnamon.

stories & spring

Enjoying reading A Winter Book by Tove Jansson, beautiful description to get lost within. It is a nice contrast to be reading about elements of the winter while watching out for new signs of spring every day. The days are becoming lighter and the willow tree in the garden is magically covered in pussy willow. When the sun shines with a blue sky behind the tree looks as if every branch holds a reflecting raindrop.
















Ornate branches of Japonica, a few weeks ago.


















Arabia Finland Moomin mugs, I have Finland on my mind.

Ginger Tea with Lemon and Honey, looks like a useful tonic, fend off my tickly throat. From eat drink one woman.

ginger tea with lemon and honey

1. Thinly slice a 2x3 inch piece of ginger lengthwise. Or, if you like your tea extra spicy and warming, add more. I like a good 2x5 inch piece to really heat up my esophagus.

2. Add to a pot with 2 cups of cold spring water. Bring your pot up to a boil, then simmer.

3. Meanwhile, extract the pulp wedges from half a lemon by cutting into the lemon half in a circle with a paring knife, then cutting along the membrane in each section, the way you would with a grapefruit. De-pip (pip pip!) your pulp and place it into your teapot, thermos, or extra large mug. Squeeze in the remaining juice from the lemon half.

4. Add a generous tablespoon (or more) of your favorite honey to the lemon, preferably local honey.

5. Strain the ginger tea into your lemon pulp honey mixture. Serve hot to sickies and healthies.

finnish folktale

A small adventure to Finland lies ahead in the spring. I have always wanted to visit Finland to see Moomin artworks by the late Tove Jansson. I have loved the Moomin's all my life! We will go to Tampere first and then Helsinki.

I am now searching out more Finnish wonders to look for on my trip. I have found two sources of Finnish design fabric, other than the famous marimekko. Hau Hauz's, beautiful hand screen printed linen creations, featured by Design*Sponge earlier this month. Beautiful handbags.


















Silmu & Pioni


















Rosebud & Kalevala


I will be looking out for anything by Ivana Helsinki, I especially like the Campings collection.


















Dead Butterflies


















Campings

Finnish Coffee Bread, takes time to make but looks superb.

sleep

Wonderful, Yawn by Catalina Pimentel, perfectly sums up how I feel today. Post pancakes I am still determined to keep up this blogging business, but too tired today to add a lengthy post. This is how I hope to be soon! Beautiful photographs.

A Pancake recipe for the analytical, needed this earlier and a whisk.

paper lux

Today I found The Goddess Guide by Giselle Scanlon, stacked up with the hardback cookery books. Intriguing, perhaps someone was thinking Nigella? Misplaced I feel, this crosses subjects, visually and inspirationally. I was reeled in by the beautifully patterned and flocked jacket, this little book is like delving into the best scrapbook for girls on life, I want one!

Amazon says 'As sumptuous and approachable as a glossy magazine, this gorgeous style-bible is both fixer and facilitator - destined to be your new best friend, personal, trend-setting concierge and ultimate Goddess Guide.' Chapters have embroidered titles by Hand and Lock, so many hand-made touches, inspired photography and travel writing.

Rose Scented Madelelaines from the vintage wonder that is Brocante Home, discovered in my knitting search yesterday.

knit one

Spring cleaning has begun and I am finding many unfinished projects, fallen by the wayside. These photographs are from my neglected knitting. I love to knit but haven't made time for any this year. The balls of wool are from Norway and the chunky purple wool is from Iceland. I like to buy wool and needles on holiday, making fine souvenirs and great to see how craft shops vary in different places. I have a few scarves on the go, all needing attention.

Thinking about knitting today, I remembered an inspiring lecture day on knitting I went to with my Mum at the V&A Museum. From looking today I've found the website contains great knitting resources. Information on Regional Knitting in the British Isles & Ireland. Even 1940s Patterns to Knit and so many links.

This sounds good, I Knit London shop, not heard of this before. A visit to Loop is long over due. Last time I bought a ball of Be Sweet Boucle Mohair, so soft and made a gorgeous little cream scarf.

Lovely blogs suggested by the V&A are Vintage Knitting and My Fashionable Life. Last year I found Knitting Iris, full of textiles, along with these beauties.

Parisian Macaroons

midnight ocean

The beautiful start and close of the new season mini-catalogue at Habitat. Wonderful photography, colours and inspired room and outdoor settings. More than anything it makes me wish I was on holiday at the seaside.

Power Waffles with Yogurt, Bananas & Almonds, if only I had a waffle iron! What a long week, good night.

sunshine hit me

Tim Groen's fantastic retro collages, illustration and this great typographic piece.

Mango with lime syrup & toasted coconut

st. valentines

A vintage postcard & meringue ice-cream sandwiches.

cheer

I discovered these today after spotting a cushion design in a photographer's portfolio. I found the very pretty website for Clare Nicolson and her lovely work. Very cheering for a wet Monday in the city, a blank sky today and lashings of rain.

This sounds colourful, Beetroot Pasta Salad with Orange dressing from Abel & Cole. I once made tomato & beetroot pasta for tea, cooked-up the whole dish made an amazing magenta colour.

cuppa

Set by *n*o*o*r*, a beautiful timeless image.












Hot Cocoa mug by White Forest Pottery.


















Some Like It Hot by Chronicle Books.

Affogato recipe by Williams-Sonoma. Inspiration for the next cosy weekend at home.

how to rest

How to ... rest
Guy Browning
Saturday February 10, 2007
The Guardian

Napping is a beautiful thing. There's something about getting into bed during the day that is profoundly sinful and heavenly at the same time. Some people are a bit embarrassed about this and try to pretend they're having "power naps". Under the iron duvet, presumably.

When most people did manual labour, resting was all about putting your feet up. If you work at a computer all day, resting means putting your feet down, normally on a treadmill at the gym. Ideally, everyone should have a nap after lunch. However, this can be difficult if you have lunch at your desk, unless you have an extremely large and soft desk.

When there are a lot of demands on you, it's very hard to rest. The trick is to weave another task into your day that looks like a job but is, in fact, rest. At home, this could be "dusting", in the office "budgeting", or at school "media studies".

Having a 10-minute rest allows you to catch your breath. A day's rest allows you to catch up with your shopping. But a month's rest allows you to catch up with your life. To do this, simply find a volunteer to work twice as hard for that month.

Instead of resting, we often go on holiday. These "holidays" generally pack in more than ordinary days, so we often need to rest when we get back. That's why people at work who have just come back from holiday move incredibly slowly and can't talk.

Teenagers have a special type of resting called festering. This uses the duvet as a kind of hormonal oven to produce deep-fried feelings of alienation that can then be consumed for the rest of the day instead of vegetables.

Actors who are out of work are said to be resting. In fact, actors work harder when they're resting than when they're working, which is quite literally playing. Retirement from work is always tricky because you're forced to rest. This can be as soul-destroying as forced labour. It also increases to catastrophic levels your consumption of tea and biscuits.

They say that a change is as good as a rest, but if you follow the logic, it also means that a rest is as good as a change. So why not forget about changing and just have a little rest instead?

rest

Leaves and berries taken in November sun last year. I like the brightness of the day captured, the gloss of the leaves.

Now when I look at this image it reminds me of the IKEA Stockholm easy chair in blad fabric, the linear leaf design. I wish I had room. This fabric is designed by Maria Åström.





























Lazy as can be today, it's been a long week, feeling under the weather and under pressure. Too long spent on the web, the flat is a mess and so much unfinished, but I am glad to be at rest. Perhaps an afternoon bath, just because it is so good not too rush. Luxury time to day dream.

To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle, every cubic inch of space is a miracle. Walt Whitman

A heavenly Chocolate Raspberry Tart. A good read and has reminded me of our visit to Avoca cafe in Dublin, where delicious monumental scones, jam and clotted cream were demolished.

coastal textures

Textures of the sea shore from a wonderful sun drenched walk at the weekend. Today in complete contrast it snowed again, wetter than the recent snow, but still a good covering and a magical sight to wake up to.

Ultimate Hot Chocolate, the perfect drink for tonight. A treat to go with all the lovely recipes being shared this week.

What has happened to Petra Borner's blog, seems to have disappreared from blogger? I wonder why, I shall miss reading it.

london paper

Hunter S. Thompson is a mystery to me but I was amazed by this image in the london paper tonight. The mood, the light, the sense of nature, the romance of Big Sur under the Californian sun. This photograph appears with more of Thompson's work at the Michael Hoppen Gallery.

Thank you little birds, your granola sounds amazing. I'm looking forward to making it. I added chopped hazelnut to my oat topped pear and apple crumble yesterday, and extra toasted today, each piece is a treat.

shepherd's purse

shepherd's purse
growing as high
as my hip pocket

another from A Dictionary of Haiku

Here is the Suomi Celebration range of tableware by Rosenthal, decorated by the wonderful trio Atelier LZC from February 2006. The grey and gilt design is the humble shepherd's purse plant, some consider this a weed but I love the heart-shaped seed pods.

I saw this range in a magazine last year and I have been looking for it ever since. A little research shows the Suomi range was created by the Finnish designer Timo Sarpaneva, winning a design medal in 1976 and to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the iconic design, Suomi Celebration was created. Good to read the history, especially about the year of my birth.














































A fine breakfast smoothie from innocent, yoghurt, oats, raspberries & blueberries

japonica

moonlight
among blossoming trees
a white parasol

from A Dictionary of Haiku

reclaimed beauty

Discovered this glass panel, in an old door at a reclaimation yard at the weekend, another bird facing, appears in the opposite panel. Beautiful to admire so closely.

Cinnamon Toast Recipe

anticipation

I am looking forward to the Spring blooming and leaves bursting so much. I saw the first tiny unfurling bright green leaves of this year early today, a couple of daffodils and clumps of crocuses, upright with spear-like coloured buds. Glad, so glad it is the weekend - time and day light to replant my window boxes and be outside.

Tuna, Fennel, Avocado & Tangerine Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette, ready for al fresco lunches.