"This picnic I see
By the river, at night...
...I long to sit there,
Sip tea from delicate porcelain"
From the book Gothic Fall by Suzanne Gildert
It is a lovely warm day as I write. The windows are thrown open to the fresh summer breeze and the wind chimes are tinkling away, making the rooms seem alive with movement and sound. I'm burning a favorite oil in my burner - Apple and Elder-flower from M&S, which makes my home smell like a summer meadow. I'm relaxing in my study, sipping tea from a delicate china tea-cup, painted with pink roses - a recent gift from my mother when we were in Whitby last week.
There is something about this early summer season that makes me think of tea-parties out on the lawns of big stately homes and in the gardens of cosy sea-side cottages. Ever since reading the novel Entwined I imagine that tea-sets just might be enchanted - you never know! I love my new tea-cup; it's so pretty and tea always tastes better from real china. It is one of those everyday luxuries that makes life elegant.
Since the At Home photo-shoot I did with Spirit&Destiny magazine I've been feeling a little out of sorts with my home. I enjoyed sharing my space with readers and letting you get to know me a bit better and it was fun to see the final pictorial spread in the May issue, but now I feel that I want to makes a few changes to my space. These won't be big changes, as I love the magical environment that I have created, so I won't be changing the furniture, but I do feel that I need just a few things that haven't appeared in a magazine - some little treasures that are just for me, that no-one else has ever seen in my house.
It's a strange consequence of the shoot that I had half anticipated - the feeling of exposure and of having nothing personal and private left for myself. My four-poster bed wasn't featured in the shoot because I felt it should remain a private space and I know that this will have disappointed some readers but now I'm glad that I stuck to my guns on that one. Of course, it's always nice to see around someone's home and it's lovely that you have all seen my magical space, I just need to buy a few new bits and pieces to make it feel like a private retreat once more.
So I've done some shopping over the last few weeks and I have new curtains and blinds ready to go up; new bedding to go on and some fabulous Waterhouse cushions in the bedroom and study. These cushions are very beautiful as the images seem to glow in sunshine and lamplight. I still can't believe my luck in stumbling across them.
I've also bought a couple of fine art pictures and sparkling chandeliers to freshen up the place and give it a new lift. Everything I've purchased is soft and romantic, pastel and feminine. I'm on the look-out for a pretty glass tiered cake-stand which I want to fill with beautiful sea-shells and crystals to use as a new table centerpiece. I'd also like a vintage style birdcage designed to hold tea-lights.
As the prospect of a bank holiday weekend seems to bring out the nesting instinct in all of us, I plan to potter around my little house, putting out the new items I've bought and making sure each room has something new - some new treasure that it just perfect.
I will of course, be sipping tea from delicate china throughout.
No comments:
Post a Comment