Mockingbird Hill Cottage — Mockingbird Hill Cottage

The Pinkening

September 2, 2026 at 9:36 am by Claudia

The world is too much with us. Don and I are desperately trying to stay away from the news. Each new atrocity breaks our hearts and the sadness is overwhelming. Every night, we have to re-commit to staying far away from “news poisoning” as I have named it.

So, let’s look at something pretty.

Oh, the beautiful “pinkening” had begun! Limelight hydrangeas are magical; already beautiful, they somehow manage to become even more beautiful as summer fades away. I am so glad I planted this bush. It’s absolutely huge now!

Two words/phrases coined by yours truly in this post: “news poisoning” and “pinkening.”

Very busy.

And not at all wary of the large human with a camera.

I finished The Miniaturist this morning. What a wonderful novel. Now, I have to walk around the house and find something I haven’t read yet – a book I actually want to read. I have 3 books on hold at the library but there are long queues for all of them, so I’m not expecting them soon.

What else? I’m working on the bed for the Beacon Hill. I’m going with the larger wooden bed. I asked about it on my IG feed and the vote was unanimous: the wooden bed. And I’m quickly warming up to the idea.

We have more rain coming later today – most likely, thunderstorms. It’s actually rather dark this morning.

Okay, my friends. More on Friday.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Monday Morning: Fall is on the Way

August 31, 2026 at 9:10 am by Claudia

Monday morning, which is just like any other morning nowadays. We have fairly regular conversations starting with “What day is this??” or “I was sure it was Friday, but it’s only Wednesday!”

The light is changing. It doesn’t get light as early as it did even a week ago. There are orangish leaves on the ground. You can feel the seasonal change in the air. The limelight hydrangeas are just beginning to show a little pink. The garden has been so gorgeous this year and I’m not quite ready to give it up, yet I’m looking forward to fall. The Rose of Sharons are spectacular this year and every morning I walk to the kitchen door to see the new blossoms. Heavens, I love them. The coneflowers are fading. It’s fascinating to observe.

I don’t buy new clothes for the girls very often, but I just received two new additions to the group wardrobe.

My friend, Gwen, had a sale of lots of clothing she didn’t need and I got this outfit (it had never been worn) by a designer called DiddyDollyDelights. I pictured Ruby in it as soon as I saw it. Isn’t it darling?

I also bought a dress by Simon Yuen, who lives in China/Hong Kong. He designs these beautifully elaborate ensembles – unlike any I’ve ever seen. I’ve been admiring them for years. So I finally bit the bullet and purchased this one – which I immediately pictured on Miyoshi.

GORGEOUS.

The tiny little buttons and incredible details blow me away. There are also gloves, but I couldn’t quite deal with them when I was about to take this picture.

I was just going to dress her, take the picture, and then change her back into the outfit she had been wearing – but she looks so beautiful that I can’t quite do that yet.

Okay – the dollhouse: I’m wrestling with what bed to use. I have the wrought iron bed, of course, but I’ve used wrought iron beds in three of my dollhouses. I built this bed from a House of Miniatures kit. It’s larger than the other bed, which initially put me off. But now, I’m reconsidering. I posted both beds on IG and the vote was for the wooden bed. What do you think? I can always use the wrought iron bed in another project.

Okay.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.