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Reading, Gutters, & Falling Leaves

October 1, 2019 at 10:19 am by Claudia

Every autumn, after most of the wildflowers on the property have already bloomed, these pale lavender beauties come along. I’m not sure exactly what they are, but they look like an aster. I have to remind myself not to yank them before they bloom. The plant itself just looks like an unattractive weed. But from weeds, beauty often follows.

We had our first cup of coffee this morning and then headed out (I was still in my pajamas) to clean the gutters, as we’re due for rain. It’s a messy job, but it must be done. After we finished, I raked a bunch of leaves in piles. I’m going to put them on the tarp later today. Then we came in, treated ourselves to our second cup of coffee and looked at the weather forecast.

It had changed. No rain today.

Oh well, we got it done and won’t have to do it again for another week.

I can’t believe how fast the leaves are changing and how many have already fallen. It seems early this year, but maybe I’m wrong. Many of the trees surrounding the house have turned color and are dropping leaves constantly. The one holdout is the catalpa, but as soon as we get a frost, all the leaves will fall to the ground en masse.

I finished Birdman  by Mo Hayder. Excellent. A real thriller, but gory, which I don’t mind. But if you do, you might want to pass. I’ve ordered the next two in that series from my local library system. I’m now reading Down to the Woods  by M. J. Arlidge. I’ve read all of his books and this is the newest. The plots center around a police inspector in Southampton, England by the name of Helen Grace. I’m also reading Paris to the Moon  at the same time. Fiction and nonfiction, which makes for a nice balance.

It was a gray day yesterday. Another gray day today. I’d like to see some sun, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.

Happy October.

Happy Tuesday.

 

Filed Under: autumn, books, reading 29 Comments

What Are You Reading?

September 27, 2019 at 10:00 am by Claudia

We had a lot of rain yesterday, leaving a lot more leaves on the ground. I guess it’s time to haul out the rakes. Not my favorite thing to do, but as the Brits say, needs must!

Things have been low-key around here. Nothing exciting to report to you, just the gentle rhythm of our days. Yesterday’s rain – a quiet rain – made me happy. It gave me an excuse to sit around in cottagey rooms lit by our small vintage lamps, books at the ready, the sound of Don’s guitar in the background. All in all, a lovely day.

Today, after heavy morning fog, the day is sunny. After paying the bills and dropping them off at the post office, I think I’ll do some raking along with some general cleaning inside the house.

Along with Paris to the Moon, I’m reading another book that’s been on my shelf for several years. I bought it way back when I first visited The Mysterious Bookshop in NYC – Birdman  by Mo Hayder. It’s the first in her Jack Caffery series, which are police procedurals set in London. She’s since written 6 more books centering around Caffery. I love finding a new series, don’t you?

I also have M. J. Arlidge’s newest, Down the Woods, on tap. And, for those of you who read her books, don’t forget that Deborah Crombie’s newest, A Bitter Feast, will be coming out on October 8th.

Having said all that, this seems like the perfect time to ask my favorite question: What are you reading?

Please share.

Happy Friday.

 

 

Filed Under: autumn, books, bookshops, reading 59 Comments

Morning Glories

September 26, 2019 at 11:16 am by Claudia

There are six morning glories blooming today. Not bad considering I thought we might have none!

The morning glories that are closest to the side door have interesting slashes of a reddish-purple. Hmmmm.

There are four blooms in the chicken wire fence garden and two in the memorial garden.

A lovely sight to see first thing this morning.

I thought I’d take a picture of the blooms in contrast to the clear signs of autumn all around them. I always plant them from seed during the first week of May and this is how long it takes for them to finally bloom. In the above photo, you can also see that there aren’t nearly the amount of morning glory leaves as there usually are. They were eaten by deer.

Nevertheless, this hardy morning glory thumbed its nose at the deer and produced beautiful flowers. So there!

We due to get rain this afternoon, which is a good thing. We need it. It’s been very dry around here lately.

We’re watching Luther  on Amazon Prime. It stars Idris Elba (I have a crush) and is a fantastic British series. I’ve seen all the episodes before (must have been when Don and I were apart because of work) and I’ve been trying to talk him into watching it for years. It finally took. The timing ends up being perfect because I don’t remember all that much of it, so it’s like new. Excellent series. It used to be on Netflix, now it’s on Amazon.

And I’m reading Paris to the Moon  by Adam Gopnick, who writes for the New Yorker. It’s all about the time he and his wife and son moved to Paris for 5 years, from 1995 -2000. I’m really enjoying it. This is yet another example of Instagram, specifically the hashtag #Bookstagram, exposing me to books I wouldn’t know of otherwise. I’ve seen this book mentioned more than once lately, even though it was published almost 20 years ago in 2000. I finally bit the bullet and bought it.

My favorite city, you know.

Happy Thursday.

Filed Under: books, flowers, garden 20 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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