Days Off Amongst the Tulips

I love time off work at Easter, it always feels like a proper break.  This year I was able to spend most of my days outdoors.  I weeded all the paths (there are a lot!), and all the beds, and generally had a lovely time, mainly amongst the tulips.

These ones are at the very end of my garden, past the greenhouse and are mainly ones that have appeared by themselves.

These however, are ones that I've planted over the years:

Doll's Minuet

Charming Lady

Various Parrot types

Can't remember what this one is

Black Parrot

The greenhouse is full to bursting, but everything will need to stay in there for a while longer as we have some frosty nights forecast.

And the paths are mainly weed free, so I can sit and have a cuppa whenever I want to.

 I'm hoping for many more sunny days to sit and enjoy the garden :-)

Sunshine and Fireplaces

What a difference a day makes!  All of the Easter weekend it was either cold, raining or both, and then today the sun came out and the sky was blue nearly all day.  I know we needed the rain, and I'm really grateful we had it, but being stuck indoors for all of the holiday weekend didn't help my mood.  I'm at my happiest when I'm in my garden, in fact if I had my time again I think I'd go for a career in horticulture, but today I made up for it and spent most of the day out there.

Amelanchier Blossom

But it wasn't all bad being stuck indoors as I managed to catch up on 3 episodes of Sex and Sensibility (not what it sounds honestly!).  I've always loved Art Nouveau and the Arts and Crafts Movement and found the 2nd episode about Liberty's, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his very talented wife Margaret MacDonald totally fascinating. 

My house was built in 1905, and I'm fortunate to still have three of the original four fireplaces.  I've always loved them but I'm now looking at them in a different light, my own little bits of Art Nouveau. 

This one's in my dining room and has the original tiles too.  Sadly it's missing the bar thing at the front of the grate.  When I moved in it was painted in cream gloss paint and I was so excited when, several tins of nitromors later, its original glory was revealed!

This one's in my bedroom, and has a repeated, quite simple, stylised flower pattern on.

But this one is my favourite, even though it too is missing the bar thing.  It's really ornate, even the back of the hearth has the same pattern on.

I think I really must investigate getting the first two repaired, but I must find out what the "bar thing" is really called first - google here I come.

(If you didn't see Sex and Sensibility, all 3 episodes are still available on iplayer until 19th April)