A Whiff of Sunshine

I was walking home from the subway, and up the winding stairs through my gardens...granted, my gardens are technically owned by the New York Parks system, but let us not split hairs...I was feeling rather gloomy: it was cold and rainy and it had been a really long day. Even my red rubber boots failed to cheer me up. All of a sudden, I caught a whiff of one of my favorites scents. The lavender, which has been dry and scentless all winter, was sending its delicate odour my way. I love to walk by in the summer and drag my hand over the plants, then rub my neck so that I can smell it all the way home. It is so refreshing, and it reminds me of summers spent in my grandmother's apartment, where she had homemade sachets of dried lavender in the dressers and wardrobes. (Lest this give the Reader the impression that my grandmother was a "granny" type, living in an old musty flat with calico everywhere, I will tell you that my other favorite scent is Narcisse Noir, a fragrance from Paris from the '30s that is about as strong as Betty Davis' gaze. My most vivid sense memory moment is as a child, nestling up into my grandmother's voluptuous mink coat in the back seat when we picked her up at the airport for Christmas, gulping in this delicious foreign aroma. It was full of promise: big hugs, loud hearty laughs, ice cream in winter, cigarettes, Cordon Rouge Brut and little glasses of burning liqueurs that I dare not sip: I am still convinced that Mame was secretly based on my grandmother's life, but with all the really outrageous bits left out)

But back to the lavender. I was so happy with this little moment, the memories it brought back and the hope for future moments of joy, and I just want you all to reflect on the little things that make you happy. It is easy enough to forget them...

This is the little pot where I keep my dried lavender.



It has holes in the roof to let the scent out.

Just a quickie!

Oh my goodness, you just have to check out the sale at J. Peterman. So many lovelies but I have to run to work now so I can't tell you about them! Just trust me and go look. But hands off the portrait dress--it's mine!

Temporary Weather

Well, for Heaven's sake, is it Winter, or is it Spring? I am sure that you are just as confused as I! Less than a week ago I came out of my morning shower only to discover that it was snowing. No one had warned me about this event--it seems to have take everyone by complete surprise.



But by the weekend it seemed that things were getting sunnier and warmer: Mother Nature had pulled Spring out like a rabbit from her hat.


Yes, I actually shot this photo last Saturday in the park.

So to celebrate the lovely weather, we headed off to the Bronx Botanical Gardens. I had never been before (and I am ashamed to admit that I have not been to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens either; but heck, I've only been here 15 years) and I was amazed by the size of the place! Right in the Bronx. I was so happy to see that many flowers were already in full bloom.

From Nature Photos

From Nature Photos

Of course, the minute we got there the sun beat a hasty retreat, the wind picked up and the temperature fell abut 20 degrees...but we had fun anyway.

There is a trolley bus that goes around. Normally I prefer to walk, but this was a great way to get a feel for the scope of the gardens, and to see some of the wilder parts that would normally take a bit of a hike to get to. There is even an old mill.(You can see how grey the sky got!)

From Nature Photos

I was just amazed by the color of these irises:

From Nature Photos

Spring Back

Two weeks ago we went on a short trip to Rhode Island. We are very lucky to have a friend who lets us stay in her house by the beach, looking out across to Block Island. It was a sunny, warm weekend, and I felt that Spring had finally arrived. We took a walk through the Ninigret Nature Preserve,




and ended up being there just in time for a spectacular sunset.




The next morning I sat, protected from the wind by the pile of logs that had yet to be used in the fire place, and was warm enough to sit for a while there, watching all the birds coming out to play in the sunshine. I felt as though buds might actually bloom as I sat watching, and the leaves would appear on the trees by the end of day.



Little did I know that this was just a teaser of seasons yet to come: by the time we returned to the city it was cold and the wind was cutting. The next week brought dreary weather, frigid and rainy. I thought that it was only made worse by the fact that I had not recovered from losing an hour, so I felt sleepy all week as well...but again, I was wrong. What really made it worse in the end was the horrible cold that I caught, and have been fighting off ever since. So now I just look at these pictures of my birds, full of hope and optimism, and sigh.



Spring seems as elusive as this cardinal in the scrub,but I have faith still--one day soon it must be Spring!

Temp no More

Sometimes an offer comes along, and you know it's right. Yes, temping is great because it is flexible; you can come and go as you like, change bosses as desired...but sometimes you want dependability and commitment. That is why I am now taking a permanent position. I got the offer of a lifetime, and I will even have a new title. You see, dear Reader, my boyfriend proposed to me, and I just had to accept.

So, now that I have said yes, things are going to get even crazier than usual around here. There are invitations to design, gowns and waistcoats to be made, favors and centerpieces to create...I don't know that I will post everything as it happens--I want to keep a bit of mystique for the groom and the guests, and I know some of them read my blog--but I am sure that I will be so excited that I won't be able to keep it all to myself. Maybe I will point you all to the items that inspire me on this journey, and then show you the creations at the end of the road. Perhaps I will tantalize you with a swatch here, a sketch there...whatever I do, I hope you will stick with me to the end, because I'll need some moral support! But I will also need to escape that madness sometimes, so there will be my usual musings, pictures, and fun crafts. Stay tuned...

This is just one of the places I've already been for ideas...http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaborwhalky/2798922071/in/pool-steampunkfashion