Happy Valentine's Day

Everyone knows that I love flowers.

But then . . . 

There is that special day 

when I love chocolates best of all.  

Happy Valentine's Day, dear friends. 

Gina 

Friends are coming for the weekend.

Rain is predicted.

I was getting the survival basket ready for the guesthouse...it hadn't been on the bench for two seconds, when Pasha claimed it. 

He is supposed to be an "outside" cat.  He pounces on every opportunity to be with "his people".  

The old bread dough trough holds old and new magazines.

Clouds are gathering for more rain.

Our guests might want to spend a little time relaxing and reading. 

Books can keep us company.

No matter how many times I have read them, there is always something new to discover. 

I try to have books which might appeal to everyone.

You have probably read all of them.

This is one of my favorite short reads. 

There is no end to the variety.

Some old books  are always full of "new ideas". 

A book here and there for the child in us. 

A book of Poetry by the bedside is a must. 

Dreaming of far-away-places is part of a visit.  

This book will keep you entertained for days. 

Are you sure you know Shakespeare?

And, there should be fresh flowers.  

Have a great weekend my dear friends, 

Gina 

It's the weekend.

And it's great to be back.

Jet lag is a thing of the past. 

It's time to celebrate with what is left in the garden.

Mon Bouquet du Jour.  

Have a wonderful weekend my dear friends.

Gina  

The Tablecloth, The Flower Bouquet

What I must have is a Flower Bouquet and a Tablecloth on my Dinner Table. And whoe to the person who wants to remove my bouquet to make more room for another food item.

What I can't resist is a simple tablecloth, old or new, made of cotton or linen. Each one of these cloths' has a story to tell and I remember each and everyone of them. They all come from countries we have visited in Europe.

The embroidered, in cross stitch, linen cloth on top, was purchased many years ago at an Italian flea market. The simple red and white checkered cloth I found at the weekly market in Busseto, Italy. With a big smile, the vendor "threw in" a present, another cloth, this time blue and white.

The dark blue, with dots, tablecloth has a very special story to tell. It came from an Indigo textile dyeing and printing shop in the Burgenland of Austria. An elderly couple, whom we visited, spent the day with us demonstrating the time consuming art of printing fabric with natural indigo dyes.

The most remarkable part of their Atelier was the huge Roller Press, pulled by 4 large horses. It occupied the entire and very large building. It's purpose was to produce a very shiny material, made of cotton, which mimicked silk, a fabric the Austrian middle class could not afford.

Gina