Going out in a Blaze of Glory

Here in the Co. Cork countryside, summer has been winding down over the past few weeks to make way for another beautiful autumn. Blooms are making a dramatic last stand before relinquishing the spotlight to the yellows and oranges of the new season, and we are loving the show!

Here’s a few of my potted plants currently adorning the potting bench—

This is a fresh batch of “Mind Your Own Business”

One can never have too many Hydrangeas!

The sweet smell of Gardenia. 

Beyond the bench is the tree throne & weeping willow

 

My first attempt at Morning Glories has been glorious!

Geraniums and climbers to beautify the “ugly shed”

Here’s a few “volunteers” that have popped up this year.  Gotta love bonus plants!

Waiting in the wings are the ripening pumpkins. This year I’ve added a few new varieties since we expanded our patch. We’ve got white pumpkins and mini pumpkins in addition to the traditional orange beauties.  Here is their progress so far —

You can be sure we’ll have more pumpkin updates in the weeks to come, so stay tuned!

Purple Passion

It's no surprise to anyone who knows me that purple is my favourite colour.  Back in the 70's, I even had purple shag carpet in my bedroom! I always wanted a purple door, and as documented in my early posts, that was the first change I made after we moved in here.

Then last summer when I added the gate sign, I did it in the same purple.

So I suppose it was a no-brainer when it came time to add this rocking garden bench -

That's probably the last thing I'm going to do up with my favourite shade of paint, ("Absolutely Livid" by Dulux) but you can count on plenty of purple flowers in the coming months! I'll update this blog when everything is in full bloom.

It Started with a Fairy Tale

This is my first post in quite a while.

Our life here was changed in a big way over the past months, and I'm ready to share the story. It's a bit long, but bear with me. There is a very significant point to this tale.

From the day we bought this cottage, our dream was to bring my Mom from Texas to live with us. Every decision we made during the renovation was with her in mind.

Fast forward to this past December. While on our annual visit to Texas, Mom finally agreed to come home with us to Ireland. We weren't looking forward to the actual travel day, knowing that it would be very tiring for my 90 year old mother. To our surprise, she came through it like a champ!

Once in Ireland, she was as captivated with it as I was. She loved the countryside, the food, our cottage - everything. She said we were spoiling her rotten, and we were!

Suddenly, without warning, my darling Mom had a heart attack and passed away a few days later.  She was here just under two months. It wasn't long enough, but I will forever cherish the days and weeks we had together. The last thing I told her before she took her final breath was that she made my dreams come true when she came to Ireland. And she understood and shared my love of this cottage. That's understandable, because it all started many years ago, with HER, may she rest in peace. ❤️

When I was very small, Mom would read me to sleep every night. She was the BEST reader,  and she was so good to read my favourite story over and over without complaining. That fairy tale changed my life.

The story? HANSEL and GRETEL. You know, the gingerbread house, the witch, and the brother and sister lost in the woods. But how did THAT story have an effect on me, you ask?

Hansel left a trail of pebbles that led them back to their home when the MOONLIGHT  glistened on the stones that pointed the way to their COTTAGE.

When Hansel and Gretel came upon the gingerbread house and started to eat it, the witch inside called out to them, saying:

NIBBLE NIBBLE NOTTAGE...WHO'S NIBBLING AT MY COTTAGE?

        

Obviously, that story and those images stayed with me my entire life. I remember showing pictures of the cottage from this blog to my sister, and her response was, "You really watched too much Disney as a kid, didn't you???" I was a bit offended by that remark, but in all honesty I guess she wasn't too far off.  My dream cottage was first created  from the beloved fairy tale that my sweet mother so lovingly read to me night after night.

Thank you, Mom. Moonlight Cottage is as much a part of you as it is me. You will live on forever in our hearts and in this place that you helped to imagine all those years ago. I'll love you forever, dear Darling ❤️

         Islarea Caviness 1926 -2017

Ringing in the Bluebells

I love this time of year. In our little corner of Ireland, it's the time when things start to come alive. The cows are back out in the surrounding fields, the birds are singing and nesting, and everything is starting to bloom.

When we first moved in here, I noticed bulbs shooting up through the ground and remember thinking that I might have to dig those all up if I didn't like the colour. I was pleasantly surprised when they turned out to be bluebells!

 

They're so cheerful, and they are everywhere - 

 

 

 

They are even growing around this old jug that I'm using to make a fairy garden. 

Mom was really looking forward to seeing the bluebells in bloom. She didn't quite make it, but today I picked few and made a little bouquet just for her. You'll always have flowers, Mom. 💗

 

Going Grey

The final task has been done in regard to the exterior renovation.  The yellow paint is finally gone!

We considered so many colours since moving into the cottage.  I liked the idea of a lavender facade to go with the purple door, but that was just a bridge too far for my hubby.  I had to rethink my choice in favour of a more gender-neutral shade that wouldn't scream "a little old spinster lives here", so our next thought was a white house with black trim. Like the tudor houses in the English countryside, but after looking at quite a few white houses we decided that it was a bit too plain for us.  The next choice was a bit funny in hindsight - YELLOW.  I know, it was already yellow, but as Hubby found out in our lengthy discussions, I didn't like the "buttery" yellow.  Too orangy, too bright, etc.  I kept telling him I wanted a fresh yellow.  A pale, lemony yellow. Not too bright, mind you.  We passed hundreds of yellow houses and he would ask, "Is that the yellow?"  After getting the same answer a number of times, he changed the question to, "What about that? Too buttery?" Our friend, Dawnette, was visiting from the states and she was witness to the Great Yellow Debate.  So she was naturally surprised to see the stonework on the front. "I thought you were PAINTING it!"  she said.

After the stone cladding went up, it really made the paint look that much worse.  So thanks to our talented friend Deccie, we have a lovely shade of Cloud Grey on the remaining walls, chimney and window sills.  It's fresh, it blends well with the stone, and it really defines the essence of Moonlight Cottage. Next project is some additional landscaping, so I'll be back with pics of that project soon!