I Got a Knocker and a Bust ... and a Clock

I went to my first auction this weekend. Have you ever been to an auction?  I found it a little stressful as auctions are fast paced and there is no room for hesitation, but it was also a lot of fun to come home with some great finds.
If you have never been to an auction then here are a few tips:   1.  Get to the auction early enough to register and have a look at all the goods. You don't want to be bidding on items sight unseen and then be disappointed later when you see the item up close.  2.  Take water so you don't have to leave to get a drink, a tape measure so you can make sure the items will fit in the car, a pen and paper to note the number of the items you are interested in, a bag to carry all the small things you buy in, and nerves of steel. 3.  Be fast and decisive.  I missed out on an inexpensive vintage wooden tool box as I waited a split second too long to jump into the bidding.  It was actually good practice so I knew how fast and decisive I needed to be for the things I really wanted to buy.

Want to know what I bought? 
A clock -

A knocker - 

And a bust - 

There was also a few tables of things being sold like a yard sale so I bought this little gray transferware bowl and two brown transferware plates.

The best part was this was the house my husband had grown up in, so buying the front door knocker and the other momentos made it especially meaningful.

Fond Memories of France

Want to escape for awhile? I was looking through some photos I took in France and thought I would share. 

About a month ago I emailed my husband while we were at work and told him that I wanted to be living in a little flat in Paris RIGHT NOW. Not much we could do about it, but a girl can dream. What about you?  Where would you go if you could hop on a plane right now?

I'd head to Paris and visit the Louvre to enjoy some art,

and see Saint Chapelle again (which we liked better than Notre Dame) and stare at the stars on the ceiling

and try to count how many different painted patterns there are on the walls.

I'd have a picnic lunch at the Eiffel Tower.

I'd stay in a flat downtown 

so I could wander around all day long exploring different areas and enjoying the atmosphere.

And every evening I would admire the sunset,

and the city lights.

Sigh! Wouldn't it be lovely.  Where would you go?

To see some more of my France posts, check here for Étretat, Honfleur, and others here and here.

Bring Spring In

Are you as excited as I am that it is spring (despite the minor set back we had on the weekend with some of the white stuff)?  I'm enjoying all the bright colours in the gardens and the warmer temperatures so we don't have to wear heavy winter clothing. Hooray for spring!

 Here are 4 ways that I love to enjoy spring:

1.  Add some spring flowers to the house.  If you have a garden with an abundance of flowers then cut away, but if not then bring home a bouquet of tulips or daffodils or a pot of hyacinths next time you are at the grocery store.  Nothing says spring like a beautiful bouquet of spring flowers.

2.  Add some brighter fresher lighter clothing to your closet.  I love wearing skirts and dresses now that it is warmer and I won't freeze when I expose my legs.  And I love all the bright spring colours and patterns. When it comes to spring clothing, I think of florals, and nautical stripes, and safari clothing.  What's your favourite type? I've included two of the three in the ten items I selected to wear for the next few weeks (to find out which two, look here).  I just bought this dress to wear in the warmer weather (and I'm sure I'll look just like her in it!)

Joe Fresh

3.  Add more salads and raw vegetables to your menu.  I like to cook seasonally so I make soups and stews all winter and in the spring we like to eat more salads.  Here are a few of our favourites - click on the captions to go to the recipes (apparently I like to serve salads in the same bowls):

Beet Salad

Couscous Salad

Salade Nicoise

4.  Get out and enjoy the sunshine and the flowers.  It doesn't have to be a long hike, but just going out for a walk will get your blood moving and awaken your senses. I love walking through a neighbourhood park with flowering trees or enjoying the beautiful flower beds in a botanical gardens or hiking through a woods to admire the spring flowers.  

Royal Botanical Gardens

How are you bringing spring in?

To the Swamp and Back

Yes Sir, I made it into the depths of the forest, visited the swamp, and made it out alive.  William wanted to show me the swamp and this weekend seemed as good a time as any to go.  
The good part was that it was too cold for any bugs.  The bad part was that it snowed on and off for most of the two-hour hike.
The forest was pretty with the new leaves opening.

And the swamp was quiet and peaceful and beautiful.

William made me a bridge to cross the narrow part of the swamp.

It was a weekend for animal sightings.  We came within a few feet of hitting a deer on the way up to the cottage.  We saw a beaver swimming in the lake. William saw a moose on our walk, but I missed it - we tracked the footprints for awhile, but never saw it again.  And William saw a friendly weasel on another hike he took.

The pictures on the hike don't really show the snow we got, but you can see it in these photos - poor spring flowers!

 

Did you get snow over the weekend where you are? I hope you had a wonderful weekend no matter the weather.  

Happy Mother's Day!

I'm off to the cottage to spend the weekend with my parents.

Happy mother's day to all the women in the world, but especially to my own mother who is going through some difficult days right now and is, as always, calm (although she may not always feel it), attentive, and sensible in all she has to do.  

I'm so thankful for both my parents and definitely will be giving them a hug and a squeeze and lots of love (and the basket of roses above).

I hope you get some flowers, a card, or even just the chance to spend some quiet time relaxing for a bit (and I'd definitely recommend treating yourself if need be).

Happy mother's day!!!