Preparing the poinsettia for the festive season ....

The clocks go back this coming weekend & then it suddenly feels like winter rather than autumn as the days shorten.

While changing the sideboard to a more Autumnal look, I saw my poinsettia still on the console table in the conservatory. This poinsettia was a gift from 3 Christmases ago & it has soldered on quite happily since then. I have never, ever had one that has survived that long because they are fussy plants who drop their leaves if they are too hot, too cold, too light, too dark, too draughty, too wet, too dry ....

Hmmm, am I going to be the only one to have a green poinsettia at home?

I came across this article in the gardening section of a newspaper & thought - why not?

So it was decided that the pointesettia will be placed in the warm but very dark under stairs cupboard (along with my shoes) every night to force it to develop the red flowers / leaves, hopefully by Christmas.

Every morning it comes out & goes on a bright windowsill to get the light needed. This routine started this week & will hopefully yield the required results.

Will it work?  That I don't know but I am always up for a challenge & this one is interesting so do stop by again as I will be updating you on the progress of our poinsettia ...

Thank you for stopping by & taking the time to read & leave a comment.
Dee ~♥~

A woodland theme on the sideboard

Hi everyone

Has the weather turned wherever you are? Our Autumn has arrived quite quickly with cooler weather, rain & leaves falling.  I love raking the leaves in our garden & often photograph them like this ...

Don't you love these colours & how transparent the leaves are?

Many of you will be familiar with this Spode Woodland pattern. I bought it at the Portmeirion factory shop a few years ago & I love the quirky pattern. I deliberately chose different animals to bring interest to the set.

I did not look back over previous settings until I had changed the sideboard ...

In 2014, this is how I used the Spode Woodland set

In 2015, I brought in touches of silver to lift the pattern - the red touches compliment the large red South African platter than I am very fond of ...

This year, I cleared the sideboard & then brought out the set of plates as a starting point.  I bought this very cute crochet bunting from eBay & just knew it was going on the sideboard. Don't you just love the little hedgehogs & the toadstools?

Sometimes, it goes easily, other times  (like today) I wandered around looking for bits around the house. Then I remembered the 2 turkey / pheasant plates in my stash & it suddenly came together ...

The pheasant plate (Johnson Wild Turkey Game birds pattern) on the top shelf, & Mason's brown turkey plate on the left of the second shelf, came from a thrift / charity shop some years ago. They are the right colours. I balanced it with a shallow Wedgwood primrose pattern platter that is the right colour & size for the sideboard. That shallow platter is used often at home.

I had almost forgotten about this turkey shaped dish - ahem, I don't think this one has ever made a sideboard appearance.  I love feathers but need some more me thinks ....

I saw the Disaronno bottle on our liquor trays & had an inspired moment - the martini glasses were filled with my sparkly table gems with some crystal bottle stoppers poking out & then a few gorgeous conkers added -  I collected the conkers on a visit to A Wondering Star daughter recently - (please tell me I am not the only one to fill my pockets with conkers, pine cones & acorns ....)

Don't you love how a vintage plate teams so well with the Spode Woodland plates that are only a few years old?

A few small & large silver drinking glasses complete the look. The many candle holders with their different colour candles are a reminder that they are used so often; I like them on the sideboard because it is so easy to just reach up & select some to light our table when we eat in the conservatory.

I think it looks very Autumnal now - a good transitional sideboard with things that I really enjoy looking at.  Are you transitioning to Autumn? Tell me how you are doing it?

Thank  you for stopping by, taking the time to read & to leave a comment too.
Dee ~♥~

Celebrating wide verandas / stoeps of the Karoo

Hiya

I spent some time in the tiny Karoo town of Aberdeen again visiting family.  I love the quaintness & simplicity of the town because it harks back to a time long gone!

The Tourist Information leaflet informs us that Aberdeen has some unique architectural styles - not that I can identify them with any certainty but these are the ones they named:

Victorian

Georgian

Karoo 

Cape Dutch

Germ

Gothic Revival

Russian

Art Nouveau

Flemish Revival 

One thing I really love is the wide stoeps or verandas so essential to life in the Karoo. The stifling hot summers mean that they are essential to surviving the heat.

 Beautiful wide & beautiful spaces ....

 This house & its elegant stoep / veranda reminds me of our childhood spent at my Grandfathers home in Pretoria where we spent many happy hours playing & running around. It is funny how a single image can bring back so many happy memories ...

How lovely is this detail on this house?

1897 with intricate metal work as well as towers that could be Russian or Gothic ...

Even the metal fence echoes the details on the house ... 

There is a hint of Dutch architecture here as well as turrets & broekie lace details on the stoep ...

Do you have a favourite stoep / veranda? Do you enjoy exploring places you visit? Tell all ...
Thank you for stopping by, taking time to read & even leave a comment.

Dee ~♥~