April, Enchanting

This time of year I always want to pack it all up and rent a villa in Italy. As I have neither the time nor the means, I try to fill the void with a semi-annual viewing of Enchanted April. In 1920s London, four women –- strangers to each other -– pool their resources and rent San Salvatore, a beautiful castle on the side of a wisteria-draped hill on an Italian lake. As each reflects on the things at home that they think are making them unhappy, they fall under the spell of their enchanting surroundings and come to terms with their lives and loves. If you have not seen this little gem of a movie, put in on your Netflix queue right now.

And if anyone wants to go in on a villa with me, leave a note in the comments…

Happy Easter to all my peeps

And Happy Passover, Happy Spring, Happy Vernal Equinox, or whatever suits your fancy. Also: it is time once again for the Washington Post’s annual Peeps Show. I love how creative some people can get with a shoebox, some pipecleaners and plenty of colored, sugared marshmallows. I don’t remember any of my grammar school dioramas looking that good. Or edible.

Personally I like my Peeps stale and slightly chewy. Yum.

Photo via Flickr.

New birds on the block No. 26, literally

These baby robins are living in the rhododendron bush in front of my parents' house. Aren't they cute?

I'm just worried that the nest is so low, it's like a buffet for a wandering cat....

{pics by my dad}

Very superstitious

I scheduled a maintenance appointment for the server at work today and everyone was freaking out because it is Friday The Thirteenth. My normally sensible co-workers appear to throw logic out the window when it comes to old wives' tales. I was temped to bring in a ladder, a broken mirror and The Lounging Party just to freak them out some more (because why have one black cat when you can have two?). At least with The Lounging Party there would be entertainment while the entire computer system is down.

{The Lounging Party, doing what they do best}

Very superstitious
Writing's on the wall
Very superstitious
Ladders bout' to fall
Thirteen month old baby
Broke the lookin' glass
Seven years of bad luck
The good things in your past


When you believe in things
That you don't understand
Then you suffer
Superstition ain't the way


PS - is Spring here yet?


Sorry for the long absence, I was caught up in the whirlwind of preparation for the Two Ladies' wedding, and then in the aftermath of having neglected the rest of my life. Things are almost back to normal and I will be visiting you all and commenting soon.

Peonies, redux

{Prom Dress and Peonies, original painting by Fifi Flowers}

Interweb, behold the fabulousness. Very late Saturday night I posted a photo of some peonies I picked in my mom's garden. In the wee hours of Sunday morning, the lovely and talented Fifi Flowers was the first comment (it wasn't quite as late on the west coast) saying she'd like to paint them. Of course I said yes!

Sunday morning I woke up, put the kettle on, and fire up the laptop, and there in my inbox is a mysterious email from Fifi: If you want to be surprised don't open this until Wednesday Morning... I love surprises but am terribly nosy and nosiness won out. Ta da! It was the painting above. She whipped it up that quickly! Note the drapes which are inspired by my prom dress, and the pillow on the settee, which was New Bird No. 2, from one of my first posts. Here is something uncanny - in my living room I have french doors that open onto a wrought iron balcony. But Fifi does not know that... or won't until she reads this post.

Thank you Fifi for making my day, and for preserving my lovely flowers in paint. The real ones are spent, and have exploded in that way that peonies do when their time is up.

Peonies from Mumsie's garden

{pink peonies, originally uploaded by robinsegg0523}

Groovin' on a Tuesday afternoon

{Trees blooming in front of Crown Fountain, originally uploaded by robinsegg0523}

I'm in Chicago for a conference my company produces, and found time to play tourist this afternoon. My fab assistant Kelly and I had lunch in Millennium Park, where we sat outside (80 degrees!) and enjoyed the view of these trees blooming in front of the Crown Fountain and the lovely old buildings on Michigan Avenue (some date from the Chicago World's Fair days - any other fans of Devil in the White City out there?). I have no idea who these people in my photo are, but note the top of the recycling bin in the bottom of the photo. Next to it is a garbage can. We sat there for over an hour, and everyone who made a deposit sorted their trash. Just goes to show you, if you make it easy for people, they will willingly recycle!

A warm Spring day at last

{Spring is coming...................., originally uploaded by twentyeight}

Some daffodil bulbs are poking their green fingers through the dirt and leaves in the stray bit of garden next to the townhouses on my block. I've been cataloging their progress when I park my car and they are at about this stage today (these aren't them, these are from twentyeight on Flickr. I'd have to lie down in front of a few cars to take a decent picture of our daffodils and I don't feel like doing that).

I love daffodils, so sunny and cheery with their lion's mane of petals around a wee trumpet to herald the arrival of Spring.

{yellow on white..........., originally uploaded by twentyeight}

The pink hail of cherry blossom storms

{the pink hail of cherry blossom storms, originally uploaded by manyfires}

I am so ready for Spring. The calendar says Spring, the temperature says Spring, and yet the ground is still brown and the trees are still bare. I like winter in New England, but right now I itch to get the chill of it off me. I long for that day in May when everything seems to be bursting forth at once and the trees are covered in a bright green haze of newness.

I've never been to the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC, I hear it is a sight to behold... if you can see beyond the crowds and put up with the traffic. I remember going on Sunday drives in Fairfield with my family the weekend that the dogwoods were in bloom. The volume of them was breathtaking. But there is something to be said for driving down a country road and spotting a lone pink dogwood in the midst of a wood, a stalwart champion of Spring, heralding its arrival alone.

Spring in a Ring

This is one of my new favorite things, my robin's egg ring from Cindy at Starry Designs on Etsy. Her designs are lovely, with great workmanship and a simple essence to them that make them a joy to wear. Plus, she includes a cute little magnet in the box with your item, and ties it all up with a brown satin ribbon. (I am such a sucker for packaging).