Please Join Me For A Cup Of Tea And A Chat~

~Beautiful Spring Days Visit Us Here At Beverly Cottage~

It's a lovely day here at Beverly Cottage~

I would like to invite you in for a tour of the Cottage and for a cup of tea.
The screened deck awaits us and I invite you to sit awhile and chat and relax as I set the kettle on the stove.
Valentine's day is coming and this is my gift to you~

I thank you for your visits, frequent or few, and love to hear your comments, in fact I thrill when I see you have been here.

If you are in the area, you are always certainly welcome, and the door to Beverly Cottage will always be opened for you and a pot of steeped tea poured into one of my sweet china cups~

I will serve fresh lemon curd, picked from one of the trees in the garden, on toast or scone and we can have a chat about what is new in your life, or what your plans are for the week~
Just give me a call to set up a little visit, or leave me a comment so that I know that you have stopped by for a while~

~Emerald Carpeted Room~

~Emerald Carpets~

I've Chosen Emerald Green Carpets For My New Room

Welcome~
The weather here has been magnificent the past few days, warm and balmy. We have to be reminded to put a coat on if we will be out past sunset, as the evenings cool down quite a bit.
I have been enjoying my outdoor room by reading in the sunshine and discovering the wonders of nature's beauty~
It invited me into my newly emerald carpeted room Saturday. I stepped barefooted onto the soft spring shoots of ground cover, recently produced by showers of rain that have been coming our way, more often than of past years, and into the room nature has given us, with my camera ready to record the greatness that has been going on through this winter.
The flowers are trying their best to use the nourishment of this rain to bring Spring our way soon.
The arbor even has presented a rose or two, promising that it will burst forth with glory soon with more sunny weather.
The citrus trees are laden with abundant fruit. The lemon has already given of her fruit for me to make batches of fresh Lemon Curd for future tea parties at Beverly Cottage this Spring.
The lime ,tangerine and orange as well~
The orange tree bid me under it's umbrella of branches and verdant leaves to view it's orange orbs hanging from limb, waiting for a few more weeks sweetness. I felt as a child and wanted to lay under it's shade and gaze up waiting for a bird to land and sing it's sweet song ,and smell the sweetness of the orange blossoms promising next year's crop.
The bees are busy doing their work as well~ pollinating and gathering from the pink and purple lavender along the picket fence.
The vegetable garden has been turned and awaits it's time to burst forth with seeds of delicious bounty~ But that is for yet another post~
Yes, I am enjoying my new emerald green carpets here at Beverly Cottage~

California Dreamin' on Such a Winter's Day

Yesterday was a magnificent day.The weather was a dreamy warm one, which we haven't had in quite a while. The warm weather invited and drew us out to enjoy its splendour.
We decided to take the local Sprinter to the ocean which is an easy 15 minute drive, but made an afternoon of it by using public transportation.
Having lived here in Southern California for 37 years, we become complacent in having the beach at our bare toes and tend to stay in our comfortable back yard and home and pass the day away. Not today!
We left, camera in hand and pedometer set, to take a lovely walk along the strand and out on the Oceanside Pier.
The smell of hot dogs cooking on the open grill was delicious and reminded me of days gone by as a child, when these were one of my favorites. There is nothing more tasty than a hot dog cooked on an open fire outside.
The waves were calm and rather small, but the moisture in the air caused the sky to be a dreamy pale blue and the clouds appeared to be almost a creamy pink.
I watched as the seagulls dodged and swept past.
We walked and watched as the waves lapped the shore and the sun splayed it's golden light upon the sand as a golden mantel.
How beautiful a day and how blessed to be able to enjoy it outside after the rain and dreary cold snap we have experienced these past few weeks.
Out on the pier we were able to watch the surfers from a birds eye view. It is amazing that outside the surf there is a peaceful quietness as the swells gently bob the riders over them.
As we ended our day we were treated to the most beautiful sunset.
You never know what the sunset display will be, and sadly we were on the Sprinter as it set, I wish that I had stayed to capture it properly at the shoreline.
There will indeed be another time for this.~m

Pssst! Want to Know a Secret ????

Pssst! Want to know a secret???
A trip is being planned in our minds as I write this!
We are thinking of an extended time away to see what we can discover out there....
Where will it be? When will we be embarking on thei wonderful get away?
It is just an immagination in our minds at the moment.
Have you any suggestions for us? Favorite get away places in far off Countries?
Let me know and I will investigate further your suggestions!
I am so excited!!!~m

Memories of Christmas Past Brought Present~

As the years slip past I look at Christmas through memories of Christmases past. As I gather the decorations that have been stashed for the year, and ramble through the carefully wrapped and packaged boxes of wreaths and garlands and Nutcrackers, I spot those items that spark heartfelt memories of Christmases past.

I come from a Military family who moved frequently, memories of first Christmases bring thoughts of standing in front of the cookie cutter 1950's home, dressed in my fancy Christmas finest,squinting, trying to keep from blinking as the operator of the brownie instamatic tried to get their best shot to capture the memory for the future.

In First grade the teacher thought of a clever item for the class to make and take.
A "Sputnik". The first Satalite to be put into space that year. We proudly made ours by spray painting a jack ball silver and sticking toothpicks into it then pouring every young childs fantasy, silver glitter all over to make it sparkle!
This little trinket lasted way past my years of living at home and even through having my own little ones bringing their own treasures to adorn the tree.
Until one day I sadly discovered my father had cleansed the boxes of adorns for the tree and alas my dear sputnik had seen it's last holiday. I was broken hearted.

Other Christmas memories are of driving madly across the country to relocate to Conneticut, 4 children in the back of a Country Squire Station Wagon. Our Christmas was in a Motel and Santa came bringing a Mr. Machine for my little brother and Chatty Cathy's for my sisters. I got a much desired transistor radio with earphones
and used it as we buzzed from town to towntrying to locate the nearest radio signal.

In years reciently past I have had the opportunity of learning to make small Feather trees. Quite an endevour, and a challenge. My desire is to make one, but not this year. This year I decided to make tinsel trees and adorn them with vintage orniments to compliment them. They have the flavor of the 1950's and are a delight!

I found a design that caught my eye in a magazine and set out to create it. I found a darling two tiered antique table at a sale on the side of the road for $5.00 and brought it home and added trim around the edge of the table. Bought snow cotton to place on the top of the two tiers placed my tinsel tree in the center and Vola!
I especially like the little antique clip on birds that I found on e-bay! Enjoy~

And the Winner IS.....

After a month of posting and waiting... The winner is....
rucamping!!!
Becky, you may choose your picture from the post of 10 choices.
Email me @ mklicka@sbcglobal and let me know which picture you would like. :)~M

~ HAPPY HALLOWEEN ~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Little Pumpkins Sittin On A Fence~

IMG_7884
Originally uploaded by Ladygirl

Fall brings to mind a change of weather, cooler temperatures, and of course ,pumpkins! Pumpkins to carve, to decorate, and to make pies with!
Last week we joined the grandkids to Bates Nut Farm to pick out pumpkins. This was the first year we accompanied the kids, and although it was rather damp and misty, we had a fun time.
What do you think about these three "Little Pumpkins"?
I think that they are aweful sweet!

~ Fall Color And A Trip To The Graveyard ~

A Little Bit of Fall Color~

Having grown up in a Navy family, I have had the privilege of living back East, as well as on the West Coast and Hawaii.
Having experienced these vastly different climates and all that they offer, I have had a taste of the color madness that goes on at this time of year in colder climates.
Southern California where I live has it's own fantastic charm, and although we have a shortness of true trees,(we like to think that palm trees suffice),when September rolls around we tend to think that there is a change in the air and a coming change of seasons.

Having experienced the actual four seasons that display themselves back East,I have an earnest urging to experience the color change of Autumn, to ramble down trails in wooded areas where Mother Nature displays her best works of art. The colors are captivating, and enchanting!

Every fall I long to capture the beauty that I fondly remember from my youth.

This week I traveled to Tennessee for a visit with my son and his wife,to take in the color and emblazon it in my brain and capture it on my camera.


When do the leaves decide it is time to change color? What is the "Peak" time of color?
When One is longing to witness this phenomenon, it is extremely important to know this.It is not an easy task, so One has to be approximate and hope that Mother Nature co-operates.

When One lives amongst the four seasons, it just happens and you experience them on a daily basis as they pass by, but when One has only a brief period of time, it is imperative to hit it on the button, and I think that I have!

The leaves are turning, and the color is quite beautiful. I want to pull the car over to the side of the road and capture the mere beauty of the sun sparkling through the colorful display on the back country roads. Mostly oranges and yellows, but also a smattering of magenta red. This is day one and I can hardly wait to witness what is yet ahead!

I somehow am drawn to the cemetery or graveyard where the ancient headstones are markers, memories of lives gone past here. I stand and try to decipher the etched engravings of words worn by the weather,but still faintly readable. How many people drive by this spot and do not stop or even remember this person who made a difference once so long ago? I snap a picture. It will now be recorded in my heart forever, for I was meant to wander by today, this year, to look and wonder and remember this which I chose to look upon. For if I had not looked upon that most beautifully colored tree, I might not have realised there were memories of lives past
reposing there, someone planted that tree as a most lovely gift, then and for now.