Summer Reading Recommendation

I read "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" about a year ago and I would highly recommend it as the perfect book for your summer vacation - you know one of those books that is easy to get through, with:

• a little romance
• a little humour
• interesting characters
• you can learn a little history
• you can read about someplace you don't live and now will desperately want to visit
• will have you drinking copious cups of tea, just because

The book is written as a series of letters, which initially takes some getting used to and can feel a bit disjointed, but the story is interesting enough that you can get past the letter format.  It is set during the Second World War on Guernsey Island when a group of islanders form the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society as an alibi because the members were caught breaking curfew.   Life under German occupation was very difficult for the locals.  Can you imagine sending your children off in the last boat before the Germans arrive, not to see them again for 4 years. It brought tears to my eyes.  It really is a great book and will have you reading late into the night to find out what happens to these endearing, quirky, and at times, brave characters.

So pull up a deck chair, find yourself a cute hat and have a good summer read!

 

Reminder of Round-Up - Part 2

Last week I posted a round-up of "What I Love About my House" posts which, I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed doing.  It turns out, however, that there are a few bloggers that couldn't get their posts done in time, so I'm going to be doing a Part 2 on Thursday, June 24th.  This gives everyone else an opportunity to get a post ready so I can highlight it (please just let me know via a comment on here, or an email to here so I know to include you).

So get yourself out to your garden computer shed, hunker down with your computer, and get to work!

 

 Source

 

Friday Photo - Are We Having Fun Yet?

If any of you are going camping this summer, I just want to remind you to take tarps with you - apparently, you can't have too many tarps.

Oh and when you go camping, do your childeren a favour, and leave the matching raincoats at home - I'm just saying...

(photo taken when I was about 9 or 10 years old - I'm second from the right)

"What I Love About My House" Blog Round-up

Janice at Canadian Cottage started it all, with her post about what she loves about her house.  She lives in a sweet older home, that she and her handy hubby are redoing, one piece of beadboard and one stroke of white paint at a time.  You can see here pretty dining room below.

I was inspired by her positive attitude and wrote this post about what I love about my own home.  It is so easy to be negative about all the projects that still need to be done around the house, that I thought it was a lovely exercise to focus on the things about my home that make me smile.

I know others around blogland have done posts on this topic now too, so I thought I would gather them together so we could all have a look.  I have to say, though, that I have a poor memory and a flighty brain so if I've forgotten anyone, then please let me know and maybe we can do another round-up next week.  Here are the wonderful posts in no particular order.

A Tranquil Townhouse
Kerry showed us some lovely boho collections around her house, as well as her John Denver autograph.  Kerry, who lives in Australia, has a keen eye for pretties, many of them from her extensive travels.

Pink Rose Cottage

Have a look at Michelle's pretty porch and the stunning views from it.  Don't you just want to settle in for a visit?  Michelle also showed us her adorable, cozy kitchen, and a bedroom that looks like it is in a tree house. 
 

Echoes of Laughter
Angie wrote about the lovely vignettes she has around the house, that combine treasures from her grandmother, mixed with her children's art, Amy Butler fabric, and pictures from her hometown in Nova Scotia - truly an inspiration.

Three Ring Cottage
Gina showed us around her new-but-looks-old cute house.  I did not know that you could find a porch with a built-in fan, but Gina has one.   Check out the rest of her post for more details about her sweet, homey, Texan house filled with vintage treasures.

All Our Fingers in the Pie
I appreciate Sarah joining in as she has only recently moved into her 'fixer-upper' house, so she didn't feel like there was a lot to show yet.  I can see, though, that the garden, the nearby park, the big windows, and especially the wonderful neighbours she lives beside, all helped her decide on her new home.  You can see, in the photo below, the note that she got from her neighbour when she moved into her new house - what a lovely welcome! 

Thanks everyone for joining in.  I loved that no matter where we live, or what style of house we have, everyone has included personal touches that truly make a house a home.

Water View Party

While I don't live by water, I adore going to our Georgian Bay island cottage, so I thought I would join in with Sharon's water view party at My French Country Home blog .  Being on an 11-acre island, our cottage is intimately connected to water:  we drive a little boat out to the island; we swim at different places around the island depending on where the wind is coming from; we walk around the island soaking in the gorgeous views; and we listen to the crashing waves on the reefs that are just past the next island.  I have been going to this cottage my whole life, so every nook, cranny, and view is seered into my memory.   When I think of the cottage, I think of: 

sparkling water,

windswept trees,

 

 

fabulous rocks,

and amazing sunsets.

One of my favourite places on earth!

Linked to the Water View Party at My French Country Home
and to Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer