Cats in the Kitchen, Flora in the Garden

Imagination is the living power and prime agent of all human perception - Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Before I put my box of old family photographs away, there are two more I would like to show you. The photograph on the right is my Great Grandmother, I posted about her husband, the army man that became a gardener, and passed all his gardening knowledge on to my Grandfather. I often think about my Great Grandfather when I am gardening and wish that I had known him, he could have given me lots of advice, I sometimes think he does whisper some in ear when I am dealing with my plants. I think my Great Grandmother looks so pretty, she was ten years older than her husband, but would never admit to it, she even hid her true age on the census form of 1901, only her birth certificate tells the truth. I presume her husband knew her correct age. They seemed a very happy couple, and I often feel there is an untold story about the pair of them, just a feeling I have. She apparently, always looked young for her age, and was said to be a lovely person and very loving and kind to my Mother.



The photograph above is of the wedding of a Great Aunt of mine, I have no positive date for this wedding yet, but suspect it sometime between 1914 to the early 1920's. If this is the case, the bride is definitely not in her first flush of youth. I do know for a fact that this is her only wedding, so judging by when she was born, she must have been a lot older than the normal age for brides at that time. I am still investigating this photograph, but could not resist showing it, mainly because of the contrast in fashions between the young and older ladies. The old ladies look very traditional, but the younger one are definietly looking modern, especially the one in the belted coat with all the button features and felt hat. The young teenage girl in her white dress, with its broad sash and straw boater, looks lovely doesn't she. If I ever find out more about this photograph I will post about it again.



This photograph is of my dining room dresser, it was taken during the Christmas holidays a couple of years ago. I happen to mention on a blogging friend's comments that I noticed she had a Portmierion plate in the photograph, and told her that I collected them. I promised I would put my dresser photograph on the blog, and if you click on it you can see the plates in more detail. I have to admit, I don't think I have ever paid full price for my Portmierion, one or two pieces I have been given as presents, one or two smaller pieces I actually found in charity shops and the rest I bought in discount china shops, so I suppose they are slight seconds, though I cannot see any flaws in them.



Thought I might as well post this other photograph of my dining room at the same time, in the corner is my lovely pine console, I have put wicker baskets on the two shelves underneath. Along the back, I don't think you can see them in the photo are all my small jars of various herbs. Yes, the walls are bright yellow and look even brighter yellow in reality, a sort of egg yolk yellow, but I painted them in honour of Monet's kitchen in Giverney, and I try to contrast the yellow with a lot of blue as in the blind and some of the plates. There have been one or two items added to the room since then.