One Day - the perfect summer book

Welcome if you've linked to this page from 'The Books Cafe' http://home-shabby-home.blogspot.com . I have chosen One Day by David Nicholls as my recommendation for perfect summer reading. I have just read this along with members of my local book group and we discussed it when we met this week. It's rare that we read a book that we all absolutely love so this book has to be pretty special.

The book tells the story of Emma and Dexter who meet for the first time on the night of their University graduation - 15th July 1988. Where will they be on this day next year? And the next? This story of love, friendship and growing up spans 20 years, and is equally funny and sad. It is a wonderful book. It made me laugh and cry in equal measures - the characters are completely convincing.

Author Tony Parsons says about the book:  ‘A brilliant book about the heartbreaking gap between the way we were and the way we are."

I adored it - so will you.

My first cushions

So here they are. My first go at cushion making. I've used vintage style material sourced from ebay - the buttons on the cowboy design are original vintage. The button fastening is easy to do for a novice like me and I like the additional decorative feature of pretty buttons. I really welcome feedback - please do let me know what you think.

I love this fabric - reminds me of when Carrie Bradshaw went to Paris!

I've backed this cute cowboy fabric with some jolly red gingham.

Somerset cottages

I was in cottage heaven this weekend! This was my first time on the Somerset coast. What a treat! The sun was shining and the scenery simply gorgeous.  The beautiful  medieval village of Dunster was totally captivating - it has the most perfect chocolate box cottages. Here's some that had me drooling...

And some beautiful cottage gardens too...

How about a thatched cottage on the beach? These beauties are in the idyllic Porlock Weir...

My favourite things - part two

Some more decorative items in Lilac Cottage. The trouble with all these collectables is the dusting! I've tried paring things down but can never bear to consign anything to the attic.

Oxhey Open Gardens

I spent an enjoyable Sunday afternoon at the annual Oxhey Open Gardens.  I confess to being a snoop! I love open garden events - how many times have you wondered what lies behind a garden gate? I was flabbergasted to find a swimming pool in one garden, in a street of tiny terraces!  

Beautiful old vintage signs

And a sense of humour!

Fresh greens II

The citrus colours in the garden - so refreshing on a hot summers night.

Fresh greens

I love the freshness of green. My eye's always drawn to it when I'm vintage hunting.

St Remy de Provence

One of my favourite places on earth, here are some photos from my last visit. St Remy is the perfect Provencal village with beautiful shops and lovely windy lanes to stroll down. All the rambling maisons have those lovely little French details - blue shutters, red geraniums in pots. It all looks so effortlessly beautiful. I always come back inspired.

My favourite things

I like to mix old and new in Lilac Cottage. Some of my favourite finds are coloured glass, especially green depression glass. Some of my best pieces I've found on frequent trips to the USA. One of my regular haunts is the Californian town of Ventura - a collectors paradise. I bought the lovely white glass spice jars there.

My favourite shop for new collectables is Anthropologie, like the beautiful butter dish here. No longer do I have to haul bag loads bag on the plane now they have opened at store on Regent Street!

Did I mention I love enamelware too? Here's a mix of old and new in the kitchen.

Cottage gardens LA style

Now there's open garden events, and then there's open garden Beverley Hills style! Gorgeous, and frankly jaw-dropping houses with the most wonderful gardens and of course bouganvilla in abundance. How I wish we had the climate to grow it outdoors all year round here.