My Office

A couple of weekends ago, I tore apart my office. It wasn't something I had on my 'to do' list but it had been bothering me for awhile. The issues I had with my office were that I didn't have enough drawer space to organize my odds and ends and it was feeling a bit stagnant and dreary.

You can go here to see the original remodel.

So my goal was to brighten it up while also finding ways to improve organization.

I stole the dresser from the guest house (one of the first antiques I bought when I lived in Maine) because the desk drawers alone weren't enough to hold office supplies, stationary, telephone books, all my inspiration photos from magazines, my various three-ring binders, etc. The extra drawer space has completely transformed the function of the office!



I converted this antique picture frame into a mirror to help brighten up this corner of the room. That little door you see in the reflection of the mirror is a small closet where I keep our old, and very ugly, filing cabinet.



I made two purchases: the sisal rug and another slip covered armchair from IKEA. I like this armchair because it's easy to pick up and move, which makes working on the computer with Hubby a lot easier to do.



I stole the Matisse nude (which doesn't show up very well in this photo) from the salon wall in the den!

I also finally found a place for this little Eastlake wall cubby. I picked this up years ago but never really figured out what to do with it. Now I have it by the door for outgoing mail.

In effort to make this space feel brighter, I gathered up all my marble collections (the lamps and the bird baths), as well as this old alabaster ash tray. I'll use it as a holder for thumb tacts.

So that's what I've done! No big changes really, I mostly just recycled items we already had. Oh, and one of my favorite new changes to my office, is having the horse painting on my desk. It's one of my most beloved paintings and I just love the companionship those four beautiful horses offer.

REMEMBER, REMEMBER, THE 5TH of NOVEMBER ..........

Remember, remember the fifth of November

the gunpowder treason and plot.

I know of no reason

why the gunpowder treason

should ever be forgot.As the 5th of November approaches, here in the U.K., children stand on corners with stuffed figures of a man, holding collecting boxes and ask, 'A penny for the Guy ?'

The GUY in question is an effigy of the arch-traitor, Guy Fawkes. When the evening of November 5th arrives,.........

.......... the guy effigy is burnt on a bonfire ..........

Guy Fawkes Day commemorates the foiling of a plot by Guy Fawkes and other Catholic extremists, to blow up King James 1st and his Parliament, in 1605. Guy Fawkes belonged to a group of Roman Catholic restorationists, who planned the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

Their aim was to displace the Protestant rule, while King James 1st and the entire Protestant and even most of the Catholic aristocracy were inside........ but the authorities foiled the plan and captured Guy Fawkes while he guarded the gunpowder. Guy Fawkes was executed on the 31st of January 1606 and was hanged, drawn and quartered. To this day, Yeoman Warders search the Houses of Parliament, at the opening of Parliament, for explosives. The Gunpowder Plot was never to be forgotten, and in late January 1606, Parliament passed a statute entitled 'An Act for a Public Thanksgiving to Almighty God, every year, on the 5th of November', which has lasted to this day.

The money that the children collect, goes to charity and to buy fireworks. Whilst standing around the bonfire, there is hot soup ..........

.......... potatoes baked in the bonfire...........

.......... coleslaw..........

.......... toffee apples..........

.......... sparklers ..........

.......... and fantastic firework displays..........

.......... in every city, town ...........

.......... and village ..........

.......... and this celebration of thanksgiving is all because of Guy Fawkes and his conspirators plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament on the 5th of November, 1605.

REMEMBER, REMEMBER THE 5TH OF NOVEMBER,

THE GUNPOWDER TREASON AND PLOT.

Jackie

Fall Orchards

Things feel very quiet in the orchard after the hustle and bustle of the harvest. The trees now stand still, resting perhaps as they shed the last of their summer leaves and begin to settle in for their long winter's nap.

I love walking through the orchards. Each season offers a different experience. Right now, there's a sense of calm and rest and a little bit of sadness as the trees stand bare. This time of year is so different than the twinkling buds of spring or the sheltering green canopy of summer.

If you were to follow this orchard row, trudge up the hill and through the woods (where our property begins), you would eventually come to our back door!



And here's a couple of monkeys (Hubby and Lucy), climbing on a John Deere tractor. This isn't our tractor, although Hubby wishes that it was. And if Lucy could ride shot gun, it would be her wish too.