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What does "our House" look like to you?
federica
Seeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
I have often referred to our home here as my 'cosy armchair, slippers and mug of cocoa' place, when describing this forum to others.
And really, I mean it as a compliment.
And I have a very definite mental image of the place.
But before I put my ideas into your heads, how do YOU picture this place?
Don't forget, we have this here Lotus Lounge, and our wonderful attic..... but what about the rest of it? And in fact, what do those two specified rooms, also actually "look" like, to you?
Let's have a chat!
And really, I mean it as a compliment.
And I have a very definite mental image of the place.
But before I put my ideas into your heads, how do YOU picture this place?
Don't forget, we have this here Lotus Lounge, and our wonderful attic..... but what about the rest of it? And in fact, what do those two specified rooms, also actually "look" like, to you?
Let's have a chat!
0
Comments
Palzang
The Attic is more cosy - there are bean bags all over the wooden floor and cupboards down one wall where we can all keep our books, pretty things and special stuff. There is a small kitchen off the attic and everyone has their own mug. The altar up here is more chaotic, everyone putting what they want on it for that particular day .... and the different coloured candles are my fault, I'm afraid ... although the packing case of incense is Féde's!
In the warmer weather I prefer the varanda... Still drinking my mug of tea but out closer to nature and it's beauty. Some times chatting with friends and other times alone with the peace and the quiet...
Here - help yourself, I made some Christmas pudding to a very old recipe and despite having to substitute some of the ingredients I couldn't get in France ... turned out pretty good - grab a bowl, there is custard and cream and I can flambé them in calvados ... nothing but the best for my NB friends ... get stuck in.
I love the the bean bags, Knitwitch. They're the perfect chair for me. I can sit in one for a really long time with no pain. You can always position a bean bag in a way that takes the pressure off the sore parts of one's back. Good meditation chair. Love them!
I also love the cupboards. I keep a few favourite books in there as well as my Tibetan singing bowl and Japanese incense. I can't burn the incense very often because it makes me a bit asthmatic but it's there for anyone else to use if they like.
In the mornings I like the veranda best, even when it's cold. I love a misty morning and will brave any temperature to witness one. I'll just bring out one of the big old blankets we keep in the linen trunk and a big mug of hot coffee to keep me warm. I love the way the trees smell first thing in the morning.
Don't get up, I'll get your White Chocolate Latte for you.
I'm thinking the possibilities are endless.....I mean think about it.....
Boo, sit down......don't want you to hit your head when you swoon:p
Les
Palzang
A little bit of mess never hurt anyone.
The kitchen is vast. there are two cookers - one is a state-of-the-art grilling, baking, steaming, smoking, barbecue-ing roasting perfect piece of technology, the other is a 200-year-old cream-enamelled aga that smokes, is temperamental, needs constant attention and stoking, and requires a kick now and then to clear the vent.
It gets used the most.
The long oak table in the middle is constantly covered in fresh vegetables needing peeling, cleaning, sorting, washing and preparing for storage or use.
they're from our vegetable patch, naturally, that we all love and tend....
it's also covered in Boo's flowers, that bring a warming colour of love.... and elbows.
Always elbows.
Propping up cups or chins, and always comfortable.
There's a marble worksurface where fresh pastry and pasta are made, courtesy respectively, of KW and Fede.
The long window lets in the bright morning light, and the valley beyond is green, wooded and endless....
There's a bird-table not far away, and it's constantly visited by every conceivable woodland bird....hello...the badgers have been again. All the food's gone from the bowls....or it could have been our wily fox friend.
The larder is crammed with fresh newly-churned butter, cream, eggs from the chickens, cheeses and honey from the hive. All sorts of essentials are ready to hand, to either make a full, five-course, spectacular feast, or a chunky cheese sandwich with a dollop of pickle.
The kettle is in constant use.
We have seven.
The coffee percolator is filling the house with a wonderful fragrance of "wake up and smell"....
It's Christmas, and we're Buddhist.
That hasn't stopped us.
The Buddha in the Meditation room is festooned with festive garlands, and his altar is full of cinnamon and apple spice candles, oranges, nuts, chocolates and christmas crackers.
This is where we come to meditate, and occasionally, if nobody's there, to contemplate and munch a mince pie......
The music alternates between the songs of a welsh male-voice choir singing carols, the Kings College Choristers, a full brass band, and the welcome sounds of meditation music, to keep us merry - and Mindful.
The tree in the lounge is decked with wooden decorations, garlands of popcorn and colourful beads, pinecones, baubles and a gold filligree YinYang symbol to top it all off.
The gently twinkling lights give it a sense of jolly festivity and serenity, all at the same time......
The wide fireplace is filled with crackling logs and pine-cones, and there's a bowl of marshmallows and toasting forks hung up for anyone to use..... there are hooks fixed over the mantel, for the Christmas stockings..... and we all put a little gift for one another, in each one.....
there's a piano..... and a warm rag-woven rug.... and rocking chairs galore....plus your bean-bag, Boo....
The front hall has an ancient cast-iron wood-burner chugging away and warming the welcome. there's a mirro for final adjustments, and a tall pot full of different walking sticks and brolleys...
The coathooks seem to be more than able to take the strain, and the entrance cupboard is filled with scarves, gloves, hats, mittens, mufflers and jackets we all use, as we wish. Nothing in here belongs to any one person.
As with everything, we willingly and lovingly share.
Who's coming out to build a snowman on the front lawn?!
What a wonderful place we have here.
And when he is built I'll come in and see to the hot drinks and then listen to the rock music ...... I'm a bit partial to Led Zep, AC/DC and Deep Purple myself.
And yes, it is a wonderful place. Why would we want to spend Christmas anywhere else?
Let it Rock, Let it Rock, Let it Rock!!! :rocker:
When I was 14, I went to my first concert. It was Aerosmith all drugged up (yawn) and this little known band called AC/DC. Bon Scott was still alive and the show was phenomenal. Aerosmith could have stayed back stage for all I cared and AC/DC could have been the all night. Though I grieve at never seeing Queen while Freddie Mercury was alive, I got to see AC/DC with Bon Scott. "LET THERE BE ROCK!!"
OK - a rocking good time for all of us ...... and there is mulled wine in the hallway on the iron stove. The smell of cinnamon and cloves must be driving you all nuts!
The verandah runs all the way around the house, and has steps down to the ground on all four sides.... Just by the steps down to the back, outside the kitchen, we have a great outdoor cooking area, complete with stone sink, a baking oven, granite block food preparation area and a pit for an open fire. The barbecue goes without saying....
There is a large comfortable seating area, and a couple of good sturdy wooden benches and a table to eat off.
Everyone has their own bit of garden, but it's all cohesive, because we all love what we do. And we help each other till and sow, weed and tend....
At the bottom of the garden, just under the trees, there is a large stone statue of the Buddha, and other statues too.
These make everyone feel right at home, and comfortable with where they're at.....
Look back at the house....
KW's on the verandah, holding a tray with steaming mugs of hot chocolate and a plate piled high with mince pies......
I gotta get one of those big 'ranchero' metal triangles..... "grub's up!!"
And oh damn I've still got my wellies on but the snowman looks good - who put my hat on him?
And now that you're all talking about rock I couldn't help laughing. I love all those bands! Especially Led Zep, Deep Purple, Jimi, Janis, The Doors, Queen. I'd like to add some Stones in there somewhere too.
This place is amazing! I'm going to hang out with Fede in our lovely kitchen (can we have a fireplace in there, too?) and listen to that beautiful music for a while. I need some peace at the moment. I won't cook though, for all our sakes.
Lots of apples... but no Apples!!!
And Les joins in... "my friends all drive Porches, I must make amends..."
Deep Purple, wow brings back memories. When I was 16 and my best friend was 15 she would listen to Deep Purple so much I thought I would scream at the time. Not that I didn't love them but there were other bands too. Now it just brings back wonderful memories for me...those were the days
We always closed our evenings of music with these 3 songs....
1st Layla
2nd Free Bird
and the last song of the night....Stairway to Heaven
on a rockin stereo that shook the windows and vibrated the floors......still have that stereo.........lol
someone get the next batch of mincepies and cheese straws out of the oven before they burn.
And nip downstairs and ask the boys if they want any more hot chocolate.
Three of the all time great songs to be sure...
But no putting snow down my neck........I just hate that!
Then we can curl up by the fire and get warm all over again with hot chocolate, hot tea, the fresh mincepies and cheese straws that KW made....
And I'll break out the bodhran to accompany the guitars.
If you have seen the movie "Shaun of the Dead", they beat a corpse to the beat of "Don't Stop Me Now" near the end. It's hysterical to watch!
My personal favorite of Janis' is "Ball and Chain". I can play that straight through for an hour and not get tired of it. Just a masterpiece of emotion.
Oh... You know what I mean!!!
The fireplace in the kitchen is a raised affair, with a stout chain hanging down to hold the stewpot..... Like the traditional Patele hawaiian stew, this never runs out, nor ever goes cold..... you just keep adding to the pot.....whatever takes your fancy......
(some patele stews {that originally came to Hawaii with Puerto Ricans} have been found to contain tiny fragments of ingredients that date back over 100 years......)
What do our bedrooms look like then?
I must ponder this one.......
I have a wonderful view from my windows......very peaceful and simplistic
Ooo thought I'd lost them...... What the hell is that doing there? .... Crikey, better take them back to the library......... Blimey there is an ex husband or two in here.
(creak as the door opens and my head pops around) This might take some time .... come back tomorrow!
Christmas day is over, and it's Boxing day.....but I've made a traditional Italian dish for everyone for this evening....
Fresh, creamy Buffalo Mozarella, with bright, ripe beefsteak tomatoes for a starter, Gnocchi with a rich tomato and basil sauce, crusty olive bread and a good bottle of barolo wine for those who'd like a drop...2004...... Then Zabaione for dessert.....
We're also braiding the onions (at long last), sorting the garlic, cleaning the parsnips and preparing the brussel sprouts for blanching and freezing.... and we're all in the kitchen singing "the twelve days of Christmas"...and would those who like to add their own bawdy, slightly rude and innuendoed lyrics - kindly teach everyone else, so that at least we can all sing the same words - ?!
"On the first day of christmas, my true love gave to me......"
My bedroom is a hub of tranquility...My bedhead is against the bare stone wall, where I have a huge tapestry of Tara hanging up. I have an altar over my fireplace, with all my own favourite efigies, candles and precious items....and at the far end of my room, under a big bright window, is my craft bench, where I make all my own Seasonal greetings cards, my Christmas decorations (and stuff for other times of the year) and do all my decorative wrapping. It's my area for painting and creating....I've got cupboards where everything is neatly stored and sorted, because, hard to believe, I actually hate clutter..... I have all types of hooks, lines, beams and poles for hanging my craftwork up to dry.... and baskets and baskets of things I find... little stones, pine cones, twigs, leaves...all used to create pretty things.... which I then can't bear to part with.
What an idiot.
Near the fire, held by a sturdy chain from a thick oak beam, is a hanging "egg" wicker chair, that turns slowly, whilst I can curl up and hide in it, and just get lost in a book, or in my meditation.....
Everything at the moment is rich red and gold and tartan, in keeping with the season...I have my oil lamps lit, and my candles, and my own tiny personal christmas tree with twinkling lights....
But as the seasons change, so does the decor....bright apple green and primrose yellow in the spring - dazzling summer white and sky-blue in the summer, and tawny fawn, mushroom, moss and dark green for the autumn....
Right now, my curtains are richly brocaded and long, and end in a rumpled heap of fabric on the floor, under the windows....and by contrast in the summer, they're gauzy gossamer cloth, that billows in the breeze.....
I love my room.
I don't like mess but it seems to follow me around. Whenever I have a complete clear-up, I go back three days later and the mess seems to have caught up with me again.
My room is a gateway to another place - a grove with a waterfall on one side. The season dictates the decor - mostly it is summer, warm and hazy with bees buzzing all over the place and wild flowers growing under the trees. Just sometimes it is a winter wonderland with everything covered in frost, sparkling and bright.
Some of the trees have my treasures hanging from them - things I have picked up - feathers, bits of pretty cloth, pictures.
The only way you will know it is my room is that there is a sewing machine on a bench under a tree and a cave that is overflowing with material and bags of knitting wool. I sleep in the cave which is next to the waterfall. There is a stone shelf with skins on it which is my bed. Nothing much else - a table and an oil lamp and a cooking fire with a cauldron over it.
Mostly you will notice the animals. There are hundreds of them and they are my friends. If you come into my room, please respect them, it is their home too.