Goodbye 2018 ... hello 2019!

It's a cliche I know, but another year has almost flown by.

One of the privileges of having an Instagram account is that it isn't hard to look back.

This is a collage of my Best Nine of 2018 on my Instagram 

Although it's nice when so many people like your photos, 

they not always represent that precious personal memories, 

or those little moments to treasure. 

So I picked my personal favourites of each month.

January

One of my good intentions for this past year was to get more out and about and enjoying nature.

Sadly I haven't made so many walks as I intend to, but I started well in January.

  

 February

But luckily there was enough to enjoy in my garden, 

like this still life when we had a dust of Snow in February.

And of course my favourite bird.

March

In this month we had a little trip to the province Zeeland where we 

also visited the lovely town Domburg and its wonderful beach. 

April

A month of which I'd rather forget the first weeks.

Our middle son came back very ill from Guatemala which ultimately 

required hospital admission.

I took this photo when he made his first walk outdoors (feeling a bit better already) 

visiting the Cherry Blossom not far from our village.

May

The month of our annual escape to the English country, where we spent the first week

 in the beautiful Shropshire Hills

A real gem was this spot .... Lyth Hill 

The second week we celebrated (with almost all our loved ones) my
 husband's 60th Birthday in West Sussex.

It was so lovely to show them the places that feels like a second

 home to me, wonderful memories were made.

June

Was a month where ideas for the future started to take on more serious forms.

Now all our boys have flown the nest, the house feels a bit empty.

The next photo shows our annexe where we hope to receive our guests,

 somewhere in the second half of 2019  

A new business will arise next to the Webshop, our holiday let ... 'Stay at the Reed Warbler'! 

July

This year I finally got round to saw my own cutting flowers.

I felt so inspired by Emma Connolly and still picking flowers now, 

can you believe it in December!

This is one of the lovely bunches I picked at the end of July.

August

In August we went for a family holiday to the Provence and 

I had the most wonderful time with this lot.

September

Still picking flowers ....

October

And yes, these were also still from my garden, I'm planning to sow more varieties next year.

November

The month we celebrated our second anniversary of the Reed Warbler Shop 

 and so very grateful for the support for our small business.

We celebrated it with a giveaway of our best-selling brand Hogben Pottery 

December

It has been a good year and I consider myself very privileged with a lovely family
 and running a small business that I love.

This year's Christmas card was again a bit of a project,
which got a bit out of hand in terms of time 🙈

But in the end I delivered the last ones just in time at our neighbours yesterday evening
and now the only thing that's left is to share my good wishes with you ....

So from me to you ...

Wishing you sparkle,

wishing you cheer.

For a bright merry Christmas

and happy New Year!

Anita

~xo~

The most wonderful time of the year ....

I really love this time of the year, decorating my home and for some years now a new tradition, making an English Christmas cake.

And of course buying a Christmas tree ....

I still remember very well that when I was a child, every Friday at school before we went home, all the kids went up the stairs. The headmaster then lit an advent candle on the chandelier high in the stairwell.

It seems that the older I become I love to revive some traditions, because this year I restored the advent ritual at home.

I found this lovely (advent)candle holder in a little shop near my hometown you can also buy at House Doctor ....

Another wonderful purchase this year is this beautiful book. I'd already seen this so many times on Pinterest and Instagram, and I'm over the moon to have a copy of my own now.
It's a naturalist's diary, The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady , describing the changing seasons of the year in words and illustrations ....

Every year I try to minimise the decorations, ending in a hopeless attempt, as this is just a corner in my kitchen ....    

And again, like every year, busy making Christmas ''cards'' ....

Although red isn't really my colour, this is "a must have" in December at home ....

Meanwhile in the garden my viburnum is in full bloom, and by the looks of it, the only promise for a "white" Christmas this year ....

This time last year it was a coming and going of this one. I think by the mild weather, there's enough food in the garden. She hasn't been near the feeder and only visit my garden for a daily bath and playing hide and seek ....

But this one on the other hand can't get enough of the food in the feeder and isn't shy at all ....

As Christmas is filled with the family we've had a lovely early Christmas dinner with friends ....

After seeing this gorgeous handmade Advent lady (made by Rosie's Armoire ) on Instagram, I just couldn't resist to buy one for myself.
Not only she's so very pretty, but also reminded me I had to make haste with writing the last Christmas "cards" ....

Just like last year, we have two small Christmas trees, of which one is decorated with the old ornaments from my late mum ....

And this, slightly battered, little bird on the top looks very at home together with those on the wall ....

Not only this year has flown by but also this December, can't believe tonight it's already Christmas Eve.
About time, like every year, to share my Christmas card with you and thereby my best wishes.
This year I found the perfect model for it to display ....

Thank you so very much for joining me this past year and all your heartwarming comments.

Have a lovely Christmas Eve, a wonderful Christmas and all the best for 2016!

Love Anita

~xo~

A trip down memory lane ....

About two weeks ago we went together with my two sisters and their husbands on a four-day trip to Luxembourg 

Not just an ordinary trip, but one down memory lane.

When we were kids we went for a couple of years on holiday to the little village Beaufort , and now again one of the villages planned to visit. 

Now our parents are no longer with us it seems our bond only became stronger.

While you sometimes hear that families fall apart when the parents pass away, with us it's certainly not the case.

I think that as we - by circumstances - haven't lived as a real family that long, our close relationship and the few precious family memories is something to be treasured.

A collage of some pictures from our childhood holidays showing our - I now think - very cool transport, and the visitors during that years including my dear gran ... 

So not long after our mum died last May we planned our first holiday as adult sisters together!

We booked three rooms next to each other in a family hotel near the historic town Clervaux .

When we arrived two weeks ago and went up to our room this was our view ...

After unpacking our suitcase we went exploring the little town and its environment. After a walk and late lunch we walked to the end of the town towards the abbey. Not really knowing if we went the right direction we asked a resident who directed us further into the forest.

What happened next during our walk through the woods made me really feel the presence of my parents, as if they guided us on our journey.

Because out of the blue there was this - for us not really common in a until then completely silent forest - magical moment ....

After first thought we might have misunderstood the good man, the sound of the bells and this view through the trees made it clear that we were well on our way ....

And there it was the Benedictine Abbey Clervaux ....

And all the beauty around it ....

Surrounded by the scent of blossom ....

And such a wonderful new experience, walking together in nature ....

The next day we went to the capital Luxembourg ....

A beautiful historic city with so much flowers and greenery ....

This is the view from above to the lower situated park ....

A park designed by the landscape architect Edouard Andre as an English garden filled with all sorts of flower beds ....

There were all kind of rhododendrons but I especially liked this one ....

Because the park is much lower as the city there's no noise at all, only birdsong ...

We also admired the view from the promontory in the north-eastern corner
of Luxembourg's old historical district ....

And especially this fabulous located veggie plot ....

And still - in many ways - flowers everywhere ....

On our last day we visited the campsite where we stayed during our childhood holidays and
saw that little had changed.
Everything still so very lush and green, only much larger trees in the adjacent forest ....

I was determined to light a candle in the village church but unfortunately it was closed. So sorry that I couldn't go inside the church ....

My father was known for his rather vivid imagination and loved to take people fooled. All those years ago he made us believe that - in the castle just outside the village - lived a clown. He meant the character of a - in our youth very popular - television series. And of course we believed him and were always on the look for "Pipo de Clown" when we visited this beautiful castle  ....

My dad would be so very pleased to know his joke is still such a living reminder ....

Our next stop was the tourist town Echternach where we payed a visit to the beautiful abbey....

and lighted a candle ....

Our last stop on our trip down memory lane had to be the beautiful Mullertal also known
as little Switzerland ....

Where the waterfall seemed much smaller than I remembered as a child. But still impressive though as nature never fails to do ....

I think my mum and dad must have had a very satisfied sight from above , seeing how their daughters memorised their childhood together.
One thing is for sure, this was our first but certainly not our last trip together. New memories will be made and I know two people who will make that very happy ....


Anita
~xo~