Aside
A week or so ago, John G, My cyber son (side-bar), challenged us to photograph our mantlepieces and it seemed a pity to waste them. I assumed he meant us not to tidy them - so I didn't.
The room with the white fireplace is meant to be the dining room but it has a double aspect, is light and sunny - next to the kitchen -so we use it as a family room. We had the gas fire put in when we came here, to make life easier.
The room below this is the drawing room with open fire, where young grand -children are not allowed. It's like the old-fashioned 'front room' used for high days and holidays, or if you want to be quiet. It also has a double aspect but a bank at the side makes it darker than the other room. I had this same Portland stone fireplace in my old home - so it seemed a good omen. As you can see - we don't do minimal here alas!
Corrections: yesterday's Bamk holiday was, of course a Bank holiday and the Japanese Azeleas were Japanese anenomes. but of coutse you knew that:)
18 comments:
You're so high-minded Pat! I always notice mistakes after I put up a post and keep changing and correcting it, hoping no one has noticed my howlers in the meantime.
I have one almost empty mantlepiece (which is my doing) and one very full one (which is my husband's) I don't mind the full one as it's high up and therefore I don't have to dust it regularly! The eye-level one needs to be dusted and so has to be uncluttered.
That was a good idea of John-G's wasn't it? Love your photos.
And, yes, I remember the 'front room' era. Unfortunately for me, the piano lived in there and I was sent in to practise, Summer and Winter alike with no heating. They only lit the fire at Christmas or on highdays and holidays when we had visitors.
Yay! Other people's homes. I love other people's homes. That little black cat is fascinating, Pat. I didn't think of you as the 'minimalism' type. I'm not either.
I learnt about the 'front room' at my aunt's home in England. That was new to me. I think long ago folks here used to have some extra space they called the 'parlour'...I'm not sure, I must ask around.
z: I tend to feel pleased I have actually noticed my errors. I believe after three years the dust ceases to grow. I do dust more often than that of course:)
Sablonneuse: life was tough then - didn't do us much harm though.
GG: the black cat was at Mum's house which is odd as she hated cats. The front room was also used for courting. We were deprived - we didn't have one:)
What a lovely idea! It is fun to see other people's homes...it gives me a further context, you know? I think your mantleieces are very very neat! LOL! Seriously...it doesn't look like a lot to me...maybr because I have so much stuff on every serfuce. Luckily, I have a fireplace but bo mantlepiece...! It is so interesting to me that so very many houses in England do not or did not have central heating, and are/were dependent on the fire place for warmth....Thank God for them!
We had a Front Room as a kid. In fact, like Sablonneuse it contained the piano and no heating unless the fire was lit for Christmas or if we had visitors. The next few houses we lived in were smaller. But for few years in the late 80s/early 90s my parents had a house big enough for such a room again, only then my mother started calling it the withdrawing room
Hi PI - I think you should challenge us all to post mantelpiece pics - untidied, as you say! They tell an awful lot about us ... watch out for the next post on my blog ...
Lovely, Mum2 !!
Naomi: it was the seventies when most of us got central heating. Before that we - living in an old Victorian house - relied on coal, coke, gas, electricity and parraffin. I can't tell you how blissful it was when we got central heating.
Kim:don't worry I'm not going to go on about my father's clogs but in our small houses with just a coal fire, all the women had scorch marks on their legs from huddling round the fire.
belle: excellent idea. Everybody please take note.
Thank you John and thank you for the award - it's very pretty. I'll have to wait for Tom to help me put it on my side bar.
Don't know about most things, but that vase is quite nice.
Two elegant and uncluttered mantelpieces. Now I miss not having one.
I also wonder what mantelpieces were originally intended for?
Hoss: which one? Unless it was a present, it's yours. Come and get it.
Nea: Interesting question. Tapers,matcnes post-cards?
Oh I like getting a glimpse. . .through the keyhole!!
DQ: who lives in a house like this? You have to imagine the vowel sounds:)
I love seeing glimses of other homes ...Your's is lovely...once all the mess from the renovations for the bathroom downstairs are done, I will take a photo of my mantel down there. Big rock fireplace.
'Course I knew that....er...wha?
I think I'll put a pic of my fireplace up. Oh. Can't. Jax has the camera n she's in Tenerife.
Beautiful lookin' rooms babe. Bit clean for the likes o me mind...
Moon: good I'll look forward to that.
Belle(see side bar)has put hers up and they are very attractive.
4d: that's a shame - I mean that your camera is awol but when Jax gets back how about doing the odd photo blog. They are fun to do and satisfying for nosey people like me.
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