Last Day in London - Day 6

Last Day in London, Day 6

Last tea in London...

Visit to Abbey Road
Paddington Station
the airport, the plane, the sunset flying over home
Back home... more...

London Day - 5

London Day 5 -

To Paddington Station for a visit with Paddington Bear.
Bus trip to London Bridge past St Pauls Cathedral
Bridget Jones House above the Globe Pub
Boat ride to Royal Observatory, Greenwich to stand on the Prime Meridian.
Visit to All Hollows Church by the Tower of London.
An unexpected surprise at Selfridges Department Store after another fruitless trip to an antique market.

more pics...

London - Day 4

London Day 4

Visit to the Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace changing of the guards, the Household Cavalry,
& The Queen's Gallery.
Westminster Abbey - including a sneaky photo of Darwin's grave (no photos allowed!)
Big Ben, Parliment views
Prestat Chocolate, on the way to visit Fortnum & Mason
Flowers in Kensington Garden
Evening trip out to Liberty of London & the famous Argyle Pub
more photos ...

London - Day 3

London Day 3

Notting Hill visit
Poridge at EAT.
Shabby Chic
Portobello Road Market
Bankrobber Gallery
Museum of Brands and Packaging
Kensington Palace

more photos...

London Day 2

London Day 2

Noon in London.

While the flowers are blooming here in London more than they were at home before we left,

... we're here on the coldest day in London since 1986.

Photos on the way to Jubilee Market

Twinings Tea on the Strand

Royal Mews
outside Westminster Abbey (closed due to Commonwealth Day)
Big Ben, Parliment
Boat cruise on the Thames
Tower Bridge & Tower of London

More photos...

Rewards of coincidence

We're on vacation in London - I turn on the laptop this morning to start searching some more about this great city - so many incredible places to see, too many more things to do - and what is the Google homepage?  A tribute to Douglas Adams!

But for sincere coincidence I brought along for reading on the plane at last minute my 1988 paperback version of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - a very well traveled, dog-eared, stained, and often-read version of the book - who's central premise is about... the interconnectedness of things!

more....

London Vacation - Night 1 & Arrival Day 1 photos

Here's images from our first night in London from atop The Shard.

then...
Day time arrival photos in and around London
Arriving Paddington Station and getting Oyster Cards
Piccadilly Circus & China Town
Harrods
Checking into the hotel

more photos...

Ducks and Swans

Ducks and Swans in Peapack Gladstone

... more photos....

Happy Zoo Year Part Two! @ the Turtle Back Zoo

A very foggy warm January day at the Turtle Back Zoo.

more pics....

Happy Zoo Year! @ the Philly Zoo Saturday

It was a warm weekend for January so we went to the Philly Zoo on Saturday and the Turtle Back Zoo on Sunday.

Camelia in bloom

... these are the pics at the Philly Zoo...

Christmas 2012

From Burt Wolf Christmas Traditions

"... red and green are always the colors of  Christmas and Christmas foods. Red is for warmth and
brightness; green is the promise that the leaves of the trees will return in the spring."

more photos....

... dreaming of a white christmas (eve)

 

Resources for finding a new tree

We're on the hunt for a new front yard tree.   Got any recommendations?

Here's some terrific online resources found so far to help in our due diligence ...

Back to Longwood Gardens again

We went back to Longwood Gardens again to show a friend...

On the way stopped by two of our favorite antique / vintage shops - La Maison

and Springhouse Antiques - which was unfortunately closed early.

more photos...

Last of the Sandy Damage

Well, the last of the Hurricane Sandy Damage to our trees is finally cleaned up.  The township picked up the small piles at the beginning of the week and Rich Tree Service cut down and took the rest yesterday.  The stump will be ground after the soggy ground dries out.  The siding and roofing estimates continue... insurance is such a hassle.  So very thankful and glad this all it is; we cannot begin to empathize enough for others, my goodness.

There was some rot but decided to take down the whole ash to mitigate overall risk since the bark began to swell, leak, and the tree was listing to one side... towards the house!  We'll plant anew in the spring.

Does anyone have thoughts for a not-too-dense shade tree that is also not overly fruit or nut messy, can handle a western sun, but also not terribly exotic so it retains a woodland appearance and is also a road-salt friendly shade tree?  

Quite the list but maybe Santa or you have an idea on how to fill that list.  

Thanks in advance if you do! 

more pics....

So cute - Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!

Day Trip - Longwood Gardens during the Holidays (night time photos)

Longwood Gardens are just beyond magical at night, these pics don't do it justice.

More magic....

Day Trip - Longwood Gardens during the Holidays (daytime photos)

Took a day trip to Longwood Gardens

these are photos we took during the day .........

Xmas decorating photos 2012

Some decorating photos

more........

Thanksgiving 2012 Photos

Photos of Thanksgiving Day

more photos.......

12 days of no power or heat - Hurricane Sandy pics

We spent 12 days no power / heat.  For two nights when the snowy NorEaster came thru we were very fortunate to be able to get a hotel room nearby that would also let us bring our cats.

Here are the photos.....

Fall vacation day visits to the NJ Beach & Longwood Garden

We took off some days in October for day trips, under the jump are some photos.  We were so fortunate to spend two of the warmest days of autumn down at the NJ shore not knowing what was to come in a few days with Hurricane Sandy.

Oct 18th - Point Pleasant Beach and antique shops.
Oct 20th - found an awesome patchwork chair on casters for the family room by Ralph Lauren Home.
Oct 21st - Long Wood Gardens and antiquing
Oct 22nd - Island Beach State Park

More photos....

Laundry room make-over

Even though our house was built in 1965 we didn't expect what would be waiting for us...

... .. . in the laundry room!

Goldfinch in the thistle

We decided to let the thistle just grow to its thorny content outside the sunroom.

Oooh, who do you see Simon?

Halloween 2012

Halloween decorating 2012

boo!

more Halloween 2012 decoration photos...

Weekend Journey through the Past - Somerset County

These are our photos from this past weekend visiting sites of the Weekend Journey through the Past in Somerset County NJ.  This was our 3rd year and finally have seen every site, including the 4 new additions this year.  We're really looking forward to starting over next year again!

Queen's Bridge going into South Bound Brook

Enjoy the pics!

New oil paintings and coffee table

Some days when you're not looking for something there comes a day you find exactly what you're not looking for... plus, the thing you were actually looking for; niiice!

A visit to the Rudolf W. Van Der Goot Rose Garden

On the last August Sunday afternoon we decided to go visit the last of the roses in bloom at the recently restored Rose Garden in Somerset, NJ and also view bits of the garden for inspiration in advance of fall planting since the surrounding park is that of a specimen garden in the English style of landscape architecture.

More photos....

Terrarium advice & terrarium birthday theme

It has been a busy last few weeks...

First off, a formal thank you and hats off to The Fern & Mossery for taking the time to give incredibly thoughtful and inspiring advice for our terrarium troubles.  If you're having terrarium troubles, finding conflicting advice either online or in books on how-to terrarium, do check these tips and how-tos:

Proper Moss Placement
Ferns in Terrariums
Proper Temps in Terrariums

Ideally over Labor Day weekend we can take this all in and get the Ranch resettled with new green moss and ferns before autumn arrives.

In the meantime, despite being a little nutty lately, we did celebrate a terrific
terrarium themed birthday .....................................

Terrariums... again!

New lessons learned - picking up where the terrariums left off from last time..

1.  Packed in too many ferns & moss in the larger containers.  So while less is a bore, more... is too much sometimes.  Slightly less is just right; but really no less or no more.  Everyone is happily replanted within their own spaces.

2.  Getting the moss & fern soil mix right was a bit tricky on the first time but since the second round it has been just right.  Adding in the spaghnum moss mixed with the soil really helps the soil and glass from getting overly wet, which the moss like for a drier habitat, but the terrarium itself needs watered maybe slightly more for the ferns to be truly happy.

3.  We like the house to be cold in summer, especially for sleeping, well, moss and ferns do not.  So there'll be some thermostat negotiations... by winter everyone should be quite pleased.

The latest how-to pics are inside here...