It's this time of year, when my mind switches from real world, to fairy tale world…
I truly think it's the magic of spring…
Of blossoms and petals unfurling, that make you believe anything is possible.
It's garden magic, of the realest variety.
I do my work, paint, sit at my desk –
But often escape into the garden.
There are two places to go for flowers.
In the front garden, or here, in the courtyard garden outside the office and gallery.
Where climbing roses have done me the hugest favor ever!
They climbed over ugly electrical wire holding pipes, and turned them into an arbor.
I mean, really, could they be any kinder?
I am giddy with joy over it.
Like, jumping out of my heart, obnoxiously overjoyed at that pseudo arbor.
You can't even see the unsightly parts anymore.
Sigh…
More blossoms open everyday.
I'll take a couple more photographs later, when they are all open.
I want to live in this window scene.
I want a little old fairy tale lady to appear.
Offering me muffins, or some magnificent elixir.
Only not poison ones.
My childlike self curls in the loft and reads Grimm's fairy tales in the evening.
Getting so sleepy, that coming down the ladder isn't an option.
The first big roses start to open up…
Stretching out.
We had a windy horrible scary front that tore our beautiful willow tree in half.
Hopefully the half that did not break off will thrive.
I think it will.
And, cool air came for a short visit.
I was jogging merrily down my garden path, and looked up to see it laying there.
Right through the path.
Poor tree.
The wind was scary, the cool air was nice.
And…
I picked my first flower bouquet of the season.
Roses, ranunculus, verbena…
I don't know how on earth I am supposed to get anything done.
Working from home is harder than I ever thought it would be.
I am bewitched by the climbing white roses.
What ever shall I do?
Seriously.
And then that afternoon light comes in, and it's all iridescent filtered goodness.
And, it sings and hums, and and and…
There I am, in the grass, sitting under the pseudo arbor.
Thinking, can't I just stay here all day?
Book in hand?
Sun on shoulders?
Then…
I spot the little pink roses opening up in the real arbor in the other garden.
So tiny, it's ridiculous.
Almost as tiny as my teeny tiny pinky.
Then I realize, that comparison means nothing to you, as you don't know how teeny my pinky is.
It's soooo teeny, Lovee calls it the dinkiest little pinky ever.
Maybe it's not that tiny though?
Anywho…
Besides garden love, I did things like, paint, and work on deadlines…
And I made a homemade pizza.
(when the house is empty and I don't feel like going to the store, pizza is in order)
Asparagus, mushroom, 4 cheeses, sauce, sweet onions.
And another homemade Twix batch (housewarming) for some friends too.
They freaked out, the homemade twix are outrageous beyond words.
I walked barefoot in the dichondra.
Paths of this wonderful stuff.
Matty stands watching the bees, more like eyes squinting listening to the bees, in the giant pittosporum blossoms.
Quite often in fact.
(he is doing sooo much better, just a few weird moments where he jumps and falls on his chest, or his legs cave in, but that is not often, and he is worlds better it seems, yay yay yay! My nerves!!)
Awe, brothers.
I LOOOOVED your fur tales in the post before last.
Feathered too!!!
Something funny…
I found Matty and Miles sitting in front of the stump I was moving, as if waiting for a tea party…
Silly monkeys!!
SO you see.
The garden has made us a little wild in the brain these days.
Scheduled only to get worse.
🙂
Do you find garden posts terribly boring?
Oh and, bangle winner announced at the bottom of the bangle post.
Looove, V
ps: Being a massive fan of the sister group CocoRosie, I pre-ordered their new album…
Tales of a Grass Widow, on Itunes.
It's out May 27th in Europe and May 28th in North America.
Their music continues to be hauntingly beautiful album after album, year after year.
Perfect music for these garden fairy tale moments.
I want to mention that, I think the person that uploaded the song below (Gravediggress,love this song) onto YouTube, may have mixed it with this video, because the video is actually…
A movie (short film).
35th Student Academy Award Short Film Winner –
VIOLA: The Traveling Rooms of a Little Giant.
Directed by Shih-Ting Hung
Vanessa ~
Your garden posts are never EVER boring! I savor each and every photo and I dream that I live in a tiny space somewhere under your roses.
I had a yellow rose like your white one, but I lost it to a terrible wind storm a few years ago. 🙁
Yay! Matty is better. I am so happy. It sure is a curious thing…wondering what happened to cause his upset. But, the most important thing is that he’s better.
xoxo
Kim
Gerushia’s New World
Oh my goodness, I ADORE your white climbing roses!!! I love when buildings and fences and wires get covered up with vines. I never tire tire of looking at your gorgeous garden photos, they brighten my day to look at.
I don’t know how you have time to cook all the yummy food you make with all you have to do. You are amazing! Glad to see Matty is better. He and Miles are soooo cute.
Have a super great rest of your day!
Tracy M.
I’m way behind you – my roses are just starting to leaf out – probably won’t have the first bloom until Mother’s Day.
I’ve also bookmarked your pizza recipe and will have to report back how it turned out for me.
Thrift Shop Commando
Queenie will never, ever tire of your magnificent garden posts!!!
Your white roses improptu trelles is wonderful. How cool is nature to give forth such beauty in just perfection!
Have a great Spring time day!
Always, Queenie
Your gardens of flowers are so very amazing. I am jealous. Here, in Grand Rapids, Mi. we see no buds of any kind. I smile and feel really good when I see that you are already picking. Please experience the smell and the colors for me.
So very happy that Matty is feeling sooo much better. Our thoughts are still with you all.
You pizza looks so very yummy… I am salivating as I look at the photo.
Thank you for sharing.
Everyone’s wish would be to have a garden like yours. Boring, not in a million. I’m so happy spring is here to enjoy your beautiful garden posts. You know though, what I really get a kick out of is your pumpkin patch. I have such pumpkin love…I really do !
You are so right, Matty and Miles do look like they are sitting patiently awaiting one of your marvelous tea parties just for them 🙂
Happy Spring !
Vanessa, my heart is all A Flutter, seeing Maddie out and having fun with you his Bro once again!!! Just Precious! I am glad to hear he is slowly but surely feeling more like himself!
Now, for your climbing roses and dichondra they are just sooo distractingly beautiful!<3 I understand how they call you away......;)
All of your posts are like fairytales so I love them all. I also pre-ordered Cocorosie’s new album. I can’t wait for May 28 th! I have four of their other albums. They are good for making depression go away.
William, you rock!!!
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 4/10/2013 7:39:12 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
So beautiful.
Oh V, your garden posts are not at all boring. In fact seeing all your beautiful flowers is so wonderful. Our winter seems to be lasting forever and I’ve only managed to spot a few brave little snowdrops in the woods near me and no daffodils at all yet. I’m really hoping the flowers come back soon!
Oh I love Cocorosie too. I only discovered them late last year, in fact I think it was Halloween. It was yes, I remember somebody had posted a link to one of their videos on pinterest that had me intrigued, so I youtubed (is youtubed a word?) them and listened while I was making the gingerdead men for the Halloween blog party and thought ooooo I like this.
Your garden posts are magical and *sigh* inducing. Nothing about sharing these photo’s or beauty is “boring”, nothing at all. <3
BTW, I finally found Floribunda "Don Juan" climbing roses and they are now planted on opposite sides of my back gate. I can't wait until they cover my wrought iron trellis. I'm told that sadly it might not be for three years? Arrrrrgh, too long to wait, lol.
Seriously, how could you work from home with all that magic going on! So many flowers and the puppies!
Love that picture of Matty and Miles – “We’re waiting…”
And your garden posts are not boring at all, they’re fantastic! It’s always lovely to see your gardens and flowers – they make me want to plant all sorts of new things.
And really, how could you possibly be expected to get any work done with all that going on outside? Of course you should be outside with a book and some tea – it’s perfectly reasonable : )
Misha, I have to say, it was in fact 3 years for my climbing roses to
explode like this… but in 2 years it was pretty good too….
Blog: http://www.aFancifulTwist.com
Website: http://www.VanessaValencia.com
In a message dated 4/11/2013 3:35:57 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time,
PLEEEASE…keep your magical garden posts coming, dear Vanessa!!!
You live in a fairy tale, you really do…down to the brilliant pups…so prim and proper…ready for a garden spot of tea!! :))) Love it all…
Yummy pizza…
Sending love and sparkles!
xoxo,
– Irina
Oh how very strange and cosmic!! Tee hee….I’ve had flower faeries on the brain for a while too….and posted about it earlier today……Though We’ve nothing so perfect a home for them to live as you….that climbing rose….Vanessa!! SWWOOOOON! I’ve been eyeing the David Austen rose catalogue for a few weeks….I want them ALL! tee hee…..The problem is we have almost complete shade in the summer in our yard, so…..I’m not sure they would thrive, and spenind 25 clams on a rose only to have it meet a slow demise would be a mournful thing, indeed! tee hee…..But I do so love old English roses, the ones with hundreds of petals all crammed into a tissue-like wad……and the scent!!! Oh, sigh. If I were a faerie, I would be flittering my way to your garden as we speak!! tee hee!!
Happy Thursday to yeeeee Dearie-pie!!
Your roses are beautiful! It’s so nice to see flowers blooming somewhere. It’s getting a little warmer here. My spring daffodils are going to open soon. It’s been raining every day & more is coming for the next 7 days. The plants will be happy. I’m ready for some sun though too.
It’s funny…after I read your last post, I watched an episode of The Pioneer Woman that I had taped. It just so happened she was having a reunion party from her class of 1987. She made up goodie bags with things from the 80’s. It looked like fun.
I love the photo of the doggies sitting at the table waiting to be served! What a hoot! It’s good to see Matty.
The delight that coursed through me at the sight of this post’s title…my mind is ALWAYS in fairy tale mode 🙂 Thanks for sharing your climbing white roses 🙂 I caught a glimpse of the cottage…when oh when do we get a peek inside? :)And so glad Matty is feeling better. That must be a relief. Our cat got sick for no apparent reason a little while ago, just limping along and hiding under the bed…it was very sad and worrying. But his illness–whatever it was; we still don’t know!–eventually went away, and it looks like the same has happened for Matty. 🙂
Jessica,
OH your poor cat!!!
Matty is on a bunch of medications, and he will be on themfor 6
months.
I just took him off one, and if he has a relapse, he has to go back on
it.
They are leaning towards a neurological disorderbrought on by valley
fever. Even though he tested a normal low for it.
The doc thinks, he was about to get valley fever, and i caught it
early.
So, all we can do is keep hoping.
He was really bad, so bad the ER vets thought he was going to die.
Couldnt stand up, would fall over, shake, etc.
So, to see him alive and well these days is the best thing ever.
BESTEST!! 🙂
That’s really terrible 🙁 I’m sorry he had to go through that, and you as well. It’s especially difficult when you can’t target exactly what is wrong with your animal. Even if it is horrible to discover what your pet is afflicted with (in your case, valley fever), I think it’s better than not knowing at all. In my cat’s case (his name is Smudge), we had no clue what was causing the issue. One day he was just limping and shaking all over, and would hide under the bed. Plus he hates being put in a cage and when we took him to the vet he yowled so loudly, it was heartbreaking! But he’s better now (fat as ever, haha) and will hopefully stay that way :). I hope the same for Matty!
Garden posts are never boring, especially now when I need them so much! Here in NY my garden is still in the dreaming phase. My favorite fairy tale as a kid was Snow White and Rose Red. I was Red to my sister’s White. Your roses bring it to mind again. I think I will dig it out read it to my girls tomorrow.
Loving furry friends and bright blooms. Perfect for spring 😉
I wondered why my mind had been going to fairies lately. So it is the flowers and the garden, hooray! Now I know. Your roses are amazing.
Oh my goodness, those two days of crazy wind my parents were here visiting and we went to the Desert Museum. It was fun, but I was so exhausted from being blown all over the place, and of course all the animals were smart and were hiding out so mostly all we saw were their furry butts! I am so happy that Matty is almost back to normal, such sweet boys you have. Can’t wait for more and more pictures of your fairy tale garden this summer!!
so beautiful! and those silly monkeys are adorable… what a perfect shot!
xoxo
Deb
Veeevalalalala….
I’m getting a super late start on planting – I just started everything: from SEED! Oh no! I’ll be carving watermelons for Halloween! It is because my life of course has turned completely upside down, but all for the good…and so I am learning a new piece of land, which goes by the name of Cool Furry Oaks. 😉 More soon as I have a laptop again, hooray!
I think your job should be rose-admirer goddess extraordinaire and we should have meetings every now and then, as I fancy my official capacity to be Her majesty the cloud shape-namer. Someone’s got to document them all, right????
COCOROSIE!!!!!
xoxoxoviiixoxox
Ahhhhh… Garden & fur love! I’ll never ever (ever!) tire or grow bored with your garden posts… As a Wild Girl who’s stuck living in a teensy tiny apartment for the next few years until I’m out of school, I love seeing your garden. ^-^
I’m lucky enough to have a decent sized porch, but it faces North, so it doesn’t get much sun. I still cover it with green, flowering, growing things, but I love to see your gardens and plants and day dream about the garden I will have someday. ^-^
It’s one of my favorite things to do… day dream about my “someday”s while making it through the here and now, and finding ways to love my here and now, too.
So. Please please please don’t ever stop posting about your magical gardens. Okay? Okay. I’m glad we settled that… ^_~
I hope you and your furs and the Mister are all doing well.
XOXO
Dichondra! I always wondered what that stuff was called. It’s like a nice green carpet.
I adore the Mary niche nestled in all those roses. Lovely.
The film short was great. What dreamy images.
So happy about Matty! (although I wish it were all gone…)
I have brought in so many roses this spring that our house smells like… roses!!
Sometimes a doggie gets a petal in her mouth and can’t spit it out. blah blah blah. One has to help in those moments.
HA!
I always enjoy your garden posts. They make me all dreamy. It looks as though you are living in a real life fairy tale realm. So happy that Matty is much better. Little by little. That is great news. I love seeing him look so happy and playing with his brother. Such a lovey sight to see!