Hello Housekeepers! Wanna climb on the back of a pretty pony and come for a spin around the carousel with me? Of course you do! Though it’s been so long I do believe I may have forgotten quite how to get saddled up… * First up I want to say a huge thank-you for your patience while we work behind the scenes putting in place the kind of systems and routines my little business has never quite had before. Ste is in the midst of tackling my overflowing inbox and some of you will already have received emails from him answering queries and righting wrongs. Please rest assured that though he is able to help with all manner of question and inquiry, he will always pass along anything personal or important to me, and I will be available wherever necessary. In the past two weeks we have worked our socks off setting up the kind of back-end systems, spreadsheets, and plans for the future, that dear little BrocanteHome has never quite had in place before as I flew by the seat of my pants and made it all up as I went along. Its so odd for me being organised in any other arena than my housekeeping and as I am so very prone to worrying and time-wasting on the kind of details that no-one notices but me, Ste is right there hauling me back to the job in hand. You will over the next few weeks, notice even more changes: First up, by special request I have created a new “archives” pagethat so many of you have been asking for. Nect both the shop and my membership scheme, Housekeeping Superstars will be back online, as will The School of Life and the forum. A more consistent newsletter will be coming your way and I am endeavouring to blog more frequently, because quite frankly nothing delights me more. Next week The Art of Homemaking will be available on Amazon for the Kindle, though no new downloads will be released until those that remain outstanding are tucked safely in to your in-boxes. Next up:Some big news! My very first free BrocanteHome App has just been submitted to the Apple App Store and news of when you can download it to your iPhone and iPad should be available very, very soon. (Squuuuueeeal!) Now: Happinez Magazine. If you haven’t yet laid your hands on this little delight then I rather insist that you step away from your screen and hurry to your nearest stockist, where you might just be lucky enough to procure the first English Language edition of this aesthetically beautiful piece of gentle, quarterly inspiration. Already well established in Europe, Happinez is visually stunning and each page resonates with the kind of modern take on New Age wisdom that doesnt make me want to stick pins in my eyes, but instead speaks to the part of me desperate for a more meaningful way of life. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmVLcj-XKnM?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0] * Next Julia Roberts as Mother Nature: such a simple, engaging message surely destined to speak directly to even the most hardened of hearts? * Tell me – is your reading attention span shorter in the Summer months? I seem to go to bed later. Tired. More wired. And I struggle to pick up where I left off the night before. And so this Summer I am reading short stories. Latterly Mischief by Fay Weldon. Not just because the tactile butterfly swarmed cover makes me swoon, but also because Fay Weldon, better than any other female writer gets to the underbelly of our souls in a way few other authors could make bearable to devour. * Next: this installation by feminist group WomanHouse from 1972. A representation of woman’s place between the sheets and on the shelf. Heavens. * Now… My entire gin sipping, vintage loving heart is yearning for this little teacup from Urban Outfitters… * And finally a poem. Because I love a good poem I do. This one, from Deborah Landau, speaks of who we could be if only we would allow ourselves a moments pause from all this technology… You’ve Got to Start Somewhere
Create your own Brocante Life Book, plan Christmas, set up routines and rituals or live life the BrocanteHome way with my guided workbooks and planners.
"Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you. You may give them your…
It is a hot sticky night. There is a dove gray furry moth flitting across your ceiling and you can’t decide whether you can bear to spend the night with him. You switch off the light and decide to take your…
Once upon a time family portraits were a rare and exquisite thing, requiring the wearing of one’s finest stuffy dowdery and a solemn, or mystified expression. Nowadays most of us have at our disposal, the ability and opportunity to take a dozen…
"Made by the old generation – designed by the new. Mormor.nu is the memories I carry with me each day. Mormor.nu is the memories we all have. It is the buzzing bumblebee on the porch. It is watering the lawn. Its the…
"In the matter of furnishing, I find a certain absence of ugliness, far worse than ugliness… " So said Sidonie Gabrielle Colette and I couldn’t have put it better myself. Ugliness matters. You need it to juxtapose the beauty you authentically seek….
The truthful answer is that I don’t know. It is exactly two weeks in to the New Year and the only realisations I have come to are that A) I feel all at odds with myself when I am not blogging. B)…
5 Comments
Not just back in the room like you said but motivating well! Cracking news on all fronts.
{"id":null,"mode":"form","open_style":"in_place","currency_code":"USD","currency_symbol":"$","currency_type":"decimal","blank_flag_url":"https:\/\/brocantehome.net\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/blank.gif","flag_sprite_url":"https:\/\/brocantehome.net\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/flags.png","default_amount":300,"top_media_type":"featured_image","featured_image_url":"http:\/\/brocantehome.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/tipjar-2.png","featured_embed":"","header_media":null,"file_download_attachment_data":null,"recurring_options_enabled":true,"recurring_options":{"never":{"selected":true,"after_output":"One time only"},"weekly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every week"},"monthly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every month"},"yearly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every year"}},"strings":{"current_user_email":"","current_user_name":"","link_text":"Leave a tip","complete_payment_button_error_text":"Check info and try again","payment_verb":"Pay","payment_request_label":"BrocanteHome","form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","general_server_error":"Something isn't working right at the moment. Please try again.","form_title":"BrocanteHome","form_subtitle":"Help Me to Keep BrocanteHome Online","currency_search_text":"Country or Currency here","other_payment_option":"Other payment option","manage_payments_button_text":"Manage your payments","thank_you_message":"Thank you so much: helping me keep Brocantehome online really means the world to me.","payment_confirmation_title":"BrocanteHome","receipt_title":"Your Receipt","print_receipt":"Print Receipt","email_receipt":"Email Receipt","email_receipt_sending":"Sending receipt...","email_receipt_success":"Email receipt successfully sent","email_receipt_failed":"Email receipt failed to send. Please try again.","receipt_payee":"Paid to","receipt_statement_descriptor":"This will show up on your statement as","receipt_date":"Date","receipt_transaction_id":"Transaction ID","receipt_transaction_amount":"Amount","refund_payer":"Refund from","login":"Log in to manage your payments","manage_payments":"Manage Payments","transactions_title":"Your Transactions","transaction_title":"Transaction Receipt","transaction_period":"Plan Period","arrangements_title":"Your Plans","arrangement_title":"Manage Plan","arrangement_details":"Plan Details","arrangement_id_title":"Plan ID","arrangement_payment_method_title":"Payment Method","arrangement_amount_title":"Plan Amount","arrangement_renewal_title":"Next renewal date","arrangement_action_cancel":"Cancel Plan","arrangement_action_cant_cancel":"Cancelling is currently not available.","arrangement_action_cancel_double":"Are you sure you'd like to cancel?","arrangement_cancelling":"Cancelling Plan...","arrangement_cancelled":"Plan Cancelled","arrangement_failed_to_cancel":"Failed to cancel plan","back_to_plans":"\u2190 Back to Plans","update_payment_method_verb":"Update","sca_auth_description":"Your have a pending renewal payment which requires authorization.","sca_auth_verb":"Authorize renewal payment","sca_authing_verb":"Authorizing payment","sca_authed_verb":"Payment successfully authorized!","sca_auth_failed":"Unable to authorize! Please try again.","login_button_text":"Log in","login_form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","uppercase_search":"Search","lowercase_search":"search","uppercase_page":"Page","lowercase_page":"page","uppercase_items":"Items","lowercase_items":"items","uppercase_per":"Per","lowercase_per":"per","uppercase_of":"Of","lowercase_of":"of","back":"Back to plans","zip_code_placeholder":"Zip\/Postal Code","download_file_button_text":"Download File","input_field_instructions":{"tip_amount":{"placeholder_text":"How much would you like to tip?","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"invalid_curency":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please choose a valid currency."}},"recurring":{"placeholder_text":"Recurring","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"}},"name":{"placeholder_text":"Name on Credit Card","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please enter the name on your card."}},"privacy_policy":{"terms_title":"Terms and conditions","terms_body":null,"terms_show_text":"View Terms","terms_hide_text":"Hide Terms","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."},"unchecked":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please agree to the terms."},"checked":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."}},"email":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"not_an_email_address":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Make sure you have entered a valid email address"}},"note_with_tip":{"placeholder_text":"Your note here...","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"not_empty_initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"saving":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Saving note..."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Note successfully saved!"},"error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to save note note at this time. Please try again."}},"email_for_login_code":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."}},"login_code":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."}},"stripe_all_in_one":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"success":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"invalid_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is not a valid credit card number."},"invalid_expiry_month":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration month is invalid."},"invalid_expiry_year":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is invalid."},"invalid_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is invalid."},"incorrect_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incorrect."},"incomplete_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incomplete."},"incomplete_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incomplete."},"incomplete_expiry":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration date is incomplete."},"incomplete_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code is incomplete."},"expired_card":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card has expired."},"incorrect_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incorrect."},"incorrect_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code failed validation."},"invalid_expiry_year_past":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is in the past"},"card_declined":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card was declined."},"missing":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"There is no card on a customer that is being charged."},"processing_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"An error occurred while processing the card."},"invalid_request_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to process this payment, please try again or use alternative method."},"invalid_sofort_country":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The billing country is not accepted by SOFORT. Please try another country."}}}},"fetched_oembed_html":false}
Not just back in the room like you said but motivating well! Cracking news on all fronts.
Thank you! I’m so glad you’re “back”…I do so enjoy your writing, pictures and “amusements”. I find your blog a light-hearted joy. 🙂
How very exciting all of these plans sound! Looking forward to the App and so many other goodies!
So glad your back!!!
Love the poem! Glad that you are back!