When a person starts fantasising about a good nights sleep, she knows she has tried to squeeze in just a little bit too much life into her week. Yes, Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen, after a three day celebration of my sisters fortieth birthday, a silly amount of rather dull behind the scenes admin work, and last night a fabulous Hen Party (complete with Peking Duck Pizza to die for!), I, your very own, vintage housekeeper must declare myself out of the game and make plans for the kind of pampering guaranteed to send a person silly and hopefully render her sensible in the morning. And here just in time is Friday night! The gift that just keeps on giving. A relieved sigh of an evening complete with radiators hiked up to the max, a floaty nightie, a new terribly pretty strawberry bonbon coloured French exercise book into which to scrawl out a poem or two, a copy of Psychologies, Gogglebox on the TV, and a meal of  poached salmon, asparagus and sweet potato mash planned. All is well with the world on a Friday night. It doesn’t matter how much my bones ache, or what horrors have come to pass in the week gone: all is well with the world on a Friday night. I relish them. Start counting down the hours until Finn is in bed and I can claim the evening to myself.  Where once I would fill the room with candles, now I dim each lamp in turn and put a flame to just one perfect scented candle: tonight a delicious violet and rose candlesitting on the coffee table – all the better to avoid overwhelming the senses and to provide just one point for sleepy, unfocused meditation. On Friday nights I drink a glass or two or treacly, syrupy red wine. The kind that dyes my lips a deep shade of plum. Wine and contentment.  Not the contemplation of a Sunday night. The forced expectation of a Saturday night. Or even the empty promises of a Monday night. Just quiet, relieved contentment. Leftover Easter eggs. A new ghost story on my Kindle (Jane Eyre meets Turn of the Screw. Oh my!). Jasmine balm on my temples. And bed! Oh lovely, lovely bed. Never was their a woman more in love with her bed than I. For sleep perchance to dream, blessed by Ovaltine and a head full of plans for a weekend spent resting my body and making things happen in my head. Happy Friday night Darlings.
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.
Now then m’dears, you may or may not have noticed that my existing set of Kindle books have got pretty new covers, in order to create a vintage patchwork of titles I hope will look adorable on your bookshelves as soon as…
Such a perfect example of what it is to be a BrocanteHome Girl I have never seen. Floris, ah the wonderful Floris, sells a rose scented mouthwash. Mouthwash that doesn’t set your mouth on fire! Mouthwash as sweetly scented as your garden….
Here is a soul accepting nothing.Obstinate as a small childrefusing tapioca, peaches, toast. The cheeks are streaked, but dry.The mouth is firmly closed in both directions. Ask, if you like,If it is merely sulking, or holding out for better.The soup grows cold…
Last night I read a book from start to finish. Then in the wee small hours I got up and wandered about the house, straightening this and tidying that. I carried the cup that has sat on the bookself for the past…
So you wait and you wait and you wait. You trawl all the cook shops in the locality and you keep your fingers crossed in all the most unlikely places. But you never see one. Perhaps they don’t have them here? Too…
Now I suspect I may have raved about this yummy little tin before- old age is creeping in and I am given to repeating myself, but never mind, sparkly sequins deserve their moment of glory and here it is: the very idea…
4 Comments
Read your books on my kindle…and now following you on here. You cheer me up…and make me fall in love with my home over and over again. A big thank you 🙂
Read your books on my kindle…and now following you on here. You cheer me up…and make me fall in love with my home over and over again. A big thank you 🙂
I remember well your recommendation about going to bed seriously early one night a week. I think it was Scrumptious Treats for Vintage Housekeepers that had it. I try to do that and Friday night is as good a night as any.
{"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}
Read your books on my kindle…and now following you on here. You cheer me up…and make me fall in love with my home over and over again. A big thank you 🙂
Read your books on my kindle…and now following you on here. You cheer me up…and make me fall in love with my home over and over again. A big thank you 🙂
Is there any better time of the week than Friday night? I dare say no! Pamper away darling.
I remember well your recommendation about going to bed seriously early one night a week. I think it was Scrumptious Treats for Vintage Housekeepers that had it. I try to do that and Friday night is as good a night as any.