It is here. I can feel it. Though my beloved chamelia has not yet bloomed I know Spring is waiting in the wings and it is making me feel…antsy. Yes that’s it: antsy. For this is what being on the crux of anything, let alone a new season will make you feel, antsy, eager, twitchy and burdened by a sense of yes please, now if you can, I cannot wait a moment longer… I can’t. I cannot wait for laundry drying in the morning sun and trees bright green with hope. I can’t wait for mornings standing on the outhouse step holding a cup of tea and looking at what nature has delivered to the garden overnight. I cannot wait for warm strolls in the gentle sun of spring. Birkenstocks and painted toenails. Sunday mornings wandering around car boot sales and housekeeping with every window in the house flung open. Yesterday Richard built a pretty little white picket fence around our little postage stamp of a garden at the front of the house and as I sat in my bedroom stitching buttons on to the pinboard I was making, (I made something!!) listening to him chatting to the neighbours and heaving wood in and out of the house, it felt like Spring. White picket fences are Spring aren’t they? As are daffodils and red gingham. Re-reading Elizabeth and Her German Garden. Using apple scented washing up liquid, eating lemon drizzle cake and baking cinnamon and clove spiked Easter biscuits. All of it, all of it is my Spring. But I am trying to wish it into life and that will of course only lead to a dalliance with disappointment. Perhaps more than one. Days when it feels Wintery. When the rain won’t stop and the hems of my trousers are soaking wet all over again. When the wind sends doors slamming throughout the house, and blows eerie shrieks downs my chimney. Perhaps there will be many more days like this before Spring truly springs and I can wander out on my decking barefooted, carrying armfuls of lavender scented laundry ready to waft in the breeze. This then is about faith. About believing that nature will take her course just as she is meant to, and that I cannot force change by sheer will alone. That Spring will come in all her polka dotty finery when it is time and not before. That until then she is too busy blowing off the last vestiges of Winter to show her lovely face. Too certain that she will have her day in the sun when the time is right, to tempt fate by arriving at her own party earlier than she should. Until then I will endure this impatient twitchiness. I will carry on with my rather erratic version of the month long Seasonal Scruband make all the trips to the rubbish tip that it will take to lighten up my life and make me feel like I can breathe again after a long stuffy Winter. Today I am cleansing my body with parsley water drunk warm with a slice of lemon, hanging up my little pin-board in the kitchen and eating lunch with Kath. Tonight I am working some more on the vision board I want to  complete before my fortieth birthday arrives on the first day of Spring. Then I will climb into bed to hunt through my Kindle for the last (rather evasive) quote I need to finish the latest part of The Art of Homemaking and drift off to sleep in a room deliciously scented with the sandalwood incense I currently cannot get enough of… Spring isn’t here yet. Neither is my birthday. How strange that I should so anticipate one and really rather dread the other…Â
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.
If you choose to own only one book on green housekeeping then as a vintage kinda girl this is the only one you should offer Brocante shelf room to, if only because it is written by Christina Strutt of Cabbage and Roses…
Other Things To Do At BrocanteHome Browse the Bookstore Discover a curated list of books to enhance and support life the BrocanteHome way Browse the Bookstore Life Love & Vintage Housekeeping the by BrocantePrintables on Etsy Create your own Brocante Life Book,…
Tell me this, and tell me no more: what is it with men and buckets? It is you see a truth universally acknowledged, that if you buy a bucket, a passing human of the masculine kind will do one of two things:…
So hot on the heels of my existential crisis came an actual crisis. Two separate issues that threatened to pull the rug from under BrocanteHome completely and had me staring at my computer all day long yesterday wishing them both away…
I have sinusitis. I feel like I’ve gone three rounds with an eniment Hollywood plastic surgeon without the joy of crow free eyes and my very own trout pout. It is making me cross and a teeny bit crazy. I sat in…
“There’s only five more days to Christmas and you’ve still got fifty thing’s on your list to do. And what’s the man in your life doing? Well he’s feeling smug. He’s bought the book tokens, he’s ready with a glass of port…
8 Comments
Alison, I feel the same way. We have had such a mild winter, such as I have never seen before[ and I've seen many]. Today it is snowing like it hasn't all winter long and the snowdrops I had in my back yard just 2 days ago are buried under about 4 inches of snow. How depressing! I was just about to "springify" my house, it was on my agenda for today. I don't feel at all in the mood now. I guess it'll have to wait. I love to barefoot my way around in the warm spring days, too. Surely those days can't be too far off. Amanda
There's nothing like walking outside barefoot to squish your toes in the warm earth and velvety new grass, sipping a cup of tea and listening to the joyous riot of song birds making merry. I've got a male cardinal singing his love song in the backyard, and it makes me forget burdensome adult worries and remember what spring means to creatures innocent of care. And that's a Good Thing. 🙂 I'm off to give myself a celebratory pedi while I can still reach my toes.
Do not dread the 40! It brings confidence and clarity and once it was done I had a strong sense that the worst had happened and everything was still tickety-boo. Embrace it with love, cake and lots of champagne!
You see,you are dreading 40 I am wishing I could have it back as I hurtle towards 50! I too long for springtime,I have the whole range of sparkly flip flops lined up waiting! 🙂
Spring is coming and we will all survive. I so wish I was Seasonal Scrubbing but I think I'll just have to make-do with keeping a vague household routine this year. Having a baby will do that to you. Must survive until spring. My recent post Designing to Distraction
I have the big 30 this year, I know you're probably thinking – '30 pah that's nothing', but I remember being a bright young 20something just out of university thinking my buyer (I was a buying assistant) was WAAAAYY too old to go to see The Killers (she was 32). And now dammit I'm on my way to being just 'too old' to do all the fun things I love! My recent post Why I love TKMaxx!
{"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}
Alison, I feel the same way. We have had such a mild winter, such as I have never seen before[ and I've seen many]. Today it is snowing like it hasn't all winter long and the snowdrops I had in my back yard just 2 days ago are buried under about 4 inches of snow. How depressing! I was just about to "springify" my house, it was on my agenda for today. I don't feel at all in the mood now. I guess it'll have to wait. I love to barefoot my way around in the warm spring days, too. Surely those days can't be too far off. Amanda
There's nothing like walking outside barefoot to squish your toes in the warm earth and velvety new grass, sipping a cup of tea and listening to the joyous riot of song birds making merry. I've got a male cardinal singing his love song in the backyard, and it makes me forget burdensome adult worries and remember what spring means to creatures innocent of care.
And that's a Good Thing. 🙂
I'm off to give myself a celebratory pedi while I can still reach my toes.
Do not dread the 40! It brings confidence and clarity and once it was done I had a strong sense that the worst had happened and everything was still tickety-boo. Embrace it with love, cake and lots of champagne!
You see,you are dreading 40 I am wishing I could have it back as I hurtle towards 50! I too long for springtime,I have the whole range of sparkly flip flops lined up waiting! 🙂
Spring is coming and we will all survive. I so wish I was Seasonal Scrubbing but I think I'll just have to make-do with keeping a vague household routine this year. Having a baby will do that to you. Must survive until spring.
My recent post Designing to Distraction
I hear ya; I'm seven months along, myself.
I have the big 30 this year, I know you're probably thinking – '30 pah that's nothing', but I remember being a bright young 20something just out of university thinking my buyer (I was a buying assistant) was WAAAAYY too old to go to see The Killers (she was 32). And now dammit I'm on my way to being just 'too old' to do all the fun things I love!
My recent post Why I love TKMaxx!
Autumn is coming here in New Zealand, so I'm looking forward to the gorgeous leaves and cosy soups. You do make spring sound very appealing though x