surprises like this I adore!

I dont know what was going on in the skies this past week or two but its been like I've been blessed from on high... so many lovely happenings... from the tiny to quite significant!

Now for some photos to tell some stories!

A dear friend across the Pacific sent me this appealing envelope - inside were a series of postcards based on her paintings - AND this decorative packet of poppy seeds from the famous Seed-Savers exchange in Iowa - her home state.

I posted these two postcards by Mary Zeran from the collection she sent me because I am particularly enamoured of the colours in these ones below ... liquid colours ... reminiscent of stormy skies and days at the beach without much sun - the one on the left! Mary blogs about her painting, process and I must say... loved her recent post on the Seed-Savers farm. Thank you Mary!!! The cards were such high quality that i could really appreciate the compositions of her works so much more than seeing it on the blog... made my heart sing! And I love the seeds ...even the envelope felt special!

Mary Zeran

Mary at Flickr - go see whats here!

Thank you for a lovely surprise Mary. It was such a delight to find this mail waiting!

This is a friend who is one of those deeply thoughtful people whom you are so glad the internet was invented so you could meet and swap notes across the miles

The very next day I think... a parcel arrived from the southern city of Melbourne... actually posted from the country... even better. A book... but not just any book! One that I recently blogged on and commented that I was dying to read.

Patience Grey is one of the authors

The book is 'Plats du Jour' by Patience Grey and Primrose Boyd

I wrote on this blog's sidebar (near the bottom) about another book by Grey which is an old favourite of mine. This was a slide I prepared for a recent event below which also gives an account of the book. If you clock on it to enlarge you might read it more easily.

Add caption

But where did it come from? 

well... it came from the person who took these photos...

see here.

and here.

and here at the most wonderful post called Rose Salt, Rose Sugar.

Rose salt

Though inordinately proud that for once I have a finished picture of a recipe to share, I'm not convinced that this salt is as good as Silvena Rowe's beautiful Purple Citrus & Sweet Perfume suggests. Good with fish, she says, but I wouldn't go out of my way to make it again. The fragrance improves after a week; prior to that, it has a grassy, earthy smell, one not entirely unpleasant, but not exactly inspiring either. Still blogworthy for its edible use of roses.

Gently pull the petals from 1 large, unsprayed red rose. Wash and dry the petals with care. Using fingers, rub the petals with 2 tblsp of sea salt crystals, keeping things a little chunky. Store in a lidded jar and allow a few days for the flavours to get to know one another. Keeps for at least a couple of weeks at (cool-ish) room temperature.

Who's the wonderfully clever person who could have written a page in Plats du Jour?

Well Lucy of course... from nourish me. I've put up photos of Lucy's work a number of times... big fan.

Weve chatted...she sent a postcard to the mnail art postcards show last year... and believe me a few minutes at Lucy's blog and you will come away feeling a little nourished and thinking...what could i do to create that sense of ambience or nurturing and domesticity at its best.

A very warm thank you also to my southern friend Lucy who knows how to turn a phrase ... and make one smile! I'm coming down to see your pizza oven working at your place in the country at some point in the future Lucy... red or white?

There are more surprises to post but... its very late so i'll hint a little.

???

ON Saturday someone came to visit and we had a great old day... chinwagged for 8 hours straight and painted the whole time. I'd not met her in real life before ... she's a blogger. Who knows those marks... anyone?

...well as its very late and I'm dropping off the sleep virtually... I'll say good night and come back soon wth more photos of this day.

It been a ridiculously busy week or two... I keep forgetting things and there's not been any time to blog or visit anyone... so please excuse me for this. More news soon!

Have a great week all!