What I kept...
Going through Mom's things took time as we did not want to rush the process...
there were a few surprises, but for the most part, it was what we might have expected from an organized woman
whose attention to detail was evident in everything she touched.
My sister and I donated most of her clothes...
I saved a grey cashmere sweater and have been wearing it most days.
It feels like a cozy warm hug...
it is as if mom has her arms firmly wrapped around me.
I also brought home some small red spatulas...the kind that one uses when scraping out the last of the mayonnaise or mustard out of a small jar. I don't know what moved me to keep them but they are a practical tool that I will use regularly and take up very little room in our small bungalow.
I kept her recipes in the vintage recipe box.
One afternoon in the coming week I will make a pot of tea and peruse her collection.
It could be like a trip back in time...
she had a large repertoire
that ran the gamut
from jello whips to apple pie and meat loaf.
Mom had oodles and oodles of knick knacks!
She wrote a note that specified she was leaving me her antique Maling bowl...
a blue and white porcelain plant pot finds a new home here
Mom's condo is listed on the market.
I'll miss sitting on the deck with mom sharing a chat and a cup of tea.
There will be so many things that I will miss...
our telephone calls
walks
shopping trips
laughter
these memories will help to comfort me
The Humble Bungalow is scented with the heady fragrance of lilies.
(I remove the stamens as they stain everything)
On the horizon...
I plan to return to the practise of Yoga
am looking at local studios and their schedules.
It really helps with relaxation and I feel energized after the sessions.
Walking is back in my daily routine but having been away from it for almost a month my muscles were reminding me of that saying...
"use it or lose it!"
Thankfully bath salts and soaking in the tub have been helping.
I've got the urge to buy something bright and colourful.
My wardrobe of greys and black feels like it could use a punch of colour.
I haven't felt like shopping in quite some time and this might just well be what they call "retail therapy!"
The days are getting lighter
there is birdsong outside the window
spring flowers are emerging
simple joys
one delights in
that can temper the sadness
enfold one in a firm embrace
almost as cozy
as Mom's cashmere sweater...
There is a sense of relief after these busy few weeks.
The pace has slowed and I was able to indulge in a few quiet days
that were spent at home
getting domestics under control
teas and cafe cremes were sipped
while gazing out the windows
and
flipping through several French magazines
Cote Sud and Campagne Decoration.
Speaking of France...
I have been wearing the samples that I ordered from the new musc collection
by
Sylvaine Delacoutre
The Dovana scent is lovely and may be the fragrance that I order
it has notes of iris, neroli, vanilla, and ambrette.
You might like them too.
I am not affiliated with Sylvaine and have received no remuneration for this mention.
Hope that your weekend is ticking along nicely.
Thank you for stopping by...
XO
