melodies

the wind howls outside my window. just this morning as i was doing my chores i could not help but feel my soul smile. i am made for crisp sun filled mornings much in the same way i am for the rain and fog in the afternoon.  i have spent much time getting the hill ready for winter and even garden prepping for spring. the hay has been stacked as has the wood.  lately there is a happy whisper almost like a hum that fills my soul, perhaps it is my time to grow, now that everything is beginning to slow down.

i type this as the fire warms my chaise, a simple meal of brussel sprouts and asparagus is in the oven and tea is already on the table. i am grateful for  many things.  when i wake up as of late, the things i am thankful for escape my lips as i look through the window staring out and the vast landscape that is now my home. sometimes i am frightened to think or write about happiness as if something might come and take it away , that is why i keep insisting on being in the moment and when i am things are both fragile and heavy, lovely and sad but mostly lovely. like the orchard above yellow and red apples hang like jewels in a golden sky, i stop and take the photographs knowing how lovely it is standing in between the rows but there is sadness there too for every tree in that orchard is covered with fruit yet not one has been picked. a no trespassing sign from a rich owner who would rather see the fruit wither and die than it be picked and eaten. then further down the road i stop to take pictures of beautiful wooden structures that to, long time ago have been let go to ruin.  so you see in moments of  loveliness there is both happy and sad melodies.

when life tries to tell you something and you keep missing it

my dear readers i feel as if i have been on the infamous roller coaster that seems to take us all on a ride at some point ( i have had my share). i have this profound connection with karma, it seems to watch my every move and more so seems to listen to my rants and then bang hits me. friends and family might say that certain events are not because of something i have said or done but it is hard to listen to such things when your gut speaks so clearly that it is. I have confused you and perhaps if i shared some of the sad things that happened this weekend, you too would try to console me by saying nadia it just not your fault, you did the best you can so i am not going to write it, because i know i played a part. i have noticed through out my life if i am too blame i can cope with things much better, see the path it lead, learn from it and do my best not to go down the road again. I also have learned if things keep happening it means i am overlooking an important message and this brings me to the following, i need to get my feet firmly on the ground, to have a plan and move forward, not the circling i have been doing for years. to do so i need to listen to myself and my thoughts and i lately am having trouble. perhaps i am over stimulated by all the i see on the net, that somehow i get lost in other peoples lives in the blogger sphere that i confuse it to the point were i stop living mine. (OH goodness), please do not worry i am going to blog cause it has profundly changed my life and i love it. i am going to continue to to be moved and inspired by reading yours. all i need is to clear my head and take a look at what is going on in my life. have you've been there overwhelmed by all that others are doing that you end up standing still? I wonder how do you motivate yourself, do you stay in that standing still position and how long is too long. so you see dear readers i am circling but i can also say i know that that something good even great will come of it, it is happening i can feel it stir in me.

* i wanted to share a post from my friend juliana who stayed at our home when i was in france
* also a post that author and friend corine shared on her blog, that also can shed some light at some of who i am

Autumn and a visit.

dear friends i thought i would share some photographs of  autumn a small break from france but there is more to come from paris. 

just a few hours after my arrival from france, i picked up aran and her family, they were coming to vermont to enjoy fall  and it's colours. aran came with her parents, i had heard so much about them, it was very nice to finally meet them and spend a few days showing them a bit of vermont and the hill.  although they spoke basque and very little english, i felt as if we were able to comunicate well, what they had to say and their kindness touched me, i could have easily spent more time with them.  we went to different parts of vermont, visited farmers markets, pumpkin stands and patches, my friend's sheep farm and lakes and rivers. aran was shooting for her book and her father has a new found passion for photography it was great to see them shoot together and for her father to share his images. miren and jon  filled my house with joy, they are comfortable here and that makes me happy.  aran shared her time on the hill with kind words and gorgeous photographs in a post on her blog.

i do have a few paris post to come, a giveaway, time with my mum, montreal and my friend Juliana's stay at the farm. all that ahead. 

thank you dear readers for being here, thank you for always lifting my spirits, making me think and dream- your birthday comments and emails have been read many times over with appreciation 

thank you for it is all of you that are magnificent

a morning to fall

i love the pitcure above of splash even though blurry you can click photo to enlarge

i went for a small walk on the farm this morning. the colours are lovely and the fog goes and comes again. i hope you are well. the weekend flew by don't you think? i hope to open the swap package i have been holding unto for a day like today. i crave poems today, i would like them to fall all around me like autumn leaves. do you have a favourite?

the train station

yesterday i sat and waited at the train station for k. i used to love the train station, the airport. i loved seeing people coming and going i would fill with excitement of the possibilities. i would love the sounds of trains pulling in, people calling out names and fashionable feet running across the station floor. it was not like that yesterday, yesterday i knew i had changed. i felt out of place, i knew where i wanted to be. no longer thinking of where i would like to go but where it was i wish to be, the country side my home. although my wait was not long at the station it felt that way to me. I thought about the sounds on the farm, the new birds that sing with each new season, the horses that run up the hill, the way the sun highlights a certain tree and how i always seem to find a treasure from nature.  on the farm i have no problem giving up people watching for bird watching, specially now a days as the cardinals are eating the fall berries. I thought about how i never feel lonely at the farm and that no one approaches me on being too quiet  or lost in thought, that at the farm i can dream for days on end without wasting any ones time. i thought about lentils and how a home made bowl of them spiced with curry was better than anything on the menu in  town. i thought about piles of books, and knitting needles. I have to tell you there was a bit of sadness that entered me as i  was sitting on the banquette waiting for k, i realized i was different that i had changed and it felt permanent, i felt old as if i was setting my feet in cement willingly and i wondered if k would love this person that no longer kept a suitcase packed at edge of her bed -somehow i crossed over and  there at the station i was saying goodbye to the person i used to be.

A Harvest Brunch

our harvest brunch took place. I would like to start by thanking my mum for all her help.

there was a lot to do to make the house and the farm ready, not to mention taking care of

about sixty animals of all kinds. K was away and so are our neighbours. we cleaned prepped and 

baked.

The weather was beautiful, hope you guys have had the loveliest of weekend sun. I would like to thank all my friends for coming. my friend sheila who i love so much was sick but she sent her husband roger and their beautiful five month old baby Rowen( i have kept him all to myself dear readers, will share soon) along with tiny muffins. my friend catherine came looking beautiful, what a surprise to see her escape the farm stand the place where i got most of prevision and gourds do to her amazing generosity! There was the handsome Bills, they just get better looking every time i see them, one brought pumpkin cheese cake the other blueberry pie! (by the way prince william of kingston I am so proud of you) Jessica and her husband chris were both delightful and happy newlyweds who showed up with the most gorgeous homegrown bouquet and delicious strata! Laura & leo who are kindred spirits when it comes to architecture and animals brought a box full of gourmet treats for the dogs not to mention a cheddar and ale soup, i loved it so much that it was all i ate!

the menu

was a cheese and bread table

olives, hummus, a variety of cheeses and speciality salami

savoury strata

sweet strata

apple smoked, jalepeno, sundried tomatoes sausages

roasted potatoes & butternut squash

arugula, cranberry walnut salad

cheddar ale soup

apple tarts

meringues

caramel apples

brownies

blueberry pie

mini cup cakes

pumpkin cheese cake

I took the guest for a tour of the farm, introduced them to cows, goats, pigs, ducks, chickens and horses, ponies donkey and ponkey. we chatted, walked then ate, so delicious. Then little nicholas came, he was eager to show the guest the hen house so we gave them all tiny baskets for them to gather some eggs to take home. then we went to visit the cabin and took the opportunity to go for a stroll in the woods which was a highlight for me. nicholas who is only seven is the most delightful and charming mini gentlemen, he won over the hearts of our guest. we came back and it was dessert time. nicholas wanted to show his driving skills and took some of the guest on a ride down the road on the gator. We chatted some more prepared some take out pastry boxes for everyone to take home. i had put apples in basket wrapped them and labled sweet or tart for our guest to take home from the orchard. thank you all for coming as you found out this city girl is now a country girl with hay in her hair and designer purses in a box somewhere!

we missed you k.

happy canadian thanksgiving, i have a lot to be grateful for.


*pictures are a  bit blurry do to mosaic. if your in need of sharper images please let me know.(guest)

antiquing and a harvest brunch

Hi, my mum is here! today we plan on going antiquing and finalizing a menu for a harvest brunch i will be having here on sunday! excited and nervous since i usually have an annual harvest dinner but this year since the house is not up to par and the farm itself is gorgeous we decided to hold it outside! I have already hung chandeliers on the porch, gathered some heirloom pumpkins, working on table tops and vintage chairs!

dear autumn and swappers

it has been very hot and humid here, although the leaves are changing to golden yellow, birds are flying away, acorns are dropping like rain and the bittersweet is popping, oh dear autumn can i please wear a sweater now..!

hi dear swappers it is almost time, are your packages ready don't forget if you can to take a picture and blog about  it what you are sending and what you have received(but keep sender reciever anonymous!