Sunday, February 9, 2014

Scents for the Senses


Waking up to a sunny and warm sun room this morning,
 was soothing and restful, after two tiring days of non-stop
preparations for a luncheon the day before.


As an added bonus, the little bouquet of narcissus,
 a sweet gift from one of the farmers we buy our produce from, 
filled the room with a fresh and subtle fragrance.


 These petite and pretty flowers can be found growing
 in patches, in the hilly fields and mountains of Crete,
 during the cooler, winter months. 


 It's the season for citrus, too! These particular oranges went directly from my aunt's tree to my table! Along with the lemons and limes, 
they are juicy and boast a most beautiful perfume.


Prince Richard, taking advantage of the sunny rays, after four grey and gloomy days of rain, sits appreciatively, while the almond blossoms in the background twinkle like pink, silky snowflakes in the sunlight,
 a whiff of their allure, intriguing to both 
wandering passersby and admiring locals.


As I sat quietly, indulging in the simple luxuries that surrounded me, a floating essence of coffee and hazelnut sailed in from the kitchen. Although familiar, this infusion never fails to surprise me, with its rich, delicious flavour and aromatic air. After a few sips, I retreated back to the sun room, the perfect place to daydream, 
amid the cheery wildflowers and through the java steam. 


Wishing you a beautiful week ahead!
Thanks for visiting!
xo
Poppy 



61 comments:

  1. What a beautifully decorated home you have! I love the warm colors and warm light in your pictures.

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  2. Your bowl of citrus is beautiful! It reminds me of the lemon and lime trees we had when I was a kid (we lived in much warmer climes then). Happy Sunday.

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  3. What a lovely blog to encounter on a very grey, cold and snowy day here in the Midwestern US! Your photos have given me a great little boost--just love the gorgeous colors! Many thanks!

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  4. What a big beautiful bouquet! Your home always looks so cheerful and pretty. I love all of the light you get inside! Enjoy your week my friend!

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  5. Your sun looks very relaxing. We ususally have those flowers growing around here in March. Can't wait to see them instead of snow.

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  6. Your morning was idyllic, Poppy, full of delicious fragrances and visual appeal. I'm glad you took the time to enjoy some quiet time after a hectic couple of days. I, too, would be tempted to linger in the beautiful sunroom,

    Thank you for sharing your February morning at Sunlit Sunday. Freshly picked citrus fruits. Imagine.

    Karen

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  7. What a serene and sunny spot you have for enjoying that cup of coffee. I grind my own beans and always through in some hazelnut flavoured beans - love it!

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  8. Oh those Narcissus! Spring, please come soon!
    The whole room reflected such a peaceful feeling Poppy. Thanks for sharing!
    P.S. Snow, ice and low temps on this island today...Rare!

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  9. Send us some sunshine, please! We have another cold and snowy day!! When will spring come? Your sunroom is delightful, Poppy! I would start each day there with a cup or two of strong, black tea. The bouquet of narcissus is so pretty. xoxo

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  10. Oh Poppy you have a sun room. I am jealous...no I am happy for you...xo.

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  11. It must be wonderful to be able to go out and pick your own citrus!
    It all looks warm and cozy there at your home, Poppy.

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  12. Thi poppy, this was so beautifully written! I could smell the fruit and flowers and sense the weather. I love it when the orange blossoms bloom in Florida, too.

    Give Prince Richard a hug from Florida and save one for you!

    xo

    Sheila

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  13. Your sun room is so beautiful! I am a bit envious of your citrus! I'd love to have a harvest like that this time of year. And to have daffodils to go with the citrus is amazing. Receiving a beautiful (and huge!) bouquet from the farmer must mean he really appreciates your business. I still love that cat. He is so cute.

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  14. Oh, I can almost smell the flowers and taste those juicy oranges...and I spy your kitty enjoying that glorious sunshine. How lovely! :)

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  15. Hi Poppy! It sounded like the perfect morning! Ahhhh!! Wish I could join you!
    xo Kris

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  16. Hi Poppy!

    Thanks for the beautiful photos. It really blessed me as I sit here in the snow-buried frozen north to know that somewhere in the world there are flowers and sunshine and beauty. Wish I was there. :)

    ~ Cassandra from Renaissance Women

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  17. Poppy, these photos of your home are so warm and welcoming. I love the bouquet of narcissus and the bowl of fresh fruit. It's all so lovely lit by the sun. Wonderful!

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  18. Your posts just make me smile! So much sunshine. :)

    Thank you for sharing your pretty sun room and narcissus. A wonderful addition for Fresh-Cut Friday as usual! :)
    ~Liz

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  19. Your pictures make me warm all over with all the bright colours. Beautiful. Coming over from Sunlit Sunday .

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  20. Pretty flowers in a pretty room filled with sun. It was warm here today and tomorrow night we may get snow again. Hurry spring!

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  21. Gorgeous colors, Poppy. So warm and rejuvenating. I love the way you describe the scents in your house. I feel relaxed just reading your description. What a perfect morning!

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  22. Beautiful vistas to admire from your home, inside and out. Love the fresh citrus. There's nothing like an orange warm from the tree.

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  23. A beautiful post, it's so lovely to see some sunlight..Love the fresh fruit & flowers your home looks so inviting... glad Prince Richard was happy to enjoy the warm sun... Have a happy week ahead... Hugs May x x x

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  24. I realized I was studying the pictures very carefully, trying to drink in all the flowers, sunshine and fresh fruit. It has snowed all weekend and I really needed this post to remember that warmth will come again! Citrus fruit fresh from the tree can't ever be more than a dream for me, though.

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  25. Love your little signs of spring and your narcissus is beautiful. We had quite a bit of snow in our area over the weekend, so my thoughts are starting to turn to spring! Thanks for sharing all your fair weather loveliness.

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  26. This is such a lovely sunny post Poppy!
    I love your gift of spring flowers from the farmer - that's a lovely gesture.
    I notice you have The Luncheon of the Boating Party by Renoir on the wall - it is one of my faves, so vibrant and alive with interesting people!
    Prince Richard knows where to find the sunny warm spots!

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  27. Well I could easily take my aromatic coffee into that beautiful restful sunroom! I think Sir Richard has the right idea, and he looks like he must be enjoying the scents from the garden himself. The narcissus are so sweet! How nice of the farmer to present such a welcome bouquet to you! Have a great week Poppy (still deep in snow here). Wendy x

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  28. What beautiful brilliance, you live with!!!!!

    Your blog can light up a day, for your Dear Readers.

    Thank you.

    Gentle hugs,
    Tessa~

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  29. Your sun room is so beautiful...I could definitely see myself sitting in there with a cup of coffee or tea, and just daydreaming. :-) You're so lucky that you can pick fresh citrus right off the trees. I have a friend in California who picks fresh grapefruits and lemons right off the trees in her yard. I can't imagine how wonderful and fresh-tasting these would be. I love citrus in the winter...I am putting fresh lemon in my water and eating a grapefruit or clementines every day!

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  30. Your beautiful photos and lovely words are always a wonderful welcome to a morning.

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  31. Poppy, what a beautiful post! And I loved the fact that you also sit quietly and enjoy the simple luxuries around you that make life so special! Have a great week! xo Jackie

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  32. Your home is so pretty. I love that you are so appreciative of your home and your simple, beautiful surroundings. My grandmother had a copy of that Renoir in her dining room and this post reminded me of her.

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  33. Αυτά τα υπέροχα λουλούδια, φλογέτες όπως τα λέμε στην ιδιαίτερη πατρίδα μου την Κέρκυρα,είναι το προμήνυμα της άνοιξης.Καθώς τα είδα σ' αυτό το βάζο θυμήθηκα ένα παρόμοιο που είχαμε στο σχολείο μου,πριν πολλά χρόνια,και το γεμίζαμε μ'αυτά τα λουλούδια για να ευχαριστήσουμε τη δασκάλα μας.
    Καλή εβδομάδα Πόπη.

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  34. Beautiful flowers ...what a nice gift from the farmer! Your room looks warm. Sun Drenched. Warm. I can almost feel it....
    But, lol, not quite / still so cold here. But for a few moments I pretended that I was there :)

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  35. Fresh flowers, fresh fruit and some sunshine - that sounds like a great day.
    Patty at Home and Lifestyle Design

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  36. the vibrant colors in your sun room just make me feel happy!
    and to think you can pick those gorgeous fruits from your aunt's trees... not buy them in a store...
    oh. be still my heart!
    in the montage of pictures in the last one... the lower right...
    looks almost like a painting by bonnard!
    it's going to either snow or come an ice storm here tonight. but i love being all cozy in the wren house. we do have it good.
    XOXO ♥

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  37. Beautiful pictures and it sort of reminds me of days to come....I love how you let the sun in and allow it to warm the room, I also love that you know a good opportunity when you see one and allow a moment or two of the sweetness of doing nothing.! Enjoy the rest of the week...it's very cold here I hope that soon we will witness siting of spring!!!! So far snow and more snow!

    XOXO
    Marisa

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  38. A perfect morning! I love narcissus and daffodils and seldom see them nowadays, because it is too warm here in Florida. We do have wonderful citrus though and I too love the scent! Thanks for sharing your sunshine day.

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  39. Lovely photos from your beautiful sun room, dear Poppy! I love those narcissi and I do have some in my garden, but they have not flowered yet.

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  40. Hi Poppy,

    I love this post!! What a beautiful home you have and what beautiful surroundings!! All your fruit and flowers are just gorgeous. We live in the southeastern U.S., and we're supposed to be getting a big winter storm in the next couple of days. It's just so cheerful to see all your sunshine and flowers. I've read a lot about the Greek Islands, and I think it must be amazing to live in such an exotic place. Thanks for sharing with us.

    Visiting from Inspire Me Tuesday -- have a great week!

    Denise

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  41. Absolutely breath taking photos. Love all your happy color PoppY!

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  42. Such a pretty room. I remember the story of Narcissus in my greek mythology book I had as a child. Lovely flower. Have a great week! xx

    Louisa @ My Family & Abruzzo

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  43. Your photos always look like paintings Poppy! Everyone in the US is frozen and sick of snow so your flowers are envious~and a lovely promise of Spring!
    Jenna

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  44. You are truly "waxing poetic" today, Poppy. Your words match your beautiful photos in their loveliness.
    We will soon be intoxicated with the heady aroma of citrus blossoms here. It's always such a wonderful time.

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  45. Well Poppy, I just love your sun room. The colors are so soothing and comforting. Your post makes me ever anxious for Spring to start showing it's presence here in Virginia but I'm afraid we have quite a while before we even see those hardy green spikes peeking up through the browned grass. It's always a joy to visit with you.

    Wishing You a Wonderful Day!

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  46. Your place looks so inviting and warm. I enjoyed sunshine for a couple of weeks in Arizona but now I am back to colder Utah.

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  47. Although it's cold and dreary here in NY, my visit to your blog has, as always, warmed not only my cold toes which are currently wrapped in a faux fur throw, but my soul.

    I'm sure the several days of rain you've experienced will bring forth more lovely flowers for you to share with us soon. Ahhhhhhh....I love to live vicariously though you!

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  48. How gorgeous! I love the light in the room and the oranges look so wonderful. There is nothing like oranges right from the tree. What a lovely gift, the flowers are so beautiful. I cannot wait for my mine to start blooming!

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  49. I can almost feel the sun on my skin, and smell the scents of orange, hazelnut and narcissus, which was a nice escape from the cold and snow we have here. I think I'll just sit here and soak up your photos a little longer, before heading back to reality.

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  50. Poppy, I missed this post! .. so pretty and I love the orange. This time of year is so dreary here in Seattle. It's very grey and drizzles a lot (this is why everything is so lush and green!). It's a tough time for many people. I bring sunshine in via flowers and fresh produce. It makes all the difference in the world:) xxL

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  51. I loved seeing your living-room - I'm in love with that rocking chair - and I enjoyed seeing narcissus, given that mine don't bloom this year due to too many winter storms!

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  52. The flowers are beautiful and I love the smell of oranges.

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  53. Now you have me longing for spring! So warm and charming!

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  54. Sounds perfect, enjoying your surroundings and the sunshine with the smell of coffee and hazelnut wafting through from the kitchen. Is that coffee with a hazelnut syrup or something else ?

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  55. I can almost smell those gorgeous flowers from here in Australia! They are so pretty.

    Thank you so much for linking up to my Say G'day Saturday post. I'm so thrilled you joined in.

    Hope you can join in with this week's party which has just started!

    Take care and best wishes for a wonderful weekend,
    Natasha in Oz

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  56. The narcissus look so lovely, as does your sunroom!

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  57. Hi Poppy,

    Beautiful spring post you have shared here - the narcissus, fresh oranges, lemons and limes to have around your house - lovely.
    Happy weekend
    hugs
    Carolyn

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  58. I'm so naive to flowers I always thought they were tulips, I'll need to re-train my brain :)

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  59. You have painted a lovely picture of those peaceful moments at home! Thank you for sharing at the Art of Home-Making Mondays this week :)

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  60. Oh what a wonderful post, sweet Poppy! The flowers are simply lovely and have me yearning for spring. And the bowl of citrus fruit has my mouth watering....I can almost smell the sweet fragrance of the oranges.

    I'm so glad you shared this at Roses of Inspiration - thank you, my friend. Hug!

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Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I really appreciate hearing from all of you! Have a great day!