The Allure of a Picture

Downtown Galt, Cambridge, Ontario, photo by Linda Fegan

Have you ever been so utterly enchanted with an image, that you found yourself, literally, being drawn into it? This is exactly what happened to me, the second I spotted the gorgeous photo above.

A small stream, Churchill Park, Cambridge, Ontario

I felt an inexplicable and immediate connection with Cambridge, a pretty town in Southern Ontario, that compelled me to cross the Atlantic and see it for myself! And, that's exactly what I did!

source (edited)

 

So, I got on a plane, and

jetted 8385 km (5210 miles)

 across a very big pond, 

Charming, downtown Cambridge, Ontario

to another continent, and the city of Toronto,

from which I drove a further 108 km/67 miles,

until I reached the banks of the Grand River, 

 The Living Levee Trail, Cambridge, Ontario

where I walked along its flowing trail,

past leafy pathways and shuttered, stone houses,

 charming, cottage-y gardens,

Queen's Square Terrace Retirement Living

and stuccoed, shingle topped stunners,

Central Presbyterian Church, Cambridge, Ontario

piercing, sky-scraping steeples,

and shops painted in happy, pastel-y hues,

to finally STOP.

My photo: a rainy day in spring, of the view that originally captivated me!

Then, in silence, I gingerly stepped, 
into that bewitching of views -
this blogger's beautiful, magical muse!

A big thank you to my sweet brother-in-law, 
Alex, for all the driving, and the giggles!

Thanks for visiting!

xx

Poppy

Sharing at: 
The Art of Home-Making Mondays,  Create It Thursday,  Saturday Sparks,
Say G'Day Saturday, Friday's Five Features, Flaunt it Friday,
Friendship Friday, Fabulously Creative Friday, Show & Tell Friday,
Simple & Sweet Fridays, Feathered Nest Friday, Wow Us Wednesday, 
 Tweak It Tuesday, The Scoop, Tuesdays at Our Home,
Brag About it, Treasure Box Tuesday, Inspire Me Tuesday
A Return to Loveliness, Be Inspired Features and Link Party,
Amaze Me Monday,  Inspiration Monday, Make it Pretty Monday,
Inspire Me Monday, Sunday Showcase Party

A MEETING IN MAUVE

Happy Canada Day, this Monday,  

to all my Canadian friends!

It's been almost a week 

since my last post and first swim!

 On Thursday, 
I hosted a meeting
 for a philanthropic society
 that I recently joined.

 The days leading up to it
had been spent
 cleaning, baking, 
styling and prepping.

Twelve lovely ladies,

 each a resident of our quaint little village,

arrived promptly at six.

Too hot and sunny to sit in the garden,
we made ourselves comfortable indoors.

Among all the thoughtful gifts,

our Mrs. President presented me

with fresh, organic fruit from her garden, 

and the inspiration for this post!

How would you define this duo?

Upon first glance, 

I guessed, ''Cherries!"

But cherries have a longer stem.

Taking a closer look

at this mysterious bunch,

 sans stems, 

 it was all too clear

that cherries, they were not!

Plump and juicy

rosé and robust,

these tiny plums

are a miniature must!

Their purple swirls

and dark pink twirls

pointed me towards the garden-

a melting pot of these four hues:

plum and purple

pink and blue

showed up for a meeting 

in a dreamy, mauve bloom!

Thanks for 'attending'

Poppy

PS: 

Tomorrow Google Reader will be no more! 

I've made the move...Have you? 

Hope you continue to follow -

You can find my bloglovin button 

just under my profile.

Thanks!

All images: www.poppyview.blogspot.com

Sharing at:
 Inspiration Monday, June Garden Party, Friendship Friday,

A Favorite Thing, Anything Blue Friday, The Scoop,

Flaunt It Friday, Show and Tell Friday, Fresh Cut Fridays, 

Feathered Nest Friday, Simple and Sweet Fridays, Be Inspired, 

Open House Party, Home and Garden Thursday, Home Sweet Home,
Trivia Tuesday, Brag About It, bebesty.com, Tuesdays At Our Home,
 Tweak It Tuesday, A Return to Loveliness, Make It Pretty Monday,
Inspire Me Monday, Amaze Me Monday, Mosaic Monday, 
Wow Us Wednesdays, The Creative HomeAcre Hop, Home, 
Say G'Day Saturday, Seasonal Sundays, The Sunday Showcase Party

BETWEEN THE BUDS AND BEYOND

Yesterday morning, we planted two terracotta jardinieres of pink daisies and 'invisible' gardenias on the patio, along with a tiny blue pot of carnations and an extra large one of basil. 

This afternoon, I spent some quiet time out in the garden, leafing through a magazine, occasionally looking up from the beautiful photos to gaze at the bold bursts of colour and soft and dainty shapes that surrounded me.

And every spring, I'm always amazed at how the red and pink geraniums, which were planted four years ago, always arrive first, without fail, without sufficient rainfall, and seemingly, without effort. If these power flowers could talk, I don't think they would ever complain about anything; they just get on with it, resilient and forgiving!

Even when they're sandwiched between an overgrown and overbearing cluster of lilies and a tangled mass of stringy jasmine, not to mention a weak, but determined grapevine, these low key lovelies just keep calm and carry on.

And that's exactly what I did, as I leaned back into my chair, stretched out my legs and closed my eyes, the warm and comforting rays of the sun soothing my soul, while birds sang a sweet song and farmers ploughed their fields, in the near distance, beyond. A beautiful bouquet of sights, sounds and smells naturally wrapped up in wonder and awe!

Thanks for visiting,

Poppy

Sharing at:

 The Scoop

Friendship Friday

Tweak It Tuesday

Home and Garden Thursday

Home Sweet Home

Be Inspired

Feathered Nest Friday

Show and Tell Friday

A Favorite Thing Saturday

Seasonal Sundays

The Creative HomeAcre Hop

A Return to Loveliness

Wow Us Wednesdays

Make it Pretty Monday

Say G'Day Saturday

Flaunt it Friday

Tuesdays at Our Home

Simple and Sweet Fridays

Open House Party

Metamorphosis Monday

Scenes of Stone & Stucco

While waiting for the new sofa, which is suddenly out of stock(!), I thought we'd take a sneak peek at my aunt's beautiful stone house, back home, in the village. I was saving these photos for a new fireplace reveal, but things are slow and snowy here in Toronto and the only thing that keeps tweaking is the weather! 

But back on the island, my husband is working on installing my aunt's new fireplace in the living room. It will be finished in stucco and topped with local marble, destined to be the coziest  corner of this already warm and inviting space.

The original house, built around 1920, was uninhabited, with no interior bathroom or staircase, when purchased, around ten years ago.

After extensive renovations, which included stonework, a new kitchen, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, new wooden beams and floors, wainscoting, plastering, interior and exterior stairs and balconies, it is now a precious gem, nestled in a valley of vineyards and olive groves.

 

A gorgeous garden in the back provides delicious harvests of winter oranges and clementines, while the neighbour's plump pomegranates droop heavily over the patio, like glittery Christmas ornaments bending tips of fragrant firs.

And sometimes, somewhere between the beige-y tones of creamy stones and stucco, a cat in camouflage mode strikes a portrait pose for this camera crazed blogger!

Thanks for visiting!

Poppy

Sharing at:

The Inspiration Gallery,

 Flaunt it Friday, Simple & Sweet Fridays,

Inspire Me Tuesday, The Sunday Showcase Party,

Inspire Me Monday, Amaze Me Monday,

Home, Tweak It Tuesday, A Return to Loveliness,

Wow Us Wednesdays, Open House Thursdays,

Home and Garden Thursday,

Home Sweet Home, Feathered Nest Friday,

Favorite Thing Saturday,The Creative HomeAcre Hop,

Tuesdays at Our Home, Say G'day Saturday, Make it Pretty Monday,

Show and Tell Friday,Metamorphosis Monday

TELLING STORIES

Crete Family Villas

I was told a little story the other day about my friend, Jocelyne. It’s a story that is indicative of her generous nature, of how her teacher traits played a revealing role, a story which, she herself, has never told. 

Crete Family Villas

In an effort to motivate the children to take responsibility and keep their village clean, Jocelyne offered each of them an ice cream, if they assisted her in picking up all the litter that they could find.  

In the village, drying grapes to make raisins

Before another remnant of rubbish could be thrown, and within no time at all, a huddle of house- proud youngsters could be seen, happily walking the winding, waste-free roads of the village, indulging in their icy treats. Just like that: stimulus – response!

Crete Family Villas

My second story is about the villas, and how they came to be.  Jocelyne gives us some fun facts about the vacation property, as well as a peek into her own personal preferences.

Crete Family Villas

 I wish I could tell you that this interview took place in the gorgeous room above, but that would be a ‘tall’ tale, of sorts. What I can tell you is that we had the pleasure of having a wonderful coffee morning here, in one of the villa’s most stunning spaces, with breathtaking views of the sea in the near distance, and the pools and gardens at your feet, truly making it a luxury to be enjoyed, all year round.

Crete Family Villas

Crete Family Villas: An Interview

Jocelyne, you were born in Turkey, which is very similar to Greece in many ways. What inspired you to build on Crete, and especially, in our village?

We lived on the island in the 80's and loved it so much, and after many visits, we decided to build in this perfect village.

The villas are simply gorgeous! How would you describe them?

The villas are built in the traditional way using local materials. They are spacious with views over the vineyards, mountains and the sea.

Each villa has an interesting name.  Could you please explain to our readers what they mean?

Eleftheria means freedom, independence

Kalithea/ good view

Irini/ peace

All three are stunning.  Which one is your favourite and why?

Villa Irini is my favourite, as it has a better sea view from the second floor rooms.

How did you choose your colours, both for the interior and exterior?

We wanted to blend the villas with the village and the surrounding nature so they look more as one with it.

Did you have any assistance with the design and landscaping?

We used several of my brother’s ideas, having been in the travel industry for 30 years and travelled the world.

Crete Family Villas

The property is so beautifully landscaped. I love all the hot reds and soft whites in the flowers and the many fruit trees.  Could you tell us a little bit about the gardens and why you chose certain plants, trees and flowers?

The landscape is still in progress. We mainly picked trees and plants which already exist in the area, as we wanted to blend all the villas and garden with the rest of the village.

Building a house of one’s own is a huge undertaking. You had to deal with three! What was your most difficult challenge with the villas?

Overseeing construction.

What do you miss when you are away from Crete?

I miss the weather, the views, the food, the peacefulness. But most of all, I miss the friendliness of our village, Pendamodi.

 And when you are away from the States?

Well, I wished that all my family was able to share this beautiful place for the long period that I spend there, but unfortunately long vacations are not possible..for them.

Crete Family Villas 

Choose one of the following:

City mouse or country mouse?

More of a country mouse but like to be near a city..

Colour or neutral palette?

I am more of a neutral person but like colour to accent.

Wood or painted finish?

Both! But I like wood better.

Stone or stucco?

Definitely stone.

Bungalow or two storey?

A two storey gives a better view.

Sea or mountain?

A bit of both to complement the picture.

Thank you Jocelyne.

Thank you.

Jocelyne

Hope you enjoyed this introduction to Crete Family Villas. For more information, check out their website at: cretefamilyvillas.co.uk

Thanks for visiting.

Poppy

Linking to:

Open House Party Thursdays

Home and Garden Thursdays

Home Sweet Home Friday

Show and Tell Friday

Fridays Unfolded

Make it Pretty Monday

Tweak it Tuesday

Wow Us Wednesdays