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A French-Inspired Garden and Home by Judith Stringham

Notes From The Country | No. 2

Monday, February 26, 2018

The sun came out Saturday after raining for a week. For days the breakfast sunspace windows were covered with streaks of raindrops. I like rain and enjoy snuggling in at home on rainy days and nights. My grandparents' farmhouse had a tin roof, and I loved sitting on the long front porch with my grandmother listening to the rain. And to falling asleep at night listening to rain on the tin roof. 

The rain this week revived our little spot in the countryside and added water to the underground water table. 

Rainy days are good days for dreaming and planning. 

D R E A M I N G

Of spring flowers and green grass blowing in the wind... 

rain streaked window view of new green grass

Bright spring-green grass was visible even through the rain spattered windows. The water-parched winter rye grass is turning green, and the grass looks like it will rebound and survive. For several weeks the grass looked like the lack of water would kill it, a first in all the years I've planted winter annual rye grass. Reprieve! The rain revived the grass. 

Gray low-hanging clouds lifted during the day on Saturday to shine on the narcissus buds. Any MOMENT now the Thalia and Erlicheer narcissus will be in full bloom. 


D R E A M I N G

Of trips to take on the Orient Express ... Reading about My French Country Home's day trip from Paris on the Orient Express rekindled my dream of traveling on the Orient Express one day. Yes, the Orient Express is definitely on my lifetime bucket list. 

Paris to London | Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
A search on the internet yielded a DREAM trip from Paris to London (and several other longer trips) on the Orient Express. There are several travel options in 2018. Look at the entire site to enjoy the beautiful photos of the train whether or not you want to book a trip. Dreaming of luxury train travel is a great way to pass the time on a rainy day.  





Have you seen the new 2017 version of the movie Murder on the Orient Express? The new version has breathtaking cinematography, and the train is the *SUPERSTAR* of the movie. During one of the recent rainy evenings we watched Murder on the Orient Express on Amazon Prime. This is one of those movies I could watch again and again... even though I know the murder mystery twist at the end. 


Take a peek at how l'heure bleue in March celebrates a birthday with blue images. The post inspired a Botanic Bleu pinterest board, Bon Anniversaire en Bleu, and one of the photos is a young woman boarding the midnight blue Orient Express for a carefree, glamorous train trip. 

I am already dreaming and planning my outfit to board the Paris to London Orient Express one day. 
Dreaming on a rainy day in the country... 

Blue shoes ... with ankle straps
now to plan the rest of the outfit 


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What would you wear on a Paris to London Orient Express train trip?