Raindrops on roses...

One of my favourite songs from 'The Sound of Music'. It's a great musical of course, but I mainly adore the movie for the glimpses of my beloved Salzburg! I'm usually gazing over Julie Andrews'shoulder and looking at the view of the fortress...or the rooftops...reliving happy times there!

But listening to the song 'My Favourite Things', over New Year, led me into an idea for a post on...yes, you guessed it - a few of my favourite things! Much as I love whiskers on kittens and warm woollen mittens, I thought that I'd show you some more original images from around the house:
Firstly - our bathroom. When we bought the house, the bathroom was downstairs - one of my pet hates. I can't bear walking through the house in my dressing gown...it just feels so wrong! So we incorporated the existing bathroom into the kitchen and lost a bedroom upstairs to make my idea of perfection...the bath is enormous and the perfect place to relax and unwind...

this mirror used to belong to Militza (about whom there is much more on this blog) and once hung in her bedroom. We love to mix old and new...and it is just right here . The walls are silver by the way...this was difficult to achieve (about 7 coats for proper coverage!) But the dull metallic sheen reflects the light and feels clean without being cold and functional.
This is the silver birch tree that I can see as I'm soaking in the tub....luckily, today is a beautiful day so she looks at her best! Of course, with leaves on she's even more stunning...but I love her skeletal form too and the birds use her as a roost so I get to see them as well....

This little painting is one of my absolute favourite things...it's by an artist called Roy Freer and is, I think, a scene in the South of France. But the colours remind me of Australia too.It was a 40th birthday present from my parents. It's calm, serene and beautiful and hangs on our landing wall...

Totally different but equally dear to me is this painting by my darling niece, Scout. Esther gave it to me for my birthday last year and it hangs in my writing room where the colours and the thought of my beautiful girl cheer & inspire me whenever I look at  it...

The view from our bedroom windows....the graveyard and the church. I absolutely adore living in a church square. There are no graves less than 130 years old, and I find it soothing and a privilege to look out on them.
we have the added pleasure of the church bells...the clock chimes every 15 minutes, day and night...and there's also the proper bells which are rung every Sunday, for weddings and on practice night too. Some people have asked if this is intrusive. Not to us! We are so used to them now that we wake in the night if they don't chime - which sometimes happens if the mechanism faulters. I don't know what we'd do without their unique and very English sound..
my reading corner....ahhh...my absolute favourite place in our house. I'd wanted a proper built in bookshelf for so long and we at last managed to find a proper, artesan craftsman to build one for us last Autumn. Then we found THE chair. The big leather footstool. The lamp looks perfect there too. And my ultimate moment of bliss, when the work is done each day, is to take a big cup of tea and my latest book and sink into the chair with Alice on my lap....heaven!

Talk of my little dog reminds me of this collection of mini-Alices of all sizes...we're always on the lookout for new additions and several are presents from dear friends...
And so to my most favourite of favourite things...

How could I not use the opportunity to post yet another picture of our beloved??

I hope you've enjoyed this little peek into my world. Or the tiny part of the world that is our home!

Have a wonderful Sunday and thanks so much for reading xo

Comments

  1. Oh Rachel,
    Absolutely loved reading your post of your favourite things! How wonderful to see your home and all your favourite pieces! Your bathroom is gorgeous. I am in love with the tub! I also adore your reading corner with that big comfy chair. Must be havenly to sit there and read a favourite book! Thank you so much for sharing your home with us! Happy Sunday sweetie. xo

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  2. hello my sweet friend...i LOVED this...love your home, that beautiful tree, the painting is lovely and the little drawing from Scout (love her name by the way )is a treasure...i also LOVE bookshelves...you can get a peek of mine on my Sarabeth post...behind the paper whites :-) i love your reading area, and your chair ...and then i get to sweet, sweet alice. i know you will agree..a home without a dog...is not a home. i love seeing her there...all curled up and sleeping and happy...we sure are kindred spirits...with our love of home and doggys and baking...and one of my favorite things is graveyards...how lucky to look right out your window at one...

    i can't wait to hear what you think about the cookbook...i am making something today...just have to decide what it will be :-)

    i so enjoyed this...thanks for sharing it with us...

    sending love,
    kary and teddy
    xxx

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  3. Oh Rachel thank you for your invitation into your home! And what a lovely one you have! Hope you're having a blessed day!

    xoxo Gert

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  4. Thank you for sharing your favorite things....so sweet of you. You made my day!

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  5. Dear lovely Rachel,
    How kind of you to share bits of your home- sweet corners and special places, all parts of your heart. You endear yourself to your readers with your quips of life and your surrounds. The tree is gorgeous from your perfect tub!! I just love it!! How delightful to hear the church chimes- so European and 'at home' to me! I have LOVED the tour!!

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  6. Its very serene in your world.
    The tree is magnificent and the graveyard and church bells...bet theres bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens too!
    xx
    julie

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  7. I love, love, love the view from the windows. And Salzburg is a great city, at least for a tourist.

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  8. Hi
    Is it possible to talk with you off-blog?
    my email is mullauna@yahoo.com
    Im not a spammer, I just want to talk

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  9. Thankyou for the glimpses of your home, another graveyard lover!
    This isn't really a complaint but I found today's post quite hard to read with the colour scheme. Sorry maybe it just means I'm getting on a bit and shouldnt blog from my bed. Looking forward to more posts, what about the rest of the house?

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  10. Sweet Rachel, where would we be without lovely books at hand and a comfy chair?! I so enjoy your writing and the pictures of your surroundings...a bit of armchair travel for me, I think. Oh, your mini-Alice collection is so darling (just like her)! You brighten my world!! Love and hugs, Sherry

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  11. Hello dear Rachel,

    Of course we LOVE what you pictured. Cozy, warm, and so very YOU. The bookcases weren't finished when I was there, but my they are gorgeous and cozy. They add so much life to the room. The bathtub is fabulous. I miss my old clawfoot from Cambria. It holds the heat better than any.

    Love the new chair and footstool, the little south of France painting could be a California plein air. It has our colors and feel too.

    Love your little Alice, such a lady and so happy you're with her.

    Had a huge baking failure the other day and said to Jeff, "I wish Rachel was here. How does she do it?" "Rachel is a professional," he said. As if I didn't know that.

    Thanks for your sweet words on my posting.

    Love, Love,

    Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

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  12. Darling Ray,
    Brought tears to my eyes, thinking of you in the house. The beautiful chair and your love of gravestones! Thanks, it made my day. What a talented artist your niece is! xxxxxxx

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  13. Wonderful post, Rachel! I'm delighted to see some of your favorite things and to be able to picture you in your surroundings. They're warm, welcoming, and beautiful, just as I would have imagined. I can just see you in your reading chair with your cup of tea and it puts a smile in my heart, as does the picture of Alice curled up so cozily :)

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  14. What a lovely treat to have a peak inside your home. It is warm and charming just like you! I took special insterest in your collection of little dog figurines. Over the past several months I've come upon a couple of them and almost bought them to send to you but thought you probably wouldn't like them, darn I wish I had followed my instinct.
    Thanks for sharing your beautiful home!

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