WELCOME to the 2014 #AtoZ Blog Challenge
Inspired By My Pinterest Boards: This Year’s Category is GARDENING
“Most people think of a conservatory as a place for the preservation of plants, but for the majority of owners today – since the 18th century in fact, when glass ceased to be a luxury, and large windows and glazed roofs became feasible – they are much more.” The Book of the Conservatory -Peter Marston
There are several areas I’m sure God exempts when it comes to coveting; other people’s gardens and their conservatories. Wouldn’t you agree? While writing Greening of a Heart, a conservatory was a foregone conclusion. I had no trouble writing this scene between Christine Bennett, the elderly lady across the road, and Hannah Winchester, the main character.
Hannah sat in a faded chintz-covered chair that had been brought in from the front parlor for extra seating.The conservatory, filled with Christine’s comfortable trappings, had been added to the cottage upon her retirement. Though her friends questioned her extravagance, she remained determined. She’d said many times in the intervening years, “This is the best present I ever gave myself.”
If there is no hope of an English Conservatory in your life, find a painter like I did. Use Peter Marston’s Conservatory Book for ideas and create your own version.
The one wall available for a conservatory glass window
A glass ceiling
A Welcome sign over the door leading out into the garden
Clematis growing up the sides of the windows that look out on the garden
I loved this, Stepheny! The man who is trying to steal my heart is building a conservatory’ish structure out his back door. I can’t wait to see it!
I’ve got one! I love sitting in it amongst my over wintering plants and reading!
Great post! I would love a really fancy conservatory, one with beautiful iron work and things 🙂
I’d also love a conservatory, but we don’t really have the room for one. I love your idea of creating your own. Also a great snippet.
My ‘conservatory’ proved the adage, Where there is a will there is a way. Let’s pretend we are having tea together in an English conservatory this afternoon taking a break from the #atozchallenge. Come back when you can.
Thanks for commenting on my blog and sharing it on facebook.
Last year on A-Z I chose our garden as my theme, so I will be coming back to to see how you get on. We don’t have a conservatory to compare – but I did include the shed!
Welcome to the garden. I have written about ‘sheds’ during this #challenge. I’m glad you will return. Happy to share your interesting blog.
I love to putter in my gardens! And I’d love to have an English Conservatory!
Hope one day you will have one either writing about one, painting one, framing a piece of art that features one. Let’s pretend to have tea this afternoon in a lovely conservatory taking a break from the #challenge.
I don’t have a garden. I’d love to have one, but allergies might kill me. (Sad, right?)
Once again, this is why I love my Pinterest boards because I can pin so many things I love without any chance of ever possessing them. Allergies…the pits, but you can look at beautiful examples of them without putting a toe forward. Come back if you have time.
I’ve always loved gardening and wish I had one, but I live in an apartment. One day though, I’ll have a grand garden. 😀 Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment.
This is why I love my Pinterest boards allowing me an art collection, children’s illustrations, vintage perfume bottle etc. Oh, and lots of gardening related images. Come back again if you have time.
I love your blog and the background of your G+profile too. Gardening is a hobby of mine and I like the idea of having a conservatory. Creating one to suit your taste can be fun, especially if there isn’t any space, as you suggested. Thanks for stopping by me and I’ll be here again.
I’d love to have a conservatory. Just the name of it makes it sound like a special place. I’d have to make sure my husband took care of the plants, though…he’s the green thumb in our household.
I love gardens. So pretty. I live in an apt., so I can’t have one, but when I play the Sims, I plant lots of flowers and vegetables. lol Great pictures.
Thrilled to hear you reading your book! Makes me want to retread it! Mention of the stained glass windows drew menace to the 12-13th C. Windows of Norte Dame in Paris. The guide said the quality of color has never been reproduced with the exquisiteness of those early windows. That evening we went to a concert in San Chapelle and were surrounded by the beauty of windows from the same period, a repeated gift. Thanks to your charming reading I had the pleasure of you and a special memory renewed.
Hugs Dear Heart!
Loved your garden doors and the green house recreated in your home.
Special Hugs,
M
That’s great trompe-l’œil of your faux conservatory! I bought a book to do that and then ended up moving to a house that has a bay window and a view to a garden that I’m now too busy to take care of.
I followed your blog from your nice comment on mine and thanks for leading me here. I love that you posted a snippet of your novel as well. I have a weakness for conservatories myself – I just wish they came with gardeners, too. 😉
Oh wow! I absolutely adore the painting above the window. As soon as the weather is warm enough at night to leave the windows open, I am going to do this above my each of my daughter’s windows. 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing!
You can imagine my hurting heart last June when we moved and left the garden and ‘conservatory’ behind. Would love to see what your windows look like when you finish. Come back when you have time and we’ll stroll through some more garden and related things.
What a clever idea. There is something about a conservatory that makes me want to settle down with a cup of tea. Now I’m off to find your gardening board on Pinterest!
Wish we could have that cup of tea together. I hope you like the Pinterest trip. Come back when you have time and we’ll still through some more gardens and related things.
Hi Stepheny! Thanks for stopping by my blog and for your comment! I’m always happy to connect with a fellow craftsman/craftswoman. So nice to meet you!!
I love your theme! I’m a bit unsure if I’m a gardener myself; I’ve always lived in an apartment or condo building with no access to green space. The home my fiancee and I live in now is nothing but possibilities once we get the landscaping under control (the house was vacant for over a year). We’re planning where to have a flower bed or two, bulbs or annuals, tall grass or hedging, it’s fun!
Dara the Writer
Oh, I believe in possibilities; perhaps one of the driving forces in my life. So I believe in the possibility of you becoming a gardener over time. May I suggest that you take on the designation-Head Gardener and your ‘love’ is now the Under Gardener. (That’s what they are called in England.) Come back and stroll through some more garden topics if you have time. I’ll watch for you by the garden gate.
Your conservatory looks great! A U.K. gal, eh? I grew up in Northern Ky. so I know many diehard fans 🙂
Great blog and very interesting topic.
Thanks for dropping by!
Living in North Carolina we now live and die with Duke Basketball. You don’t leave UK without becoming an avid basketball fan. ACC basketball minus all the commercials fill our cups. Good thing gardening in under way at the end of the season. Hope you’ll come back and visit another day.
Thanks for your compliments on the Write On Mamas blog. I am a member from Canada and there is still considerable snow here so your posts about gardening and a conservatory seem dream-like to me. Reminds me that spring will come again.
Love your conservatory ideas. One thing I’ve always wanted is a garden big enough for a gazebo. Maybe someday…
Hold the thought and if not a gazebo in fact, one painted on a wall as I have done with my conservatory.
What a great theme for the A to Z Challenge! My husband is the green thumb, so I will definitely have to show him your blog. 🙂 Thanks for checking out mine!
Tell him I’ll meet him at the garden gate and show him around more gardening and related topics.
That is very nice. I love the photos!
Random Musings from the KristenHead — E is for ‘Elementary’ (and Elephants)