This post was inspired by the emails I have received about my previous post about personal style. It seems to have touched a chord for many people.
This whole process of blogging is proving to be quite a voyage of discovery as one post seeds a dozen new ideas.
Thinking about the similarities between Grove House and La Jovienne made me realise just how much I have been influenced by my Mother.
When we moved into Grove House I was quite small but I do remember that the electricity reached about a quarter of the rooms and was only replaced because the wiring burst into flames. It was and still is a working farm and the house wasn't a priority when it came to spending!
Mum 'inherited' a lot of decor and furniture from her inlaws, a lot of it was very gloomy, but they took umbrage when she changed things. She managed to create a charming and comfortable home mainly through hard work and creativity. She was a talented amateur artist and sold many of her paintings to fund her decoration projects. She had the knack of being able to create beautiful little vignettes from whatever was to hand.
She taught me lots of things;
How to launder delicate fabrics; I can hear her now saying.........
"Treat them like babies, don't be rough, don't subject them to extreme temperature changes"
Or how to make good pastry "Keep it cool and handle it as little as possible" I always think about her advice when I am cooking or sewing.
Then there was wallpapering, decorating, gardening and china painting. She had a way with colour and scale that brought Grove House to life.
She always knew what to do with baby animals, no matter how poorly they were, they were given a drop of whisky in warm milk, lots of cuddles and a box by the open hearth. The most memorable being a whole litter of orphan piglets, each in its own box! No sooner did we finish bottle feeding them all than it was time to start again. We also had an orpahn lamb that grew up alongside the collie dog, it became so big and boisterous that the postman refused to deliver to the house. I still can't help rescuing every stray that comes near.
She must have despaired at her tomboy daughter who eventually went of to Art School and then on to pursue a very unexpected career path. I don't know if she realised that making curtains was the first thing I did whenever I moved home and that I always cooked for friends.
I hope I have inherited her sense of fun. I don't think my husband will ever forget his first 'meet the family' visit. It was also Mum's birthday and she had made a big cake in the shape of a domed beehive, this had lots of large skewers sticking out at all angles, each one had a handmade, large and ferocious looking marzipan bee on the end.
Sadly she never saw La Jovienne but I hope that she would have been proud of me.
Thanks Mum XXX
This whole process of blogging is proving to be quite a voyage of discovery as one post seeds a dozen new ideas.
Thinking about the similarities between Grove House and La Jovienne made me realise just how much I have been influenced by my Mother.
Yes the little person is me!
When we moved into Grove House I was quite small but I do remember that the electricity reached about a quarter of the rooms and was only replaced because the wiring burst into flames. It was and still is a working farm and the house wasn't a priority when it came to spending!
Mum 'inherited' a lot of decor and furniture from her inlaws, a lot of it was very gloomy, but they took umbrage when she changed things. She managed to create a charming and comfortable home mainly through hard work and creativity. She was a talented amateur artist and sold many of her paintings to fund her decoration projects. She had the knack of being able to create beautiful little vignettes from whatever was to hand.
She taught me lots of things;
How to launder delicate fabrics; I can hear her now saying.........
"Treat them like babies, don't be rough, don't subject them to extreme temperature changes"
Or how to make good pastry "Keep it cool and handle it as little as possible" I always think about her advice when I am cooking or sewing.
This is a plum and almond tart flavoured with meadowsweet.This pastry is a sweet 'paté sablé'
She taught me how to sew clothes and curtains and arrange flowers; 
She always knew what to do with baby animals, no matter how poorly they were, they were given a drop of whisky in warm milk, lots of cuddles and a box by the open hearth. The most memorable being a whole litter of orphan piglets, each in its own box! No sooner did we finish bottle feeding them all than it was time to start again. We also had an orpahn lamb that grew up alongside the collie dog, it became so big and boisterous that the postman refused to deliver to the house. I still can't help rescuing every stray that comes near.
This is Phoebe who was so tiny and close to death when she arrived. Now she is the happiest little cat that ever lived!
She must have despaired at her tomboy daughter who eventually went of to Art School and then on to pursue a very unexpected career path. I don't know if she realised that making curtains was the first thing I did whenever I moved home and that I always cooked for friends.
I hope I have inherited her sense of fun. I don't think my husband will ever forget his first 'meet the family' visit. It was also Mum's birthday and she had made a big cake in the shape of a domed beehive, this had lots of large skewers sticking out at all angles, each one had a handmade, large and ferocious looking marzipan bee on the end.
Sadly she never saw La Jovienne but I hope that she would have been proud of me.
Thanks Mum XXX
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