Throwing in the towel on the circle, two films worth watching and a weekend that has cocktails, bikes and absolutely nothing on the schedule
I am throwing in the towel on the circle.
Five years. Five years of planting, hoping, watching things bloom beautifully for exactly two months and then finding out the deer consider our front driveway their personal salad bar. Year one we put in perennials. Gone. Year two, wildflowers and zinnias — glorious until winter, then just a circle of brown. The last two years have been hit and miss at best. The circle starts strong, fills with color, I watch it every morning from the front window over my drinking chocolate, and then. Deer salad.
This year we have ankle-height wildflowers coming in and we are waiting on the zinnias and poppies, but we have run out of patience. We called in a landscape architect.
The plans include new curbing, a tree to anchor the space, possibly a small water feature to attract birds, and perennials for the bees and hummingbirds. Whether the deer will continue to visit and leave everything alone remains to be seen. I choose to be optimistic. Work starts in May if all goes to plan, though these things have a way of taking their own sweet time especially when the HOA gets involved. I will keep you posted.
It is a beautiful weekend. I have pulled out my bike — always a good sign — and the only things on the calendar are cocktails with friends, time at the pool and a couple of long rides. Busy months are ahead with graduations, baptisms, visitors and travel, so I am enjoying every minute of this while it lasts. Let’s meander.
Films and Television
Two films and a series this week. The first is Arum, starring Diane Kruger, set in 1945 on the remote German island of Amrum. Twelve-year-old Nanning spends his days working the farm and his nights fishing, helping his mother feed the family. When their anti-fascist neighbor mentions that the war will soon be over, Nanning is simply glad his father might be coming home. But his mother is a true believer, and as Germany’s defeat approaches she begins to decline. It is a beautiful film about a boy who loves his mother and will do anything to make her better.
The second is Reflections of Life, a short film that is essentially a meditation — on detours, on plans that don’t go as expected, on the idea that getting off track is not always a failure. It’s funny how these things find you just when you need them.
And on the BBC, The Other Bennet Sister — a new take on Mary Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. She steps out of her sisters’ shadows and finds love and, more importantly, herself. If you loved the original you will enjoy this even more.
On Homing and Homeworthy This Week
Two home tours I have been thinking about since I watched them. The first is Homing with Maria Balshaw, the soon-to-be-retiring director of the Tate. Her home in Kent has medieval beams on one side. She grows vegetables year-round, swims in the sea nearby and measures time by what is coming into flower. Her mother spent her final months there, sitting on the terrace watching buzzards circle the valley, convinced one of them was her late husband waiting for her. I could not stop thinking about that. Maria steps down from the Tate at the end of March after nine years. She knows exactly where she will be the following morning: in the garden, in her wellies, at the start of the growing season. That is my kind of woman.
The second is Homeworthy with Chloe Jonason, a textile designer whose English countryside home is exactly the kind of space I love. Layered with textiles, vintage pieces, art and hand block-printed fabrics from India. It is warm and personal and feels like it has always been there. I watched it twice and I loved every detail.
A little reminder friends Joy will Find You if You Let it.
This week on the blog I shared the Benefits of a Sniffer Walk and my decorating philosophy, The Bower Bird Home — How I Decorate and Why I’ll Never Be a Minimalist. I hope that you will have a read.
Be sure to pin or bookmark my scrumptious carrot cake for Easter dinner or dessert should I say.
If you missed last week, Weekend Meanderings | Cold Again, Outrageous Brownies and a Sunday With Nothing On the Calendar — it was a good one.
If you like the post please share and don’t forget to follow along on Facebook, Instagram or X or Pinterest.
Before you go — what is on your schedule this weekend? Tell me in the comments. I always love to know.
Don’t forget to visit Juliet at Make Mine a Spritzer and Kim at Northern California Style we always have lots to share.
Have a wonderful weekend, friends.
On My Radar
Hi Elizabeth,
Sounds like a great weekend . I’ve to get back into bike riding for a very long time. My future DIL invited me along for the wedding dress shopping, we had a wonderful time and so happy she found her beautiful dress.
Rita, congratulations to you and your son and future daughter in law. That sounds like a wonderful day indeed. Wedding dress shopping is nerve wracking, exciting and every emption in between. I hope that you get out on your bike soon! Have a lovely weekend.
Lovely post thank you Elizabeth! Have a lovely weekend!
Francesca, thank you! Have a wonderful week.
Elizabeth! Thank goodness for bike weather. So sorry about your gardening travails, I totally relate. Sounds like you’ve got a great plan in place and hopefully it’s underway in no time. Short of a fence I’m not sure what else you can do. Even with a fence most of our plants succumbed to smaller creatures. Gardening isn’t for the faint of heart, is it? Can’t wait to watch both Homeworthy tours this afternoon. Cheers to your cocktail plans. xo
Elizabeth, I hope you have a fun weekend. Cocktails and by the pool- plus biking sound fun. I am so sorry for your yard issues. It sounds like fences aren’t a thing where you all live. Deer can be so destructive. I hope you can fund a solution with your new person.
The carrot cake looks super good. I am saving that to make for Max’s birthday in late March.
Can’t wait to watch all these clips later.
Have a good weekend! x
Dear Elizabeth,
I hear you about gardening challenges. The weather, the critters, insects coming after your garden. You have to be extremely patient and knowledgeable. Then the deer come along and you are totally out of control.
It’s good you have hired a professional landscape architect hopefully this will just the direction you need to prove a better outcome. Good luck with your HOA I know how long it can take them to give approval. We have been through all of this type of thing.
Good luck.
Katherine, gardening is especially challenging when you have no idea what you are doing, your patiences is limited and what you really want, an English garden is probably not going to happen in this space, at least not the one in my vision. Perhaps on a much smaller scale but not the one in my dreams. I am now leaning towards “essence of English garden.” Thankfully our architect is very well versed in this area and what I am hoping to accomplish, not to mention the fact that she hopes to attract as many humming birds, bees and other pollinators as she can. Thank you for the luck. Have a wonderful and relaxing week, stay cool.