How to be happy when you are miserable. Plant Japanese poppies with cornflowers and mignonette, and bed out the petunias among the sweet peas so that they shall scent each other. See the sweet peas coming up.
Drink very good tea out of a thin Worcester cup of a color between apricot and pink.
Rumer Godden
I was attracted to this quote in, Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach. I have not read any books by Rumor Godden. I will now. That’s how it works with books and reading. You see one thing which leads you to something else and on it goes. My grandmother began to take me to the library before I could read and my appreciation of books has continued from those days and grown stronger through the years.
I suppose one reason I like this quote is that it speaks to who I am. I’m not much of a gardener, nevertheless I do love flowers. You will often find a bouquet of fresh flowers on the sideboard or coffee table. The limited space outdoors on the patio and by the front door is filled with pots of things growing.
A cup of tea in the afternoon, drank from a favorite cup is a simple pleasure I frequently enjoy. For me it’s about slowing down time. Anticipating the whistle from the kettle and waiting patiently for the tea to brew. Putting some jazz on the turntable and settling in to enjoy a few chapters of the latest book I’m reading.
Whether you intend it to or not, your home tells a story about who you are. You habits, likes, dislikes are on display for everyone who walks through the door. This is the reason, in French culture, you are not immediately invited into their home. They want to get to know you before they share this part of themselves with you. As important, from my point of view, when I walk in my front door, I want to be surrounded by what makes me happy. The world can be tough, home should be a sanctuary away from what is going on outside.
Aging with Grace 
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