I knew I wanted to add to this, and I think I am just rescuing it before it tipples over to the next page. Kathy, Hope this week finds you feeling more chipper! You may not know it but I am so greatful to you. You offered assistance and for me to e-mail you. Nearly sent the e-mail. I wrote several pages in long hand first and was about to type away, but I guess I did not want to dump my doom and gloom on you when you were trying to drop it yourself. So I never did type it up into an e-mail, (I still have the written pages.:) )but it did not matter, your encouragement gave me the strength when my doctors appointment came around to let no holes barred. It was obvious I was in a state and with recent panic attacks, which he had been aware of, that had raised my blood pressure to dangerous levels. This ended up my being hooked up to a 24 hour blood pressure monitor. Normal high blood pressure was ruled out as a result of this - I am relieved to say, and it appeared that the elevation went along with the panic attacks which also brought on an incredible urge to go asleep. (not fun when you are driving by yourself). Apparantely panic attacks and depression ofte come hand in hand, so I was heading that way for sure. Looking back now, I feel I have been depressed for a long time but guess I was in denial - certaily never really had the guts to talk about it before. Anyhow he was wonderful with me and prescribed anti-depressants and told me that I would be feeling better in time for Christmas - an how so right he was. Even better after Chrismas. I cannot believe it. Some horrible things happened with my garden stuff because of the state I was in that was very unfortunate, but I have to accept that it is just the way it is and my health is more important. I have come this far, I may as well tell you. I think you may have seen my beautiful geraniums that I have had for many years, well We started to get them ready for winter early - a really huge job. We had worked at it for a week. Geraniums from large tubs were lifted, topped and tailed and repotted into new medium. So that that in the Spring they could be placed directly on decks and patios without being disturbed. All other Geraniums were cut back and lifted then roots cut and potted into suitable sized pots. We were just about done, not quite, another day's work I guess, so they were all sitting out of the greenhouse waiting for the next phase which was to spray them for aphids before we put them to bed for the winter. This is when I totally gave up and went into my own little shell - my movements were slow to a standstill and I walked so very slowley, then stopped. I could not care about the geraniums, my garden or anything, I had no life left in me. My husband was very good as he knew this was not normal and also new of the pending appointment, which if you remember seemed to take for ever. Our friends came back from a trip and saw all the geraniums sitting there in the place they were before they lift. They insisted on coming one day and the four of us got stuck in finished of the geraniums (bar spraying) and we got them in the greenhous - this after three days of frost. I have to admit that they did not look good and was this a waste of our time. I still have not put my nose in there, but I can see some green topping some of the pots, so if we get half make it, I will be happy. The other thing which I still cannot believe happened and I am wondering if it was not entirely my fault though, though I just cannot say. I put out an SOS here on the board, saying "Help my Hortio Roses have been shipped out" I got all kinds of great advice, as it was snowing at the time and I did not know which way to turn. We still did not received them for another ten days (I am pretty sure) At the time I was on the mailand gone to visit and help out my daughter and her family. She had a nasty soccer accident and broke her leg badly having to have surgery to have it screwed and a huge nail put into it she claims. Anyway when I got back The roses had arrived. Alan put them in a bucket of water in the Garden shed. Despite all the good advice I received from folk here. Anyhow - Christmas came immediately and I never could deal with the darn roses. We were busy way into January, and when I finally looked in the shed they were black as the ace of spades. So they have been frozen for sure. I am taking the blame for this, but I wonder if it was entirely my fault. The other thing. In september I bought approx 200 bulbs for spring blooms - was pretty excited - was going to have a great garden next year. Time is going on - we are up to our eyes in a kitchen makeover but hubby checks into garden shed and a damn rat had got into it and devistated most of the bulbs - even eater, they have a three inch long green shoot on them. Yesterday I had bladder repair surgery, so I wont be able to lift or do anything heavy for at least to weeks, so gardening is out once again. Tee-hee! it goes on, does'nt it, but you know, I am really very happy right now, we will fix up things the best we can, I have a lot to look forward to especially in April - we are just doing our kitchen up and am loving the new look, so life is finally good, and I hope it is going to be a very long time before I come of the medication. Another thing that I do in the fall, which was never accomplished is I lift hundreds of primulas which I keep in shady beds in the summer to be placed back to their place of honour in the fall for winter and Spring. I think I could do with a whole crew this Spring to get me going again - Anyone fancy a trip to the island. Tee-hee! - Life is good here. Love Pauline - Vancouver Island

I haven't read all the suggestions, but here are a things that popped in my mind immediately: LOVE the stone. The posts are too small. Replace them with beefier cedar. We used 6" x 8" and turned the 8" side toward the outside (visually give the appearance of an 8" x 8" but saves some money). Add cedar brackets. If you can't remove the posts, you can add cedar boards to each side to make them appear larger/like cedar posts. We have several on the upper/back of our home done like this that cover metal post (we used poured concrete as a base on all of our verandas). Add a beam against the house (far left) and if room, at the garage end wall if it doesn't narrow the walkway too much - or add a cedar board that's only a few inches thick. Clad the board that runs horizontal above the beams with cedar boards (also running horizontal). Replace the light next to the front door with a larger light fixture. I can't tell what the front door looks like, but a vintage looking wood door would be nice. Is that glass (not glass block) around the front door? I need to think about that. You could add a low stone wall that runs along the sidewalk but has some curves along the grassy side to help visually break up all the straight lines going on. Doesn't need to be tall, just three stones high would work. Since the end of the house is so wide, I would add a a substantial overhang over the garage and have it run over/past the main level window. Here are a few examples: The first 2 are from Christopher Architects. The last one is from Dungan Neguette. You can go to their websites for more ideas. McAlpine Tankersley is another excellent architectural source. Bobby McAlpine's book The Home Within Us not only has beautiful pictures, but is exquisitely written. Jack Arnold is another source. More decorative garage door. Get rid of 1 basketball goal (both if not used anymore). What about staining the driveway a color? I saw a pin on Pinterest where they used a "surprisingly easy task/technique using Behr Semi-Transparent Concrete stain in Tuscan Gold" from Home Depot to give an unfinished looking concrete floors a warm wash of honey-gold color. I would definitely add shutters too all the windows where they would be sized properly - should cover if closed. You could add a third pair, but closed, in the wall space between the two windows along the front sidewalk/porch. How do you feel about blue? Or green: You could add more interest to the gable by doing something like this, but keeping with your style: btw, if you live in the scorching South, a window box will need water once a day - twice during a heat wave. I look forward to seeing what you do! This post was edited by allison0704 on Wed, Mar 20, 13 at 20:18

oops! sorry. hit a wrong button. I wanted to comment on Campbell's soup. I totally agree about the taste. Dish water is a good discription of the chicken noodle now. and the Tomato, one of my favs, is so bland as well. I remember my mother making soup for us 6 kids and the condensed soup was really what you would call condensed. one regular can of tomato came out of the can in a almost can shaped mass and the directions said to add 3 cans of water! you had to really stir it like mad to get that condensed soup to mix smoothly with the water to create the creamy soup, it was that thicke! and it tasted great! Soup was an economical way to feed a family then. not so much now! Now you only mix in 1 can of water and the "condensed" soup just runs out of the can. really there is no sense adding any water because what you get now is red water, no longer the thick and creamy packed with tomato flavor. bland and watery. same for the chicken noodle. they just keep cheapening the product, like people wont notice. I get the whole "let's get rid of all the artificial crap and high sodium and make this healthier because that's what people want. but if you can't do that and still produce a product that tastes good and people want to buy it, you might as well realize your product is done. people are buying now on nostalgia only and eventually Campell's Soup will be no more.

Thanks for the info ci. I expect you know that the royal family of the Netherlands also escaped to England for a time before settling in Ottawa. When they returned home they gave a gift of millions of tulip bulbs to the Canadian people of that city as a 'Thank you'. And during WW1 the Belgium royal family lived in London . . . and their daughter Princess Marie José became a pupil at the school I much later attended (as the nuns never failed to remind us) she went on to an 'arranged marriage' with Umberto of Italy and was queen for a few weeks before the Italians kicked him out. The Norwegian people still donate a huge Christmas tree each year which stands in London's Trafalgar Square in thanks for their time in England. I don't know of any book on the subject; it would be worth looking in to. Belgium Royals