Hello again, and thank you all for making me feel so welcome ... I will certainly post more pictures now you've got me started! Sorting through my photos is what has kept me going through the winter without losing my mind!! Jennie, I completely agree that seeing the whole bush is so useful, you also get to see the setting and the companion plants that make the roses even more beautiful. However, I also take tons of closeups, after all the flower is what sells us in the first place and with some roses, the petals have a certain quality, you can almost smell them! Ingrid, I love that term "cross pollination of ideas"! Daun, the deep pink rose at the top is the Austin Gertrude Jekyll. Here she is by herself: The purple and scarlet flowers are actually Sweet William. They all came out of one packet of seeds, the only snag is you never know what colours you're going to get. You can see them better in this different view of the "yellow bed" (the roses here are Claudia Cardinale, a Rosa Generosa by Guillot, and Molineux - top right): and of the "blush bed" (the large bush is Andre' le Notre, a HT with heavily damask-perfumed, gigantic flowers, the smaller bush with the apricot flower facing us is another Guillot Generosa called Veronique B, this one smells of almonds and marzipan!) Florence, I adore Zeffy, the scent, the colour. Some people don't like the bloom shape, but I find it charming. Jeri, it was sunny here too, but far from hot. Last year we had temps in the 80's in the second half of April, today it barely got to 66F! Rosefolly, I like your online name, too! Sherry, the climate in this part of the Gironde can be humid, as we are on the Atlantic coast, but "normally" the summers are hot and very sunny. Last year (and this month for sure) have been unusually wet. Thanks again, Buford, Happy, Ronda, Mr. Darcy, Joanne and Jenn for the kind words. MayBee

I like it, and depending on what the seller will take, it's potentially a great deal. In the ad it looks like a wine rack in the square opening of the cabinet, is that right? I'd have a lot of fun figuring out what to display every season in the open section at the top. If it doesn't work in your dining room you might think about it somewhere else, like a bedroom. What I don't particularly care for, but it would be easy to change, is the leather covering and nailheads. I'd prefer to soften things up with a fabric upholstery, probably printed, with a fabric trim or piping replacing the nailheads, rather than keeping the men's-clubby look it has now. But that's something you could always do in the future.

Hi, I don't see this exact pattern, but here is Saltillo import tile store in Toronto Canada that has all kinds of encaustic tile. Maybe you'll find something you like in this collection, or contact them to see if they can get the pattern you are looking for. Cement encaustic tile. Some of those patterns are really lovely and classic. Some I worry would start to date your kitchen very quickly. Anyway, good luck with your search.

Given the scale in your photos, I'd bet those are blue fescue clumps. They look identical to the ones I have, which also vary in their shades of blue. Mine are roughly 1 foot tall & wide.