Elinor Florence's Blog, page 8
November 17, 2019
Ten Ways to Make a New House Look Old
Dear Friends: My dream is to renovate an old house, but that passion is sadly not shared by my husband! So when we built our new house in 2002, we incorporated some features to make it look like our “historic” home had been standing on this spot since 1924. My Dream Home When I envision […]
October 24, 2019
Destination Danesfield!
Dear Friends: I am so excited about my invitation to Danesfield House Hotel next May, the setting for my wartime novel Bird’s Eye View, for a book signing! This gorgeous white chalkstone mansion, pictured on the back cover of my book, located one hour west of London near Henley-on-Thames, was the headquarters of aerial photo […]
September 27, 2019
My Thrifting Life
My thrifting life took an uptick recently, when I found this lovely Early’s Witney Point trading blanket at my favourite thrift shop in Parksville, on Vancouver Island. My Trading Blanket It happened like this: I spotted the bright red blanket across the floor at SOS (short for Society of Organized Services) in Parksville, and […]
August 18, 2019
Greetings from Palm Tree Cottage
Dear Friends: Here we are soaking up the ocean breezes at our bungalow in Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island, which I named Palm Tree Cottage. We bought this place mainly because I fell in love with the palm tree in the back yard. Yes, we do have palm trees growing in Canada! Cottage Has Mid-Century […]
June 18, 2019
Room With a View
Dear Friends: My youngest daughter Melinda left home ten years ago, and we finally got around to redecorating her hot pink teenage lair and turning it into a welcoming guest room. Here's the finished result of our blood (I cut my finger), sweat (moving furniture is hard work), and tears (of nostalgia).
May 18, 2019
Newspaper Nostalgia
Dear Friends: In my long career as a journalist, I collected memorabilia ranging from hundreds of newspapers clippings to pieces of historic wooden type like this big E -- for Elinor, of course! Click “Read On” to see pictures of my precious personal print artifacts.
April 13, 2019
Sorting is Such Sweet Sorrow
Dear Friends: My mother’s estate has wrapped up and her house has been sold, so I’m disposing of her furniture and possessions. And that means dragging home no fewer than 25 cardboard cartons filled with photographs, letters, china, books, and keepsakes.
In a box of old knitting patterns, I found this original! She knit this sweater for me about thirty years ago, and I’m still wearing it. Read on to see some of my other mementoes.
March 16, 2019
Farmhouse Kitchen
Dear Friends: Happy St. Patrick's Day! In my novel Wildwood, the Irish heroine receives a Belleek shamrock tea set as a wedding gift when she emigrates to Alberta in 1923. Decades later, her niece finds the tea set and other vintage items in the old farmhouse -- many of which came from my childhood kitchen. Click "Read On" for a wee tour.
February 16, 2019
Sunny Days
I’m enjoying life in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and feeling nothing but sympathy for my fellow Canadians, who are suffering under an icy white blanket. The sunsets here aren’t as lovely as those on the prairies, but since we never see the sun set at our home in the mountains, the evening sky looks darned good to us!
January 28, 2019
Welcome
Dear Friends: Welcome to your very first Letter From Windermere, an old-fashioned letter from my house to yours, a collection of news, notes and nostalgia where I chat about my interests, my travels, and my writing life.
