For the love of a house and garden...
Guess Who?
You know how I said I do not like having my photo taken? Well, on special occasions, I will attempt the odd selfie, especially as it makes my daughters laugh..when mom does her mom smile. ;) I had a good reason for this one...I wanted to show you my latest purchase, the 'Glenmore' hat. The story follows...
In Australia...
Winter may be on the horizon in Sydney but does that stop me from thinking about the garden and adding to my hat collection for Tahilla Farm. In fact, Sydney is the perfect place to think about hats. When it comes to the sun, they have protection covered... Slip Slop Slap (sunscreen) and a Hat...you never leave home without either one.
The story behind the hat...
On my last visit to Sydney (2016), I discovered a fabulous book, Glenmore House by Mickey Robertson. I loved everything about it, the house, the gardens, the story behind both and the woman behind it all, Mickey Robertson.
 |
| Thank you Miss Christine! |
My darling daughter, Miss Christine, picked up on my heavy hints for it making a wonderful Christmas gift for mom (me). Clever girl that she is, she carried it in her hand luggage from Sydney to Boston and presented it to me on Christmas Day. I love when my heavy hinting works!
It wasn't long before I had Mr. H reading along with me and before we knew it our architect and builder were looking at the book with us. There are few ideas that might work well with our carriage house renovation at Tahilla Farm. I love when the creative thought process takes twists and turns..all the way to Australia.
 |
| Mickey Robertson in the kitchen garden at Glenmore House/ Image here |
Back to the hat...
Mickey also inspired me with her 'essentials' for the garden. And you guessed it....I am now the very happy owner of the wonderful 'Glenmore' gardening hat (above) and Mickey's Essential Dress (here). The hat is a design collaboration between the Australian hat designer, Axel Mano and Mickey Robertson. The dress, 100% (linen/cotton/hemp) was designed by Mickey and made in her Sydney based workroom.
 |
| Mickey in the garden Image here |
You would think that after all this I would have met Mickey by now but alas, timing has not worked in my favor. We have messaged back and forth and I am guessing she is as delightful in person as she is in the written word. My goal is to attend one of her gardening/cooking sessions at Glenmore House by the end of the year. Fingers crossed!
You can contact Mickey about her book, Essential Dress or the Glenmore hat here
The book is available on Amazon USA in both hardcover and Kindle here
Moving on to Tahilla Farm...
It won't be long before I am in New Hampshire wandering the gardens of Tahilla Farm. Before I return I am hoping to place an order for this Kingsley Bate Chippendale Bench to sit at at the end of a crushed stone path. Made from either Javanese or Burmese teak (depending on availability), we designed the garden with this bench in mind. The Chinese latticework will remind of our days in Hong Kong. It's all about the experience...in the garden.
 |
| Kingsley Bate Chippendale Teak Bench Purchase from Austen Teak |
 |
| Tahilla Farm...waiting for a bench |
Time honored traditions from India...
I have been coveting the Original Kadai firebowl (below) ever since I spotted it at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show a few years ago. Each one is up to 100 years old, often used as cooking bowls at weddings and festivals across India. Hand picked in Rajasthan..I can't help but wish for one at Tahilla Farm. I am hoping, one day, to see a family reunion around an Original Kadai bowl, with fires blazing and sticks of marshmallows toasting...or maybe a gathering for a wedding. ;)
 |
| Original Kadai Firebowl spotted at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show |
 |
Made in the USA...for those messy days in the garden.
Tried and true, I love my Rosie's! I purchased them last summer to wear around the garden. You will not win a beauty contest in this pair of overalls but you and your friends will most certainly marvel at all the features they come equipped with. Made of 100% cotton twill fabric...they are durable and most important of all on a hot summer day, they breathe! They are generous in size and easy to slip on and off. There are 11 pockets including a hidden pocket. You will be amazed at what you can slip into this overall. It comes with knee pads which are easily removable. The pant legs zip off at the knee for comfort in the summer. They wash well too..mine went into the dryer without a problem.
 |
| 'Lightweight Denim' by Rosie |
You can find them at Rosies workwear and on Amazon.
ALL THE ESSENTIALS...
The Glenmore hat from Australia to protect you from the sun,
Rosie's workwear from the USA when you need to dig deep,
Mickey's essential linen dress from Australia because..I love linen.
An English bench to sit and read a book,
an Original Kadai firebowl to bring family and friends together
and lastly your comments on my last post,
A Creative Sabbatical..
THANK YOU!
We have travelled and created well thus far,
from an around the world sailing trip
to life drawing classes at the Cecil School in Florence.
Loving the chat, keep it coming!
Happy Gardening!
Happy Creating!
Jeanne xx
What wise choices for any garden! Can hardly wait to see what The Farm gardens look like when you get there. Travel safely.
ReplyDeleteThank you Webb, me too! :)
DeleteEven though I do not live in or near Australia, I have long followed Mickey Robertson's blog and chatted with her via email on occasion. She is absolutely wonderful and her inspiring energy emanates all the way here (Oregon) from Australia. Last I checked, she wasn't doing mail orders from the U.S., but that may now have changed...I too would like to have the hat and dress. And one of my travel goals is to journey back to Australia, this time to attend one of her garden classes. All of your ideas for the garden, and gardening, in this post are most appealing. Thank you, as always!!
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome Leslie! It is worth checking in with Mickey again on the dress. You can order the hat via Axel Mano (see link above), they ship to the USA. A trip back to OZ sounds like the best plan of all! ;)
DeleteLove that bench and the firebowl.
ReplyDeleteI look SO MUCH less glamorous than that when I garden;). It is a pretty good solution though, high boots and a dress. I wear baggy khakis and Crocs;).
I have to admit Lisa that I am far from glamorous as well after a day in the garden. I moved to the overalls after wearing making a mess of my jeans and hiking pants. The dirty knee syndrome gets me every time...just can not get that dirt out no matter how hard I try. Rosie's overalls took care of that problem. I have a few pairs slip on gardening shoes, one for each door around the house. You can never have enough... ;)
DeleteYou have such great taste in everything, lovely hat, the clothes, the perfect bench to remind you of these days in Asia and England but oh my, that Kadai firebowl, I have added it to my 60 list, A big birthday is coming up and it just so happens our ex-pat life has brought us back to our beloved England, this time Esher, so we have our tickets for Hampton Court Flower Show. Enjoy your travels, the lavender is spectacular. Taking a look at Mickeys book too 😀 Kathy.
ReplyDeleteI am so so excited for you Kathy...we lived in Esher too, at the end of Littleworth Common Road. Home to your beloved England...I can just imagine how excited you must be. Enjoy the flower show...and settling back into life in the UK! :)
DeleteThank you Jeanne, Littleworth Common Road is very close to us. We have been visiting the RHS gardens and National Trust properties (I have a long list). Sissinghurst is next. I finally have the time. Enjoy your travels and your beautiful garden at Tahilla. Ps. We saw some Kadia bowls at Wisley yesterday they are so lovely. I can definitely see one of those in our future. Kathy.
DeleteI love your posts they take me to another place. Lots of medical tests coming my way unfortunately so I keep your delightful posts in my head.
ReplyDeleteWishing you well with your medical tests Lesley and thank you for your kind words, lovely to know that you can travel with me. Take care.... :)
DeleteThose overalls look amazing...I am going to check them out. I think you need one of those bowls...and that bench will look lovely amidst the russian sage..tahilla is looking beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteI think you are right Cindy...thank you!! :)
DeleteThe garden provides a great source of pleasure. Seeing plants and trees, and garden spaces evolve, for me, is one of many interests. Your bench is lovely and will make a very nice addition to a garden room. Is that a bed of lavender in one photo? Plantings in masses make a great statement. Also, what's not to like about the scent of lavender... Beautiful landscape. Susan
ReplyDeleteThank you Susan, we have a mix of russian sage and catmint in the photo above. We have lavender as well in other locations around the garden. Lavender is not as hearty as the russian sage and catmint in our section of New Hampshire. Still a bit of trial and error but when it does grow...you are so right, the scent...just magic. :)
DeleteYour hat looks like the ones I gravitate to. Natural straw with wide brims. Some of my hats are so big they need their own airline seat! Love your choice of the bench. Brenda
ReplyDeleteHa! Thier own airline seat, I totally get that Brenda! It was one of the first questions I asked...how to travel with it on a long haul international flight. Answer...I am wearing it...and gently tucking it into the overhead compartment. Thank heavens for Business Class! ;)
DeleteI don't think I will ever look that chic working in my gardens, lol I usually wear old baggy t-shirts and shorts. We've gotten lots of rain in New Hampshire and everything is looking lush, so much better so far than the parched summer last year. We could do with a bit more sunshine though to even things out! Unfortunately, we're inundated with ticks this year too :( Looking forward to seeing your garden photos!
ReplyDeleteGood to know their is rain Roxane...just remembering how dry it was this time last year make me parched! Ticks are a drag though...thanks for the heads up! :)
DeleteLooks superb and just what my soul needs after a crazy month at work delivering a multimillion dollar IT project. I have just placed my book order - Mickey will be wondering where the flurry of traffic and purchases came from!
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous week xx
It looks like you have picked the perfect clothes, and hat, for the garden. I love how you weave things together Jeanne. Your garden at Tahilla Farm is starting to look lovely.
ReplyDeleteLate here - sorry dear, was in Sicily and Malta on a ship so Internet was useless!!
ReplyDeleteJeanne, I have a collection of sun/garden hats - one very similar to this which looks awesome on you. I'm busy working in the garden since returning - weather here has been quite hot BUT also plenty of rain - needless to say the mosquitoes are making life miserable for me!
Here's to your summer days to come in NH.
Mary x
I adore that hat and dress, talk about a chic garden look! Jeanne, you are endlessly inspiring and I loved reading this blog post about all that you are doing. Thanks so much for keeping us updated! I am now off to read your post about a creative sabbatical. All the best,
ReplyDeletexx Sunday
She's sharing the experience. She's sharing her life.
ReplyDelete