Kitchen Garden: Roses

French Chateau & Pink Roses

It's no secret that I absolutely adore roses; throw in a French Chateau, make the roses varying shades of pink and I'm in heaven!

 

I've always wanted to create a complete rose garden for the Petit Trianon but just haven't gotten around to it yet.  Seems that with my Second Life, as with my real life, there are just too many enticing projects and just not enough time!

French Ephemera: Paris et Poulet

Exposition Universelle (1889) ~ Eiffel Tower, Paris

I have just started reading Paris: The Novel by Edward Rutherford; a multigenerational saga that covers 700 years of the city's architecture, culture, society and history.  Yes, I'm in for the long haul on this one and I'm going to enjoy every minute!

So far I've been introduced to  Monsieur Eiffel as he is working on the Statue of Liberty. He believes that this immense undertaking may be the greatest achievement of his career but of course we know that the Eiffel Tower is still looming in his future.  Don't you agree that one of the best things about historical novels is that, in many cases, you don't have to cheat and skip to the end of the book to know what's coming up next!?

And so, having the Eiffel Tower on the brain, I was excited to come across a poster advertising the 1889 World Fair for which it was constructed.  This beautiful piece of French Ephemera set me off on a delightful tangent.

Kitchen Garden: Lemon, Orange & Herbs

Parc de Versailles, with the orange trees in boxes

I had a wonderful time dreaming of orangeries, parterres and the sunny, south of France as I continued my Adventures in Virtual Gardening this week.  It seems that working with potted lemons, oranges and herbs can conjure up a special type of magic that can make even the dreariest of days a whole lot brighter!