Sometimes I dream ...

... of living in the south of Italy ... in a small village, maybe by a lake ... in a small farmhouse that has been around for decades ... and i surround my house with beautiful flowers ... lavenders, sunflowers, roses .... and herb garden ... a must have for perfect pasta ... and a vegetable garden ... lots of beans & peas & tomatoes & zuchinni. And i ride my bicicletta into the market daily ... maybe pick up a fresh loaf of bread, some cheese, a bottle of vino. and the air is fresh and the summer's are hot ... i stop for coffee and listen to the sounds of the everyone in the square ... women chatting as they shop for the day, men arguing over football ... children at play, the baker conducting business ... and i take in the sights and sounds and smells and i am in a bit of paradise ...

Snap back to reality and i am in my tiny backyard barbequing chicken for dinner ... its about 7:30 and the hot air is starting to cool ... and as i wait to turn my chicken I take in the sights and sounds and smells of my own little neigbhourhood ... the Italians next door have company over and were cooking earlier ... the scent of good food lingers, and there is laughter and glasses clink as more wine is served ... and the Romanians down the door from them have carved out a beautiful garden from the overrun green space ... this year they have beans and tomatoes and beautiful geraniums and other delights .... she tends to spent flowers while he waters the garden. On the other side of me the Bosnian's have finished their meal and the women is clearing dishes while he waters his little plot ... and I look at my little garden and admire the beauty of the flowers and start watering it in between turning my chicken ...

So I take in all of the sites, the patios, the gardens the people ... the sounds, of dishes and watering and gardening and talk and laughter and foreign voices ... smell, of wet earth, flowers, cooking ... and the warm air ... and I realize that sometimes my day dreams are not so different than my reality ... and it's finding these little perfect moments in reality that make life so special ... repeat after me ... "there's no place like home, there's no place like home."

oh, and some pics of a few of my fave's in the garden right now ... my clematis and hellabore ... for some reason they are not in my daydream but i think i will expand the size of my dream garden to include them :)


the spent flower of my clematis ... these always fascinate me .. like a living puzzle ...


my clematis in full bloom, isn't she just gorgeous?


my hellabore ... so shy ... you never see it's face as it hangs towards the soil ... i had to stick the camera under it and pray for a semi decent shot ...

As always, thanks for stopping by ...