Norton Helps Prepare Some Easter Flowers

Although we won't be home for Easter Sunday this year, I am still compelled to add a few festive touches to the house to mark the holiday.  So, bright and early this morning, Norton and I trotted down to the garden to snip away at some of the narcissi I had planted in mid-February. Anticipating, with a bit of luck, that most of them would have bloomed for Easter, it turns out, most of them had.

Planted on February 19, narcissus Cragford, an award-winning heirloom, 

is ready for picking

Photo: Chronica Domus

Another heirloom variety that bloomed vigorously this year is the aptly named 

narcissus Cheerfulness 

Photo: Chronica Domus

It did not take long to fill my trug but I must admit, I did receive a little help from Norton.

Norton supervising in the cutting garden

Photo: Chronica Domus

As you can see below, the effort of picking a few narcissi was all a tad too much for dear Norton. Declaring he'd had quite enough of it all, he proceeded to plonk himself smack dab in the middle of the vegetable patch, exhausted it seems.

Gardening is so overrated!

Photo: Chronica Domus

Coming into the house via the back stairwell, Norton was obviously still very tired from his gardening escapades so I left him there, with the trug, while I nipped downstairs and around to the front garden to clip a few more blooms.

Norton takes a well-earned break

Photo: Chronica Domus

Narcissus Thalia, my favorite of the whites, has been reliably blooming and multiplying in 

my front garden for several years

Photo: Chronica Domus

Just a few Thalia to complete the morning's pickings

Photo: Chronica Domus

I had adequate blooms to make two cheery arrangements to place in the drawing room, with a handful left over for a third smaller arrangement that I placed in the kitchen.

Photo: Chronica Domus

Here they are in situ

Photo: Chronica Domus

And, what would Easter be without a few chocolate treats to nibble upon?  Here are some chocolate eggs corralled in a favorite English Regency era teapot stand painted in a pleasing shade of orange to match the centers of narcissus Cragford.

Please, help yourself to a chocolate egg or two

Photo: Chronica Domus

My collection of various bird eggs round out the decorations in the drawing room.  Eggs are, after all, symbols of rebirth and renewal at Easter time.  A glass vessel below holds quail, araucana chicken, and partridge eggs ...

Photo: Chronica Domus

... and another holds a turkey egg, the egg of a scrub jay, and more delicately-shaded araucana chicken eggs.

Photo: Chronica Domus

A simple but pleasing Easter arrangement in the drawing room

Photo: Chronica Domus

Oh, and I almost forgot the funnest, and smallest, decoration in the house, a charming vintage hen and her chicks.  They grace a porcelain stand on the kitchen counter.  Don't you think Mrs. Hen and her brood look quite at home surrounded by ... more eggs!

Happy Easter Everyone!

Photo: Chronica Domus

Norton and I wish you all a very Happy Easter!

A Basket For Easter

Photo: Chronica Domus

The tradition of making Easter baskets is something I wholeheartedly adopted when I moved to The United States. In England, the most popular symbol of Easter is the egg; real ones or chocolate, all are enthusiastically devoured on the day.

I spent this afternoon gathering up all the confectionery goodies I had purchased over the past month to nestle in Patience's Easter basket, which she will receive tomorrow, early on Easter morning.  As in years past, I am inspired by nature, in particular Spring's bright palette of greens and blues.

Natural elements such as old-fashioned Forget-Me-Not flowers from the garden and vivid green moss form the basis of this year's Easter basket

Photo: Chronica Domus

Deciding which ribbons to tie upon the handle of the wicker basket is all part of the fun

Photo: Chronica Domus

Two blue chocolate rabbits keep their foil-wrapped companion company.  All three appear to be very much at home in their temporary surroundings which resemble a miniature woodland thanks to the Forget-Me-Nots and mossy bed they rest upon.

Chocolate and foil-wrapped rabbits, bags of jelly beans, and sugar-coated chocolate eggs nestle within Patience's Easter basket

Photo: Chronica Domus

The finished basket will be presented to our daughter early on Easter morning

Photo: Chronica Domus

I do hope Patience is as beguiled by her charming Easter basket as I am.  I have a good hunch she will be.

Do the junior members of your family enjoy receiving Easter baskets and if so, what is it that you fill them with?

I wish you all a very Happy Easter.

Easter Sweet Treats In The City

Dashing about the city this past weekend, determined to whittle away at my list of errands, I could not fail to notice the enchanting decorations and baked goods which filled the shops and bakeries in anticipation of Easter.   

My first port of call was the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market early on Saturday morning, where I spotted this stylish gentleman going about his business.

Surely, a 'Best Dressed' award is owed to this exquisitely turned out gentleman

Photo: Chronica Domus

Alongside the usual weekly purchases of fruits and vegetables, I popped one of these charming foil-wrapped chocolate rabbits into my wicker market basket. He will be secreted away until Easter morning when he will make a welcome appearance in Patience's Easter basket.

A colony of foil-wrapped chocolate rabbits

Photo: Chronica Domus

Yet more rabbits, of the marzipan variety, are grouped together on a green glass cake stand

Photo: Chronica Domus

Rabbits, of course, are a popular symbol of Easter here in the United States.  When I was growing up in England, it was all about the egg.  Every confectioner worth their salt would manufacture hollow-shelled chocolate eggs and fill them with all manner of sugary concoctions and small toys. Attractively decorated in piped sugar icing or colorful foil, the eggs were the apple of every child's eye. Enthusiastically snapped up by eager parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, they were presented to junior members of the family.  I recall my sisters and I receiving many such ovoid treats in the run up to Easter, and the excruciating wait we endured until the big day arrived when we could finally devour them with gusto.

What child would not delight in receiving one of these charming confectionery laden baskets early on Easter morning?

Photo: Chronica Domus

I noticed that the freshly cut flowers for sale at the farmers' market possessed an air of Eastertide about them.

Bunches of pastel colored ranunculus and anemones reminded me of dyed Easter eggs awaiting the hunt

Photo: Chronica Domus

Photo: Chronica Domus

Out and about again on Sunday, my family and I enjoyed lunch in the North Beach area of the city which is famed for its Italian restaurants and food markets.

If you are in the mood for old-fashioned Italian comfort food, I highly recommend a leisurely lunch at Piazza Pellegrini where everything is delizioso!

Photo: Chronica Domus

A postprandial saunter around Washington Square found us greeting this rather amiable fellow:

A friendly dog mascaraing as an Easter lamb

Photo: Chronica Domus

A partial view of Washington Square with the twin spires of Saints Peter and Paul church framed against gray skies

Photo: Chronica Domus

I was delighted to spot a familiar baked Easter specialty when we made a pit-stop into Victoria Pastry Company, an Italian bakery in operation since 1914 and located at the edge of Washington Square.

Candied citrus peel provided an unexpected Italian twist to this English Easter treat

Photo: Chronica Domus

A tempting tray of hot cross buns was calling my name.  Well, perhaps not the entire tray.  It has been many years since I've seen these buns for sale though I recall eating untold numbers of them in England where they remain a popular Easter baked treat.  The sweet spiced current-laden buns are sold by practically every baker in the land on Good Friday, when they are traditionally consumed. As you may already know, I champion tradition, but I was not prepared to wait another two weeks to eat my prize.  I happily shared it with Patience upon our return home, where she quickly proclaimed it to be scrumptiously delicious.

"Hot cross buns, hot cross buns, one a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns"

Photo: Chronica Domus

Tell me, do you have a particular favorite Easter sweet treat that you look forward to sampling at this time of year?

Nota bene: I am neither paid nor do I receive recompense in exchange for applauding products or services within my blog.  I do so because I enjoy them.  If you are a kindred spirit, you too enjoy recommending nice things to fellow good eggs.

Easter Greetings

Chocolate Easter eggs, nestled in an English creamware chestnut basket,
lend a spring-like note to our dining table
Photo: Chronica Domus

I'm afraid I've had rather a full plate lately, which explains my neglect of this blog and general absence from the Blogosphere.  Alas, I've neither had sufficient time to dedicate to writing posts, or doing the rounds of my favorite blogs.

Rest assured though, I shall be back, and normal service will resume whenever things ease up a little around these parts. In the meantime, I wish you all, my loyal readers and followers, a very Happy Easter and all the joy that unfurls during this season of renewal.

How will you be celebrating today?

Pre-Easter Dinner Preparations and A Giant Easter Egg Nest

Eggs in an array of shapes, colors, and sizes; a symbol of renewal and rebirth at Easter time

Photo: Chronica Domus

When it comes to Easter, I'm not one to over do things in the decorating department, but I do like to mark the holiday with a few festive touches here and there.  As I wrote last year, eggs play the predominant part in the decoration of the house at Easter time. I've been fortunate enough to have amassed a variety of them in sizes spanning an inch in length to as large as eight, and colors in shades of browns, buffs, greens and blues, and even the odd speckled and freckled variety.

I recently came across an enormous punch bowl at a flea market which looked to me to be Paris porcelain.  Although I had no intention of buying a bowl that is a whopping seventeen inches across, I simply could not walk away from it, so home it went.  As visions of bacchanalian pursuits danced through my head, plotting an evening where this bowl would surely be the most popular party guest among our friends, I was left with the question of  how to put it to good use the rest of the year. Well, as it is Easter time, I thought, perhaps the punch bowl might cradle my collection of eggs and act as a giant bird's nest.  Late last night, I dug up as much excelsior packing as I had on hand and used that to feather my nest before resting the eggs on top.  Upon waking this morning and walking into the dining room, I was drawn to the shadowy pattern created on the wall behind the bowl.  I ran to fetch my camera and snapped away before the illusion disappeared.  Don't you agree the shadows make the bowl appear as though it truly is a nest tucked up high in the boughs of a tree?

A giant porcelain bird's nest perhaps?

Photo: Chronica Domus

I spent most of today reveling in the details and preparations for a pre-Easter dinner at home for two friends of ours, a husband and wife, who will join us this evening.  My daughter is sad to be missing out on the festivities, but she insisted on attending a school friend's birthday celebration.  Of course, the preparations for the dinner included a visit to the farmers' market this morning, where plump bundles of asparagus were procured, along with tender baby carrots, and spinach, among other locally grown produce.  Next, a stop at the San Francisco flower market, a mecca for flower lovers everywhere.  I could not resist several bunches of butter-yellow narcissi Yellow Cheerfulness (so very fragrant!), and a bundle of chartreuse colored snowball viburnum.  Oh, how pretty they look as they impart a breath of fresh air to our dining room.

Flowering branches add a little spring drama to the dining room

Photo: Chronica Domus

I've been finding rather a lot of nests blown to the ground by the Bay's winds on my walks throughout the year.  Their construction never fails to amaze.  Two of the nests were found by the shore around wetlands and I was fascinated to discover they were made of fennel fronds which grow in abundance in the area, resulting in the nests having a delicate fennel fragrance.

The nest in the photograph below was located by a tree in my garden and made using twigs. Naturally, every bird's nest requires a clutch of eggs so these sweet little foil eggs act as a wonderful substitute for robin eggs.

Whimsical chocolate robin eggs

Photo: Chronica Domus

My husband asked me if I had an ostrich egg in my collection and when he discovered I did not, presented me with the egg you see below, as a gift on Mothering Sunday last year.  It is the largest egg in my collection, by far, and an impressive specimen having been rated a "Grade A Jumbo", attaining a girth of eighteen inches at its middle.  It is one of the nicest gifts anyone has ever given me, which many woman may find a little perplexing, preferring instead to have received the latest Louboutin creation, but this is right up my alley!

Found nests and eggs make a delightful Easter centerpiece for our table

Photo: Chronica Domus

As I finished setting our whimsical table for this evening's dinner with sunny yellow tulips, matching chocolate eggs, and Robin's egg blue banded Paris porcelain dishes, I was excited at the prospect of an enjoyable evening spent in the company of our dear friends.

The table almost ready for our pre-Easter dinner this evening

Photo: Chronica Domus

Do you celebrate Easter and if so, how will you mark the day tomorrow?

I wish you all a very Happy Easter!

Paschal Pleasures: The Egg

Eggs in hues of pale green, buff and pale blue

Photo: Chronica Domus

Each year as we prepare to celebrate Easter, eggs are the recurring central theme in the decoration of our home. Whereas many households focus their seasonal imagery around lambs, bunnies and chicks, for us it is all about the egg.  We don't over do it when it comes to decorating, instead choosing to add a vase of flowering seasonal branches, a compote or two of eggs that have been dyed by my daughter, as well as a variety of Easter chocolate confections.

I was given some rather unusual eggs by my sister-in-law that I thought would be an eggcelent excellent addition to the annual Easter egg hunt that my daughter so enjoys.  Here they are in my garden trug awaiting their clandestine spot in the flower bed.

Rhea, emu, goose and partridge eggs beneath the flowering Polygonatum

Photo: Chronica Domus

The eggs vary in size from the smallest two inch drab colored partridge example to the largest six inch rhea giants in the most delicate lemon chiffon color.  The darkest egg was produced by an emu and has a granulated surface in deep teal and is about five inches in length.  A pure white three inch goose egg is also in the mix.

The hidden eggs awaiting discovery by my daughter

Photo: Chronica Domus

These were fun to tuck in among the spring flowers and they blended in rather well with their naturally colored shells.  I hid the emu egg in a little mound of violas.

An Emu egg in disguise

Photo: Chronica Domus

The partridge egg's drab olive tone worked well hidden in the violet patch.  I'm just hoping the resident Scrub Jays don't get to it before my daughter does.  Many years ago, I had displayed a basket of dyed eggs on my kitchen table close to a partially opened window.  To my astonishment a Scrub Jay flew into the kitchen and claimed his bounty by pecking the eggs to pieces.  It was truly a remarkable moment of nature gone bad, but why was I surprised by this?  They are, after all, nest robbers by vocation.

Could you have found the partridge egg as is blends effortlessly into the violet patch?

Photo: Chronica Domus

The giant rhea and smaller goose eggs were a little less difficult to find due to their bright shells and large size.

Not so much hiding but looking pretty in the spring garden

Photo: Chronica Domus

These naturally hued jewels are such a fun twist on the traditional Easter egg hunt that I think I'll do it all again next year.  I'm sure both adults and children alike would enjoy hunting for these whimsical beauties.

I wish you all a very Happy Easter.