Saturday, June 19, 2010

Why I'd like an AGA and the Home Depot



In the morning, when it's cool from night time and the house is quiet (Jeff and our new roommate Andrew sleep later than I do and Bill is in Australia) I have been treating myself to The Shell Seekers (AGAIN) and when I come upon lovely passages like this: She was alone. The relief of it. Home. Her own house, her own possessions, her own kitchen. The Aga, oil-fired, simmered peacefully to itself, and all was blissfully warm. . . . I feel I really need an Aga. I'm thinking one of my sweet blogging UK friends may feature one in a give-away and post it to me when I win. A girl can dream. One of my friends in Washington State has the one below. Her farmhouse kitchen is fancy.

The one pictured below is big, too. Now, I really don't need such a big one.

This one will suit me just fine. How much is the fuel?




Today I found out that one of my favorite bloggers has a new blog (Quiet At Home on the side bar) and I read some of her happy posts. She has been experimenting with washing lines. Isn't the washing line the most beautiful thing EVER? Read Rosamunde Pilcher's description:

A long rope was strung between three of these trees, and here Penelope pegged out her washing. Doing this, on a bright fresh morning, was one of her deepest delights. A thrush was singing, and at her feet, thrusting through the tufty damp grass, bulbs were already beginning to shoot. She had planted these herself, thousands of them; daffodils and crocus and scylla and snowdrops. When these faded and the summer grass grew deep and green, other wildflowers raised their heads. Cowslips and cornflowers and scarlet poppies, all grown from seed that she had scattered herself. Sheets, shirts, pillowcases, stockings, and night-dresses flapped and danced in the thin breeze. When the basket was empty, she picked it up and made her way back to the house, but slowly, in no hurry, visiting first her vegetable garden to check that the rabbits had not been feasting on the young spring cabbage, and then back to pause by her little tree that smelled, miraculously, of summer.

Oh, how I love this book and mine is so tattered and torn, so used, being my favorite novel and all.

On a real life note, we went to Home Depot last night. Kelli wanted to buy a play structure for their back yard. I was overwhelmed by the possibilities right away, so I wheeled the girls around while she decided. Home Depot has everything, but you have to know how to build things. Miss Bug squawked the minute we stopped moving, so we toured around.



The pile of stuff on the flat cart is their swing set. Miss Bug is thinking about a cold treat.

While Kelli paid, I wheeled over to the magazine racks. Can you believe this? Look at all those magazines and guess what? NO British Country Living. Sadness.




Because of a lot of noisy complaining when we got back in the car, we made quick plans to pick up ice cream. Birdie eats "nice" now, but Miss Bug . . .


. . . she starts out okay (note chocolate dipped cone) and then . . .






I've been eating ice cream for lunch. I think I've finally reached my "I've had enough for a while" point, but if I'm tempted, I'll just look at this photo. If you haven't had enough ice cream lately, I strongly encourage you to work on reaching your saturation point. It's so good for the summer soul.

14 comments:

Gumbo Lily said...

I have never heard of an AGA until today. I think I'd like one too. Is it a fancy gas stove/oven?

I think I'd like ice cream with my coffee this afternoon. Hazel Peach is a messy cone eater now, but she enjoys it so much I can't resist giving it to her.

Jody (who hopes you get an AGA in a give-away soon ~wink~)

Elderberry-Rob said...

Pom Pom, my friend has an Aga, they look great in a farmhouse style kitchen, heat the water, the room, keep the kettle on the boil, cooking is a nightmare and seems to be purely guesswork and they spend a fortune on oil and having it cleaned but it looks so good, they have the laundry rack hanging above and the cats on mats below -I will take a picture sometime... I grew up loving my granny's Raeburn which is a similar thing. My teddy would be warmed on it every night to take to bed with me! Such happy memories.

Leslie said...

Oh, look at your beautiful phlox! Mine is only just now starting to bloom. Yours is a very vibrant pink!

Memories of home depot with my children when they were younger ALWAYS included someone crying and even possibly throwing a fit. I was wandering around in there the other day and thought, "No wonder!" That place totally overwhelms me.

I love your little grandies. They will love their new backyard toy and what a great daughter you have to figure that out!!! I am sure if that were my task I would feel a crying fit coming on. :)

Bradley W. Maston said...

Lovely, lovely. Love ice-cream, I'm not sure I understand what those fancy stoves are all about... I like how many doors they have :). It was nice to chat with you today and I hope you are able to reach your ice cream saturation point many many times over the course of the summer!xoxo brad

Kerri said...

Oh Pom Pom you adorable creature! I love Rosamunde Pilcher's books and loved The Shell Seekers too. Her descriptions of simple domestic pleasures always make me happy. And you know what? I absolutely love washing lines and one day hope to have one strung amongst ancient lichen covered gnarled apple trees. Imagine hanging out your clothes in blossom time! Also English Country Living mag is the best!

SusanB-knits said...

I wouldn't know what to do with an stove/oven like that aga. I gave up baking a lot (only bake a little now) because we don't need all those sweet things.
I love eating ice cream for lunch! My kinda lunch.
The girls are so cute! Love the pictures.

Angela said...

You wander round Home Depot and regret the lack of UK Country Living - I used to wander round our stores and regret the lack of US Real Simple! But now my lovely daughters have bought me a subscription to RS for my birthday so I can still enjoy it. Can you get someone to treat you to a CL subscription as a birthday gift??

I have been in at least 200 homes in my country village here - and only one with an AGA. They are only owned by people with LOTS of money!!!

åslaug abigail said...

Haha, AGA's =)

When I was in Sweden a few summers ago, we went to Selma Lagerlöf's place (authoress, her home is now a museum), and the guide told us a funny story about some crazy american who had seen her AGA-stove and wanted one himself, and he didn't know the address to the factory, so he figured the writing on the oven door had to be it. And so he wrote to: AGA
Öppna inte lukan
Sweden

That is superfunny, cause you see "öppna inte lukan" means "don't open the (oven)door" in Swedish.. However, the letter arrived and he got his stove =)

I know that was lengthy, I just had nothing to say about my saturation point for ice cream.. =)

I miss you, my dear friend!

åslaug abigail

Pom Pom said...

I am having so much fun with the Aga stories. They are tickling my funny bone this morning! We Americans have funny cravings for International things! If I had an Aga in my kitchen, I would need to wear my swimming suit to cook because I get so HOT and Agas keep the kitchen VERY warm, I've heard. Oh, I love you, my blogging friends. LOVE YOU!

Gigi said...

I'm an Aga fancier too Pom (imagine that!), and when we built our house, I actually did some research on getting one. Sadly, at that time, they were about $9,000, so (needless to say) we didn't go that route ;-). But there is something so great about them -- like the home fires are always burning -- ready to heat a tea kettle, simmer a stew, bake some apples -- comforting.

The dB family said...

I don't know if my previous comment worked or not. It looks like you had a lovely day. I still don't think I've reached my ice cream saturation point. Yum!

Blessings to you Dear One!
Deborah

LOVE STITCHING RED said...

A lovely post Pom Pom. The Shell Seekers is one of my all time favourites that I love to re-read for the homely thoughts and life story. Lovely to hear you say it's your favourites. Sorry, I don't have a spare aga you can have. If I did it would be cream or red

Have a fab week :o)

Andrea said...

I love the pics of your sweet, sweet girls!

I would love an aga! I have read about them and always wondered what it would be like to really own one!

Now, you have greatly interested me in Rosamunde Pilcher. I have watched The Shell Seekers, but I have not read it, nor any of her other books. So, thank you for sharing these excerpts. Her writing is beautiful and so smooth.

Blessings, sweet friend!

Andrea

libbyquilter said...

oooooooooooohhh~!!~ i think i would like one of those stoves to come and live at my house too~! so bright and cheerful in every way.

Miss Bug is so cute with ice cream all over her face~!!~
i discovered a new Ben and Jerry's ice cream flavor the other day and HIGHLY recommend it: Boston Cream Pie. typically i like ice creams with lots of chocolate but this flavor only had some chocolate bits. nonetheless it was possibly the best i've ever eaten . . . but then the Hagandaaz dark chocolate is yummy too (love the smooth texture~!) and Ben and Jerry's once had a flavor called Chocolate Cherry Garcia and oh boy was that good . . . mmmmmmmm i think ice cream every day for lunch is a fabulous idea but not sure that i even have a saturation point . . . could be great fun (as well as a little dangerous) to find out though~!

:-)
libbyQ

Followers