g natural livin
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This book is dedicated to my lovely grandparents, who gave me a nature rich education in their backyard in the city. To my aunt and uncle, who are currently raising their daughter in their newly acquired farm house—a life I dream of giving my children. And to all of the ladies in this book just for being so inspiring and encouraging others to live life to the fullest. And to nature.
table of contents 7
introduction
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nikole herriot is a country mouse turned city mouse, who lives in a small but perfect heritage building in Toronto and loves it! She is a pastry chef and currently a full time student, and finds inspiration in the beauty of life’s little details.
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caroline thibault is a field mouse from Montréal who works as a Spiritual care, guidance, and community involvement counselor in elementary schools. She studied to be an ethnologist and she strives to have a life connected with nature and traditional cultures. She has two pet rats, Gaki and Tara, and has always been inspired by her mom. theresa lynn holley is a city-dwelling mouse who longs to be in the country. Generally speaking, she is a homemaker in the process of opening a vintage clothing shop online as an enjoyable side project. She is most inspired by the simplicity of the past. Some have taken to calling her Tess.
karin eriksson is a mix of two mice, she adores being in the country and
at the same time she loves living in a city (like Stockholm or London). She is a ceramic designer and maker with her own shop called manos, and nature constantly reminds her of its presence. She has a work shop which is situated in the country side—although it’s just outside the city centre.
alyssa zygmunt is a city mouse living in Brooklyn, that daydreams of the country. She does fashion design to pay the rent and for fun runs BROOKLYN rehab, her emporium of vintage and handmade items. She is inspired by “rehabbing”— reuse, recycle, recreate from existing and available parts—and celebrates the aging process and regards it as a thing of beauty.
chelsea fuss is a city mouse—but she loves the country too!—who lives in Portland, the best of both worlds. She is a blogger, floral designer and stylist who is inspired by nature, fabric, people, and flowers.
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penny elizabeth neil is a country mouse at heart, but lives in the
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liane tyrrel is a country mouse because she lives in a small New Hampshire town, but she loves the city too. She is a painter who has not painted in a couple of years, and currently makes things for a living and sells them online and locally. She also raises her kids and takes care of her 125 year old farm house, three cats, a dog, and a rabbit.
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city right now but in the mountain suburbs where the trees are tall and close together and the streets are quiet at night. She makes textile-based jewelry and assemblage art from recycled, vintage, and antique materials, and she also dabbles in photography and writing. She is inspired by everything!
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introduction
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hen I was young and surrounded by everything I needed, I took things for granted. After moving to Toronto 5 years ago, I did not think I would miss anything from my hometown. Living surrounding by concrete has made me dream of green things, gardens, flowers, and simple pleasures I once ignored. Eating a hard to find golden raspberry now makes me think of picking them from the bush by the handful every morning for a summer snack. It makes me think of the fruit bushes and trees my grandparents used to have in their enormous well cared for gardens. I miss the freshly squeezed grape juice from grapes grown in the backyard. And there is hardly a thing in Toronto like the fish ponds I used to dip my fingers and toes in, and stare deeply down into the water for hours. As an artist, my work has changed with my personal growth, but also my inspirations and ideals have been drastically altered. I used to dream of the big city and the adventures I would find there, and my work reflected those dreams. Now I yearn for the beauty and grace of the plentiful farms and gardens of my past. I dream of simpler things, and my work reflects that. The reason I chose to make this book was because of my strong feelings for nature, and how I am constantly inspired to live these out wherever I am by people whose lives I follow online. I have interviewed artists, writers, photographers—all people living in the country surrounded by nature, or finding a way to live it in the city. I put together this book to inspire myself and others to live the way they do. I hope you enjoy this peek into their lives as much as I do!
Much love, Aprile
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nikole herriot
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S
o, so many things inspire me, but perhaps the most inspiring thing to me, is beauty. Not necessarily beauty in the conventional sense, but rather the beauty one finds in life’s little details. I like the aesthetics of things, the way they’re put together. I’m endlessly inspired by a well made piece of cloth, a soft piece of ribbon, the texture of a perfectly baked cake. I like a well taken photograph, the billowing of the wind blowing sheets on the line, the crisp of a freshly ironed shirt or a perfectly set table. I like the calm of the ocean and the beauty in a well written book. I live in a small but pretty perfect heritage building in toronto and I love it. It’s simple and modest, but the small details are fabulous. The kitchen light has to be turned on with a string, and the elevator is that kind that you have to pull the heavy metal door across to enter. Plus there’s walk in closets, I love that. If had all the time in the world, I’d spend it around those I love, I’d ride my horse more and braid her mane, I’d wake near the ocean. I’d perfect my Japanese and I’d work on my spanish. I’d learn how to take photographs well, I’d open a little pastry shop, I’d stay in nice hotels and order fruit plates to the room, I’d take trains to markets I’d never been and I’d own my very own green house. I’d sit inside with friends and drink bubbly drinks, I’d host afternoon parties, read books, maybe even try my hand at writing a few. I’d tend to my flowers. I don’t have much of a garden at the moment, just orchids and a few herbs, though I do wish I had more. I grew up with gardens twice the size of my current apartment, so I really miss the smell of tomato vines, the taste of a carrots straight from the ground and the way raspberries are when you first pluck them from the vine. I think nature affects and inspires every bit of my daily life. It changes so often and in such beautiful little ways that it almost forces me to keep my eyes open to the small details in life, it reminds me to be thankful for all that I have. When I was little I watched for the deer in our front yard, I listened for the crickets at night, and I waited for the rooster to call so I could get out of bed in the morning. Now, I wait for the birds to chirp, I look forward to riding my bike through the park and I watch for the bits of wildlife one sees when living in a city and it all makes me pretty happy.
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Perhaps the most inspiring thing to me, is beauty. Not necessarily beauty in the conventional sense,
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but rather the beauty one finds in life’s little details.
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I watch for the bits of wildlife one sees when living in a city and it all makes me pretty happy.
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I’m endlessly inspired by a well made piece of cloth, a soft piece of ribbon, the texture of a perfectly baked cake.
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I like a well taken photograph, the billowing of the wind blowing sheets on the line, the crisp of a freshly ironed shirt or a perfectly set table.
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I like the aesthetics of things,
the way they’re put together.
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ibau h t e n oli
car
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F
ield mouse! The idea of living in Montreal for more than the next 2 years is a big no-no for us. My partner is from north of Quebec and he is studying salmon habitats: brilliant excuse to go away as soon as he’s done with his masters. I am now working as a Spiritual care and guidance and community involvement counselor, a non-teaching professional in 9 elementary schools. I am the one that works on projects that will require the kids to do some volunteering, or get involved in a cause, like Amnesty International, peer mediation, recycling and caring for environment, etc. I also work on their spiritual side through those activities; I want them to get conscious about the world we live in and make them feel confident about their own selves. I am an ethnologist by formation, so it’s amazing when I can bring back some of it into my work. I am inspired by lots of things, but I think my mom is my number one inspiration. She is a hard worker, sensible and caring. She works as a nurse part time and she takes care of everything decoration or setup in the boutique. She also helps my dad with waxing and staining furniture. We had chickens, quails, ducks and rabbits when I was younger and she was taking care of them and her garden, the two jobs and us at the same time. My dad is a handy man, always fixing things on his own, and he knows a lot about antiques; he’s always there to help and rescue me from bad situations. He’s funny and he loves to travel with my mom. I am also inspired by indigenous people traditions, culture and relation with nature. I mostly studied indigenous people from the Amazonian forest in my ethnology years. Naturally speaking, nothing inspires me more than long hikes in the woods and the cracking sounds of a campfire. When I drive up north to visit Jeff ’s parents, we love to go camping at this amazing Innu-owned camping. It’s pretty wild as you can’t bring your car to the campsite. In the morning, I wake up at the first hour and walk through that 2 km path in the forest that brings you straight to the open Saint-Laurent River: I never fail to see whales. I could spend entire days sitting on these huge granite rocks. I strive to have a life connected with nature and traditional cultures. Most people living slow years, homesteading and living by principles of permaculture, inspire me. If I had unlimited time, I would probably spend lots of days hiking, camping, building my own house, taking care of my animals, foraging, gardening, knitting, cooking, baking, canning, making my own bread, reading, snowshoeing, and traveling the world.
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I love collecting pinecones, beach stones, antlers, pussywillows, wildflowers, birch bark...
...(daily reminders of the things I love the most in life).
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Nothing inspires me more than long hikes in the woods and the cracking sounds of a campfire.
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I strive to have a life connected with nature and traditional cultures.
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I tographs— o h p e k a t o t ce re. rever they a a favorite pla e e h v w a , h e I v li k I in ents I don’ t th mbolic mom y s e r u t p a c just try to
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lley
n ho theresa lyn
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G
enerally speaking, I am a homemaker who is in the process of opening a vintage clothing shop online as an enjoyable side project. We have a Turkish Angora kitty named Sakura. Her name is Japanese for “cherry blossom,” because she is white with splashes of pink. She is, honest to goodness, the best cat I could ever ask for. She is funny, affectionate but not needy—and incredibly intelligent. We also have two rats, Sophia and Miette. Sophia is a bit of a scaredy cat, while Miette is our brave little explorer. We regularly take mini trips to the nearby states and towns, all within a couple of hours of here (Salem, MA), and that is very enjoyable to us. The last places we visited were Traverse City, Michigan and Searsport, Maine. My favourite place to take photographs is outside, without a doubt. I am not too picky about location, but I love overcast skies. It seems my favorite season is always the season approaching. I’m partial to Spring for the blossoms, the coming-back-to-life, and I’m an April baby. So many things inspire me, but what inspires me most would have to be the simplicity of the past. The things that I love, do, and think are greatly influenced by the aesthetics of the olden days, country life, and nature. To me, they all go hand in hand. Animals, the most fascinating aspect of nature, have inspired my vegan diet and lifestyle tremendously. When planning a fun-filled day, I almost always try to incorporate simple and relaxing activities that appreciate the nature all around us, like bird watching or mushroom hunting. If I could spend my time doing anything, it would be helping to better the lives of animals.
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It seems my favourite season is always the season approaching.
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I’m partial to Spring for the blossoms, the comingback-to-life... and I’m an April baby.
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So many things inspire me, but what inspires me most would have to be the simplicity of the past.
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The things that I love, do, and think are greatly influenced by the aesthetics of the olden days, country life, and nature.
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If I could spend my time doing anything, it would be helping to better the lives of animals.
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(Sakura)
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I like taking photographs outside, without a doubt. I am not too picky about location, but I love overcast skies.
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karin eriksson
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N
ature constantly reminds me of it’s presence, I’m lucky to have a work shop which is situated in the country side although it’s just 20 minutes away from the city centre. The walk from the train is an ever changing display by nature, sometimes it’s windy and rainy and quite awful and then I reach my workshop and hear the rain against the glass panelled roof and it’s so relaxing. I am inspired by the fragile grasses and early summer flowers against the concrete wall of the conservatory where manos (my shop) is situated. Reading a book while sitting in the shade of the big oak tree. Lingering outside in the never-ending light evenings of swedish summer. The light in the conservatory is wonderful and I take lots of photos there, otherwise I prefer the natural light outdoors. I have a favourite bit of printed textile that I’ve hung as a wall hanging – covering half of the balcony door so that it protects from draft at the same time as adding a lot of character to the room. Perfect when you have not enough to make a cushion out of it for instance… In February I visited the wintermarket in Jokkmokk in the north of Sweden. It was quite exotic to see the reindeer and the beautiful craftmanship of the sami traditional dresses. In October I went to London which is a city I love! I lived in London for six years and have lots of good friends and fond memories from there, it’s an ever changing and yet historical place. Last summer we travelled by train through Europe and for the first time I visited Portugal. I find my mind often wandering back there, the view of the ocean and the roof tops, the little shops and narrow streets and the fado of course. I’ll have to say my favourite season is spring—the light and the waking up of everything in nature, love it. One of the reasons I like living in Sweden is that we get seasons—at least somewhere in this long stretched country each season can be found! If I could spend my time doing anything, I would like to contribute somehow to people who haven’t had the chances and resources that I have, help them build a good life. And I’d like to see more of the world, see my friends more often, spend more time just being in the present…
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Spring—the light and the waking up of everything in nature, I love it.
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I’m inspired by the fragile grasses and early summer flowers against the concrete wall of the conservatory where manos is situated.
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Lingering outside in the never-ending light evenings of swedish summer.
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Nature constantly reminds me of its presence.
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unt alyssa zygm
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I
am a city mouse that day dreams of the country, who does Fashion design for rent and BROOKLYNrehab for fun. BROOKLYNrehab is my emporium of vintage and handmade items. It can be found on ETSY and in the Brooklyn store A&G Merch. I consider myself a bit of a modern anthropologist observing how people relate to the world and the objects they hold dear. I was directly inspired by my observations to create the “Love note series” where I pair a vintage postcard with a found object, then add a message such as “secret rendezvous.” I hint at an underlying story that you can use your imagination to complete. This is probably a direct result of my industrial designed background where I explored the emotional value as well as the problem solving aspects of the objects I designed. After working as a professional designer for some time, I became aware of how much waste is actually created by our consumerist appetite for newer, better, cooler. To counteract that I took it upon myself to reuse, recycle and recreate from existing and available parts (rehabbing as I call it). I try to celebrate the aging process and regard it as a thing of beauty. It is the lack of nature that has inspired my ceramic art. I make porcelain branches and birds to fill the void I have by living in the city. I was always very good at imaginary play. In my apartment I have a long metal restaurant counter with an equally long chalk board on top. It is the perfect blank slate for whatever scene I want to build. I often use sticks, tree slices, and wood bowls as props. I like how it looks against the slick metal to give character and texture. Lighting is also very important to me. I actually like when there is a hot spot or defined shadow so that light becomes one of the objects present in the scene. If I could spend my time doing anything, I would spend it traveling to far places. I love being inspired by new sights, sounds and smells. Perhaps that is why I specialize in vintage souvenirs. I get to pretend I’ve been to these wonderful places. I am particularly drawn to images of Niagara Falls and Old Faithful. Again a desire to fill the nature void. What’s my favourite season? Just one? Spring and Fall. I love the transition seasons. My words to live by are: follow your passion! Passion is contagious. If you love what you are doing it shows and other people will love it to.
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I consider myself a bit of a modern anthropologist observing how people relate to the world and the objects they hold dear.
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I love being inspired by new sights, sounds and smells.
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Perhaps that is why I specialize in vintage souvenirs, I get to pretend I've been to these wonderful places.
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Passion is contagious. If you love what you are doing it shows and other people will love it to. 64
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I try to celebrate the aging process and regard it as a thing of beauty.
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chelsea fuss
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I
’m a city mouse but I love the country too. That’s why I live in portland. It’s the best of both worlds! I don’t have a home right now! I am in transition and getting ready to move to europe for 2 months! I’m a blogger, floral designer and stylist and I am inspired by nature, fabric, people, flowers. I always have to have fresh flowers around. My favourite thing to do is walk in the grass barefoot. I have to do it once a day. For an easy flower arrangement I love to clip a handful of herbs, remove the leaves that will be underwater, cut the stems short and stuff them into a jar. It smells fantastic and will last for a couple of weeks at least! My favourite place to take photographs is a beautiful park outside of portland called Luscher Farm. It’s a preserved old family farm. The last places I visited were: Bainbridge in Washington, Hood River, Oregon, and Southern Oregon. If I could spend my time doing anything at all, it would be being outside, on a bicycle.
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I always have to have fresh flowers around.
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My favorite thing to do is walk in the grass barefoot.
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(I have to do it once a day).
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If I could spend my time doing anything, I would be outside, on a bicycle.
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penny elizabeth neil
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n the heart of it I’m a country mouse—I live in the city right now but it’s in the mountain suburbs where the trees are tall and close together and the streets are quiet at night. I love the bustle and the amazing things to be seen in the city, but I prefer the cool clean air and the quiet green of the country. I share a house with my best friends (who are married) and their 4 year old. It’s a very family-oriented atmosphere, we spend a lot of time together! Although we rent at the moment we’ve lost no time in making a cozy home and are in the process of planning our own-built strawbale house further into the mountains. It is here that I make textile-based jewelery and assemblage art from recycled, vintage and antique materials, and I also dabble in photography and writing. Everything inspires me! The shapes of trees, the colour of stones, the way the light falls through the bathroom window, 1960s sci-fi film sets, old cars, Dickens novels, winter landscapes and things made by people during the great depression. In a nutshell I’m inspired by texture, organic forms and antiques that have lived a life. I could say nature dictates everything in my daily life! I chose to become a pagan when I was 13 and the essence of that spirituality is centered in earth worship, so acting on environmental mindfulness is like keeping the temple clean. Everywhere you look in nature there is harmony- colours and form meld perfectly, species live their lives to compliment one another; there is no such thing as ‘rubbish’ in nature. I try to extend that into my work, even when I’m recycling something I try to have a little end up in the bin as possible. My favourite place to take photographs is Coal Creek—an open air museum in my hometown. It’s set on rolling acres of rescued natural bushland and recreates the pioneer life of 19th century Australians. It’s a kind of Victorian-era ghost town set in the middle of a forest! My father has worked there all my life, it’s like a part of the family. Recently I was caretaker for a year and during that time I took more photographs than I can count! I still enjoy going there now; even though nothing much changes, still it seems there’s always something new to notice. My favourite season is winter, no doubt about it. The bare trees, rainy nights, foggy mornings... and let’s not forget scarves, open fires and hot soup! My English blood prefers the colder weather, it clears my mind and fills me with energy. I have a kitty call Tex, she’s very old! She lives at my mother’s place because my home here in the city is just too much chaos for her- she likes the quiet of my mum’s house in the country where there are no other cats to get in her way. A bit like me, really! If I could spend my time doing anything, I would live in the country, make art, go for walks, work at Coal Creek museum... I can’t choose one thing but I’m pretty sure I can fit all that into one life! When I have spare time in my life now I like to lock myself away in my studio and dive into my art. Any spare time is art time!
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I'm inspired by texture, organic forms and antiques that have lived a life.
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Everywhere you look in nature there is harmony— colours and form meld perfectly, species live their lives to compliment one another...
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When you learn to be happy in your life and happy with yourself, you consume less and appreciate more.
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When I have spare time in my life now I like to lock myself away in my studio and dive into my art. Any spare time is art time!
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liane tyrrel
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M
y home is an old farm house. It’s a cape which we think is about 125 yrs. old give or take plus an attached ell which was built in the 30s or 40s maybe. We have a 3 story barn as well. But it’s not a grand place. It’s simple and was never a fancy sort of house. When we bought it it needed lots of love. We’ve done a lot like restore many floors, strip old wallpaper which couldn’t be salvaged and paint. We’ve replaced old plaster walls with drywall in a couple rooms because it couldn’t be saved and we do all the work ourselves and don’t know how to plaster. We rebuilt a shed and a couple porches. But there is a lot more to do. Our house in town and across form the town hall and baseball diamond. But our back yard is pretty private. We currently have 3 cats and a dog and a rabbit. We have had a revolving menagerie of birds and chickens and rodent-type creatures my kids ask for as well. You need not ask who ends up taking care of all the little friends because we both know that answer! Vintage fabric is inspiring me now. I’m also inspired by books—fiction. I read good historical fiction most. And houses of all sorts inside and out. I love old ones and ones which are a bit worse for the wear. There is one particular house about 10 minutes from my own which I am a bit stuck on. I keep thinking about it. I am working up the nerve to approach the owners who live next door to see if I can photograph it and look around inside. It’s huge and a real beauty and I get a little giddy just thinking about it. I have been doing slow drive-bys for the last few weeks. Because I’m a bit of an internal person and although I love being outdoors and I love working in the garden I don’t know how it inspires me creatively. It does relax me and it gets me out of my head and this is a good thing! But I really find myself thinking about inside spaces most. My favourite season is fall I think and spring coming in a close second. Fall because that feeling of wistfulness you get when things are winding down is one that is close to my heart for some reason. Plus I love the cooling air and breeziness. But spring brings a sense of happiness and well-being that I appreciate so much, too.
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I love Fall because that feeling of wistfulness you get when things are winding down... that is close to my heart for some reason. 99
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I'd go most anywhere given the chance. I seem to like the sort of run down places. They are most poignant to me.
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the end
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