They told her not to look...

It was but a whisper... 
the sound of her footsteps 

as she crept quietly into the room. 

She grasped the key snugly in her hand

her breath quickening at the thought 
of what she would discover.

They told her not to look,
that was their first mistake
or was it hers?


Having a little fun
this Friday afternoon in Saigon
as the thunder claps and the rain dances
on the rooftop of Chateau Mango.

If you were holding the key,
what would you hope
to find inside the box?

The world is your oyster
let your imagination run wild...

~~~

Happy Weekend!

Jeanne xx


Photograph taken by me..
any guesses as to where?

I spy a studio...in a barn

Calling all creative, clever and artistic types..that means you.

I need those of you who may have an inkling of an idea

of what I could do with the space below. It is the hayloft in our barn. 

I have to admit, when I was first looking at the property,

those few months ago and climbed the staircase from the first floor,

it took me all of two seconds to get excited about this space.

Am I wrong? 

I looked at the door and thought one big window..

via

This is what you could potentially be looking at.

If you look the opposite way...more possibilities. 

I see a space..

via

where you could spread out 

and let your imagination run wild.

via

a place where you could think it out..

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of course..this is Mrs. H thinking.

Mr. H might have ideas of his own.

All I know is...I saw it first!

I am thinking...

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it just might be, that Mr. and Mrs. H retire from this expat life,

live in the barn one day...and are never seen again.

:)

So what do you think?

What would you do with space?

We have an architect working on this with us...

he would love to know our thoughts.

Virtual penny for yours?

Our inner child and imaginary worlds...

Into the forest...

I wonder how many of you, as a child, liked to play in your own imaginary world. How many of you let curiosity get the better of you and set off to discover something new? This thought came back to me at 2:30am last night, as I woke from yet another jet lag stupor. It was clear that my mind was not going to rest until I wrote the following..so I did.

A story...

When I was seven years old, we lived in a home with a deep forest behind us- trees and stone walls stretched to eternity in my seven year old eyes. I had a merry band of travellers in my brothers and sisters and the local neighbourhood kids. We liked adventures...the forest was our playground. After school and on the weekends we would set down a path at the back of our property, starting with the stone wall at one end and meander along it’s path. There was a creek that quietly gurgled alongside it and it was there that we pretended to carry out the day to day routines of American pioneers long before us. But not before we reached our secret place under the biggest pine tree in the forest…with graceful sweeps of thick pine boughs that lovingly draped to the floor below, sheltering us from the outside world. It was heaven.. an earthy pine scented green heaven.

and into an earthy pine scented green heaven where bloodroot grows..

We took frequent trips to this tree, it was ‘our place’- we never told our parents...for of course, at that age we felt they just wouldn’t understand. It was our secret world. We kept ourselves busy-pretending we lived there, each assuming tasks, foraging for curiosities-anything that could help us create the perfect shelter. It was exciting, it was our own and I have never forgotten it...ever.

where we foraged for curiosities.

 That was nearly fifty years ago and it came back to me like it was yesterday..just last week as I walked around our property at Tahilla Farm. I was with a landscape architect, a forester and my sister-in-law, exploring the land, looking for opportunities to enhance a meadow and expand our view to a mountain on the east side of our property.

Today, a view to the east side of our property...

We walked along, creating a path as we went, talking about the beauty of the trees and the animals that lived within. As we walked... I found my steps quickening… for I had spotted it…a hidden stone wall that extended from one end of our property to another. Could it be? As we walked, the pine and hemlock trees thickened, pine needles forming a thick carpet below our feet. I looked for signs of water..I looked for the sweeping mass of pine boughs cascading from the top of the enormous trees around us. I could feel my imaginary world opening it’s door.

where a hidden creek quietly gurgles and meanders...

We stopped in silence and noticed that we were standing in what once was a meadow; long overgrown…it was the perfect spot. We talked about the pros and cons of our plan, I listened intently, all the while gazing around me…making a mental note of which direction I would head on my next adventure into the woods..to pick up the trail and explore the imaginary world that still exists within me…fifty years on. You can be sure..that when I do, you will be the first to know.

So I ask you..were you a child with an imaginary world? Were you encouraged through books, stories or did you set sail under your own steam? I know many of you will have smiled from the start of this post..I am certain we lived parallel lives in our childhood.  You are my merry band of what my children used to call my 'imaginary blogging friends'… until they discovered that blogging took my imaginary world and turned it into a reality with Tahilla Farm. They are now believers.

Do you still believe? 

Do you ever let your inner child come out to play? 
For surely, we are never too old...

never say never...
via

To help you along your way, you can start where I started last week, with a song...

Wishing you a wonderful weekend...imaginary or not!

Jeanne xx

What I learned...at Tahilla Farm

It is amazing what a difference a week can make. Last Sunday I was simply contemplating travelling solo and within a day my life turned upside down. I arrived to Tahilla Farm on Monday to brisk biting New England winds and the last remnants of snow. Saigon was a distant memory...

I admit I was nervous as I drove along the dirt road to our new home. What if I realised I made a mistake? What if what I felt when I last saw the house in October..was just a passing fancy? It was too late to turn back..we owned it..my thoughts continued in this vain...there was lots of deep breathing as I nervously clutched the steering wheel of the car. 

I parked...and looked through the trees to the mountain.. phew!...it was still there.  It was just as I

remembered. I then turned towards the house..a warm feeling welled up inside of me. I took that as a good sign. I approached the kitchen door and turned the knob..this was the moment I had been waiting all these months for. 

I have to say there was a slight pang as I stepped inside and looked around..it was not as I had remembered. For the past six months I have been staring at realtor photos..the wide angle, well lit kind. I had to do a double take..the proportions were smaller. I held my breath and continued..slowly meandering through the house..taking in every detail. As I turned from one corner to the next, it came back to me..that feeling...the reason why I took the leap of faith to buy it. It still spoke to me..we were on the same page.

That was Monday...it is now Saturday evening and I am tucked away into yet another historical B&B, listening to the hourly church bells chime and reviewing my notes from the past week.

This is what I learned this past week..

Our 150 year old tree, the one we affectionately call the 'Martha Stewart' tree..must come down. After lengthy discussions with an arborist, I was advised it has lived it's life and now risks taking out one side of our house. There is a chance it could split down the middle which as you can see from this photo...could have devastating consequences. I don't think I can bare to see it come down..we all made the decision with deep regret.

On a brighter note, after a morning with a wonderful landscape architect...who I plan to write about in more detail one day soon...we decided our first step for the property is to open up our views...first to our stone walls and then to the mountains surrounding us. Our house was built in 1790 and once sat amongst pastures and mountain views for as far as the eye could see...The house and property speak volumes to the history of the land and I am only on page one. I am a novice to the world of antique homes and historical  properties but I can grasp the beauty and importance of the land around us. It is time to bring it all back to life.

I have met with tradesmen to discuss chimneys, water systems, oil burners, propane gas heaters, wood floor treatments, pest treatment and the list goes on... We hired a groundskeeper, identified numerous trees and shrubs to be culled, decided on a simple kitchen garden and made plans to meet with an architect later in the week to discuss opportunities for our home. The ball is rolling at a steady pace. I have one more week to go and wish I had two.

Tomorrow I am consulting with a forester who I am told is a poet..who has the eye...for opening a landscape to it's best advantage. On Monday, I start addressing, dry wells, security systems, paint chips and stand by as a new water system is installed. But that is Monday and this afternoon all I wanted to do was explore. My sister and I headed to the woods..where I grabbed this piece of tree bark..for I am sure something can be done with it...one day.

Sometimes I wonder what I got myself into..and other times I am so excited I can hardly contain myself. I am dead tired at the end of the day...but the good kind of tired for it is a day filled with busy feet, a busy mind and clear, cool...fresh air..the kind you know is good for you. 

Best of all...is the time of day, when I drag the camping chair (for it is all we have at the moment)

to a sunny corner of our garden..just before the sun calls it a day.  I grab a beer...which I love at the end of a long outdoorsy kind of day, and contemplate life...the collage of life. :)

Here's to another day...may yours be exceptional!

Jeanne xx

Travelling solo...

I wonder..

as I sit in a large four poster bed, 

in the 'Sally Room',

taking in the early American decor 

around me, all the while listening

to the busy hands in the dining room, 

across the hall, preparing for morning breakfast..

if you ever travel solo.

Travelling solo..was a notion that seemed incomprehensible to me, all those years ago, when I had four small children trailing behind me. We travelled in mass or we did not travel at all and that was the way I liked it.

And here I sit, years on, with my belongings about me, doing the B&B hop as I make my way along the New England trail from family to friends over the next two weeks. Mr. H and my son are holding down the Chateau back in Vietnam while I start pulling together Tahilla Farm in New England.

This isn't the first time I travelled alone...Paris was my first.  When we lived in England I took the Eurostar from London to Paris...it was easy. I had some familiarity with Paris and I was meeting a lovely friend. I wrote about it here. I left the trip with a travelling confidence. Travelling alone is not my first choice. I enjoy having family and friends around me...but there are times, when for various reasons..one must travel alone. I want to say, if you have contemplated it but have hesitated..take a step forwards. 

I enjoyed the Paris trip because I stayed in a small hotel, tucked away in the Marais district. I was in a neighbourhood..it was quiet and comfortable. I had cafes, shopping and historical sights all within an easy reach.  I wandered the streets, in and out, on my own, stopping and going as I pleased...here. With each step I realised that it was possible to travel solo and feel comfortable in that space..it was good for the soul. 

My other solo trips have been to America, easier for it's familiarity but still an adventure...here. When I travel solo, I look for the comforts of home. I enjoy historic Bed and Breakfast hotels, something you can easily find in New England.  I like hearing people around me, I love the scent of coffee wafting it's way from the kitchen and lingering just outside my doorway. I enjoy the eclectic mix of  guests. Each visit offers new stories, new opportunities for a memorable experience. They are a curious bunch..B&B guests. Most who stay are used to the breakfast banter...the where, how and why of it all. I have had occasions where I have stayed on for several cups of coffee..the conversation to good to move on. There is no obligation..you just enjoy. B&B owners are a friendly lot as well, it's personal and they want to please. 

Travelling solo is a state of mind and I appreciate that it is not for everyone. Many have to step outside their comfort zone and I can understand if that feels daunting for some. If you are keen but  not sure.. I would start with a weekend away. Some place new, with a purpose in mind. Research the area you plan to visit and make a list of things you want to see and do. Highlight one, the most important and do that first. Travelling solo gives you the freedom of exploration, something not always possible when you travel with others.  I may have a list and check them all off, I may do one or two and then be happy to wander. Your time is your own..you can do as you please. Think of how you want to feel at the end of the trip..what feeling you want to carry with you as you journey home. Plan for that feeling.

I travelled to Marrakesh with Mr. H last year...another trip I plan to write more about one day. Someone asked if I would travel to Marrakesh on my own. I had to think on that one..for it is another type of experience all together. I would say yes..but only with a guide. Above all else, you have to be sensible when travelling solo..your safety is paramount. Some countries are simply not safe for a woman on her own..unless you know the ins and outs of it well. In those situations, if I were on my own, I would be more inclined to find a small private tour with a special purpose in mind. For example, if it was a photographic tour, with like minded individuals, up for an adventure in the best light of day...I would not hesitate. For others it may be cooking, writing, painting..whatever your passion may be...I say follow it..with abandon.

I am going to leave you here...a new day dawns and I here a whistle in the hallway, the sound of people gathering and can smell the fresh aroma of coffee.. it is calling my name....

Before you go...do you have a thought on travelling solo? Have you, would you, do you, could you?

Think on it...where would you go? We would all love to know....

Blessings to you all my friends!

Jeanne xx

PS..If you would like to know more about travelling solo to Paris...or the B&B trail in New England, let me know, I would be happy to give you information to get you started in the right direction. :)