home decor

 I am slowly letting go of my summer house and  all its leisurely pursuits including art.  This piece found a new  home in Montreal.  I was sad to see it go.  It reminds me of a bird in flight in fall. Margaret Ryall 2016 Composition in Time #22  I had a holiday in New York that left me wanting more of those leisurely pursuits on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, and when I came home fall was suddenly in the air. Before I could even make a list  of all the things that needed doing in my St. John's house, Thanksgiving was looming and I had to add a little fall colour. Thankfully nature helped outside.  I had a lovely display of colour in my planter and could even visually "claim" the maple tree across the street.  My one proactive  fall decor effort before my trip was a flop. My pot of fall flowers had to be laid to rest when I got back.  A frantic trip to the storage room yielded a  generous supply  of fake fall foliage...

Yes, it's that time again. Beautiful Duntara, NL Bridge, Duntara NL My Duntara neighbour My love for Duntara began in my teens when I spent my summer vacations there with my Aunt Mary in the house above. Life has come full circle since 2002  when we built our own house up the road  from Mr. Harty's place. This harbour is particularly  stunning in fall. Everywhere I look I see natural beauty.  As summer winds down it becomes quiet and even more relaxing if that's  possible. "Around the bay" dining  table  Finding natural things for decorating  my summer house becomes more difficult in September, and I accept it as a sign that it's time to close up and move back to my  St. John's life. As  I make the  final drive back to the city I can feel myself subtly changing .  No more rocking chair as I watch the sea gulls swoop and meander .  No more ocean waves or full moon over the bay.  No more twinkling lights of Bonavista ...

Vivid greens are subtly moving into golds and oranges and there's a bite in the air even on sunny days.  My mind is  moving on to what I want to do to herald the  fall season.   I never go all out in these things because my design aesthetic is very understated. The only vibrant things in my home are paintings which for some reason seem to have a lot of orange!  I guess I'm honouring fall year round. I was at the dollar store the other day and saw some great deals on fall foliage.  Usually that means pulling bouquets  apart and rearranging them so they don't look like they came from the dollar store.  Follow the arrangement as I move it around my kitchen and dining room to see where it looks best.  Would you like to see something taller and a little larger here? I feel there is just too much space between the light fixture and the arrangement.  The black chairs are very dark and they demand something larger in scale . Better start lo...