Country Decor Blog

This is not meant to be a morbid post. Nor is it meant to be melancholy. Think of this as a sentimental post! I’ve been thinking of the pet cemetery I came across more than a month ago in Ireland. I did write about it briefly, but I wanted to share a bit more detail because I did find it to be very special because it demonstrates the connection that people can have with their pets. For all of us pet owners, the thought of losing a beloved dog, cat or even gerbil, can be devastating. I admit that I’m a complete basket-case whenever I think of one of my many four-legged friends leaving me (so much so that I keep acquiring new pets in the hopes that they will precipitously fill any upcoming void!). That being said, all of us who love pets know that the time will someday come that our animals will leave us. That is why I was so completely moved by the pet cemetery tucked away at the Powerscourt Estate in Co. Wicklow, Ireland.  

When you first arrive at Powerscourt, you are greeted by an overwhelming sense of formality and structure. The garden is elegant and designed in keeping with the feel of an Italian formal garden. As striking as it is, it doesn’t have a personal feel to it.

the exceedingly sculpted formal Italian gardens at Powerscourt

After a walk through the park, there are signposts pointing towards “the pet cemetery.” Odd, it seemed, to have a “pet cemetery” in a formal garden, no?  But when I finally came across it, I was overwhelmed by the emotions I felt as I walked through it. Formal headstones mark the last resting place of the pets - from ponies to dogs – that belonged to the Slazenger and Wingfield families who once lived in Powerscourt. Many of the headstones date back to the beginning of the 20th century. Knowing that a pet was so beloved that its resting spot is still admired more than 100 years later is remarkable. 

I took photos of each and every one of the tombstones, not out of morbid curiosity, but rather because I was charmed by the visual images that each of the inscriptions on the stones implied. For example, Eugenie the Jersey Cow “died in 1967, aged 15 years, She had 17 calves and produces over 100,000 gallons of milk.” Or Kilfane the Irish Wolfhound who was universally beloved. The inscriptions are all personal and simply beautiful. And the fact that the public are able to wander through these tombstones and imagine the lives of the pets that once ran joyously through the grounds of Powerscourt. It has to be said, that my favourite is the one listed below. Talk about anthropomorphosizing your family bet. I whole-heartedly agree that it is the right thing to do!

Ah, the Ireland jet-lag (not to mention hangover!) is finally over. Now that I’ve recovered and have finished production on our upcoming fall issue of Canadian Gardening, it’s time for me to muse about all things, well, Irish! It’s amazing how ten days in a country as spectacular as Ireland can really monopolize your mind! In particular, of been thinking about the incredibly dairy products that I consumed regularly on my Irish sojourn. There’s something rich and decadent about Irish cheese, butter and milk. As much as I love cheese, I tend to avoid it (as well as butter) due to its high fat content. But when you’re faced with something as decadent as Irish dairy, it’s hard to say no!

Our first day in Ireland was spent at a farmer’s market. There, we discovered the homemade cheeses by the quirky and talented cheesemaker Silke Croppe. With her flaming red hair and coordinating red and white tent, there was no escaping finding her  at the tiny Dublin market. Little did we know that it would not be our first taste of Silke’s fine cheeses - throughout our journey, her name would reappear as a supplier on menus of such fab restaurants as the Winding Stair in Dublin! Her cheeses, made from raw goat’s milk and cow’s milk, is simply divine.

Silke's homemade cheeses

We purchased a “tasting” box of cheese for our outdoor picnic at the Farmleigh estate in Dublin (of course it poured rain so the picnic was done under cover!) and we all, including Tourism Ireland contest winner Peggy, her sister Jackie as well as photographer Stacey Haines. If you like homemade cheese, as I do (I think it’s even worth the calories!!!), a couple of terrific shops in Canada worth checking out are The Cheese Boutique in Toronto (my boyfriend’s kids are obsessed with it - in particular the ridiculously creamy brie allegedly favoured by Napoleon) as well as David Wood Cheese on Salt Spring Island (you can buy Salt Spring goat cheese all over Canada now - yum!). If you have any other fantastic suggestions of homemade cheeses that you would recommend, please let me know!

As an interesting aside, I am completely obsessed with attending farmer’s markets this summer. More next time on my new favourite: The Stop at the Wychwood Barns in Toronto!

The view from Arnold’s hotel in Dunfanaghy  is a quintessentially beautiful Northwest scene. The light in Ireland (particularly the Northwest) is beautiful and emotive. When I woke up Friday morning and drew open my curtains, my heart stopped. I still can’t believe how gorgeous Ireland is. Every day just gets better and better! After consuming thousands of calories over the past week, I found a little more room in my stomach and indulged in a “small Irish breakfast.” Simply put, that means only ONE rasher of bacon, ONE sausage, ONE poached egg, ONE roasted tomato and ONE cup of fried mushrooms. (The thought of eating more than that just seems like an insurmountable task!). Following breakfast, Stacey and I indulged in the ultimate equestrian experience: we got to ride Irish horses on the beach. The stables is just behind Arnold’s hotel - in fact, Arnold’s hotel is the proprietor of the property. The Dunfanaghy stables themselves, however, are run by mother and daughter team Helen and Niamh. We were lucky enough to have Helen take us on our two-hour jaunt. The photos that I have been posting so far on this blog have been supplied by the Irish tourist board - I will be able to post my own personal images next week… But this image does give you the essence (although when Stacey and I were riding there wasn’t a cloud in the sky!

Beach riding in Dunfanaghy

The only way I can describe the ride is pure exhilaration! Stacey and I are already plotting about how we will be able to return to the shore of Dunfanaghy next year! Post-ride, we were driven back to Belfast by our ever-patient guide Tim Conway. We’ve developed a wonderful friendship with Tim - his insight into Ireland is delightfully educational. When we arrived in Belfast, we checked into the Fitzwilliam Belfast (remember we were at the Fitzwilliam Dublin when we first began our Irish sojourn). This hotel exudes elegance. I love the contemporary furnishings and floor-to-ceiling windows. After trading our riding kit in for a more sophisticated look (a tweed Triona jacket and jeans!), we wandered over to Mourne’s seafood restaurant, where we continued to indulge in MORE food. This time, crab claws with melted Irish butter for me, fish and chips (and mushy peas!) for Stacey, whole lemon sole for Tim. Mourne’s seafood is sublime. The location is very chic too - it’s right next door to a classic Belfast pub frequented by locals - pics to come of the pub too!

I’m off now to tea at the Merchant hotel and a visit to the Belfast castle and gardens. More on that later!!!

Don’t forget, if you are interested in visiting Ireland, log on to www.discoverireland.com

I’m combining my last two days due to a lack of internet access - again! Although Ireland isn’t a particularly large country, it does take a while to get from point A to point B. A combination of winding roads and frequent stops to take photographs can add hours to a drive! Such has been my experience in the past two days… 

Wednesday: A walk through the pretty town of Enniskillen revealed a number of fabulous small restaurants, including Taste (which is run by Belle Isle cookery school’s Liz Moore), and Scott’s. My ever-expanding waistline (don’t come to Ireland if you want to diet!) felt quite comfortable among the comfort food selections at Scott’s. Where I may have gone slightly astray was when I ordered a side-dish of champ (it arrived in a large serving bowl)!! A side of baby boiled potatoes actually contained a quantity of 18 potatoes (I counted), and the side dish of chips (also known as fries), was an equally large amount. I have never eaten so many potatoes in my life! Fortunately, I had my colleagues to share my meal with… I’ve found that a lot of the potatoes that we consume here is a variety called “Rooster.” For more about growing Irish potatoes, there’s a great website for Irish Potato Marketing: www.ipm.ie

We also had a fascinating visit to the Marble Arch caves geopark in Fermanagh county. This is truly an incredible experience. I’ve taken a paragraph from their visitors guide to describe it: 

The Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark is host to one of Europe’s finest showcaves allowing visitors to explore a fascinating, natural underworld of rivers, waterfalls, winding passages and lofty chambers. Lively and informative guides conduct tours past a bewildering variety of cave formations – stalactites glisten above stream ways and chambers while fragile mineral veils and cascades of creamy calcite coat walls and spread as shimmering terraces across rock strewn floors. Spectacular walkways allow easy access while powerful lighting reveals the stunning beauty and grandeur of the caves. Electrically powered boats glide through huge caverns carrying visitors along a subterranean river.

As much as I loved the caves and their history, nothing prepared me for the shocking beauty of the Donegal hills. I truly don’t think you can experience Ireland until you visit the Northwest. Stacey Haines and I spent the day travelling with our guide, Tim Conway, who drove us through some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. (Kudos to Tim and his patience with our constant clamour of “Stop the car!!!! We have to take a photograph!!”) I have yet to download my photos - which I will do upon my return to Canada this Sunday - but here are some stunning shots supplied by the Irish Tourism Board to give you a sense of what we saw. From peat bogs to cliffs to hedgerows of fuchsia to views of the sea… It is truly heavenly…Such scenes are common in the Northwest of Ireland. The light is beautiful here, as Stacey will attest to. 

the pile at the left is "peat"

I simply love Ireland! We were also thrilled to discover a craft village in Donegal which is host to numerous artisans. In particular, I fell for the creative charms of weaver Clare O’Presco. Interestingly enough, her father is French Canadian! At any rate, she weaves with 100% wool Donegal tweed. Her work is intensely pretty and focuses on innovative use of colour. We also visited Triona Design in Ardara (30 winding minutes further up the road from Donegal), and were able to witness a weaver creating traditional Irish tweed. It felt like we’d stepped back in time…

For more information about traveling to Ireland, log on to www.discoverireland.com

Let me just start this blog with a wee note about the weather: I have never encountered a more enjoyably temperamental climate! There is nothing boring about Ireland when it comes to the temperature. In a 15 minute period, one can be enjoying intense sunlight (jacket and sweater OFF), pouring rain (jacket and sweater ON),humidity (jacket OFF), wind (jacket ON, sweater OFF?) Argh! Needless to say, one must always dress in layers! (and have sunglasses AND an umbrella at the ready!) For people like me with short attention spans, this weather actually suits my personality quite well!

At any rate, day 4 in Ireland was spent at the impressive Belle Isle Cookery School under the tutelage (and watchful eye!) of  chef and cooking school manager Liz Moore. The four of us (winners Peggy and Jackie, photographer Stacey Haines and myself), along with about 15 other students, listened to Liz’s incredibly inspiring and practical advice and then proceeded to cook up a figurative storm (the literal storm was happening right outside the windows). I was in awe of Liz’s mesmerizing style of teaching, and was even more delighted with her British racing green AGA cooker!  Some of the memorable tips we learned are as follows:

1. Wet a tea towel and lay it under the cutting board to keep it from slipping on the counter.

2. Use the edge of a spoon to peel fresh ginger instead of a paring knife or peeler (you waste less ginger that way!)

3. To get rid of the smell of garlic or onions on your hands, run your hands along the edge of something stainless steel  underneath cold running water (the smell will miraculously be neutralized!)

4. Never eat anything but free-range chicken (she’d rather eat free-range chicken that’s NOT organic than organic chicken that’s NOT free-range)

5. To get the maximum amount of juice from a lime, roll around on the counter by pressing down firmly with your palm. The pressure helps to release the juice from the rind. Then cut the lime in half and squeeze with a juicer as per the usual method.

What made Liz’s course so special to me was that her cooking style is accessible but also has inspirational elements. I learned to make a decent caesar salad dressing (yes, it does need anchovies), as well as a homemade barbecue sauce (forget fish and chips, the Irish like to barbecue too!*). As I’m able to download my images, I’ll start putting them up of some of my edible handiwork!

No, I'm not in this photo

At the end of the school day, the students retired to an elegant dining room and ate the results. We were all pretty pleased with ourselves! 

Aside from Liz’s teaching skills, the setting of Belle Isle makes it a very special place to visit in Northern Ireland. It is in a beautiful acreage of rolling hills and historic buildings. In fact, you can spend a week at Belle Isle - there are lovely cottages that you can rent, as well as self-catering apartments to stay in - while you learn fab culinary skills. My favourite spot (and where we ended up taking Liz’s portrait for Canadian Gardening magazine) was in a walled garden behind the school where climbing roses and sweetpeas grow rampant. I would return to Belle Isle at any opportunity!

Don’t forget, if you’re interested in traveling to Ireland, check out www.discoverireland.com

Apologies for my lack of blogging - the internet connections (and possibly my laptop) have been causing me a significant amount of grief… But here I am, writing away at the Westville Hotel in Enniskillen, and I can’t wait to talk about my day at Mount Stewart, a national trust property in Northern Ireland. I promise to catch up on yesterday’s events a little later today! (hint: it includes barbecue sauce!!)

When I imagine life in Ireland, I usually think nostalgia. I’m not sure why, after all Ireland is a modern, bustling economic force, but I still can’t help but think of visions of  the 1920s… Maybe it’s my penchant for Merchant Ivory films, but whenever I’ve come across a National Trust property, I’m smitten. Mount Stewart is simply one of the best properties that I’ve ever been to. Perhaps it is because a family member is still present there. (Lady Mairi Bury is in her late eighties and resides in the magnificent house). Or maybe it’s because of the fabulous George Stubbs painting that hangs in the hall. Or the multitudes of family portraits that hang throughout the rooms, given you a glimpse into a kinder, gentler life. But in reality, I think it is because of the gardens. They are truly sublime. 

Designed in the 1920s by Lady Mairi’s mother, Lady Londonberry, the gardens are elegant testaments to her original vision. Lovingly cared for by the head gardener Owen (who I was lucky enough to meet) the gardens exude style, energy and grace. We got there at midday (not exactly the best time to shoot a garden), but we were lucky to have beautiful light, thanks to those endless Irish clouds. 

I’m thankful we had an opportunity to visit Mount Stewart, and I implore anyone who dreams of visiting Ireland to make sure that a visit - preferably a whole day there - is on their schedule. There is even a lovely spot to have lunch or tea (and they make a yummy carrot cake too!)

I haven’t been able to download my personal shots of Mount Stewart, but here is a glimpse courtesy of the Irish Tourist board.

Imagine being able to live here?

Following our dreamy time there, we were picked up and taken to the Culloden Hotel and Spa, an exceptionally grand property on the outskirts of Belfast. It was the quintessentially beautiful old-style hotel. We checked in and had a (freshly baked) scone and tea. Yum! The beds were cozy. We were sad to only be able to spend one night there….

* Other than the Mount Stewart property, Lady Londonderry is perhaps best known for her role as ’society’s queen’ - a hostess to the rich and famous. Her close circle of friends included Winston Churchill, Lady Astor, Neville Chamberlain and Harold Macmillan who congregated in her salon, known as ‘The Ark’. Each of the members of ‘The Ark’ had nicknames, and Winston Churchill was known as ‘Winston the warlock’

**if you are interested in visiting Ireland, check out www.discoverireland.com

It’s official. I’m a Guiness drinker. But only in Ireland. I’m not sure whether it is because of the bracing winds, the intermittent downpours or the attractive Irish barhands, but Guiness seems to be the drink of choice on my tour of Ireland. 

Today started at the Powerscourt Estate in Co. Wicklow. A fabulous property that overlooks the ridiculously perfect “Sugar Loaf” mountain, Powerscourt encompasses the best of international gardening styles in one property. From formal Italian gardens (think clipped boxwood and tight circular beds planted with red roses) to a jewel of a Japanese garden, Powerscourt sparked my gardening imagination. One particularly quirky feature, however, was the family pet cemetary (the Slazenger family, of the eponymous tennis racket manufacturing company, vacated the house in the last decade or so). Some may find it morbid, but I found the stone markers of everyone from “Mrs. Mare, a brilliant hunter & companion” who passed away in 1940 at 19 years of age to “Sailor, a curly retriever, a faithful companion for 5 years.”

The animal kingdom theme continued at the Irish National Stud, which is the only Irish stud farm opened to the public, was our next stop. Of course, I was thrilled to see some incredible thoroughbreds first-hand. Better still was our second Japanese garden of the day, which depicted rather romantically the stages of life. The garden, which I will detail later this week, was simply spectacular. It will be celebrating its 100th anniversary next year.

But back to the most important part of my day: the delicious pint of Guiness that I consumed at the quintessentially Irish pub “Johnny Fox’s.” Where Irish music and dancing was the order of the day. I enjoyed my meal of colcannon soup, grilled salmon and whisky cake - perhaps a little too much! (I rarely eat dessert!). Until tomorrow’s adventures!

*of course I want a pint of Guiness!

**if you are interested in visiting Ireland, check out www.discoverireland.com

If you’re a chocolate lover, you’d approve of this message! Okay, so I’m not talking about edible chocolate - rather - I’m referring about using that gorgeous, rich colour on your walls at home. There is a certain sophistication to painting your walls dark brown, and that is because one must have a confidence in their decorating abilities in order to use dark colours on their walls. Why? Using dark colours on walls can create drama, intimacy, and coziness. But it can also plunge a room into dark despair! There are a certain number of rules to use when decorating with dark wall colours (in this instance chocolate brown). Follow these rules, and you’ll have a gorgeous room!

1. Is your room bright or dark? I always tell people that you can get away with painting every room chocolate brown if you have tons of natural light. Otherwise, the room will be plunged into gloominess. If you don’t have lots of natural light, but still want to use chocolate brown, maybe try just colour-blocking out one wall with the rich tone, allowing the space to breathe without being overwhelmed by colour.

2. How high is your ceiling? If you have a high ceiling, by painting it a lighter colour than the chocolate brown (one trick is to add a couple of drops of chocolate paint into your ceiling white to create a consistency in your colour tones), you will still make the room feel airy and open. 

So why chocolate brown? In the same way that we like the look and smell of chocolate, the richness of chocolate brown walls is known to have a calming effect. It’s like being enveloped in a mug of hot chocolate! Just like this room in Hampton Island, Georgia, keep your accessories neutral and allow the wall colour to take centre stage.

Some of my favourite chocolate brown paint colours are: 

Pratt & Lambert’s Stonehenge 2260 - a nice, chalky chocolate brown with a bit of grey in it

Benjamin Moore’s Brown Sugar 2112-20 - a rich warm dark brown

Para Paint’s Truffle Oil P5242-85 - a yummy chocolate brown with a hint of earthy green

There’s nothing more amusing than walking into a powder room that’s decorated in quirky style. Case in point: a friend’s powder room that was wallpapered in vintage covers from The New Yorker, a loo at a stable in Creemore, Ontario that was wallpapered in the back page from the UK’s Horse & Hound magazine (the back page consists of outrageous falls and near-falls from horseback throughout history). The powder room also gives a homeowner an opportunity to pull out all the stops and decorate in a way that they may not in a larger setting. For example, if you love hot pink, it would make more sense to paint a tiny powder room in that brilliant hue (try it in high gloss) than to paint your living room walls that colour! On my Hampton Island visit in Georgia last month, I was delighted to come across a powder room that was having fun with trompe l’oeil. Wallpapered in a stunning fabric printed with reams of porcelain plates “hung” on the wall, the effect was quite intense. The fabric was a rich amber and the plates were black and white chinoiserie. The overall look was quite fun. As intrigued as I was by the initial appeal of the room, imagine my surprise when I realized that they’d actually attached REAL plates to the wall - on top of the fabric pattern! What a fun idea.

At any rate, a great idea for a powder room that I would definitely suggest stealing from the stylish team at Hampton Island!