ENCHANTED ~ Pink Houses

Shelter-To-Home Animal Rescue have made this Pink Victorian their home

Children inhabit an enchanted world. But some things remain magical no matter how old that we become. Perhaps the frozen winter we have come through has caused me to long for pink. Warm colours are such a comfort. Pink houses have long been an obsession of mine, I love to come upon them unexpectedly, it is always a joy. Mrs Black and her Kitten and I would like to live in one, at least for the summer. The husband is not keen. We can dream.

Pink Cottage at Gosbeck, Suffolk.

© Copyright Keith Evans and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Ancient Pink cob cottages twinkle in the English and Irish countryside like bright little jewels, but this spectacular Victorian gem is an American style fairytale house. It has a wonderful story too.

The headline reads, "Shelter-to-Home Animal Rescue finds purrfect house in Wyandotte."

By Calli McCain  Feb 2012

The idea of a ‘cat house‘ can conjure some pretty frightening images: cats crawling on everything, a thick layer of hair spread over furniture, litter and…other stuff…scattered across the floor. Shelter-to-Home Animal Rescue will challenge that concept in their new headquarters and save some local felines in need in the process. 

In the iconic Victorian Wyandotte home at the corner of 3^rd and Oak, the non-profit has set up its first official office as well as a habitat to showcase adoptable cats. Inside the gorgeous house, a friendly grey and white cat—Annabelle—curls around visitors’ ankles as they enter the kitchen before she settles in the center of a sunny patch on the floor. Shelley Bawol of Wyandotte is the president and co-founder of Shelter-to-Home; she hopes the house will bring greater attention to a cause she’s been working on since 2007.

“Cats in shelters are not always comfortable so they appear to have a shy personality,” said Bawol. “People looking to adopt sometimes think they won’t do well in their homes and because of this these animals could die in the shelter.”

According to the ASPCA, each year approximately 5 to 7 million companion animals (dogs and cats, that is) enter shelters in the United States. Of those, about 3 to 4 million will end up being euthanized. Adoption rates are especially low for older or disabled animals, according to Bawol.

The main purpose of Shelter-to-Home is to rescue cats from shelters and help them to be fostered out and ideally adopted into permanent homes. According to Bawol, shelters are often so overwhelmed with animals that they have limited time and resources to properly showcase animals to potential adopters, which can result in cats spending months in a shelter without being adopted. By removing cats from the shelter and putting them in a more natural, comfortable environment, Shelter-to-Home allows future owners to see the cats as they would behave if adopted.

Establishing an official headquarters will hopefully help the group to accomplish even greater goals, says Phyllis Smith of Lincoln Park, Shelter-to-Home secretary.

“Hopefully it’s going to help us generate more donations and volunteers,” said Smith, who got involved with Shelter-to-Home after fostering and adopting through the group. “I like the fact that the house is a focal point in the community. Everybody knows the big pink house, now hopefully it will draw attention to the number of pets we’re able to save from shelters.”

The house serves a dual purpose with the downstairs being used as an office for the group and the upstairs a kind of boarding house for adoptable cats.

“The layout of the house isn’t ideal for a family,” said Bawol, pointing out the complete lack of counter and cupboard space in the kitchen and the small, detached rooms upstairs. “It suits us perfectly though, it has great curb appeal—it brings a lot of people in.”

Upstairs, a sleepy blonde cat, Meme, lounges in the front bay window. Around the corner, a new group of cats just arrived from a foster home. They were given the “Kitty Zen Room” complete with a Buddha statue.

The upstairs rooms all have themes and vintage prints of cats adorn the hallway walls along with plaques recognizing financial donors. The “Nursery Room” is scattered with vintage toys and will mostly house kittens and nursing mothers says Bawol. Cats who don’t play well with others will have their own rooms, cats who get along will live three to four to a room. There will also be a few free roaming cats throughout the house, like Meme and Annabelle.

“It’s a unique situation,” said Bawol. “We’re still growing into it, there aren’t any places like this around.”

The group faced slight adversity when they began the zoning process, mostly due to the negative image some neighbors had about a ‘cat house’ being in the neighborhood, like undesirable smells and noises, said Bawol. For the most part, though, the community has been very receptive.
“Wyandotte has a supportive network of volunteers,” said Bawol. “It’s a forward-thinking community and people are still trying new things despite the economy. We also wanted a city with a good, healthy, well-run shelter.”

At the Wyandotte animal shelter, home to Wyandotte Animal Control (WAC), volunteers have a similar philosophy to Shelter-to-Home when it comes to showing adoptable pets and saving animals from being euthanized. Anita Fegan is a local volunteer at WAC. She has been volunteering since she adopted a cat through WAC and appreciates the healthy, comfortable atmosphere at Wyandotte’s animal shelter.

“I like it here because it’s clean and spacious,” said Fegan. “We have community cages that give cats a way to interact with each other and show their personalities.”

However, because of the layout of the shelter, cats must remain in community or individual cages if not being held to prevent them from escaping into the front office, outside, or into the dog room. Ideally, Fegan said, potential adopters would be able to let the cats roam around to see how they move and play—which is when an environment like Shelter-to-Home’s new house can be beneficial.
Because of WAC and Shelter-to-Home’s similar ideologies, the two groups have developed a strong working relationship.

“I love what they [Shelter-to-Home] do, their protocol and their policies,” said WAC volunteer Alyssa Stafford. “I like that they only take animals from shelters. A lot of people won’t come into shelters and pounds because they’re largely seen as depressing. Shelter-to-Home brings positive attention to our shelter and shows that it’s a great environment for animals and for people to come in and adopt them.”
 
Shelter-to-Home
266 Oak St.
734-556-3135
info@sheltertohome.com

Original Article is Here:

ENCHANTED CHILDHOOD ~ Crown Staffordshire 'Pixie' Bowl

Crown Staffordshire 'Pixies' Cereal/fruit bowl circa 1906

Taken just before the demolition of the Minerva Works

Photo: Aug 2001
website origin

When you live in a tiny cottage what you collect must be small, and it is especially wonderful when you find items which combine some of your 'Objects of Desire' into one. This little bowl which is over a hundred years old has delightfully done just that.  

This is a rare Crown Staffordshire 'Pixies' Cereal/fruit bowl circa 1906, beautifully hand painted and very fine china. Yes, it is cracked, but at it's age a little imperfection is to be expected. We love it.

We do not know who the artist was, (but would love to). They make it looks effortless, and it probably was for them. Some people have the gift of magical creatures and beings appearing at a wave of their hand.

Over the years we have amassed a lot of collections.  Dragons and all things wearing pointy hats being just two of them. Not to mention Mushrooms, Butterflies and Rabbits.

We are supposed to source items to sell, but sometimes they just belong in our cottage.

Gnome with Dragon Hatchling

And this ..... is a gentleman wearing a nicely pointy red hat with a Dragon hatchling. Why?  No idea, but we do like them a lot. It has a mark which says 1994 DHM and it is china not resin. As you can see, they are very happy together. If anyone might know anything more about them please tell us!

Meanwhile all of the Pixies, Dragons and Pointy Hatted ones are dwelling happily ever after in our cavernous display case in a corner.

ENCHANTED ~ Dragon Cottages

A cottage at Haslemere, Surrey Helen Allingham

Like many parts of Britain the area of Wiltshire we live in is graced with old cottages both thatched and red brick tiled. When I was a child I decided that the tiles were from dragons or sea serpents and I named the cottages adorned with them 'dragon cottages' because they looked as if they had scales. Children's minds are funny things!

A Green Dragon and his scales

Tiles hung on a side of a building

This one even has a dragon ridge on it's roof!

As I grew up elsewhere I did not set eyes upon an English dragon cottage save in books and magazines until I landed upon this sceptred isle in the 70s.

Magical Cotchford Farm

The first that I saw in person were in Sussex. I had to make pilgrimages to many favourite authors homes, and to historic houses and gardens. Many of them were hung with red clay tiles. I was in Heaven, but sadly in those days only photographers carried decent cameras and so I have just slightly blurry photo memories of those early halycon times in the English countryside I loved so much.

Cotchford Farm was dear to my heart for two reasons, it had been the home of Winnie The Pooh author A.A. Milne where he wrote the Pooh stories for his young son Christopher Robin and later in the 60s the last home of the very talented but ill fated boy-child, Rolling Stone Brian Jones.  There are statues of the Winnie The Pooh characters in the garden and more than a slight air of sorrow pervades it, but the farm house is so pretty.

Christopher Robin and Pooh 1925 at Cotchford Farm

Another favourite childhood author of mine was Rudyard Kipling. I loved that he adored cats and his poem The Cat Who Walked Alone is still a favourite of mine and Mrs Black's. I had to visit his house, and was delighted to find that it too was hung with clay tiles!

Bateman's home of Rudyard Kipling

Bateman's is the wonderful Jacobean manor where poet Rudyard Kipling lived from 1902-1936. It is in Burwash, Etchingham, East Sussex and is open to the public via The National Trust.

Bateman's National Trust

I never tire of looking for buildings hung with red tiles be they humble or grand and now I take photographs. The workers cottages we live in have a few dragon scales and our particular cottage has quite a few Dragons inside and out as we collect them.

I love the elaborate tile decoration which you find all over Britain on cottages, grand houses and shops. 

This is the magnificent Merchant's House, Marlborough, Wiltshire

Courtyards and alleys in Marlborough

This building is cheating a little as strictly speaking these are not tile hung, but built into the fabric of this wonderful old bulding at Kingsclere. I can still imagine them as Dragon scales, for quite a special Dragon. It's a most loved place of mine. The initials on it are of one of the greatest ever racehorse trainers John Porter (2 March 1838 – 21 February 1922) who built Kingsclere on the Hampshire Downs and also founded Newbury Racecourse in Berkshire. During his career he trained racehorses for royalty and his horses won twenty three British Classic races including the Epsom Derby seven times. Some of his most famous horses include the Triple Crown winners  Ormonde (1886), Common (1891), and Flying Fox (1899).  You can read more about him and Kingsclere here: National Racing Museum.

While I was growing up in America I collected books about England, especially those with illustrations of country cottages inclduing my 'Dragon Cottages'. I knew I'd live here one day and it kept my dream alive to look at them.

One of my favourite artists was Helen Allingham,  (26 September 1848 – 28 September 1926)  the  English watercolourist and illustrator of the victorian era. I know her view of England is a romantic one, but that is the point isn't it? I love the way her paintings are so soft, almost always include animals and birds and do have a dreamy quality to them.

A cottage at Shere, c.1875

Where I grew up a few people had prairie style gardens, but not many. It was thought in those days that your garden, or 'yard' as Americans call them, should be a tidy place. My Great Grandmother was a magical woman. Very self sufficient, a little mysterious and set in the old ways. She had a tiny cottage a cat and a cottage garden. I still remember her sweeping her dirt path to keep it free of weeds and less dusty.



Kentish Garden, Helen Allingham

Although her cottage was in a rural backwater of Northern California she may have been the one who first set me dreaming of the world beyond, of castles and kings and dragon cottages.

ENCHANTED ~ Castles - Neuschwanstein by Domythic Bliss

As a child I read and loved all the classic fairytales and the wonderful illustrations of forests and castles. It was with great wonder as an adult that I came to Europe and visited the places which inspired their authors and illustrators. I never tire of finding the source of books, poetry and art.

I enjoyed reading this post which is a fine tribute to Cinderella's castle Neuschwanstein by Grace at Domythic Bliss. This castle and it's King have a real story all their own played out to a Wagner soundtrack. Have a look and be inspired.

Neuschwanstein tribute

ASHDOWN HOUSE AN ENCHANTED PLACE

Ashdown House - a National Trust Treasure

When I began this blog (I actually hate that word so let's call this a journal instead) I wondered if I would have enough to share with anyone.

And now I am writing twice in one day!

I had to share a post from Ashdown House, a National Trust property which is quite near to our cottage. I could not resist the impudent fox sitting in front of the No Entry sign. So witty and such a great capture.

This is from their post just before Christmas.

http://ashdownhouse.blogspot.com/2011/12/seasons-greetings-from-ashdown-house.html


Enjoy