What is in your cup?

[CRussel]

A triple grande latte while waiting for the plane. The lots of water since.

[Stitchawl]

Oh, I'm bein' followed by a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow
Leapin and hoppin' on a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow

And if I ever lose my hands, lose my plough, lose my land,
Oh if I ever lose my hands, Oh if.... I won't have to work no more.
And if I ever lose my eyes, if my colours all run dry,
Yes if I ever lose my eyes, Oh if.... I won't have to cry no more.

And if I ever lose my legs, I won't moan, and I won't beg,
Yes if I ever lose my legs, Oh if.... I won't have to walk no more.
And if I ever lose my mouth, all my teeth, north and south,
Yes if I ever lose my mouth, Oh if.... I won't have to talk...

Oh I'm bein' followed by a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow
Leapin' and hoppin' on a moonshadow, moonshadow, moonshadow

( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh2tnSRi90I )

Good morning, all! Happy Spring! Tulips are blooming on the veranda and I've taken the liner out of my 'walking around' jacket. (Still a bit too cold to remove it from my 'riding' jacket.) I've got a full mug of Taylors of Harrogate's "Yorkshire" tea in my cup, some home-baked scones with a big plate of western-style bacon waiting on the table, and a group of Senior Citizens to chat with later on in the day. Should be a very pleasant way to begin a new season!

Stitchawl

[CRussel]

Ah, I've missed your morning posts.

Finished city #2, and off to Saskatoon tomorrow. The fun never quits.

[maianhvk]

So far today: English Breakfast, water, Red bull.

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Good morning, all! Happy Spring! Tulips are blooming on the veranda [...]

How long do they last, Stitchawl? I've always wanted to have some tulips on the windowsill.

[ProfCrash]

We have daffodils. And a teething baby.

[pdurrant]

Coke Zero #2 in my cup.

Individual tulips don't last long. A couple of weeks usually, but it could be longer if it's cool and damp.

Different varieties bloom at different times, so it's possible to have tulips blooming in the garden from spring to midsummer.

[ProfCrash]

Pu Erh in my cup. Yogurt for breakfast.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by maianhvk

How long do they last, Stitchawl? I've always wanted to have some tulips on the windowsill.

We've stopped fall plantings of them, in favor of purchasing budding pots in the spring. More expensive this way (at least double) but we can have freshly blooming tulips from very early season (now) until perhaps the end of May. The flowers in the pots are 3-4 days away from opening when we buy them. Two months of freshly blooming flowers, at least, just picking up another 2-3 pots each week. Each pot has 6-10 flowers so we really get a lot of nice color for a while.

Almost time for popcorn and a movie... and a glass of rum. I really need to get into town and buy another bottle of Bombay Sapphire. There is no place nearby that sells it at reasonable price. I have to go into Osaka or Kyoto.

Stitchawl

[Billi]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Happy Spring!

Happy is good, but Spring? Which spring? It's snowing since two days here!

[Water]

[Iridal]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Good morning, all! Happy Spring! Tulips are blooming on the veranda and I've taken the liner out of my 'walking around' jacket. (Still a bit too cold to remove it from my 'riding' jacket.) I've got a full mug of Taylors of Harrogate's "Yorkshire" tea in my cup, some home-baked scones with a big plate of western-style bacon waiting on the table, and a group of Senior Citizens to chat with later on in the day. Should be a very pleasant way to begin a new season!

Originally Posted by Billi

Happy is good, but Spring? Which spring? It's snowing since two days here!

[Water]

Spring is a state of mind

The weather has been terrible here as well, and it's going to get even colder next week ... Let's hope it picks up quickly!

I'm having a hard time concentrating, everything related to our house (the design, the money, the move to my parents, ...) just keeps going round and round in my head. We just can't seem to find the right layout. So we decided to just scrap the design the architect gave us and start fresh. We just kept changing the same things over and over. So here's my very own design The kitchen island is 3,5 m long, the table is 2,6m long and the lounge area is 3,8m x 3,3m. What do you guys think?

Time for a coffee and then hopefully I'll get some work done ...

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Iridal

So here's my very own design The kitchen island is 3,5 m long, the table is 2,6m long and the lounge area is 3,8m x 3,3m. What do you guys think?

I like the hall entrance. It will make the living area much more pleasant. You have lost your utility room, but perhaps with the smaller floor space from having a front yard this is unavoidable.

I would swap the kitchen and dining areas. That would give you the ability to change the space allocated to 'dining room' and 'living room' as you wish.

I think playing around with lots of designs is an excellent idea at this stage.

[Iridal]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I like the hall entrance. It will make the living area much more pleasant. You have lost your utility room, but perhaps with the smaller floor space from having a front yard this is unavoidable.

I would swap the kitchen and dining areas. That would give you the ability to change the space allocated to 'dining room' and 'living room' as you wish.

I think playing around with lots of designs is an excellent idea at this stage.

We could have a small utility room underneath the staircase. We're planning on having at least one, either downstairs or on the first floor.

I've been thinking about swapping the kitchen and dining area. With the kitchen where it is now, it's a lot easier to socialize with the rest of the family or guests, whether they are in the dining area or the sitting area. But you're right of course, it makes more sense to swap them.

I think we're a little too friendly when we go see our architect. We have to be a little more assertive about what we do and don't like. Let them draw an entirely new plan if necessary. We really want to get it 100% right before we give them permission to the municipality for a building permit. I have a feeling that they are trying to rush things a bit ...

[Stitchawl]

Where do you 'live?' Some folks live in the kitchen. Others live in the living room. Some never get further than their computer desks. Personally, I have my guitar next to my computer desk, my 'small tools' cabinet on the other side of the desk, and use the rest of the house for storage. Except for meals, "I" live at this work bench/computer desk. My wife's life is centered around her table too. In Japan, one usually doesn't entertain at home. You use restaurants for that, so the living room is almost non-functioning for us.

"We" would do very well with a large completely open floor space, with a kitchen on one side, and that's about it. Using moveable dividers when needed, we could create spaces as desired, without being locked into permanent 'rooms.' And dividers don't need to be actual walls; a couch and a couple of easy chairs around a coffee table becomes a living room. An open backed bookshelf becomes a wall, as does a hanging tapestry. At the same time, with the upper area of the room NOT blocked off, the feeling of space is created even in a small area.

Stitchawl

[Iridal]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Where do you 'live?' Some folks live in the kitchen. Others live in the living room. Some never get further than their computer desks. Personally, I have my guitar next to my computer desk, my 'small tools' cabinet on the other side of the desk, and use the rest of the house for storage. Except for meals, "I" live at this work bench/computer desk. My wife's life is centered around her table too. In Japan, one usually doesn't entertain at home. You use restaurants for that, so the living room is almost non-functioning for us.

"We" would do very well with a large completely open floor space, with a kitchen on one side, and that's about it. Using moveable dividers when needed, we could create spaces as desired, without being locked into permanent 'rooms.' And dividers don't need to be actual walls; a couch and a couple of easy chairs around a coffee table becomes a living room. An open backed bookshelf becomes a wall, as does a hanging tapestry. At the same time, with the upper area of the room NOT blocked off, the feeling of space is created even in a small area.

Stitchawl

I would say I spend most of my free time in the kitchen (until 9 PM, then it's off to the couch), boyfriend spends most of his free time in the sitting area and I guess any future kids would spend time wherever their toys are. Probably also the sitting area.

We do entertain often, and when we do we spend the entire evening in the sitting area (or in the garden in summer). Not large groups of people, mostly just a couple of friends. Let's say three couples and their kids at most.
I have a large family, so there has to be room for at least 8 to 10 people at the dining table. And they all have to fit in the sitting area. We don't need a sofa that can seat up to 10 people, but they all have to fit in that area without it feeling too cramped.

Diet coke in my cup.

[orlok]

Originally Posted by Iridal

What do you guys think?

I like it better than the others. Your living spaces feel more "defined" and their purpose more obvious. Good luck with the architect.

Black coffee in my cup, tongue-burning hot.