The other day my good friend Russell posted pictures of his fireplace. It looked wonderful, so I decided to light my fireplace too. I haven't had my fireplace on yet this year, and I had forgotten how fabulous a fire can be on a chilly, damp, rainy, misty Vancouver afternoon. At first I put on a firelog, and when it had died down I put on some real wood. I was amazed at the amount of heat it generated, and how wonderful the crackling of the fire sounded.Now, if only we would get some snow. Unfortunately, I still have new buds on my geraniums, and the next-door neighbours have Christmas lights on their palm trees.
My brother, who is a seasoned seaman (say that ten times fast...) and understands weather patterns, announced the other day that we won't be getting any winter here in Vancouver this year. Well, that isn't going to stop me from lighting my fireplace.
What could be better than a log burning in the fireplace and a good book?
ReplyDeleteOh that looks wonderful. Except it is very hot here at this time of year. I have never lived in a house with a fireplace. Look what I am missing!
ReplyDeleteDr. John, oh, yes! And a big cozy chair!
ReplyDeleteLilly, I have never lived in a house without a fireplace! It is a necessity to me. :-)
wish I could send you some of our snow in MN., we have plenty!!!!!
ReplyDeleteRuth, oh, pleeeeze... send me some! *heh*
ReplyDeleteWhat a cozy and inviting room! We had ours lit almost all weekend. It's cold with an inch of snow on the ground here. There's a pic of mine on my sidebar, BTW.
ReplyDeleteYour fire looks so cosy, Josie. I've never been over when you've had it going, so I'm looking for an invite. lol
ReplyDeleteI heard that we might get some snow on Friday and Saturday, but that might mean just the tops of the mountains.
How gorgeous and cozy. I'll be right over with the hot totties;)
ReplyDeleteI don't have a fireplace now, but I will in my cottage in the country;) (do ya like that affirmative statement?;)
Well, that fire just looks so good. I have also never had a fireplace and I know my wife would give anything to have one for those cold (well cool compared to your area) winter nights. On the other hand we are going into summer and just spent the whole weekend by the pool. No need for a fireplace at the moment. The only fire I want to see is a braai (barbeque) fire followed by some tjops, wors (sausage)and roosterkoek (bread made on the grill over the coals).
ReplyDeleteMost houses here have fireplaces, some two or three. The fireplace is always listed as a selling feature, and like most people here we block ours off with glass because of the furnace heat that is drawn up the flue.
ReplyDeleteI saw yesterday on The History Channel that Vancouver gets three feet of rain a year???? And someplace in Alaska with an unspellable name gets thirteen???
Jo it's no wonder you long for snow.
That looks like a nice place.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't lit our fireplace since we moved into the place two years ago. Never gets cold enough really. Plus we're both kind of lazy.
ReplyDeleteI'm using my fireplace a lot this year.
ReplyDeleteI love your fireplace and your home is lovely! And I like that painting with the Siamese cat.
Gosh, there's nothing better than a live fire. We are struggling about replacing ours - it's cracked so we can't use it. We'd have to replace it anyway. Most people go to gas
ReplyDeleteBut I truly love a wood fire....
Then there's the fire bans....
sigh....
I'm glad you have yours to enjoy! Enjoy it a bit for me?
Jo, I LOVE your fireplace and the rest of the living room. I really love the painting above your fireplace, a Siamese cat with a BLUE vase...I had a very beloved Siamese cat,
ReplyDeleteYour place looks like a cozy spot to read a book and enjoy a hot cup of something while it is cold and drizzily outside.
nothing beats a slow burning fire on a cold night. cold and rainy, cold and snowy, either way.
ReplyDeleteI've never had a white Christmas :(
ReplyDeleteNever played with snow :(
You see in glorious Devonshire there is the Gulf Stream, and this thing melts our snow. Instead it rains coldly...lots...
This is why I came 'up-north' for university (well, among other things) but it is yet to properly snow here too. Perhaps, as some Scots keep telling me, because I'm not really in the north at all...
By the way, was just having a read of your post on freedom of speech and it reminded me of a course I'm doing at the moment on ethnic minorities here in the UK. We do a lot of 'talking' about race and racism, but really it's just the asian and black students who do all the talking because we sad-ass white kids are basically too worried about sounding like nazis every time we counter one of their points. All the course seems to have taught me is that it's okay for my asian friend to exaggerate and be proud of her asian-ness, but I have to feel intensely guilty for being born with white skin.
meh. I guess that's multiculturalism for you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to join the BNP...
What a lovely room! I miss the fireplaces we had in my old childhood homestead. Now I have a little one room cottage and no fireplace so I can't reciprocate with a picture but oh, what great memories I have of the home hearth!
ReplyDeleteWillow, what a great idea. I should put a picture of mine on my sidebar too. It looks very inviting!
ReplyDeleteLeslie, you will have to come over for dinner one night, and I will put on the fireplace.
AdventureGirl, oh, gosh, a cottage in the country! It will have a big stone fireplace, won't it??
Firefly, "On the other hand we are going into summer and just spent the whole weekend by the pool." Omigosh!!!! What I wouldn't give to spend a weekend by the pool!
Mark, we get only three feet of rain a year? Sometimes it feels as if we are living underneath the ocean. Literally!
Leon, thank you. And welcome! Yes, it is a very cozy place.
Charles, just buy a firelog from the hardware store. You just light the paper wrapping, and you have a lovely fire! No muss, no fuss.
Carla, I used to have a Siamese cat just like that one, and I love that painting too.
Claudia, oh, yes, there is nothing like a wood burning fireplace. I actually know people who have converted back from gas to wood. Wood is wonderful!
Kathy, I have a blue ginger jar exactly like the one in the painting, and my Siamese cat used to sit next to it, just like in the painting. Identical!
Benji, Hi! Welcome back! And yes, a fireplace just makes everything right, doesn't it?
Fathorse, "All the course seems to have taught me is that it's okay for my asian friend to exaggerate and be proud of her asian-ness, but I have to feel intensely guilty for being born with white skin." Isn't it true that things have turned that way? We have been made to feel ashamed for being 'white'. How did that happen?
Pauline, I have wonderful, fond memories of fireplaces when I was a child too. My dad used to pop popcorn over the firelace in a wire basket. It was wonderful.
That looks so warm and cozy.. and I love those little ducks in front of the fire. :)
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