Journal Entry No. 01
Fresh green snowdrops breaking through the dimness of winter in my garden
Veriditas. A new word to me but one that I have felt my whole life.
veriditas - combining the Latin for ‘green’ and ‘truth’ - used by 12th century abbess St. Hildegard von Bingen in her philosophy of the connection between the human spirit and the growth force of the earth. The origin of goodness and health.
from the book The Well-Gardened Mind by Sue Stewart Smith
Like many of us, I have been grappling with the news from Europe, where there’s a battle of convictions as well as souls unfolding. The unflappable goodness of one nation - one man - pitted against the atrocious single-mindedness of a another man, and I hope - for goodness sake - that veriditas is the victor.
My intention in composing these pages from My Journal is to write directly, personally, to you who are reading them. These are my thoughts. I will alternate between project updates, what has caught my eye in the world of design, travels and inspiration as well as the people that support my creativity and make these projects that I am so privileged to be a part of happen.
Update - Style at Home article on my garden
The singular Janis Nicolay captured my garden at dawn on one summer’s day last year (there are very few reasons for me to wake up at 5am, Janis is one of them) and Style at Home will be running a feature in their April issue. I’m thrilled with the piece as it captures the spirit we have for our garden, starting with my mother’s passion for roses and evolving to our collective love of romance and my husband’s capacity to build anything I ask him for.
I find there are similarities between interior design and garden design - gardens are but rooms without ceilings - and I am happy to begin branching out in the design of spaces beyond the walls of a home.
For more lovely greenness, treat yourself to the House & Garden article entitled ‘A Brief History of Daffodils’ - a tease to Helen O'Neill’s book Daffodil: Biography of a Flower (on my list to read). A pleasant introduction to this happy flower, the accompanying imagery is gorgeous such as artist’s Dan Gerhartz’s young lady bedecked in the darling blooms.
Daffodils from my garden - all sorts make for a joyful display.
If the coming of spring has inspired you to take on a renovation, send me a note as I would be delighted to discuss how to bring greenness and goodness into your life.
Contact me here
Have a wonderful day,
Francesca
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