Nadezda's Garden and Home : July 2016

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Monday, July 18, 2016

I am late for the Garden Blog Bloom Day this month, therefore I have made pictures of the flowers blooming now in my garden. Despite of the terribly rainy and windy last week the plants are healthy and keep growing and flowering.

Last week when I came into the garden I had picked up all fallen petals and leaves and even some branches and had put new hard sticks to flowers and veggies. Fortunately my veggies are growing well and the same are black currant, strawberry, gooseberry and red currant. I think I'll make jam and then freeze the rest of berries.
Elaeagnus argentea has fruit now - these silver berries usually stay on its branches and it's funny to see them on bare branches in winter, look like Christmas decorations.
The pond lives its own life, there are many insects as water beetles, dragonflies, pond skaters, newts and frogs. Nymphaeas open their red, white and yellow buds every day and one froggy loves watching them sitting on a leaf.

Here they are:

first crop of strawberry and Elaeagnus argentea

Rose 'Golden showers' and black currant berry

Dianthus and red currant berry

rose 'Fairy' and gladiolus

Delphinium and dahlia 'Blue BaYou'

tomato 'St. Piere' and green pea
Nemphaea and little frog on water lily leaf

Happy GBBD! I wish you sunny and warm days, healthy plants and good crop

Monday, July 11, 2016

Stained Glass

I love watching stained glass windows at least in the churches and official buildings. Therefore when I learned about 'House of the Owls' near Rome I was wanting to see this famous house with beautiful stained glass collection.

It's situated in Villa Torlonia, to the north-east of Rome center. The villa formerly belonging to the Torlonia family was the residence of Prince Giovanni Torlonia until his death in 1938.

Later the outside of the house was faced with blocks of tuft, while the inside began to convert into a residence with huge windows, loggias, porticos, turrets, decorated with stained glass and majolica. When I was looking at the house inside I was surprised by large stained glass windows on every floor with no two alike.

These were stained glasses of flowers, waterlilies, roses, irises, butterflies, swans, swallows, peacocks, flying autumn leaves, vernal buds, vines, etc.

The guide book said that twenty rooms include 54 pieces of stained glass in their original positions, 18 pieces of stained glass acquired and displayed on separate frames.

Among many decorative elements on two levels that were particularly highly decorated stucco work, mosaics, poly-chrome majolica, inlaid wood, wrought iron, the stained glass was the distinctive feature of the house. It was produced in the workshops of Cesare Picchiarini and installed between 1908 and 1930. This one of the black swans and autumn red leaves I liked very much.

'House of the Owls' originally built in 1840 was designed as a Swiss holiday home on the opposite side of the park where the members of the resident Torlonia family could hide away and relax over the course of an evening with friends. The building began to be known as the 'House of the Owls' probably because the motif of the owl is used widely in the decorations, furnishings and above the entrance.

The Villa was bought by the Municipality of Rome in 1977 and a year later it was opened to the public, but with many of the buildings in a run-down state. Restoration was initiated in the 1990s. The current appearance of the 'House of the Owls' is the result of long, patient and meticulous restoration work for one of the most unusual and interesting buildings of the early years of the last century.

What do you think: can stained glass be utilized at home or only in official buildings? In what rooms can be set stained glass windows - in the bedroom, in the living room or on the terrace?

Here is my video about Villa Torlonia: