I guess this is a porch. I don't know what else to call it. It's always been an awkward space. When we bought the house, it was open to the outdoors, and for much of the year falling leaves blew in and it looked like a mess. We had the space closed in with sliding glass doors about a year after we came to live here. That was a big improvement.
Over the space of a couple of years, the porch became a place to keep potted plants, especially in winter. The space is not heated, but the temperature in there never gets down to freezing. Plants look tidier in there than piles of dead leaves did, but they require attention and maintenance.
And it's not just plants that end up in there. Souvenirs do too. In fact, a lot of my plants are souvenirs. They were given to me over the years by friends and relatives. A lot of the people who gave me the plants have now passed away. My mother, our neighbor Gisèle, our friend Charles-Henry.
The jar on the right above is an example. It's filled with seashells that I brought back to France from the beaches of North Carolina, where I grew up. The cluster of oyster shells is an
objet d'art created by a friend of my sister's and mine. She lives in N.C. and gave me the
objet when I said I liked it.
Over the space of a couple of years, the porch became a place to keep potted plants, especially in winter. The space is not heated, but the temperature in there never gets down to freezing. Plants look tidier in there than piles of dead leaves did, but they require attention and maintenance.
And it's not just plants that end up in there. Souvenirs do too. In fact, a lot of my plants are souvenirs. They were given to me over the years by friends and relatives. A lot of the people who gave me the plants have now passed away. My mother, our neighbor Gisèle, our friend Charles-Henry.
The jar on the right above is an example. It's filled with seashells that I brought back to France from the beaches of North Carolina, where I grew up. The cluster of oyster shells is an objet d'art created by a friend of my sister's and mine. She lives in N.C. and gave me the objet when I said I liked it.
Enclosing that area was a great idea!
ReplyDeleteMuch more practical after you enclosed it.
ReplyDeleteBettyAnn
I always like sentimental objects that remind me of that person, like your oyster shells.
ReplyDeleteWhen new people arrive, those interesting objects are good conversation starters...and for me, an opportunity to learn something more about the person/people I am visiting. The closed in entrance must help keep the cold out, too?
ReplyDeleteThe porch or veranda with double-glazed sliding doors does help keep the cold out. We have the same arrangement on the back door of the house. Instead of having a new door put on to the tune of a thousand euros because the existing door one let in so much cold air, we decided to spent two thousand dollars on a lean-to greenhouse that would insulate the doorway and give us space to keep plants or to sprout them in the springtime.
DeleteI didn't remember that reasoning for the greenhouse! Terrific solution!
ReplyDelete