{Our Interlock Aluminum Slate Roofing Being Installed}

As promised on July 10, here is the follow up story for our Interlock® Aluminum Slate Roofing in Aged Copper, being installed. Yes, our Energy Efficient GREEN Roofing is finally being put on. In my previous post you also can read more about how to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint, now and for a lifetime. So that's what we did when having this Energy Efficient GREEN Roofing put on. Interlock® Slate Roofing is also an Energy Star® Partner. 

This is in French: Interlock Systèm de Toiture à Vie...

Interlock Roofing Lifetime Roofing Systems

First they went ahead and placed this RoofTopGuard, a High Performance Roofing Underlayment on our roof. 

This breathable product is made in Finland

This Roofing Underlayment went all the way on top of our old Asphalt Shingles so there was no waste and it will add even more to the insulation of our home.

These photos I've taken with my iPhone on May 6, at 8:22 PM in the evening after the hard working crew of three, finished for the day. 

One of our felines is checking underneath the ladder... This might be our Sacha-girl, the one that got killed by a car on June 17...

Already part of the new Interlock Aluminum Slate Roofing in Aged Copper being installed here. 

Do you know anyone who has used this product on their roof?

The light in the front porch already had come on...

We were so lucky for having had no rain for the time they worked! It got postponed due to bad weather earlier.

The crew from Interlock Metal Roofing were so courteous. Never noisy, never hollering or loud mouthed as we often could hear when in our neighborhood they had roofers working on a home. Each evening they would gather all the trash from the empty boxes and clean up very neatly.

Even our felines were impressed by the courtesy of our roofers!

To the left you can see our Sacha-girl... and to the right is her adopted younger sister Spicy.

See how dirty the home still looks here... Pressure wash came after the roof got installed.

This is next day, late afternoon when they were working on the side of our home. See how they make those loops in that rope for climbing and holding on to? A box with Aluminum Slates on the roof top for working with. It is a physical job for carrying these materials all up the ladder.

Heavy over cast but that was good for those workers!

Strange sight for having this High Performance Roofing Underlayment from Finland on our roof...

This is the bay window area of our kitchen.

The material sure is slinking hard on those pallets that we received as a big freight just before we left for Curaçao...

Here you can still see the wooden balusters on the balcony...

The left part of the roof is being done already, to the right you see the bare Roofing Underlayment still waiting for receiving its Aluminum Slates.

To be continued...

Related links:
Never Re-Roof Again | link with full info, scroll down for reading more
Interlock Roofing | Manufacturer of Lifetime Roofing Systems. Never re-roof again
{Energy Efficient GREEN Roofing Arrived} | previous post by me
{Our Home on March 24 of 2013} | previous post by me showing the BEFORE
{Fighting the Water + Scanning Slides} | previous post by me showing the results of gutters running over...

{Crocosmia}

On July 10, we could rescue some beautiful Crocosmia flowers from the rain. They were almost flat on the ground... but still pretty enough for filling a vase. Let me show them to you.

Here they are on the new Durango Ambra, Cerdomus GREEN Tiles from Italy, on top of our balcony.

The weather is rather dark  with all our rain for the last weeks on end.

Our grass has never looked that green.

Behind our pond you cannot even walk, so soggy and also near the creek...

Ah, a bit of sunshine, it looks brighter now!

The name Crocosmia comes from the Greek words for saffron (krokos) and smell (osme).

They are from the Iris family, native to the Cape area in South Africa.

Looking lovely in this plain Baccarat crystal vase.

There are so many varieties of Crocosmia that it is very hard to tell what exactly these are.

This is a closeup that I took on my desk in the office... 

Don't you love this beauty?

This one is taken on the window sill of our office where there was more light.

They look beautiful with so much detail...

Again, shown inside the vase on my desk.

Surprise! One looked quite different...

Do you have any Crocosmia flowers?

Related links:

{Our Cerdomus Italian GREEN Tiles} | previous post by me about our new tiles on balcony
Crocosmia | Info

{Clerodendrum Philippinun - Cashmere Bouquet}

One more exotic and highly fragrant beauty I would like to introduce to you. Clerodendrum Philippinum or Cashmere Bouquet. They look like tiny rosebuds and are white with a pinkish blush. Logee's in Connecticut does sell  this variety, see link below post.

Complete with ant, as they sure love the sweet fragrance too!

Even its leaves are beautiful...

Perfect for a small vase; this is ONE stem...

Don't you love this Cashmere Bouquet as they are called?

By the way, yesterday I did forget to add the most beautiful photo we had from our Blue Butterfly Bush. You can view it here: 2004 photo from our exotic Clerondendrum Ugandense - Blue Butterfly Bush

Related link:

Clerodendrum Philippinum Cashmere Bouquet | Logee's link for buying this when you click below picture

{Clerodendrum Ugandense - Blue Butterfly Bush, Blue Glorybower}

Last year our young Clerodendrum Ugandense or Blue Butterfly Bush, Blue Glorybower, almost succumbed to the summer heat. Great was our joy when on May 28, husband Pieter could make two photos from its first blooms. Up till than we kept it inside the greenhouse for protecting its still frail growth. Let me show you first a closeup of this exotic, from an earlier shrub we had in 2004.

Clerodendrum Ugandese or Blue Butterfly Bush and also called Blue Glorybower.

You certainly understand that we wanted to replace this beauty!

This photo shows its beautiful first flowers when the pot got just taken out of the greenhouse.

It is an East African evergreen shrub from Kenya and Uganda, you can find more info below this post.

We found ours in the spring of last year, at Logee's.

Here it is still inside the greenhouse... 

Do you see the almost dead stems to the left and center, from which these new green leaves did branch out? 

Looks like quite a miracle!

It also shows that we should not throw out any plant too soon.

They might come back to life in a surprising way.

Due to the heavy rain and rather dark weather, no more flowers have formed outside but instead it has huge foliage. Looking strong and happy.

Did you know this shrub? 

Related link:
Clerodendrum ugandense | For more info
Logee's | Where we obtained ours

{Dinner for Friends using Nito Place Mats}

On Saturday, June 29, I did not like to use a linen table cloth or place mats for dinner with friends. After just having ironed lots of linens, I opted for the use of our woven Philippine Nito place mats instead. A gift from a dear friend who is like a sister to me. They are really elegant looking and also very easy to wipe clean, if needed. 

Hydrangeas in the Wedgwood vase are in a very special color and were given to us by one of the dinner guests.

Not as a cut flower but years ago as a starter to grow into a bush!

As a starter, we had mussels from Costco, served as amuse bouche, in little porcelain mini sauce pans and spoons.

To the left are two courser rattan place mats, same size.

My china is from the 70s my Seltmann Weiden Mirabell in white.

Crystal is Baccarat, Piccadilly.

Flatware is my Gero Zilmeta 528 Menuet and silver Alvin Bridal Rose gumbo soup and dessert spoons. Silber-und-Rosen-Shop; yes Johanna, you will LOVE this Rose silverware... Johanna is a dear friend from Germany who wrote a book about Silver Rose Flatware; 'Rosen-Bestecke' and also loves anything with roses, just like me!

A closeup of my octagonal china by Seltmann Weiden, Mirabell pattern in white and made in Germany.

The porcelain amuse bouche spoons we bought in Yogjakarta, Indonesia while working and living there.

The mini sauce pan amuse bouche servers I bought at a whole sale store in The Netherlands, with my best friend.

Silver napkin rings are custom made for us in Indonesia.

Napkins are from Horchow.

Overview of the table setting.

Yes, the month of June did yield some pretty Gardenias for gracing the dinner table.

Do you also opt for using place mats out of convenience?

The heat of summer is not that inviting for ironing table linens...

We are looking forward to coming Saturday when one of the dinner guests will be hosting at her place.

Always fun for not having to do all the work yourself! 

{TEA = Superb Fat Fighter}

Already in a previous post I did write about a USEFUL TEA REGIME FOR A SLIMMER YOU. See link below. It is a fact that TEA does have lots of ANTIOXIDANTS that are very beneficial for our health. Drinking tea may help prevent chronic illnesses according to a USA Today article. 13 Reasons Tea is Good for You is another great article. Number 1. is about the antioxidants in green tea with an ability to burn fat as fuel. 

This is Dutch Mango Tea from Douwe Egberts Pickwick. 

I used my Japanese Kyusu teapot, a gift from my 2007 trip to Japan as a chaperone with 6 teenagers.

The round wooden tray  was another gift from my host family.

The table runner is also from Japan.

The silver rose spoon is one of my favorites and it would be a great addition to Silber-und-Rosen-Shop or for the book: Rosen-Bestecke by this specialty shop's owner Johanna, as the author.

In the back you see the book Tea with a Twist by Lisa Boalt Richardson who is also from Georgia.

The teacup is Japanese, husband Pieter did bring it home from an antique shop in London.

Dear friend Celia from Celia M. High Heeled Life & Resilientista wrote some excellent posts about taking out time for an afternoon tea. Just check her Google+ page and scroll down to her delightful posts about it.

9 Reasons to Drink Green Tea Daily with number 1. stating it is a SUPERB FAT FIGHTER.

number 2. stating it TARGETS BELLY FAT!

10 Life-Sustaining Reasons to Drink Green Tea with slide number 4 showing that Green Tea helps to 

manage weight. 

Green Tea could be among the superfoods you want to include for our diet!

Slide number 6 shows that Green Tea Boosts Oral Health.

My dental hygienist noticed last week that my tartar build up was a lot less. 

That adds up to another bonus.

Do you have any experience with some of the above mentioned pluses of Tea and/or Green Tea?

Why Drink Tea Every Day Infographic

Related links:
{USEFUL TEA REGIME FOR A SLIMMER YOU} | previous post by me
{Our last Datura Angel's Trumpets and TEA with a Twist} | previous post by me
{Lisa Boalt Richardson another Georgia Tea Aficionado!} | previous post by me about my High Tea

{The Boston Tea Company}

When we went for 10 days on vacation to Curaçao in the Caribbean, we did take with us lots of healthy snacks to be eaten with some tea. Being with four adults, daughter Liz with husband Hans in the adjoining room and both of us, made it worthwhile for bringing some of our own tea. Hans very much loved the special Green Tea with Pomegranate we had and also the Black Tea with Pomegranate. Both from The Boston Tea Company...

We soon will have a special Care Package on its way to Rotterdam, The Netherlands, with also some of Hans' favorite Green Tea.

These photos I made on June 12, with our gorgeous fragrant Gardenias...

We found these Bentley's Tea tins at Tuesday Morning.

The Green Tea with Pomegranate has a surprising taste!

Using tea cups from my Royal Albert Gardenia china and the white wooden tea chest.

Drinking tea makes for a very special moment and it is so healthy.

Do you drink Green Tea like this?

Or Black Tea with Pomegranate...

A better view of the white wooden tea chest.

Bentley's with its royal crown...

Pomegranate Tea

{Our Victorian hybrid Pelargonium Rosebuds}

Regardless the heavy rain that we got from the beginning of June till now, we managed to have beautiful Victorian hybrid Pelargonium Rosebuds on June 7. Victorian hybrid features clusters of tiny double blossoms, like a mini bouquet of roses. In years past, the blooms were used for small corsages or to decorate a buttonhole. Have you ever seen them? 

Here you see in my silver Rose vase from left to right: the Geranium 'Pink Rosebud' (Pelargonium hybrid); 'Appleblossom Rosebud' and the 'Red Rosebud'. Below post you find link with address in Connecticut where we obtained also ours. There also is a link to a blogger in Norway with an even more extensive collection.

Not so easy to capture them during cloudy weather but this photo does show them clearly.

'Pink Rosebud' at the bottom; 'Appleblossum Rosebud' in the center and 'Red Rosebud' at the top.

Here is the 'Appleblossum Rosebud' Pelargonium budding inside our greenhouse...

'Pink Rosebud' Pelargonium budding inside our greenhouse.

This is a previous photo with the 'Red Rosebud' Pelargonium hybrid.

Yup, that's what my tiny silver vase is; from an antique silver handled walking stick...

Hope you enjoyed these mini rose bouquets!

Related links:

{Victorian hybrid Pelargonium 'Red Rosebud'} | previous post by me

Geranium 'Appleblossum Rosebud' (Pelargonium Hybrid) | information from Logee's Greenhouses for buying 

Wenche's Pelargoniumblog | in Norway extensive list of Rosebud Pelargoniums at Wenche's Pelargoniumblog.

{New Power Wiring to Our Gazebo}

Renovations in itself are often a handful but there are always surprises when you own a home. Already last year we had no power to the electric pump for watering the garden. And for the electric grill in our gazebo, neither light nor fan... There was obviously a problem but it was hard to locate. Last year when husband Pieter did write the book about his life, for daughter Liz, during the summer months, there was no need for watering the garden as it rained enough. But now we installed a new fan after the gazebo got painted and we could not even test it... The job had to be done and after searching for the culprit, under the gazebo, where our contractor in 1990 had made the connection, Pieter decided to just ignore it and run a complete new power wiring from the house out to the gazebo and to the back of the greenhouse and pump. 

The job got done!

Power wiring got dug in, alongside the walkway to the gazebo.

In front of the gazebo some rodents had dug burrows underneath those washed concrete tiles and  they sunk into a slanted position.

Almost done... Now filling up the burrows with concrete, in front of the gazebo where you see the left planter box tilting to the left.

By the way, the Interlock® Aluminum Slate Roof in Aged Copper is already on the gazebo here!

From Interlock Metal Roofing (click it)

Also the painting job is finished.

Now the new power line will make using the new fan and light + electric grill possible again.

The culprit for sure was that somewhere there was a weak connection or maybe they did fuse some wires inappropriately...

Yes, we now go back to November 1990 when the contractor finished our home.

We were at the time working and living in Indonesia.

We received a letter from our friends who kept an eye on the construction and they mentioned: 'The gazebo is up and roofed...' 

I recall reading that very sentence THREE times!

WHAT? A gazebo, we only had discussed that but we already had brochures from Pennsylvania for building our own wooden one after we finished work in Indonesia.

We were very anxiously coming home...

There it was; in the middle of the garden, in front of our pond!

Through our veranda window you see it.

That was the wrong spot! 

Pieter ordered to have it moved, adjacent to the house and in line with the veranda steps for a walkway from there towards the gazebo.

Walking such a long distance with a tray for coffee or tea or whatever on it, was not practical.

So they did move it with a huge crane and we split the bill...

That's my Dad on a stretcher taking his nap and me in a chair in November of 1990 when Dad helped us move in...

Don't you agree that this was an odd spot for our gazebo?

Even though we had not ordered this gazebo, we liked its construction and we used it for barbecues with friends and neighbors or for breakfast and lots of tea and coffee times with family and friends.

So that was the history of our gazebo and by moving this entire building they must have hit the wiring some how and making it a shaky connection at times. But we got new power wiring now with a constant working connection.