October 17, 2009

My Favourite Spot.

My favorite spot in my house, throughout fall and winter is on my favorite chair in front of the fireplace. I can sit there for hours reading, or just leaning back, drinking something warm, looking into the flames, with Batcat sleeping on the warm sheep skin at my feet.

Immediately to my right are my large windows facing west. They offer some sunshine in the early hours of the afternoon, at least until the late fall. Right now, I can gaze at the open space beyond, which is bursting with warm colours against the blue sky.

We have had one of the most beautiful fall weeks on record. Sunny, cool days and clear, very cold nights, bringing the first frost of the season. Of course this is an ideal weather to light the fire in the afternoons and evenings.
My biggest problem is at all times to have enough firewood. I really do not have a large terrace, therefore I can only store limited amount of wood outside. Thus the only way to get firewood is to purchase it in home improvement stores, where it is sold in sacks. It is somewhat pricey, but the wood is of superb quality, pre-cut and already dried and ready to be used. I often wait until the stores offer it on sale and then I buy as much as my little Toyota will carry. I store it in my basement and every time I bring fresh wood home, I take much pleasure in stacking it. There is something infinitely calming, at least to me, in arranging the firewood. Furthermore, it spreads wonderful scent throughout the house. Batcat of course loves to assist me at all times, hiding in the piles and hunting the discarded plastic sacks.

I love when the basement is full of wood. It gives me a certain comfort to know that no matter the weather, I can always keep warm.

31 comments:

Cat in the road said...

Your house looks so comfortable, especially in front of the fireplace. I’ve noticed that you take many pics at that location. A warm cracking fire has a mesmerizing effect. Your photos are magazine quality. They tell a story of their own. My girlfriend just got a new apt in Manhattan that has a fireplace. The weather here got unseasonably cold so we christened it with its first fire last weekend. While watching it all your troubles seem to melt away.

Unknown said...

looks like a very comfy cozy spot to be. love the way you describe your house, the basement, wood and the sites you see out the window. makes me feel as though I am there. have a wonderful weekend!!

Brian Miller said...

what a beautiful special place...two of my favorite things...fireplace and large open windows...i could probably sit there all day. i once lived in a house that the only heat was from the fireplace, if the fire went out over night you definitely knew it in the morning.

Nessa said...

I can see why that is a favorite spot. Beautiful and cozy.

Come Visit Silly Saturday

Betsy Brock said...

That is the perfect spot to sip a cup of tea! And those large windows give all that wonderful light..perfect!

MsTypo said...

A mug of hot chocolate, a comfy chair, and a roaring fire - now there's the recipe for the perfect evening. :) I love that you have a real fireplace. So many people are turning to gas fireplaces now adays and its just not the same.

Elizabeth said...

That is a beautiful place to spend some hours. Wish we could have a fireplace, maybe in the distant future.

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy your fireplace for the both of us.

Reasons said...

I have just been sitting with a cup of hot tea gazing at the fire with the dog at my feet - I agree with you , it's great. A very cosy post Zuzana!

steviewren said...

I'd love to be sitting beside that cozy little fire right now. Chilly winter weather has finally swept through Alabama...it's 50 today. I know, not really that cold, but I'm freezing nevertheless. I've got to pull out the winter clothes

Reading Tea Leaves said...

Such a lovely place to spend some cosy hours with Batcat, reading and enjoying the view from your windows. I love the neat piles of logs and it's nice to be able to store them away in your basement and bring them up when needed. It's turned cold here tonight and a log fire is gently burning in the hearth - Jess is fascinated by it!

Jeanne x

Gal Friday said...

You have created such a beautiful retreat for yourself.
And I had no idea that you had those huge windows(and what a view, too!).

Thank you for sharing this today (I am ever so nosy and LOVE having a peek into other people's homes...)
We will have some seasoned wood delivered tomorrow afternoon for our woodstove(which from an aesthetic point, is not nearly as nice as your fireplace though--I love the simple angualr way it seems built into the wall--perfect example of supreme Skandivavian style)and usually it is my husband who has to stack it all(outside).

Anonymous said...

Opps ...

Seeing the pictures you posted here (Love them!), I would have end up winning if you had said "yes" to the interchange of houses (me and my great dane being in Denmark and you and your batcat and Irishman in Spain) :-))

(I´m translating from Spanish sometimes, hope is well!!!).

Shelly's Style Shop said...

It looks very cozy! All the pictures are great. I wish we had a wood burning fireplace. Ours is gas. We didn't use it much last fall/winter, but we plan to use it more this time. ;-)

xoxo, Shelly

Julie Hibbard said...

I'm gonna light my fireplace tonight too...LOVE the feeling of being cozy in front of the firelight...
Your home is beautiful and the scenery is amazing! Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

sprinkles said...

My parents have a woodstove. I hated it when I lived with them because they stored the wood outside and I was expected to help stack it and then bring some in to help heat the house.

When I was looking for a house, I made sure not to buy one with a fireplace because I hated stacking wood and bringing it in from outside so much. Sometimes I really miss having a woodstove though.

Your home is beautiful, as is your blog. I love coming by here for a visit. :)

Anonymous said...

wonderful house! x

Holly said...

Ah,...it will soon be time to use that fireplace again. Considering how cold it gets there I am glad that you have a favorite spot on a favorite chair right in front of your fireplace. It sounds very relaxing to sit there and sip hot chocolate, and window shop in catalogs. (oops,...am I making this all about me?:):))

I enjoyed your 'Flashback Friday', and your wierd facts post was actually incredibly amusing!

I hope that you have been enjoying a wonderful weekend!

Loli Martinez said...

Cold heat¡¡, your thoughts are great.Nice blog.
A greeting from Spain.

Sumandebray said...

A cozy place without a question. A place which could easily inspire a poet .. a writer ... a author
Wish you a great winter .. a warm and creative one!

A Woman Of No Importance said...

There is such beauty in your home and in your life, Z - Thank you for always sharing it so generously with us... Now, if I can just have that corner of the sheepskin for my toes - Thank you, ah lovely... xox

Zuzana said...

=Scribe816,
as always, your poetic comments are one of a kind and appreciated at all times. Congratulations to your girlfriend on her new home; that is one of the important events in life. To start a fire together while perhaps sharing a glass sounds very romantic. Hope you had a great weekend and as always, thank you for your visit.;)

=Doreen,
thank you for your kind words. I think you have the same quality to your posts.;) Always happy to have you stop by, hope your weekend was lovely too.;) xo

=Brian,
thank you for the great comment.;) I so wonder how it is to have the wood burning stove or fireplace as the only heat source. My neighbour told me that when he was young, they had a metal stove that kept the house warm; he told me though it was one of the most comfortable places he has ever lived.;) Hope you had a great weekend.;)

=Nessa,
thank you, you always say the kindest things. hope you had a wonderful Sunday.;) xo

=Betsy,
yes, so right you are on all accounts.;) Hope you and your five men had a wonderful weekend.;) xo

=cairo,
ah yes, my sentiments exactly. I agree on the live fire versus the gas. Gas creates water and humidity, which ruins the air in the house. In Denmark everyone talks about how environment friendly the wood burning stoves and fireplaces are.:) Hope you had a wonderful weekend.;) xo

=Elizabeth,
thank you for stopping by and for your kind words; I am to hoping that you will have a fireplace one day. Or "brændeoven", as they are gaining in popularity again.;) xoxo

=Joanne,
it is so lovely to think that you enjoyed the same magical moments as me, perhaps simultaneously.;) Hope your weekend was great as well.;) xo

=stevie,
I guess that is what happens, fall arrives suddenly.;) I hope that you had a nice weekend and could keep warm nevertheless.;)xo

=Jeanne,
ah, yes, cats love the fire. Batcat just waits for me to settle down on Saturday, after all the house work is done, as I make coffee, bake bread and light the fire. That signals the best time of the weekend for both of us.;) Hope yours was lovely.;) Always very happy to see you stopping by.;) xoxo

Zuzana said...

=Tina,
you are always so very kind and lively in your comments, I love them. I am so glad that you enjoyed a peak into my home.;)
And I am so glad to hear you too have a fire burning stove; even if you think it is not the same, the crackling and the scent of the burning wood is there.;) And yes, it is so nice with a man around the house to help stacking the wood. Soon my man is coming to help me stack mine.;)
Hope you had a lovely weekend.;) xo

=Love,
your English is splendid, no problem. Thank you for your kind comment full of compliments, glad you like my house.;) Hope you had a lovely weekend and thank you for stopping by.;)

=Shelly,
ah, so glad to see you again. Yes, I hope you will have a chance to use your fireplace, even gas can be cosy.;) Hope you had a wonderful weekend.;) xo

=Julie,
I share your sentiment about being cosy in front of the fire.;) Nothing better than that on a winter evening.;) Hope you had a lovely and cosy Sunday.;) Your visits always make me smile.;)xoxo

=sprinkles,
ah, I think every time we are forced to do something we end up disliking it. Perhaps if you had your own fireplace, it would be different. Besides, in the US you can buy those nifty ready to go logs, they require no wood stacking at all.;) Always so happy when you stop by.;) xoxo

=Mel,
thank you sweetie, hope you had a lovely weekend.;) xo

=Holly,
again a wonderful comment from you! It was not about you, as you summed up very well what I love to do. I wish you lived closer, and we could sit in front of the fire, window shopping in catalogs together.;) I hope likewise your weekend was lovely.;) xo

=Loli,
welcome and thank you so much for your kind words.;) Please come and visit again.;)

=Sumandebray,
so right you are! It is very inspiring to gaze into the crackling flames.;) And cosy too.;) Thank you so much for the visit, I always appreciate it.;)

=Fhina,
hello dear friend, long time no see.;) Ah, you can get the whole chair, I'd love to have you visit.;) I hope your weekend was cosy as well.;)xoxo

Rosezilla (Tracie Walker) said...

Ah, I love a fire! It is so comforting and such a good place to drowse and think and dream. Almost makes the cold weather worth it, eh? We are enjoying what for us is an unusually cool day - but it still is only 70s or even low 80s. Feels good to me!

Hilary said...

I'd love to have a fireplace in my little house but at least I can enjoy Frank's from time to time. And yours when you post about it. Love that woodsy mosaic. :)

Hilary said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Zuzana said...

=Rosezilla,
so right you are, I guess the cosy days inside next to a fire make some of the winter bearable.;) Your "cool" weather sounds like our perfect summer.;) Hope you had a wonderful weekend.;)xo

=Hilary,
thank you for your kind words my dear friend; glad you get to share a cosy moment with Frank, next to a crackling fire.;) xoxo

United Studies said...

I agree with everyone else....your home looks so comfy and cozy. That would be my favorite spot, too, with a cup of warm tea and a good book or magazine.

Jill from Killeny Glen said...

Wonderful!! There is nothing as cozy as a warm fire, blanket and hot drink in chilly weather!

Claus said...

Being a tropical country, cold days are very few. Nevertheless, it would be a real pleasure to have a fireplace for the few weeks of windy, grey and cold days, like the one we are experiencing today. I'm sure, it's nothing compared to yours up north, but it is pretty cold for us here in the valley.
It's a lovely cozy corner Zuzana! I'm sure it must be wonderful to spend time there, simply relaxing.

Maria said...

What beautiful posts you write - there's a word for your blog - exquisite!

Zuzana said...

=Jacki,
ah, thank you, that was very kind of you to say. Glad you find my favorite spot enjoyable.;) xo

=Jill,
agree with you completely!;) xoxo

=Claudia,
thank you - I am so happy you too like my favorite spot.;) It is too bad that fireplaces are not common in Guatemala. Even here in the south people still have fireplaces to heat up the house on those few cold day as you describe.;) Always so happy when you stop by.,) xo

=gaelikaa,
thank you for that wonderful compliment, your kind comments warm my heart.;) xoxo