On A Midsummer's Night....

 Whereof Do You Dream....?

It is that Magical Night, Dear Readers, the Longest day is slowly fading and a Full Moon is rising to cast it's silvery beams over all below. Fireflies are winking in the hedges and and birds are chirping their evensong as the breezes rustle in the trees. Is there time for sleep at all? Or do you find yourself gazing out the windows and Dreaming of all things Magical? Have the Fairies whispered in your ears or rubbed potions on your eyelids? Are you led down the paths of the Forest Mysterious by the calls of your Lover? Have you set out for the Midsummer's Eve Ball, prepared for an evening of Enchantment? Do you wish to Dance until dawn in the Gardens under a bower of Roses? Whereof do You Dream Dear Readers?

Yes, Magic is in the air and even the Tiny Lady Evelyn

 was not quite prepared to find herself and her Sisters 

wandering in a Strange Enchanted land!

Alas, Dear Readers, I cannot tell you

 whether they are on their way to the Midsummer's Ball.... 

Or whether they have strayed into another Enchanted World.....

the Night is still young.....!

 

But I can show you where My Dreams led me the other night....

It was probably because I had mentioned making all those bricks 

for the Foundation of Hardwick Hall 

along with mentioning that I was going to finish

 the Trims on the Porch Foundation.... 

that I Dreamed of that Porch. 

And  when I awoke I realized 

that there would have to be some serious changes.

The porch foundation was all wrong! 

In this part of the world where houses are made of wood 

and sit on a brick foundation, 

the porch is always built with wood not brick. 

And wooden foundations need "ventilation" 

to prevent them from rotting right away. 

And that is usually provided with inset panels 

of latticework between the supporting posts.

I was going to have to revise the porch structure!

I had intended to start making those egg carton bricks 

for the house foundation.... but the porch came first.

Here you can see I have cut away on both sides.

And then I painted the interior wall of the house foundation 

to look like brickwork 

(rather than make the egg carton bricks 

where they would not be visible...)

I also added back in a central "post"  

so that there would be two lattice panels 

on the front side and one on each end.

I made the lattice panels from small coffee stirrers...

Here you can see I am testing the fit of the first panel.... 

and you can see I have also finished painting the trim for the porch posts!

And while I was painting all that lattice work and waiting for it to dry,

 I also finished painting the bricks on the kitchen fireplace!

A Task which I should have done ages ago!

Here you can sort of see it in place... 

the hearth still needs painting.....

Here you can see the lattice on one end....

There will need to be trim added to cover the porch corners.

Both the front panels being tested for fit....

And the close-up view....!

Here is the other end of the porch.

I carefully carved away at the bottom trim board 

where it would be likely to rot a little...!

And I painted a hearth for the kitchen fireplace!

The kitchen side wall.... the porch just looks so much better now!

And who knows.....Something might even live under there!

As for Lady Evelyn and her Sisters, Dear Readers,

Their Stories are as yet untold!

Because Who knows What Adventures they encounter 

while we Mortals are sleeping... 

Straying down Strange Paths...

Dreaming of Tiny worlds.... ?

And in the Morning Light....

Who could say whether they had been anywhere at all?

Certainly This fellow would never tell...!

On A Midsummer's Night, Dear Readers,

Wherof do You Dream?