The lure of Victorian architecture

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For as long as I remember I have had a fascination with Victorian houses. Porches, turrets, mansard roofs, nooks and crannies, hidden passageways behind the stairs, secret corridors leading you to a hidden room in the attic or cellar. Oh the treasures a Victorian house can hold. I love it all. That said… I only love the architectural features both inside and out. Most certainly NOT the interiors.

I love all the styles but my heart especially goes out to the:

Queen Anne style – for the angles, the turrets and the porches
This fine example is in Yonkers, NY and still standing beautiful to this day!Image

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Gothic Revivals – for the elaborate millwork and the overall storybook styleImage

Second Empire style - they are just so very Addams Family, don’t you think?Image

 My passion for these lovely Victorian homes goes hand in hand with my other passion: Halloween. Whenever I see a “normal” Victorian house I immediately add a fallen shutter or two, broken windows, cobwebs, lack of paint, lurking eyes, a shadowy figure, some ghosts and if the garden is wild enough some tombstones.

I also like to search for the history of the houses I find and get as many pictures per house as possible. For some houses I also have details of who lived there, what they added to the house or maybe had removed. Or maybe the house was burned down or demolished or even still standing today. Some houses changed hands many a times with as many name changes. Some houses have stayed within the same family to this day (amazing when you think of it).

I love to draw and paint them too. Here is a Lazy Susan I did.Image

If these houses could talk, oh the stories they’d tell.

Foodie confessions

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“Hi, my name is Renée and I am a foodie”

“Hello Renée” ( in unison the whole imaginary food addict support group greets me)

All kidding aside, I love food. I love to eat. Problem is the food I love to eat makes me fat. You won’t see me salivating over a bell pepper salad. Nope. The foods you have to eat in serious moderation, those I can eat 3 times a day plus snacks and even then you can wake me in the middle of the night for more. Pasta with a generous helping of pesto sauce. Golden chunky fries with spicy saté sauce. Grilled cheese sandwiches with lots of honey mustard. A large wholeweat sandwich spread with a large dollop of yoghurt-mayonaise, soft brie, gerkins, tomatoes and topped with potato chips. I could go on and on.

And I have.

So much so that now I am an unhealthy size 50 (Eu) / 22 (UK) / 20 (US). In weight that translates to 105 kilo / 16.5 stone / 231 pounds.

Exercise? Ha, don’t make me laugh. I cycle to and from work each day. That’s 20 minutes on a bike twice a day. That’s it. Oh, and I have to go up 2 flights of stairs to reach my apartment. My job is a 70% sitting down situation. Pretty sad huh?

But no more. That’s it. NO MORE ! Yes, I said that out loud.

I’m going grocery shopping for healthy items. Next week menu for the first 3 days will contain a healthy Greek feta salad and garlic bread, pasta with a homemade veggie tomato sauce, green beans with herbal soy bits and a little light version of satey sauce. Snacks will be frozen grapes, frozen pineapple and fresh made smoothies from soy milk with fresh or frozen fruit.

As for the exercise, I will walk (not run) in a sturdy pace around my island. That should be around 40 minutes. I’ll try and do that 3 times a week starting tomorrow. The other 4 days I shall try my hand at doing sit ups and push ups. Oh my word, what am I saying!

My goal is to drop 5 sizes and go to size 40 (Eu) / 12 (UK) / 10 (US) by summer 2014! Why summer 2014? I am saving up to go to San Francisco for 2 weeks in September or October. To celebrate my big Five O.  A milestone birthday. I would hate it if a stewardess would tell me I could not fly because of my weight. 15 months to go and counting down. Wish me luck?