You're Invited...

It is midsummer, and while I do love my semi-urban apartment, at times my daydreams take me to the countryside. In our area, many go to "the cabin" on weekends, but my idyllic getaway is a bit less rustic, and a tad more romantic. Where I come from, this little house in the country is called a "dacha". These weekend homes range from tiny to grandiose, but most will have a little cutting garden, a potager, and a cool lake or river nearby for a midday refreshment. Some families stay at the family dacha all summer long, but for most it is a quiet retreat for restoration of mind and body after a stressful week at work. As a child, I remember the beauty of these little homes when we visited friends and relatives. Alas, our family did not own a dacha, so I have decided to invite you on a lovely virtual visit to the dacha of my reveries......enjoy!

                                          

     welcome to my little dream in the country....

it might look like this

                                                                              

                                                                        or perhaps green....  

                                                                            

                                                          maybe these little beauties in aqua...

                                                                                  

                                                                               

                                   a gentle breeze and fresh flowers greet you in your bedroom

                                                                                        
                                                                                      

                                               now that you're settled in, let's have some tea

                                                                                  
                                   no Russian home is complete without a bit of Imperial porcelain

                                                                              

                                                                                           

                                                                                                  
                                                      
                                                       after tea, we stroll through my little garden

                                                                                      

                                                                                  

                                                                                   

                                                                                       


                               it's getting rather warm, so we make our way to the lovely lake nearby

                                                                                  


                                          we've worked up quite an appetite splashing in the lake...
                                                 let's go home to a scrumptious Russian lunch

                                                                                       
                               we'll begin with some berries, salads and vegetables from the garden

                                                                                    

                                                                              
                                                   for the next course, a bit of fresh borscht

                                          or something we call green borscht, no beets in this one...
                                                              it's so delicious and refreshing!

                                                                                    
                                                  
                                  we then move on to the pelmeni, dumplings with all sorts of fillings

                                                                             
                                    
                                                        and how about blini with caviar?

                                                                              

                                         what a feast, yet we must finish the meal with a spot of tea...

                                                                          


                                  and now, for a quiet nook where you can read a little, then take a nap

                                                                               

                                                           now what's this? a gypsy wagon?

                                                                                             

                                            welcome, friends! we dance and sing until sundown!

                                                                                    


                                       what a glorious day this has been... the sun is now setting

                                                                                    


                        before that sweet time of slumber, we sit around the tea table reminiscing...
                                                                            and laughing...
                                                and basking in the sweetness and joy of our friendship...

                                                                                       

                                                                              



                                                   au revoir mes amies, until we meet again!

                                                                                  


                                     images: tumblr,pinterest, russiandogs.net, weheartit, ukranianfood