George's pet pig breaks through the fence into the garden next door - introducing him to his new neighbours: the scientist, Eric, his daughter, Annie, and a super-intelligent computer called Cosmos. And from that moment George's life will never be the same again, for Cosmos can open a portal to any point in outer space . . . Written by science educator Lucy Hawking and her father - the most famous scientist in the world - and illustrated by Garry Parsons, George's Secret Key to the Universe will take you on a rollercoaster ride through space to discover the mysteries of our universe.

Secret garden

Maybe it's because I am from New England, but I wait all winter long for the days to come that I can finally get outside and start being in my yard to do all the fun tasks like grilling steaks, planting flowers, pruning bushes, adding garden art like my decorative stakes with fleur-de-lis finials, putting up a new turquoise patio umbrella from Bali, which I found on Overstock.com, painting my porch swing bright pink for a change of pace and filling up my stone bird bath. This swing was made by my dad and has traveled to the many houses I have lived in. A few times it stayed in the basement until the next house had a porch. This is a side area that accesses a basement apartment where my college age son lives. The originally white swing was nice, but this ho-hum area needed a spark...and this pink paint delivers. Check the before pic of my son standing with the white swing. I think this pink swing spells summer! Here are some other lovely porch swings. Swings are a welcome sign to your friends and neighbors. source However Garden Gates make you wish you had an invitation to what lies beyond... They create mystery and give your entrance a sense of importance or excitement. Did you read The Secret Garden? A garden gate makes you want to sneak inside....and take a peek! I am a sucker for anything with paint on it... look at this simple garden gate embellished with a cottagey floral design complete with matching tools. This is how I image the Secret Garden entrance to be!! And once you have snuck inside...you hope a beautiful garden awaits... Wow, an outdoor fireplace! I love this space!! So many ways to set up a table and chairs in your garden.... I love the informality of this setting... throw a white sheet over a folding table and grab all your forlorn chairs and set them under a canopy of trees and you have captured the essence of al fresco dining. Or make do like Martha Stewart does in her inimitable elegant way... have the servants bring out your wooden kitchen set! But if it is going to be rainy or windy and you still want the outdoors, some pavillion drapes to your porch, like I did for my sister's home. She's going to have fun decorating her new space with container plantings and brown wicker furniture. Here is another gorgeous outdoorspace with carpeting and even a lamp. Last, but not least, if you have a little shed or outbuilding you can transform it into the centerpiece of your garden. My mother-in-law has a neglected little old chicken coop in her back yard. I have drawn a sketch for her in the hopes she will let me work my magic on it so it can become a source of delight for her. Right now it is filled with old tools and sleds and roofing paper and leftover job materials. Not quite what I imagine it to be~I want it to look like this: So when I get my way with this little old building, I will post the before and after. Until then I will enjoy my garden with my pink swing and my turquoise umbrella and my old granite walls! Try adding a little pizzazz to your outdoor spaces. Add a kicky new umbrella, repaint your old iron furniture in aqua, paint your swing pink or hang up some breezy porch drapes!

do you see what i see ~

in Castle Combe, Wiltshire.

Every time we walk through an old, abandoned house we have to stop and explore it because there are so many interesting stuff to be found. For example –

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Explore Pete Foley's 983 photos on Flickr!

Found this door at Lanhydrock which reminded me of the book The Secret Garden. I thought it looked like it was the door to somewhere interesting. It's probably a cupboard! Explore 10 January 2011 #190

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This lock belongs to one of the old houses around the La Fontaine area in Al Ras Ruman. Wouldn't it be cool if it was made of real gold? I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to the guy who invented the door. If it wasn't for him we'd all be using windows to get inside the house.