Midsummer's Day - The Summer Solstice

These paintings by Edward Hughes capture summer twilights perfectly, you almost can see the fairies dancing in the meadows.

Perhaps my favorite day of the entire year. I love the magic, beauty, and complete joy that the Summer Solstice brings... cool twilights filled with fireflies and beautiful sunsets, days of brightness and warmth. There is no time of year as magical and as full as life as this time. The longest day of the year. Happy Summer Solstice!

Castles that haunt my dreams

The castles of Western Europe all have a huge impact on me, I think they're stunning, romantic, and very beautifully sad in their ruined state. The castle I love the most is the one below - Dunluce Castle of Co. Antrim N. Ireland. It's haunted my dreams since I was a child.

Romantic Clothes

I absolutely adore the clothes from GypsyMoon.com. It's as though someone took from my mind every ideal piece of clothing I'd ever want. I'll likely post more lovely pieces of their clothes periodically. I find them beautiful and inspiring.

I wish I could dress like this - so utterly romantic, elegant & whimsical- everyday. I love silks and chiffons, soft ethereal colors... vintage styles.

John Keats

I love John Keats.... And I love this poem... it's where I get my blog's name from. I could read Romantic Era poets all day long... sometimes I do.


Oh what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge has withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.

Oh what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
So haggard and so woe-begone?
The squirrel's granary is full,
And the harvest's done.

I see a lily on thy brow,
With anguish moist and fever-dew,
And on thy cheeks a fading rose
Fast withereth too.

I met a lady in the meads,
Full beautiful - a faery's child,
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
And her eyes were wild.

I made a garland for her head,
And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
She looked at me as she did love,
And made sweet moan.

I set her on my pacing steed,
And nothing else saw all day long,
For sidelong would she bend, and sing
A faery's song.

She found me roots of relish sweet,
And honey wild, and manna-dew,
And sure in language strange she said -
'I love thee true'.

She took me to her elfin grot,
And there she wept and sighed full sore,
And there I shut her wild wild eyes
With kisses four.

And there she lulled me asleep
And there I dreamed - Ah! woe betide! -
The latest dream I ever dreamt
On the cold hill side.

I saw pale kings and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
They cried - 'La Belle Dame sans Merci
Hath thee in thrall!'

I saw their starved lips in the gloam,
With horrid warning gaped wide,
And I awoke and found me here,
On the cold hill's side.

And this is why I sojourn here
Alone and palely loitering,
Though the sedge is withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.