Happy Wednesday – also known as hump day for those who are still working away from home. I am one of those since I work in a hospital, and while many staff have been “redeployed” to other areas/roles, the hospital’s mandate is “all hands on deck” as we wait for the Covid-19 peak to occur. The peak is anticipated within the next week or two if the models are accurate, and hospital admissions, capacity, and ICU bed numbers are monitored daily, if not hourly. Our outpatient clinics such as neurology, cardiology, and mental health, among others, have been closed for more than a month now to all but the most urgent cases, and maternity and pediatrics have been diverted to other hospitals. Staff are now screened with questions and temperature checks every morning as they come on site, and there are no visitors allowed. The hospital is normally teeming with noise, activity, and people, but now it is eerily quiet. Unprecedented times, indeed. But I digress.
Perhaps we can forget about Covid for a moment or two and move on to more pleasant topics?
The spring weather has finally arrived here in Calgary. It typically lags about a month or so behind calendar spring. The last of the snow is finally gone (fingers crossed) and its time for a spring tablescape – and one for which I will have to use what I have on hand, because the only stores that are open are the grocery stores. Nevertheless, setting this table will be a welcome diversion, and I think I have a tablescape in mind.
Spring is for flowers and bees,
and birds and butterflies – none of which have yet to arrive in Calgary with the exception of the robins. So I shall have to make do with faux.
And we can’t forget about the dragonflies either. This one almost looks as if its wings are fluttering.
This tablescape started with a table runner in pretty pinks, yellows, oranges, and blues.
It has some unusual textures in it that doesn’t lend itself well to ironing, at least around the raised parts..
The plate stack for the table consists of yellow daisy place mats, wooden numbered chargers, my trusty Mikasa dinner plates, yellow gingham salad plates, and wooden appetizer plates; to this I added blue napkins with white trim and yellow hibiscus napkin rings.
The wooden appetizer plates are hand made, so they are irregular, and each one is slightly different and slightly imperfect.
For the centerpiece I chose a wooden lantern with a yellow candle, some spring spheres, and an, er, eclectic flower arrangement. The flowers were a little bit of this and a little bit of that from my stash. As long as the colors matched the tablescape, into the vase they went. Ultimately, a happy medley, unhampered by social distancing lol.
Some bird salt and pepper shakers in wire twig nests joined the party.
In the past 6 weeks alone since we’ve been on “lock-down” we have missed a number of family celebrations: Three birthdays, Easter, and, almost certainly, Mother’s Day coming up. This is the table I would have set for M, middle son’s girlfriend, whose birthday was in March. There will be lots to catch up on when the restrictions finally lift and everyone is looking forward to that day! And on that note… Happy Spring everyone!
Table details:
Mikasa dinner plates: HomeSense many years ago
Flatware: Pfaltzgraff from Wayfair also many years ago
Flowers, vase, and lantern: HomeSense, Michaels, and dollar store
Yellow gingham salad plates: Michaels, maybe last year?
Everything else: Pier 1 several years ago
Thank you for visiting and comments are most welcome and much appreciated!
Sharing with Between Naps on the Porch.
Nice! And your photographs are so clear and colorful. I also like that there are lots of them! Nice post. Thanks.
Thanks JJ for your comments. I’m glad you liked it and I hope you’ll visit again in the future. Take care!
What a gorgeous Spring table, your flowers are amazing they look so real! The placemats, napkin rings and runner…so pretty!!
Thanks so much Jenna! Real flowers are not so plentiful here in the spring, so I have a stash of artificial to compensate. You sound like an amazing person and you have a lovely blog site which I have been following and you have provided lots of inspiration. Thank you for your comments and for visiting!
Oh I love this! It’s so bright and festive, unironable table runner not withstanding! 😉 So creative Kim!
I’m a month late to this party, so curious to know if the COVID-19 rush materialized? I can relate – I’m still going into work every day too, but you SO have my respect for being in such dangerous surroundings! THANK YOU for the risks you take just going to work in the mornings! 💗 Then you still have the energy to set such lovely tables. You sound like Superwoman to me! 🙂
Take care and if you run into any of my Calgary relations, tell them I said hi!
Thank you for your lovely comments Barbara. Oh my goodness, you have relatives in Calgary? What a small world. Call me crazy, but I’m thinking that you could possibly send that travelling teacup and saucer on an international journey. Perhaps to your relatives here, and then to me, and I would pass it on to Lori at Dining Delight in B.C. And from there, who knows. How fun! I should probably post this on your blog, and please let me know what you think of this.
As to Covid, I was skeptical of their models – they were pretty dire and the timing of the peak seemed off compared to other countries. As it turned out, we did not get nearly the surge that was predicted, and we actually peaked in Alberta on April 23rd, according to the data, similar to when the US peaked, overall. Now we are slowly reopening, amidst a significant amount of paranoia, some perhaps justifiable. We shall see what the days ahead bring.
You are a superwoman too, as is anyone who is working to support the economy. Those who are staying at home to prevent spread are doing their part too, and should be recognized. Mostly, everyone is pulling together and that is heartening to see. Lets keep it up so we can beat this nasty virus.
Take care!
Looks beautiful! The decor makes me excited for family dinners this spring and summer. Excellent job!
Thanks Mehgan. This was for you sweet girl. Can’t wait for family dinners to resume!!!!!!
It was perfect the first time. I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post.
Thanks for your kind comments Ghulam, and I’m glad you liked the tablescape. Take care and thanks so much for visiting!
Such a cheerful tablescape! Love the mix of colors and patterns. We’ve been experiencing spring since the end of February, but I wouldn’t mind if it went until fall (skipping summer entirely!).
Thanks so much Sandra! How lovely to have spring in February and to have flowers blooming by then. Makes winter almost tolerable. We often get a few super hot days here in summer where the humidity skyrockets and its downright uncomfortable – especially when one is not used to it – so I hear you about the humid summers there. And now for the best part of Thursday evenings… going through all the lovely tablescapes at Susan’s BNOTP. Take care and thanks for visiting.
Nailed it, again!
I love anything that has to do with flowers, because it seems no matter what, everything manages to tie itself together. Oh, and all the different style plates! So unique, but also work so well with one another.
I’m picturing lovely spring salads, a medley of tasty cheeses and cured meats, Rose wine, should I go on?
Here’s hoping we all get to celebrate and entertain for our family and friends soon.
Thanks Danielle! Your proposed menu sounds perfect – not a thing I would change. Here’s to good food and good company, and hopefully sooner rather than later.
Looks amazing Kim..really bright and
makes me happy to see it! Thanks for
sharing and thanks for going to work
each day so we can stay safe at home!
Thank so much Rhian – glad I could send a little happy your way. Also glad you are safe and I hope B, R & J, and E & L are all safe and well too. I heard a funny quote the other day: “2020 was the most unusual leap year; there were 29 days in February, 3 months in March, and 5 years in April”. We’ll see what May brings. This too shall pass…