August 2023 Edition The Hearth and Soul Link Party

Welcome to the August 2023 Edition of The Hearth and Soul Link Party! I’m so glad you are here!

How are you doing? Despite my best efforts to slow down time, July seemed to fly by. This month, I am making a concerted effort to make the most of the remaining summer days. However I’m not sure everyone else is on board with this idea. On a recent visit to London, I was shocked to see that Harrods have opened their Christmas department! Have you noticed retailers decorated for upcoming seasons/holidays even further ahead than normal too?

The Latest

Our renovations are coming along really well. The kitchen countertops (work tops here in the UK) are due to arrive on Monday. Once they are installed we can get some of the appliances up and running – including the dishwasher which I have really missed! There is a lot of work still left to do, but good progress is being made. In the last month we have also had a new garage door (in blue of course!) and our staircase has been renovated.

Unfortunately we had to strip wallpaper and cut away the carpet for the new bannisters and glass panels to be installed, so things won’t be looking their best until the hall decoration is complete in a few months time. That said, I am really pleased with the results. The entrance way and hall look bigger and brighter. Once the kitchen completely finished (likely in September) and our new front door is installed in August, we can move on with redesigning the hall, including new wallpaper, flooring, carpet, and blinds.

We had fun at the Henley Regatta and enjoyed the Henley Festival, a black tie festival of music and the arts. Bentley Priory was a fascinating location for a get together with one of our car clubs. And our 1955 Chevy Bel Air (aka “Tiffany”) won a top prize at a car show at beautiful Stonor Park near Henley on a very rainy day. If you are on Instagram and fancy a look a little peek at our July (including a glimpse of the aforementioned new garage door), please check out my latest reel.

On The Blog – August 2023 Edition

There’s lots of new content up on the website and more on the way! Highlights include:

Moist vanilla cake beribboned with swirls of chocolate cake feature in this delicious marble cake recipe. Make this easy recipe as a layer cake or a Bundt cake; my step by step directions help to make the marbling easy either way.

Join me on a virtual visit to Chawton House, a beautiful and imposing Elizabethan Manor House with a connection with one of the Regency period’s most famous authors, Jane Austen. She walked up these very stairs on many occasions to visit her brother and his family. The library in this house is just incredible too.

I’m also sharing My Favourite Paris Restaurants, the inside scoop on the places I love to eat in the City of Light.

And if your children are off to university or college anytime soon, you may enjoy reading my hints and tips on Finding Yourself Again After The Kids Leave Home as well as advice on Feathering an Empty Nest.

More Opportunities To Share Beyond The Link Up

The Hearth and Soul Community on Facebook offers another opportunity to connect with others in the blogging community and to share your content. We also offer opportunities to expand your reach and following with social media follow threads etc.

In addition to choosing featured posts from the content shared here, I also choose features from the community. You can share posts which you have shared here in the group as well, to give them even greater visibility and an extra chance of being featured. 

Community Announcement:- My long time dear blogging friend, Hearth and Soul participant and community member Miz Helen Adams who many of you know well, celebrated her 84th Birthday in July! Please do pop by her blog and share your good wishes with her!

August 2023 Edition – Featured Posts

Thank you all for sharing your inspiring content here and in the Hearth and Soul Community on Facebook. Here are just a few of the posts that caught my eye.

From the Hearth and Soul Community:-

Nora of Treat ‘n Trick shared a healthier Low Fat Banana Cake recipe. It looks so light and fluffy it may surprise you to learn it is egg free!

These Blueberry Crumb Bars from Elizabeth of Pinecones and Acorns look absolutely scrumptious. I do love a shortbread cookie crust!

From the Link Up:-

Laurie of Ridge Haven Homestead has had a very challenging time recently. Her adult son, Austin, was critically injured in a serious accident but thankfully is now making a good recovery. I was moved by Laurie’s account of her 10 Days at Ronald McDonald House. It was interesting to see the house and how it is run as well as what an incredible service is provided. Laurie also provides helpful information should you know of anyone who might need the services a Ronald McDonald House can provide.

As an avid reader with fond memories of the books and libraries of my childhood, I loved Helen of 3 Winks Design’s article on Books and Poetry Introduced To Me As A Child By My Mother. Has Helen included any of your favourites?

Take a virtual visit (or plan for a real one) to Charleston with Crystal of Sharing Life’s Moments.

And finally, toast the summer (whatever the weather!) with this refreshing Cucumber Elderflower Margarita from Nicolle of Our Tiny Nest.

On with the link up!

The Hearth and Soul Link Party – August 2023 Edition

The Hearth and Soul Link Party is held monthly, opening on the first Sunday of every month and remaining open until the 25th of the month, or until 300 entries are reached. Please share a maximum of 8 links per month here at the party. (You can share more in the Hearth and Soul Community on Facebook.)

Please share the permalink to your blog post with the August 2023 edition, not a link to the home page of your blog. Please do not link to anything except blog posts.

By submitting a post to the August 2023 edition of the link party here, you assert that you own the content and photographs. You also give me permission to share them here on the blog as well as on Pinterest, Twitter, and both my own Facebook page , The Hearth and Soul Link Party page and  The Hearth and Soul Community Facebook Group. 

The August 2023 edition is open until 25th August so please come back as often as you like! I will visit share as many posts as I can across my social media platforms. Please share the party with your friends and followers using the buttons at the top of the post. Thank you for your support.