Inspiration...

The sunny days have meant more time outside but it hasnt stopped me wanting to continue my quest to transform my home into somewhere that reflects more of "me". I find my greatest satisfaction in banishing any evidence of previous occupants and making the place mine. With the current financial situation this is taking longer than I would have liked but you have to start with the basics don't you, and my hard work has paid off so far. I have a dilemma though. Its nice to know exactly what i want to achieve when i start a room, which is to ban the purples, oranges and yellows of the previous owners and replace them with neutral calm, but i have a passion for pretty things! No sooner do i clear out my clutter to make room for new decor, I find girlie stuff creeping back! My bedroom is my haven at the moment as the room i have finished, it all just seemed to fall into place...

I am trying to find some inspiration for my lounge now as i would dearly love to have somewhere to curl up next winter without despairing at the current bright yellow curtains, green walls and dark varnished woodwork. I don't know where to start really.

Why is it that our darling men aren't happy unless there are large televisions, plenty of new technology and wires trailing around, or is that must mine? I have metres of wires to hide so need to find a chest to put the tv on. He is happy to curl up and watch the footy in near darkness with curtains falling off the rails, wonky pictures on make do hooks, and wires to trip you up wherever you walk. I can't walk into the room without agonising how to improve it.....I have already installed a fire into what was an empty hole in the wall....

I am now on a quest for the perfect stone coloured paint colour - not too yellow, not too grey! An impossible task it seems, and i am getting bogged down in it now! I know i should go for plain linen curtains but my sofa is plain linen, and i love crewelwork fabric.....and there are so many linens!!!!aaaaaaahhhh! I am not a natural interior designer, so all advice gratefully received ladies!

Before i started on my quest for interior perfection, I had a lovely little something in the post this morning from a new friend Caroline from Patchwork Harmony. I had won a "pay it forward" gift from her and she sent me a little prize, my first, how exciting (and i was!)

A lovely fridge magnet - perfect timing as my fridge is groaning under the weight of all the new term school letters!

Thank you so much, and so as i have received such a lovely gift i am going to pay if forward and spread a little happiness....the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a surprise gift from me, and all you have to do is then do your own 'pay it forward' post and give a gift to your some of your readers!

Finally, it has always moved me that all your lovely blogs are so cheerful and happy and really do celebrate the little things in life, which is so important, as life isnt always as perfect as we would want. I am always inspired by what you write and the things you all get up to, thank you so much for welcoming me to blogging I really appreciate it. x

Back to school....

Well, Tuesday morning dawned and that was it, all out in a rush and then back to the school routine. I secretly looked forward to having some time to myself and catching up with house stuff but also secretly dreaded it. Wandering round the empty house picking up pyjamas, I spotted a poor discarded teddy and a football that has been attached to his feet for the last 3 weeks, inside and out. I miss him already. I savour every minute of his company, his funny ways, his gentle nature and his sense of fun. I am so proud of him as he grows up and the last 9 years have gone in a flash.

Deciding to get on with things i was glad of the sunshine at last - hope you had some where you were. So nice to have the doors open all day, birds singing, washing on the line and an excuse to go outside and wander and watch. Its very nice having sheep in the field behind our house to watch, very amusing when they escape and jump over the fence so we have to clap our hands and send them back, but so noisy! The lambs are just so cute, and it feels so bizarre to be standing in my garden listening to them baa baa baa-ing when in the last house i would stand and listen to lorries trundling past. Their calling is so child-like my sub-conscious makes me want to drop my washing and run and see whats wrong. Mad? or just hormones....

I havent done anything in my garden yet except throw in a few bulbs last year and hope for the best, and its amazing that they have rewarded me months later by looking beautiful! So, a few shots of what's looking pretty so i can look back in the dead of winter and remember why its worth planting more...

Spring Green tulips with their lime stripe.

A magnolia tree past its best but still looking pretty.








My new herb garden - i hope they grow bigger!


A perfect den at the bottom of the garden for a little boy, complete with stools and a table, which Daddy spent ages carrying from the neighbours garden last year - they are heavier than they look! The tin contains sweets and, for some reason, Jacobs cream crackers nicked from the kitchen!

And finally...

My rusty woodpecker - a present from W, and it makes me a laugh because he went to so much trouble to get it, so makes him cross when he sees it!

So, before i knew it it was time to collect. The house was clean and shiny with everything in its place for once, washing taken in, beds changed and dinner in the oven. Everything came together today. Doesnt happen often does it? A lovely spring evening, homework done, knife and fork dropped to fly out and play football before bed. Just an ordinary day, but a nice one to remember.

Aren't holidays great?

How to lift your spirits when the sun doesn't come out....

Well, i don't know about you but the weather here has been awful - grey and dull, so what is there to do on a day like that? We made the effort and had a trip to London to Borough Market - somewhere i have wanted to go for ages and i am so glad we made the effort. Knowing we were entertaining family for Easter we made a foody shopping list and came away with some amazing goodies - and for the first time in ages were pleasantly surprised by the prices! It was very crowded but a great day out. Even my son loved being handed free samples everywhere he went !

I treated myself to a lovely bouquet of my favourite flowers which now sits on my Easter table and was amazed to have plenty of change from my £20 note. Have you seen these roses - they are incredible. I don't know how to describe the colour, kind of dirty pink tinged with green. Real vintage roses and absolutely beautful, i think they are called Amnesia but feel free to correct me if i am wrong. Since blogging is a new delight for me i couldnt help take pictures of some of the lovely things I saw to help me remember my day. It was a bit tricky as i only took my phone and tried not to get any bystanders in the shot as they may not have appreciated that. Anyway, see what you think, and i recommend it to any foodies for a great day out. I then came home and had fun playing with my dining room table (yes thats very sad isnt it and sounds a bit suspect but you know what i mean). My husband thinks i am nuts, but it meant he could watch the football in peace.

Maybe next time i write i will have worked out how to upload photos within the text - they all seem to jump to the beginning of the blog how frustrating aaaaah i need a gin and tonic now. Hope you all have a lovely Bank Holiday Monday!

Easter Weekend 2009

Well, this is my first blog so i hope i can get it to work! I have enjoyed so many of your blogs over the past few months i have decided to start my own in the hope that it will be half as good as many of my favourites.

I am not very artistic but having been inspired by the Easter trees I saw while away in Switzerland recently i decided to have a go at creating one, and i am so pleased with the result. I am a terrible perfectionist, but this actually turned out exactly as i saw it in my head, so i am proud of it. Maybe they will catch on and next year we'll all have one.....