Blog Archives

Exposing a fireplace and other renovating adventures

January 6, 2017

Some of you have been following the renovating side of this blog since we moved in eight and a half years ago; so I thought I’d do a quick update of a couple of the smaller jobs that we’ve done recently. The first clue that there was an old fireplace in our bedroom was the hearthstone that we found when lifting up the beige carpet to reveal the Georgian floorboards. The second clue was the obvious difference in sound when knocking on the wall. The third clue was the whacking great hole behind the plaster when we hit it with a hammer….

The romance of a well

November 18, 2016

I was pretty much brought up on Enid Blyton and it instilled in me a desire to live in a cute cottage in a countryside village. A well in the garden would be an added bonus. Well, although more of a farmhouse than a cottage, I am lucky enough to have fulfilled that dream. We were told by the previous owner that the well in the garden used to also serve the farmworkers’ cottages opposite. The path leading from the well to an iron gate half way down the garden would suggest that’s true. We live at the top of a hill, and as far as I’m aware, the only other well at the top of the hill in Somerset is in a small village called Kilmersdon, which is famous for the Jack and Jill nursery rhyme. Wouldn’t it be cool if that’s a mistake and it was actually our well? Haha!….

New and old items for our Living Room

September 21, 2016

Following on from my last home blog post about moving the living room around, we needed some things to fit the new configuration. Preferably I’d have some antique furniture that would not only be beautiful, but also serve as a handy prop for Oshun photoshoots. Unfortunately our budget doesn’t run to that, but we found some really good alternatives…..

Re-arranging the living room – phase one

I am beginning this post on the 25th March, though I am sure that by the time you are reading this, it will be several weeks later. Today, after talking about it very briefly last night, we suddenly decided to completely change the layout of the living room. It’s a pretty big rectangular room, so you wouldn’t think it would be too difficult to sort out; but with three doorways, a staircase and a fireplace, it proves a little tricky….

Plastering Rain’s bedroom

I never intended to plaster; it seemed well and truly a job for the professionals, but 20 months after the walls came down, and the money tree has failed to grow, I thought it was about time I tackled it myself.

Funky wallpaper

Don’t you just love the 60s and their psychedelic style? I wish there were some photos of our house from the era, but here are some snippets for our enjoyment.

Our Rayburn 345w is here!!!

Here is my beautiful, lovely, wonderful, gorgeous, fabulous new Rayburn.

Fiddes Wax on; fiddes wax off

The furniture wax I’ve been using. £7 for a 500ml tin. It’s a natural wonder!

Buying a Rayburn

It’s ordered! We’re getting it! I can’t believe it!!

The kitchen work surface

I have finally replaced the picnic table!! Well, it had to be done before Christmas, but I am glad that table (bought at an expensive camping shop in the New Forest last year) has really had its money’s worth now!

Once a homage to 1970s style; now an attractive piece of carpentry to keep us warm!

Doing up the den in the cellar and review of Crown Shimmer & shine paint.

February 28, 2010

We struggled with naming this room – it used to be the cinema room because that’s where we have the projector and screen set up, but that sounded far too grand for a room about 9′ by 7′! So now it’s the den. Again, my daughter wanted to watch films in there with her friends, so her birthday party was the deadline to get it done.