My Old Essex Cottage

Oh happy days!  I have just over a week's break to look forward to.  Catching up with old friends, spending quality time with my kids, getting ready for the little ones knocking on the door at Halloween, Becky's 13th birthday and...decorating!  Yes the time has come to stop thinking about it and getting on and doing it!

I have been researching, cutting out, imagining and now the time has come to get the paintbrushes out and start transforming three of my rooms, namely the main bedroom, lounge and dining room.  I am a bit trepidacious about the whole thing, which is strange for me as we spent seven years doing up a run down 16th century cottage a few years ago and loved every moment of it.  We then moved to a new house, for a bit of a break really, and have now been here for ten years!  Yes, we painted a couple of times, but half heartedly as I have never really settled here, but now it needs to show that it has had some love given to it before it goes on the market next year.

We still look back at that lovely cottage and wonder why we gave it up, which is simple really as it would have been too small now with a growing family.  The walks, the easy access to London, Braintree, Stansted and Chelmsford, the rolling countryside, the cottage garden that we created, the smell of wood burning in the Autumn and Winter, the wildlife...I could go on and on.  It was a place that truly stole my heart and my mind.  A place where I felt totally comfortable with life and my surroundings.

As you come down the lane this used to be the sight that would greet you.

A more modern photo of Van Gogh Cottage on the left, our cottage and then no. 4

The hamlet was between Great Bardfield and Finchingfield (famous for its duck pond) and we would often have cyclists and walkers taking photos as they went on their journeys through the Essex countryside.

The work that we put in to the Cottage was enormous.  It was a run down shell really with weeds and huge trees for a garden but as soon as the Estate Agent took us in I fell in love.  It was a step back in time.  One of the cottages still didn't have running water and instead old Tom from Vine Cottage took what he needed from a well in his garden.  There was also an old bake house that was shared between the four cottages in the olden days.  To reach the cottages you had to go down a single country track for about a mile before you turned a corner and there we were, back to a simpler way of life.

We tackled the garden first as this was 'pre-child' days, and set about creating an old English cottage garden.
 
We had a third of an acre of garden which when we first moved there one Christmas, it was overgrown with weeds but had mature trees (with a couple of preservation orders amongst them), along with a woodland area at the bottom of the garden. We set to work on the main garden first and decided that we would then concentrate on the house, well this was pre-kids time. This took a lot of time and effort with my hubby digging out a huge duck pond and then he created a further pond in the wood which led on to his creation of a meandering stream down to the main pond with lots of waterfalls as it went down. This was going to be harder than we thought as where the pond was dug there used to be a flint path where the old farmer used to walk his cattle into the neighbouring field. We found all sorts of booty down in the ground such as old bottles, farm equipment, forks and spoons. Then our lovely neighbours donated old carpets and rugs to soften the sides before the pond liner went down.

It looked beautiful once done and so tranquil and then joy of joys! We had visitors, we called them Dilly and Daffy and they were regular visitors for about three years, even building a nest in the middle of the pond.

Down near the bottom of the garden was a wood to the right and to the left just a slope and a store for wood for the log burning stove.  So, we decided that the slope could be leveled with the help of the local farmer and we would create our vegetable plot there.  The community spirit there was wonderful, and after asking the farmer whether it would be feasible to do this in that area of the garden he said he would look into it.  Well, one day after a hard time in work, we both came back to the garden with the area leveled, manured, and rotavated!  He was truly a wonderful man.

I spent many hours sowing old heritage seeds to make sure that the plants were old and authentic.  My greenhouse was right next door to my lovely neighbours Harold and Kathy, and we spent so much time chatting and swapping plants that it didn't feel long at all.

And, while all this was going on, my hubby was still busy digging the additional pond up in the wooded area that would be linked to the main pond, creating the waterfalls going down the slope.   Unbelievably hard work, but beautifully done and natural in the end.

The cottage itself went through quite a transformation.  The thatch didn't really need doing for a few more years so we mainly concentrated on repainting and filling in cracks on the outside walls and then started inside.  One of the main things that sold the cottage to us was the kitchen.  It was an extension to the cottage but had been done sympathetically with old beams and a gorgeous warm Aga.  So lovely to snuggle on a chair next to one of these with the cats on a winter's day.  My hubby decided to build a pergola outside the extension so that we could also sit outside if the Aga became too warm!

The work continued throughout the cottage, along came the kids, the kids grew up in an exciting environment (often with Harold shouting out that he could see my Luke up a tree...again!), the kids get older, the cottage gets smaller and then it is time to move on.  We decided to move to a newer property so we could have a bit of a break...and we have now been in Lincolnshire for ten years!!

So, now out comes the paintbrushes again, the freshness of new paint, new colours, new fabrics, new pictures on the wall and time to move on again...where to next??!!

Oh, and the name of my wonderful old Essex cottage...Sweetbriar.  Somewhere where I felt comfortable, at peace with myself and my surroundings.  A place which will be forever in my heart, soul and mind.  Very Very Happy Days!!

Monday to Friday

It's been a bit of a mixed bag really this week.  One of those week's that you think will never end and when the weekend comes you think...where did that week go?

Each day of the week starts with the normal running around getting the kids ready for school, bags packed, uniform on...correctly!! and then setting myself ready for the day.  Then the daily drive to Peterborough watching the gradual process of the day breaking, people saying goodbye and all going on their individual journeys.  I work in an absolutely wonderful and privileged environment and one of the most amazing scenes I see each morning is the view from my car window as I cross the Cathedral precincts to my office.  It is a beautiful sight, more so in the darker evenings when the flood lights illuminate the Cathedral.  I can never be tired of this view.  My office actually overlooks the side of the Cathedral from a medieval building which had replacement windows - back in Victorian times!  With the darker nights I tend to be whisked away to what could be Dickens times, especially as the hustle and bustle of Peterborough can't be heard where we are.  I imagine the centuries of people who have worked and lived in this small part of Peterborough and the Cathedral still stands there, magnificent in its beauty and authority.

When the snow came down last year, my walk to work from the car and around the precincts felt like I had walked through a wardrobe and into Narnia especially with the old Victorian lamp posts on the driveways.

Occasionally during what feels a long week,  we feel the need for a coffee break during the day and head to the coffee bar.  This week I had a thumping headache but the sweetness of the coffee along with the beautiful aroma was a tonic in itself.  Our job is so varied that we can't predict what the next call or visitor will bring and sometimes we just need a brief spell away to reflect and collect our thoughts before going back to fresher minds.  I work with a great bunch of people and most of the time it just feels like you coming home to family, so refreshing.

But the week has now ended and Friday has now met the evening.

So, as a treat to myself and my daughter (my son thinks he is too old to go??!!), I decided that we would have a visit to the Circus.   I have been watching the Circus go about their business each morning and evening when I drive up to the roundabout that then takes me to work and home.  The wonderful tents, the exciting lights, the very large trailers containing the sequinned costumes and stage make up.  So, as they were only a couple of miles away from us, which makes a change as we usually have to travel miles to get anywhere, I thought I would take her to try and recapture the moment of amazement in her eyes back when she was tiny.  Just one problem, I am one of those people who is petrified of clowns!  So, I never sit near the ringside and true to form we sat at the top and the back only to be faced with an 11 foot clown!!.

The show was the best I have seen for a long time.  Varied, flowing, sequins, dry ice, laughter, clapping, magic, trapeze, acrobatics.  Worth every penny!  I jumped a couple of times when I thought someone was going to fall which made my daughter laugh out loud.

My favourite moment?...the fire eater!  Amazing!!

So with the week finally finished, it is time to relax...well do the house chores and be 'taxi' for the weekend.

Have a wonderful weekend with whatever you are doing. XX

This and That

Autumn is well underway now, the misty, crispy starts. The sun glaring in whilst driving waking up the day. The panic of first thing in the morning where it is still dark outside but it's time to get up. Love it!

After finishing my last project, the granny stripe blanket, I have seen another blanket that has given me some inspiration on Ravelry, so I am settling into making a couple of squares per night that will grow and grow into a very bold colourful statement.

Take a look on Dorset Knitwit's page it is beautiful.  And then there is this absolutely stunning blanket, take a look on Flowers and Waves' page the best I've ever seen!!  

I have family coming round today so have been racking my brain for something to make for afternoon tea, just nibbles before they go on to my parents.  There is a wonderful caterer that I have used at work and they make the most gorgeous buffet, so I have taken a note of what I can put on cocktail sticks:

Apricots, cream cheese and parma ham:

(cut open the apricot, fill with cream cheese and wrap in parma ham).

Olives, peppers and feta cheese:

(just cut the pepper and the feta cheese into squares and spear with the cocktail stick adding the olive).

Sausages and silverskin onions:

(just cocktail sausages cut in half with silverskin onions).

To finish off some lovely houmous and parsnip crisps, that should do it!

I've just been in my garden too to look at the plants and if there were any flowers that I could cut.  Oh dear! My last rose is just trying to give a last show before it goes to sleep again...

Well, best now get ready for my guests.  The smell of fresh coffee is filling the air and making the house smell delicious!

Have a wonderful weekend in whatever you are doing. XX

A Quick Walk Around Spalding

Well, after last night's Pumpkin Parade, I thought I'd have a quick walk around Spalding to get some essentials as it was market day.  It was a lovely morning, crisp but the sun was glorious and warm.  We park in the centre of town and one of the things they have in Spalding is the Water Taxi.  This takes you from the centre of Spalding to the Springfields Shopping Outlet along the river.  My children have both steered the boat along the river and they now have certificates that they present on board.

The river did look calm and peaceful tonight compared to last night's huge event.

 and the Autumnal colours are just starting to make their appearance.

Up against the blue sky it certainly makes me feel that Autumn is finally here.

and the colours are beginning to change at home too.

On the grape front, we have loads and loads, only wish that one of my past times was wine making!  All I can do is look at them with a smile.

On the project front, I've just started doing a granny square blanket with black bobble edging.  It's taking about one evening to do a square, but it is keeping me going while I think of something different to do such as how on earth can I make blankets small enough for my dollshouse??!

Have a lovely weekend.

The Pumpkin Harvest

I don't know what it is but I am feeling really 'itchy' this week.  Not in the scratching sense of the word but an 'itchy feet' feeling, time to move on, look at new things, change direction sort of feeling.  Maybe because the children are definitely getting older and I compare my life at their age to their own.  At their age I used to jump on a bus or train and go into the centre of London to see the sights, shop and generally hang around.  I look at my two and yes, they have a nice safe environment, countryside, a reasonable school, but as children transform into their teenage years they need the hustle and bustle of a real city.  My Bex is very much like me at her age, testing, inquisitive, arty and thoughtful but her social life is very much 'on line' when she isn't at school.  My Luke spends a lot of time with his dad fishing, walking and going to nature reserves.  Two very different children and in need of more nurturing.

I am looking forward to my break at the end of the month to start on my living room and dining room to freshen it up, but I don't want to go overboard as I intend to have the house on the market in a year's time(itchy feet!). 

I don't want to give it a typical makeover to get the place sold, the bland impersonal wall paint, no personal items on show etc - I can remember looking at houses when we wanted to move from Essex and the amount that looked the same with their bland boxes for rooms, the same leather sofa, the same art work on the walls, the same blinds at the windows, and, oh dear, the same UPVC windows!  No individuality at all, no nooks and crannies, no quirkiness at all.  The amount of door to door salesmen that knock on the door to sell me their 'wonderful UPVC windows'...and their look of shock when I say I have wooden double glazing thank you and I HATE plastic windows!!  I like a house to breathe, I like to hear the occasional bird song that manages to make its way through the glass, that's what living in the country is meant to be about...isn't it?

But anyway, enough of this meloncholy, I have had a day off today to continue with the 'Winter clean' while the children are at school.  My windows are sparkling and the house looks immaculate (let's see how long that lasts?!!).   It's also time to get the bulbs in for the spring and plant my potatoes for one of mine and my Luke's Christmas morning jobs before everyone gets up (we like to spend some time together pulling up the potatoes and washing them...strange but true!).  One of my favourite places in the house is at my kitchen window and to mark the harvest season I have bought a small pumpkin to keep my rooster happy.

And now, to an annual event that happens in Spalding.  Everyone knows of the famous flower parade with the floats decorated with tulips.  Well another parade that takes place on the first week of October is The Spalding Pumpkin Parade.  There is a pumpkin grower in Spalding, Bowmans, who sponsors the event.  There are stalls in the market place all selling something to do with pumpkins, and then the parade itself.  Hundreds of men, women and children, a lot in fancy dress, all walk through the town with lit pumpkins and other paraphernalia  led by the Tulip Time Princess in a carriage.  It all rounds off with fireworks from the top of South Holland Centre.

Well myself, my Luke and my Mum decided to go again this evening.  It looked as though it was going to be dry but a bit chilly, so on with the coats and off we set for Spalding. (sorry the photos are not the best).

Oh, and found a wonderful site called Ravelry, for all those who love the woollen stuff!!  I am on THIS LINK.  I am just going to get my photos together and put them on.  I still need some time to work it all out, but it looks absolutely wonderful!