The Master of the Universe

It's official.

I'm now BAMA... What do I have to do to get the O so that I can join the US election campaign??

House of Paper (& Scaffolding)

Further to the request following my last post, here is the exterior of the thatched cottage. The roof was re-thatched before major structural work had been completed so the scaffolding is there as a precaution to reduce stress.

Because it's been lived in for so long by an elderly gent of limited means, the before and after photographs are rather topsy-turvy.

The below is the 'before' shot, taken from a village photograph in the mid-1960s.*

I think the word is 'potential'...!

*Historically, it was usual for thatchers to thatch upon thatch increasing insulation but of course thickening the layers each time. Look at the difference in chimney exposed between the two images once all the layers had been completed scrapped and the thatch started again!

House of Paper

My inlaws have this month brought together all the money in all the little pots that they possess and bought and tumble down wreck of a little chocolate box cottage in Kent: the Boy and I couldnt' be more green with envy.

It has one sink, no toilet, ancient electricity and a well to be uncovered in the garden. There are about six to ten layers of wallpaper on every wall in the house and I want them all. It's a bit like dating a tree, where you can peel off layer after layer and date them back chronologically in print design.

My favourite is the birds in the middle. The bottom left is thought to date back to the 1750s.

There is also a Victorian fireplace to be removed, to reveal the Inglenook nestling in secret behind, and five-hundred year old brickwork to restore and protect.

 

 

 

It's going to take some work to get it to a habitable state, but boy, would I love to be the one doing it!

Local shops for local people

Oh the gorgeousness of farm shops in deepest Kent...

yum yum scrum

Banoffee Splendour

With thanks to Tord Boontje for making it presentable...  

Winding down the holidays

A trip to the panto and a puppet workshop...

My beautiful goddaughter in denim and her big sister enjoy opening presents before seeing Jack and the Beanstalk at the Barbican.

 

 

 

 

 

Good ol' arty children's workshops. We made the most fabulous puppets on sticks using polystyrene eggs and funky foam. God love a good pipecleaner.

 

 

 

 

Nibbled on the remains of the cake and basked in glow of the tree (in my period bay window - god I love my house!) before taking it down yesterday. 

New Years came with Fun Rolls (Summer Rolls to non-antipodeans) and a towed car on New Years Day.

A wopping £300 to retrieve it from the pound. With hangover. Happy New Year indeed...

And for those of you interested, here is the finished gingerbread house. Quite chuffed with it myself! Will certainly be tucking into it later though. January is well and truly underway.

Very Happy Holidays

It has been a whirlwind of a year here and December has been no exception.

Christmas passed in a blur of roasted vegetables and cracker innards.

All I have to show for it is a tidy haul of beautiful presents and a fridge-full of slowly thinning leftovers.

I shall share it with you in pictures...

Fondue on Christmas Eve followed by tipsy Jenga and a victorious father-in-law!

 

Christmas day with presents, preparations and the scrumptious feast

The Boy was a triumph in the kitchen, and sleepy in the afternoon! 

Followed by a sunny boxing day walking around Bedfordshire and stumbling upon a delightful working mill with its own secret garden...

 

Now there's nothing left to do but face the tidy up!  

All will be well in 2008!

Best wishes to you and yours

xx