View from my window...

My name is B... and I am a 'dump-diver'...

...it's time to confess. I have taken to frequenting my local dumps/recycling centres on the lookout for pieces that will fit in my period home but without the 'antique' price tag...

...And here is my first find...








I was sure that this little chair could be totally cute with a little TLC...






I started by gently sanding it down before beginning to paint...






....I used tester pots of paints that I already had in the house and followed up with a little *distressing* and then 2 coats of clear varnish...It took about 4 hours in total and I made dinner and put the kids to bed simultaneously!

And here i the end result....















This chair cost me....NOTHING! And I couldn't be happier with the outcome! I'm very proud of my chair from the dump... now I just need to find a desk to go with it...hmmmm....

Reno hell!

The floor boards are up and now the Internet and tv are down. My husband is away , and i'm hanging on to my sanity by the skin of my teeth. This is Reno hell. I am sending this from my phone as I sit on a window ledge; the only seating in the house at the moment. My tv/Internet provider can't get a tech to me for a week and the kids are on half-term school holidays from Friday. Oh boy. This is gonna be a long week! Back soon; I hope!

Wishing you all a better week than me,

B x

My new 'neigh'bours...

..bad, bad joke I know, but I couldn't resist...


So, I live in a village on the edge of a town. We have a moor (or heath) opposite us. In fact our house was built around 1840 when the village was founded and the property is one of a few, which come with "Rights of pasture". This means that the owner of the house is free to graze their sheep on the moor; which could come in handy when I want to let my sheep stretch their legs!

The moor is a lovely place to walk the dog and let the kids run around. Last Sunday they went and wadded into the stream. As someone who grew up in the middle of bustling, grimy London, it was lovely to see them take their socks and shoes off and paddle in the clear water. They tried to get Cookie our pup in too, but she doesn't like to swim. At the moment there a hundreds of conkers on the ground as the moor has many Horsechestnut trees. We collected lots so that we can harden them and have conker fights.

But the best thing about the moor are the wild horses, they are so quiet and gentle and will come over to see if you have any good stuff to eat.









Enjoy your week,

B x

Welcome...

...to Pear Tree Cottage.

Come around the back and have a look around...this is the old stable

and here are our gardens...








At the moment things inside are very...disorganised....



..and there's a lot to be done;
like getting rid of the pink wallpaper in the Living room...



But we love it and are looking forward to making it home.

Thanks so much for stopping by, next time I'll make a nice pot of tea...when I find the kettle....



B x

What will be, will be...

I know, I know, I've been a bad, bad blogger. I'm sorry; you deserve better. Things are just a little up in the air at the moment. Pear Tree Cottage (our new home) is looking less and less likely to happen, as a touch of damp and an uncoperative vendor with an ego the size of Texas (eg. very big) hamper our every move.


But you know what they say, "never say never"... so we sit and wait for the lawyers to do their thing...



In the meantime, we have moved out of our lovely holiday home on the farm and are nomading around. Luckily my sister is on holiday and in exchange for looking after this little beauty...




...her name is Mini...







...we get free bed and board for a week - sweet deal!




So, instead of getting down about what coulda, woulda, shoulda been...my moto for this week is; "What will be, will be".



However, I am the worlds worst control freak... and if I don't see some progress soon, someone is gonna die...calm, calm...must stay calm...

Anyway I'm sure if Pear Tree doesn't happen for us we'll end up in something even better...maybe something like this...?

...what's wrong with a little wishful thinking!?

Wishing you all a stress free, fun-filled week x







(Edited; Cottage picture changed July 26 09 11:38 GMT)

There's no place like home...

Phew, what a couple of weeks we've had! But I'm back and happier than even I'd thought I'd be to be home. We've been here for a week and although we are not in our new house yet (which I will be showing you around as soon as I get a chance to get in there) we feel pretty settled already.

At the moment we are staying in a converted barn in Hertfordshire a few miles from where we will soon be living. Let me show you around...

You get to it via this country lane...




Keep going, til you pass the tree in the middle of the field...



Stop and say "Hello" to the sheep...



Wonder why there's a door in a tree...



Look we're nearly there - can you see the house?





And here we are. I hope you like it. Next time I'll take you inside (I have to tidy up a bit first)






But before you go take a look at my view in the evening...

...it's so good to be home.

I hope you have all had a good couple of weeks - it's great to be back. B x