We’ve seen climate change in the garden recently, because we took the first step toward our extension by cutting down some of the trees and shrubs, most of them weed species that had to be removed anyway. We’re all a bit in shock at how ruthless it’s been. On the one hand, the house is […]
Bold and Beautiful
Having been out of action for a few weeks, I’ve had plenty of time to look around me at my home. The one we bought and did up twenty years ago, but haven’t really done much with since. It’s not exactly bold and beautiful. A lot has changed in the last twenty years. I worked, […]
The Smell of Fresh Laundry
I LOVE the smell of fresh laundry – hints of lavender, mown lawn, and a little little bit of sunshine. So with the odd warm day we’ve had lately, I’ve been catching up on the washing. And in between loads of clothes, I’ve been freshening up the blankets and quilts. Washing Pretty Girl’s dog hair […]
5 Tips for Updating Your Home Without Updating It
In April, I mentioned we had started a list of renovations for updating our home. I had even gone as far as short listing some builders to do the work. And then in May, I mentioned the shortage of building and therefore the hight cost of building supplies, and my intention to focus on home […]
Creating a Happy and Healthy Home
Recently there have been a lot of changes in the Blaelock Household, with the aim of creating a happy and healthy home. Mainly leading out from the transplant rejection scare, and consequently a need to redesign my working and sleeping environments. Happy and Healthy Sleeping Environment We started the sleeping environment upgrades a few months […]
How to Choose What To Do First
It’s been a busy couple of weeks. I have so much to do that I’m not sure what to do first. Or second. Or last for that matter. I’ve been sick, DB’s been sick and pretty girl’s been sick. She was so sick she slept through the last episode of Game of Thrones! (Actually, I […]
The Benefit of a Good Night’s Sleep
We recently replaced our old worn out mattresses. Not before time, because you can’t beat a good night’s sleep. They’ve had a decade of good solid use. And they’ve probably seen the rise and fall of a civilisation or two of bacteria and other creatures. Who probably got a better night’s sleep than we did. […]
Books: to keep or not keep?
Since I read Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, I keep falling over intense, library voice (whispered) bookish debates about whether to keep or not keep books. More often than not, the argument centres on not keeping, and Ms Kondo’s insistence on only keeping those that “spark joy.” Can/does a book “spark joy”? Well, […]
Some Thoughts on Things
I’ve had some thoughts on things: The things we buy, The things we keep, and The things we throw away. That’s a lot of things. Things We Buy My thinking is partly inspired by shopping for Christmas gifts, and partly because we discovered an antique/junk warehouse. And for the first hour, it was exciting and […]
On My Way Back Home
This picture was painted on the second of April. 1918. The view is a lot less pastoral now, but the hills are part of a National Park, so they look more or less the same. Whenever I come back home, I see a version of this scene. At that point, I feel myself starting to […]
How To Care For Your Best Rooms
In days gone by, houses were much smaller. They generally consisted of Best Rooms like the parlour, where you received guests during designated visiting hours, and everywhere else. Best Rooms Best rooms were very special places, strictly for showing off, all the very special, very expensive things went in there. You can see a more […]
About the March of Progress
A harbinger of the March of Progress knocked on my door the other day. She’s a Real Estate agent, and apparently, she’s “very good friends” with my neighbours, though she didn’t specify which ones. Seeing as she’s selling the house next door, I guess she thinks I know which neighbours she knows very well. She wondered if I’d […]