A Little Room Refresh

I had been thinking for some time about repainting the wall in our porch/lobby area. The room holds a couple of pieces of furniture; a white shoe rack and a stool, both IKEA, but mainly it's a room we pass through before going into the entrance hall.  It was a bright green before, sometimes called Kelly green I believe, and you can see a photo of what it was like before and after at the bottom of this post. I did like the green but it's easy to tire of such a strong colour and, since there is only one plastered wall in the porch (the other three being glass windows and doors) it's quick to repaint. I used the same dark grey* we already have in our dining room, partly because I love it, and - ever thrifty - we have a lot of it left over in the garage. This little redecoration gave me an opportunity to play around with pictures and lights, and make the room a little more practical. 

At around the same time, Sainsbury's got in touch with me and asked if I'd like to review some items from their new Home ranges for Autumn/Winter. I had a look and decided straight away that their Nordic Skies range was very much my cup of tea and contained some really lovely pieces that I knew would work really well in our home, and so I chose some items.

Something that was going to be very useful was a set of these wooden peg hooks which will hold Ziggy's lead and other dog walking paraphernalia. We are all of us - dog and humans - counting down the days until he's twelve weeks old and can go out for walks and burn off some of his energy, and perhaps sleep a little better at night.

A basket sits under the rack, ready to hold things like poo bags, old tea towels to wipe muddy paws, treats, a coat. I also crocheted a new cover for the stool, in some gorgeous chunky mustard yarn, as the old one had seen better days.

These tealight houses look lovely perched on top of the shoe rack. Bella has her eye on them and I don't think it'll be long before I find them up in her bedroom.

I think this lidded storage basket is brilliant. It holds my yarn and it has a lid, which makes a perfect little table and somewhere to put my cup of tea. Usually I put my cup of tea on the floor, where I inevitably knock it over. Honestly, I tell the children off for doing things like that...

I absolutely adore this small geometric cushion - the colours and pattern are so soothing, and the crewel work texture is nicely done. 

This larger, cotton cushion is squishy and comfortable, perfect for reading in bed. Both cushions have removable, washable covers, which is important, especially in a house with children and a dog. (And adults who always knock over their cups of tea.)

I have dotted these tree ormanents here and there around the house; on the mantel in the living room, and in Angus's bedroom. They fit well with the other pieces in his room and he likes using them as props when he plays. They would also look great dotted along a table as part of a winter or Christmas dinner setting. 

For the kitchen, I was very practical. Another sieve is always useful, and I like the smaller size of this one and the silicone handle.

And a cake tin, because you can never have too many. Especially when they are filled with cake.

While the ranges are available in the stores, it doesn't seem that the full Nordic Skies range is on the Sainsbury's website yet. I've included links where I can find them, but for those items without links I've just included as much information as I have. I hope Sainsbury's sort this out soon and sell their full range online. Not everyone has a Sainsbury's near them, or can get to one, so it would make sense for them to make it easier for customers to shop their Home ranges from their website. Especially when the products are so good and well priced.

Wooden peg hooks £6

LED Houses, set of three £12

Metal storage basket £16

Crewel Geo Cushion £12

Tree objet £9

Silicone sieve £7

And finally, the porch before and after:

This is a sponsored post. All products were gifted to me by Sainsbury's. All opinions are my own, and I hope you all know that I wouldn't write about something here if I didn't genuinely like it or think it was worth having in our home. 

* Empirical Grey by Valspar, from B&Q. 

Norfolk: beaches, cottages and trains

I have to confess I was a bit tired and frazzled before half term - nothing major, just the usual feeling that there aren't enough hours in the day to do everything that needs to be done - and was really looking forward to a week off school and work. We all needed to slow down and spend some quiet family time together, and so I was very much looking forward to our week in Norfolk, somewhere we'd never been before. It didn't disappoint, and was as relaxing, enjoyable and restorative a break as you'd hope for. 

We stayed here with Norfolk Country Cottages. The cottage - which I think was some kind of converted outbuilding or barn - was charming and cosy, and the exposed flint pebble walls were a beautiful feature throughout. I was quite taken with them. 

The living space was open plan, just big enough for the four of us and the wood burning stove and exposed beams gave a warm, rustic feel. We hardly lit the stove, actually, as the cottage was so warm and the weather is still so mild. 

There was plenty of room in the grounds for Bella and Angus to roam and play and they made good use of the heated swimming pool, which is shared with the owners who live on the same site. John and I managed to forget our swimming things. Can you believe it? I was really cross.

After a visit to the supermarket to stock up on essentials, our first destination was Cromer, a traditional seaside town on the coast about fifteen minutes away. I liked it a lot; it hasn't been as gentrified as some other towns in the area but has a faded charm about it, and is rich in fishing and maritime history. The kids loved the RNLI Museum and I very much liked the cafe above the museum, with excellent cake and coffee and sweeping views of the sea.

We stumbled upon a gem of a second hand bookshop and spent a long time browsing. Bella and Angus were delighted to find books they'd been looking for for some time - the fifth Mallory Towers book for Bella and Famous Five for Angus - so they were happy.

We spent a couple of hours wandering around Cromer until the light started to fade and we all felt cold. Something about the light in the photo below reminded me of winter; the clocks are about to change and we are already moving towards late autumn.

One place that many people had recommend we visit was the town of Holt, and particularly Byfords. We whiled away a morning browsing the pretty shops and streets of the town before heading to Byfords for lunch. We were early, but already it was busy. The queues are long but it's worth the wait as the food and service are excellent. I love that photo of Bella and Angus inside the cafe below. Not posing or smiling, just being silly and getting along with each other.

That afternoon we decided to take a train from Sheringham to Weybourne on the North Norfolk Railway.

The station platform was lovingly maintained and dressed with piles of vintage suitcases dotted about here and there and old enamel signs. 

Incidentally, something about old fashioned train stations like these reminds me of the opening sequence of The Box of Delights, a 1980's BBC dramatisation of John Masefield's novel which I adore and says Christmas to me like nothing else. I'm sure I've droned on about it here before. But last week it was all dressed for Halloween. 

Anyway, we got off the train at Weybourne, wondering why no-one else was, and found ourselves at the top of a lane, quite a way from the village centre. In the middle of no-where, as Bella said. We had no real idea of what we'd find, but just thought we'd follow our noses and so ended up walking down through the village to the beach, bribing the children with promises of hot chocolate as we went. 

The beach at Weybourne was just breathtaking. A world away from the pier and seagulls of Cromer, it was wild and a bit scary. 

Heavy grey clouds were low on the horizon and the surf was powerful and noisy.

Angus wanted to paddle. Paddle! I said no, fearing he'd either get exposure or swept out to sea, and he was content to throw stones at the water and chase the waves. That boy loves the beach as much as I do and it makes me so happy. We just have to say we're going to a beach - any beach - and his face lights up straight away. 

The weather and scenery couldn't have been more different the next day when we visited Wells Next The Sea; calm seas, blue skies, warm sun. I'll tempt you with a picture of the gorgeous beach huts that line the beach there, and tell you more about the rest of our trip in another post in a couple of days. I have many more photos to sort through!

Our accommodation in Norfolk was provided by Norfolk Country Cottages. All words, photos and thoughts about the beautiful area are my own. :-)

They have a reader offer below for anyone who might fancy a seasonal break:

Stay with Norfolk Country Cottages in November or December and pay no booking fee – saving you £30.  Quote THH2016 on booking.

Terms and conditions: Offer valid for holidays of 3 nights or more with a start date between 4 November 2016 and 31 December 2016. Not valid in conjunction with any other offer. No cash alternative. We reserve the right to withdraw or amend this offer at any time, without prior notice.

A Tablet Case and Bank Holiday Fun

This is Steve's Sleeve, a pretty stylish little tablet case from Wool and the Gang who, a weeks ago, very kindly sent me a kit to try out. While I'd heard of Wool and the Gang I hadn't bought any of their products before so I was intrigued. 

The kit was well stocked with all the materials you needed for the case plus hook, darning needle and pattern, which I have to say was very well written and easy to follow (although it is written in US terms so be aware of that).

The whole case was easy to make, just rows of double crochet stitches worked in a spiral until you reach the desired size, and it required more of my concentration to stitch the leather flap onto the back of the case than it did to crochet. 

The blanket stitch is not hard, but I wanted my stitches to look as even as possible, not easy with the thick yarn.

This is the finished sleeve. I really like the simplicity of both the pattern and the design; no flowers, no pompoms, no embellishments - although you could easily add some if you wanted to - just the texture of the yarn and leather and the solid blocks of colour. I like the way it's not aimed at women or men, but is just a really useful thing to have.

Little details are there in the small metal tag provided, which is kind of half stitch marker half safety pin. 

It's a cosy home for a tablet and we use it all the time. Things are endlessly dropped in this house and not always by the children, so the cover is useful.

I know I said I liked how unisex the design was, but it occurred to me that this would be a great gift if you really wanted to crochet something for a man or teenage boy, and I think it would be well received. 

Thanks for the kit Wool and the Gang, I really enjoyed making this. 

Wool and the Gang are offering a 20% discount (excluding postage and gift cards) on all items on their website using the code below, valid until 31st May 2016.

20%HAPPYHOUSE

Happy Shopping!

*

Thank you all for your kind comments on my last Colour Collaborative post. I will try to respond to the questions soon. I hope you've had a nice bank holiday weekend? Ours has been alright - it's swung between relaxing and productive, lazy and busy, grumpy and happy, wet and dry. Saturday morning the four of us went to Chichester with nothing more urgent on our list than to go to Waterstones and get a coffee, and we did all that plus I had the biggest, most delicious apple doughnut I've ever eaten. It was about the size of my hand. In the afternoon my parents came and picked up Bella and Angus leaving John and I child free for a few hours to decorate. It was a nice afternoon - we played music, there was barbecue pulled pork chuntering away in the slow cooker, we didn't have to tell anyone to stop bickering. The children were returned to us at bedtime, fed and watered, and with a parcel of cakes my mum had baked that afternoon too. 

On Sunday we wanted to visit the Portsmouth Rural and Seaside Show in down Southsea. The sun was shining and we decided to go out early and treat ourselves to breakfast first at a favourite place down on the seafront. Well, the whole morning was almost derailed by the shocking and devastating discovery that they have taken their Eggy Bread off the menu and replaced it with a bagel with peanut butter and banana. I mean seriously, why would you do that? Their Eggy Bread (French Toast to my American friends) was the sweetest, gooiest, fluffiest thing you ever tasted and we'd all been talking about it in the car on the way there and saying how we were missing our weekend breakfasts at home and how we were looking forward to it. Oh my goodness. Angus actually cried when he realised it wasn't on the menu. John looked sad and ordered a Full English but I could tell his heart wasn't in it. Bella stoically chose something different. I ordered Eggs Royale and it was sublime I have to say, with homemade hollandaise sauce, so good. But gosh it was stressful. This is what happens when you don't have a kitchen! Food gets blown out of all proportion. Anyway, it all looked up from then on and we had a lovely morning pottering around the seafront and watching Sheep Dog Trials and Shire Horse Displays and the like. We spent the afternoon decorating, again, then went to my parents' for dinner in the evening. They have really looked after us this weekend, what with childcare and feeding us and just generally being brilliant and supportive. 

Today, I...wait for it...did some more painting. We're almost there with the decorating now, but the kitchen is still very much a work in progress (no worktops or cooker or flooring) and I have lots of photos to show you. I'll do another kitchen update soon. Have a lovely week you lovely people!

Creating Corners in the Garden

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about our garden and your comments were just wonderful, so helpful and inspiring, and I was thinking about what you said when I was toiling out there last weekend. (It has finally dawned on me that a bigger garden really does mean a lot more work, in the beginning at least.) But you gave me some fantastic ideas on how we could improve our space while continuing to garden on a tight budget, like planting some climbers against the back fence, taking cuttings from friends and family's gardens, sowing from seed, sourcing cheap pots on eBay, painting the shed and buying plants from car boot and roadside sales. That last one had never occurred to me so thanks for that great tip. 

A couple of your recommendations really stood out: Jo and Sam both suggested doubling the width of the border at the back of the garden to give depth and to let us vary the height and shape of the planting. This hadn't occurred to me, and it's such a good idea as we have a large lawn and can spare the space. So, last weekend we did just that, doubled the width of the border. My sister  - the one with that stunning garden - is making big changes to her own outside space and she offered us some unwanted plants. Big plants are expensive, and the opportunity to get my hands on some established, mature shrubs was too good to pass up. Our garden now boasts a small Ragged Robin tree, some sedum, a Rose of Sharon, a small rhododendron bush and monbretia. (My mum had to tell me the names of all those plants - I have enthusiasm, but not knowledge.)

They all need time to settle and grow, and there is still too much visible earth, but it's a start and I'm happy with it. This autumn I'll plant bulbs, and next year I'll add lupins and foxgloves for more height and colour.

Something Sarah said really made me stop and think. To paraphrase, it was along the lines of: think about how you create corners of interest in your home, and try to achieve the same effect in the garden. Of course! I love nothing more than faffing around indoors, so why not outdoors too? I'd never really thought of creating a garden in that way. A reading/gin and tonic corner with a bench is already in progress, and I'd like a cut flower or vegetable area at some point, and we already have an eating area. Our decking is gloriously sunny until about 3 pm, but there have been times recently when it's been a little too hot, especially over lunchtime. So when Homebase contacted me recently asking me if I'd like to review one of their parasols, I was very interested indeed. 

I've always fancied an overhanging parasol because you can angle the direction of the shade more easily than one which sits in the middle of the table. I chose this one and can report that it looks good, offers a huge area of shade and is very easy indeed to put up and take down. And yes, we still only have three chairs. I've been trying to find a similar one on eBay but I've given up and think I'll probably buy a couple of directors chairs - these ones have caught my eye. Do have a look at Homebase's Outdoor Living section, they've got some lovely things. 

I just love the shadows and shapes the furniture has made on the decking there. Here's hoping we have lots more sunny days this summer.

This post was written in collaboration with Homebase.