I have recently come back from staying down in the south with relatives.  They have access to a truly magnificent out of town antique and second hand emporium – the like of which I have never seen before, except in the old market and bazaars […]

Sometimes it can be very difficult to raise the required energy and enthusiasm to go and hit the furnishing & homeware stores.  It tends to be get in the car, race off to the nearest out of town emporium and then a dead stop.  The […]

Ah the joys of chrstmas and the new year period are well and truly out of the way.  We can relax and get on with the really important things in life.  Picking holiday locations and organising the cottage . . .  Choosing the new paint […]

Isn’t it funny how certain times of the year bring particular memories – for me just thinking about Easter reminds me always of one particular house we lived in.  I always think of the sunny daffodil strewn gardens and blissfully happy days etc.  Of course, […]

I was looking around our sitting room the other day – having been given the task of setting up dna decorating the Christmas tree, for which I am famous – only within my family circles, you understand!  I had all the items available, the great […]

This is just the time of year when I feel most comfortable in almost everything I do.  i suspect it is because I am an autumn birthday guy and as with so many folk I know, the time of year of birth does seem to […]

The thing about moving house is the having to wait until you’re almost moving in before you can politely ask if you can go round to measure up for replacing curtains, blinds, furniture etc.  I have a relative who is in the middle of this […]

I have had the same furniture and furnishings in some of my rooms for the 15 years I’ve lived here.  There is something to be said for buying a really solid and beautiful leather suite – it can’t be changed often is one of them.  […]

I have been enthralled watching local properties that have suddenly gone up on the sales market.  Usually there are one or two ‘sold’ boards appear per month – a steady stream of houses change hands.  This last three months has seen an incredible rise in […]

Finding that all important inexpensive but totally uplifting homeware scheme is sometimes a challenge.  Most mega out of town stores seem to stock exactly the same things – almost like a uniform that someone above has decreed we should all have at the same time.  […]