What Martin did . . .

While my mum pottered in our garden, my dad set to work fixing things in the house. If having my mum in our garden is like fairies doing their thing, having my dad in the house is a little like the Elves and the Shoemaker - I find if I've left out the raw materials (not that I do this on purpose of course), things get magically fixed, tightened, and screwed to the wall!

One of the many jobs my dad over the weekend was put up my souvenir from our stay on the Isle of Wight. I saw this print in a lovely interiors/gift shop in the village where we were staying, but every time I went back to the shop it was closed. On our last day, my dad went for a little walk and surprised me when he returned with this picture wrapped in bubble wrap under his arm.

I thought it would look good in our living room next to the heart shaped light and red vases.

I also like the fact that it catches my eye each time I walk into our living room. If your eyesight is as good as mine (!) it reads:

I love Seaview Isle of Wight in the summertime

I love the fact that I have a permanent reminder of my thirtieth birthday celebrations (in addition to all the other wonderful gifts I was given) and that it's also funny, as one of my abiding memories of Seaview is that it rained every single day we were there, so "summertime" is perhaps a little optimistic!

Thanks Dad - I'm very lucky that you have such brute strength for all the wonky walls in my house, and that you have such a kind heart that you want to fix all my broken things xx 

30 Things I Love: 3

Picasso print.

The third thing from my home that I'd like to share with you is our print of Picasso's Retrato de Paulo con gorro blanco (1923) that sits on the shelf above our television.

Several years ago, David, my family and I went on holiday to Salobreña in Spain - close to Malaga, Picasso's birthplace. We decided to visit the pretty, old part of the town and while we were there, we took in the Pablo Picasso Museum, and toured around Casa Natal - the actual house in which Picasso was born.

We bought this print as a reminder of our stay in Spain, and because we liked the colours in the picture.   Once home, I put it into an IKEA frame and displayed it on this shelf. 

What's funny, is that the boy in the picture has more than a passing resemblance to David when he was little. And, as a result, the boy also looks similar to Torin. So much so in fact, that someone (I forget who now though), actually asked us if the picture was of Torin!

How amazing would it be if someone did a sketch of your child and the artist turned out to be Picasso - you'd never have to work again!

What's your favourite holiday souvenir?

A birthday on an island.

Hello again friends! I've just got back from a relaxing week away with my family on the Isle of Wight. David and my parents organised the trip to celebrate my thirtieth birthday, which was last Thursday. We stayed in an old cottage in a little sailing village called Seaview, which was really pretty and did indeed have great views of the water.

This was our view out of the dining room window:

Not bad eh!

Even though I took this photo in one of the few times the sun shone, we still managed to have a great time. I even won Trivial Pursuit - must be getting wise in my old age! 

It was just so lovely to get away for a while, and I was utterly spoilt by my family all week - I feel very lucky.

A lovely Mothers' Day.

This year we celebrated Mothers' Day over two days. David took the children and me out for lunch on Friday, which was lovely as it is a real treat that we don't get to do much these days. Looking at Torin, sitting in the seat eating his pizza and drinking his apple juice through a straw I couldn't believe how grown up he'd got. Astrid needed feeding just after we ordered our food so I decided to feed her at the table - you know, nice and discreetly. Of course she was having none of it and began screaming, so I took her into the toilets (Zizzi have really big individual toilets) to try again there, but to no avail as she continued screaming and wouldn't stop. She was teething really badly and I knew that I'd left her teething gel at home. Luckily we were in the centre of town and there was a supermarket a few doors down - so I went back to the table, took a longing look at my lovely pizza that had arrived while I was in the bathroom, put my coat on and left the restaurant with Astrid in the buggy. I clearly looked like a woman possessed, as I seemed to get a few strange looks as I pounded down the street! 

I made it back to the table not long after and Astrid, pacified by her now numb gums, fell asleep for the duration of the meal. By this time, Torin had exhausted the shelf life of the free colouring pencils he got with his meal and was getting bored - David whipped out his iPhone and we were soon on our way to enjoying our lovely meal once again (with the faint sound of Peppa Pig in the background). They say that once you've had children, nothing is ever the same again and it's true, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

On Sunday, Torin came into the living room where I was sitting after finishing feeding Astrid and said, "Mummy's flowers and massive card!" David laughed and said, "Ssh! It's a secret!" Torin then started laughing and beamed, "Quick! Hide it!" I think he was just a bit too excited to give me these lovely daffodils from our garden, and the lovely picture of our family that he'd made (with a little help from his daddy):

The different heights of the daffodils represent the four of us - sweet aren't they!

What did you get up to this weekend?

Grand house for sale.

No, it's not ours. We're firmly staying put here - well, for the time being anyway - David's work contract runs out in December - fingers crossed it will be extended. If it's not, who knows where we'll end up . . .

Anyway. I was driving through Radyr (a suburb of Cardiff) today and I noticed that a house I always stare at is up for sale! I knew we would never be able to afford it, but as soon as I got home I looked up the details - I was intrigued to know the price and also to see inside!

Imposing isn't it!

It's on the market for £895000 - ridiculous money, I know! Never in a million years would we be able to afford that! One can dream though!

Here's what it looks like on the inside:

Oh to get my hands on those rooms! I love the fireplaces, the picture rails, cornicing, original floorboards and the beautiful sash windows! All features that have been ripped out of our poor little house.

Here's the garden:

All images from here.

Pretty decent size - brilliant for a family to run around in. Shame it won't be my family. Sad face.

Out and about.

Yesterday I was very brave and ventured out of the house with Torin and Astrid by myself! I know it sounds a bit ridiculous, but I'd been building it up as something that was going to be both difficult and scary. In reality of course, it was neither. Sure, it look a while for us to leave the house - first I had to get Astrid into her snowsuit and then into the buggy, then get my coat and shoes on, then I had to catch Torin, but, once we were out of the house and on our way, we were fine.

We walked to our friends' house for a post-Christmas catch-up - David's mum bought us a buggy board, which Torin really enjoys using, so zipping around with the two of them is actually quite easy and fun for Torin (as long as he remembers to hold on!).

When we arrived at the house, I was reminded of a scene from Absolutely Fabulous - I tried to find a clip of it, but wasn't able to, sorry. I don't know if you're familiar with it, but it's the bit where Eddie has invited her "minimalist" friends over and when they arrive at her house, she runs around shouting, "It's Bettina and Max! Clear, clear, clear!" The pay off is that when Bettina and Max arrive, they bring their baby, and they arrive armed with equipment that then splays out all over the kitchen surfaces in an explosion of bottles and nappies. 

My friend has a 17 week old herself, so her beautifully decorated living room had baby equipment in it too, but when the three of us arrived - me red-faced from the cold and the walk, struggling to get the buggy and buggy board through her front door and then covering her living room floor with all of our stuff including Torin's potty, I felt like my friend probably thought to herself, "Why on earth did I invite this chaos into my house?" Not that she would ever actually think that, she's lovely.

Anyway, we had a lovely afternoon chatting, drinking tea and playing with the babies, and then I managed to get all three of us and all of our equipment home again!

Changing nappies out and about these days is made more enjoyable by the fact that my mother-in-law, brother-in-law and sister-in-law clubbed together when Astrid was born and treated me to this lovely Cath Kidston nappy bag. 

Image from here.

Perhaps one day I'll be a yummy mummy, but for now, having a posh bag will have to do!

A space on a hill in Bristol

Yesterday I ventured to Bristol with Torin and David as David was doing some fieldwork in a school there, and I wanted to go and look for a bed for Torin. The bed I'd seen was the single Oundle bed from ASPACE and, having only seen it in their catalogue and online, I wanted to see it in the flesh. 

Before we left Cardiff I checked where the shop was, and the directions told me it was on Whiteladies Road, which, I thought to myself, was good because I knew where that road was. For those of you who are local, David's office is in Clifton, so I knew the road I needed was nearby. What I had forgotten however, that most of Whiteladies Road is on a steep hill! Eventually, after much puffing and panting (I was pushing Torin in the buggy; it was hot; I'm pregnant etc.) I found where the shop was and stopped outside to have some water and compose myself a little before I went in.

This is the bed I went to see:

Oundle bed in antique stain, available here.

Oundle bed in matt white finish, available here.

Luckily, they had this bed on display in the shop in the white finish, so I was able to see the dimensions of the bed were like, inspect the slats (my dad said this was important!), and get a general feel of the quality. Although the single bed was only on display in the white finish, they had a double bed on display in the dark antique stain that I like.

Overall, the bed seemed pretty good quality, although it was a little scuffed from being on display, and I was pleased with the colour of the dark antique stain. It's also very reasonably priced compared to a lot of other places - it retails for £199 and ASPACE often have 10% off everything sales. I realise that there are cheaper places (like IKEA for example), but ideally I really want this bed to last him into his teens (this is also the reason we're looking for a full sized single bed rather than a toddler bed), so I really want a bed that is good quality, and that will hopefully last. I believe that the Oundle bed is one of ASPACE's best sellers, and I have read some good reviews of it - do any of you know of it already?

I think if we do decide on this bed, that we'll get it in the dark antique stain. I have changed my mind on this however, as I was very drawn to the matt white finish initially. My parents suggested that it would perhaps a little feminine and childish for a teenage boy though - and I think they might be right - what do you think?

I need to go and look at a lot of other places before we actually buy a bed for Torin, but at the moment, based on its aesthetics, quality and the price, this is the front runner.

Where did you go to buy beds for your children?

Design classics and other old things.

You may have seen from my tweets that I managed to get to Jacobs Antiques Centre in Cardiff (I wrote about it here) on Friday. I'm so glad that I finally got to go there - it is a really great place!

There was a huge array of treasures on display there - it is made up of 50 or so separate "stalls". Some are set out neatly and only had a few things to sell, whereas other stalls required a real rummage! There was a lovely mix of furniture, accessories, vintage clothes and jewellery - when we got there it was really difficult to choose where to begin!

The first thing that caught my eye, apart from piles and piles of old suitcases, was an old black Barcelona chair and ottoman similar to these ones (though admittedly a little more worn):

Image from here.

Image from here.

I then could have taken advantage of a massive bargain - I found a 4 tier Kartell Componibili storage unit for £100 and the vendor said I could have it for £70! It was similar to these but taller:

Image from here.

I told the woman that I would go away and think about it as I thought that it could provide a solution to my bathroom storage problem (mentioned here). But, I think I really want a glazed wooden cabinet and although the Kartell unit is very cool, it wasn't really what I wanted. It is amazing how tempted I was though, to buy it without anywhere to put it, just because it was a design classic - familiar feeling anyone?

There was a lot of much older dark wood furniture in the place, and out of this range, an Edwardian "potty" cabinet that would be great as a bedside table, caught my eye at £35. It actually looked a lot like the EDLAND bedside table from IKEA:

Image from here.

It just shows doesn't it if you like old furniture, it is so much more economical than buying flat packed!

I also saw a wooden glazed cabinet that would be great in our bathroom, but stupidly I had forgotten to bring my measurements with me, so I couldn't make them an offer on Friday (this may be my excuse to go back soon). The cabinet was £40 and looked similar to this one:

Image from here.

If I do decide to go back and buy this (if it's still there) I'll probably paint it so it's more in-keeping with our bathroom, and so the wood is protected by the paint.

I'll definitely be going back to Jacobs, and if you live nearby and haven't yet been, I'd definitely recommend taking a visit! Next time I go I'll also try and remember to take my camera as I realise actual pictures of the place would give a better illustration than my description!

Have you bought anything from an antiques / second hand place recently? 

A fruitless hunt for antiques.

Yesterday, my plan was to go to Jacobs Antiques Centre in Cardiff. So, I trundled there with David and Torin after Torin and I had met with one of my heavily pregnant (less than 2 weeks to go!) friends for a lovely cream tea, only to find that it only opens Thursday to Saturday!

Image from here.

It's somewhere I've been meaning go to for a while but haven't really found the right time (plus, I've never really known where the entrance was). Oh well, I guess yesterday wasn't the right time either!

The place is apparently 3 floors crammed full of antique and vintage finds, and is described by one customer as, "a Narnia made for the bargain hunters among us" - sounds great! There's meant to be a real mix of stuff there, including furniture - so I may even find my cupboard for the bathroom! Hopefully with over 50 stalls to browse through, I'll be able to come away with something interesting - will let you know how I get on, once I finally get there!

More tea vicar?

This weekend we got to stay at the beautiful Rectory Hotel in Crudwell, Wiltshire, as David's brother and his wife had a blessing on their marriage in the church nearby.

The front entrance that we decorated with white voile bunting.

The boutique hotel is in the old village rectory and is owned by an interior designer and his partner. I wasn't surprised to hear that he was involved in interiors as the hotel is beautifully furnished and decorated.

The back of the house from one of the walled gardens.

Our room was the second and third windows from the right, on the first floor. The room overlooked the fishpond, which was once a Victorian baptism pool!

The hotel has 3 acres of fantastic Victorian walled gardens, that have been very well looked after, and planted sympathetically. It was so lovely to relax on the lawn with a newspaper on Saturday morning - we had grandparents and uncles to keep Torin entertained!

As we had Torin with us, and our niece stayed in our room with us, we were given the family suite, the Sudeley room. It came complete with his and hers sinks in the ensuite bathroom (that was bigger than our family bathroom at home!) and a massive four poster bed. 

Our room. Can you see the lovely navy leather Roberts radio on the dressing table?

The relaxed atmosphere throughout the place was in part due to the beautiful weather we enjoyed while staying there, but really the credit has to go to the calming decoration and eclectic furnishings, as shown here in the bar area:

The welcoming bar.

Thank you Paul and Bec (yes, my sister-in-law is also called Rebecca Mellor!), for a lovely weekend!

All images from here.

Spring tulips and lovely sunshine.

What a glorious weekend! Hope you had the sun where you are.

My parents came to stay and we were able to spend most of our time outside because of the lovely lovely weather. When they arrived on Friday, they gave me two bunches of pretty tulips:

The windowsill behind the sink in the kitchen is one of my favourite places to display flowers - you can perhaps see from this picture that we can't see our garden from this window, as it is at the side of the house, so I love to have flowers here to bring a bit of the outside indoors.

On Saturday, my brother and his girlfriend, and David's brother came over and we all went to Bute park in the centre of Cardiff, for a picnic. We sat in dappled sunshine underneath blossoming trees, and drank in the beautiful spring day. A lazy walk back to our house via a sunny beer garden completed a relaxing day. 

A beautiful wedding at a beautiful house.

Sorry for yesterday's lack of post . . . we were at our friends' wedding in Somerset. Mr and Mrs Connolly got married on Sunday, at Halswell House near Bridgwater. 

Most of this fantastic Grade 1 listed building dates back to 1689, but part of it can be traced back to medieval times - it oozed history at every turn. I spent a lot of my time there imagining what it would have been like to have lived there when the house was in its original prime - taking afternoon tea on the ornamental lawn, or picking out dresses for the Season. Actually, knowing my luck I'd probably have been downstairs, in service!

David, Torin and I stayed in one of the family suites - the Boudoir, which was very grand. I took some pictures of our room so you could see exactly how stately it was:

The sign on our bedroom door.

The fireplace in our room.

Our bed (very comfy btw).

Some mirror eh!

One of two massive windows in our room, over-looking this view:

Very tranquil.

This massive tapestry was hanging on the wall in our room, above a really ornate dressing table.

15th century IKEA?

Isn't it funny how such a new object can fit in so well in such old surroundings!

I also wandered around the rest of the house and took some pictures of other wonderful objects before we left on Monday morning:

A manificent chandelier that looked like it was made from amber.

This wonderful hearth was in a room being used as a corridor!

This beautifully ornate ceiling was in the room where breakfast was served.

I don't know if it was an original or reproduction, but this birdcage was beautiful.

I'm still exhausted from our few days away, but a good time was had by all. As I said, it was a beautiful wedding in a beautiful house, and I wish Alex and Mark a very long and happy future together.