Refresh & Create

 Hearty breakfast this morning for two reasons, unusually we have a large amount of eggs to use up and as you know dear friends I cannot abide waste. Also we both have quite a lot of work in the house and garden. A bit of a legacy from two weekends away.

Painting walls is the order of the day for me. I last painted the lounge and ante room five years ago when we moved to our present house. Farrow and Ball Drawing Room Blue. I've loved it, but fancy a colour that will reflect more light.

I always have a colour in mind when I start any painting project, finding the right hue is the challenge. Shade charts are not always helpful and I do like to see the colour on the wall in different lights. Here you see a mixture of Little Greene, Farrow and Ball, Wilko and Dulux. I've gone for the top right. Which is a Dulux paint.

I'm starting in the ante room, so if it's a terrible mistake I can hopefully correct it. I'd really like to get it all done by next weekend as we're having a Jubilee celebration next Saturday, but we'll see. I also have some gardening to do.

Image Garden Museum

Not really helped by Morgana Mittens.

Radio 4 Comedy - A Recommendation (You can thank me later)

 Fantastic radio production, 'Conversations From A Long Marriage'. Starring Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam. Sadly we've listened to all three series now, as they are wonderfully enjoyable, especially whilst travelling long distance in the car. Set aside a little time to listen on BBC Sounds, I'm sure you'll love it.

Back Home & Shattered

 

I'm back from East Sussex and I had such a wonderful time, the weather was mostly kind and I walked for miles. My legs are still complaining. My chum Polly, who came with me was totally charmed by her experiences, not least the smashing dinner party a close friend put on for us. There really is nothing better than good food a few glasses of something and good friends to share it with.

The obligatory foodie photo above was from our amazing  B&B. Lush smashed avacado, poached egg and bacon. The hostess Sarah was perfection. Polly has already asked about booking again. If you're ever in Lewes do stay at Sarah's you'll love it.

After my time in Sussex I went on with the Mr to a friend's party and then we popped along the south coast to visit another friend. Feeling my age at the moment as I'm still tired. But we have another event to go to this weekend. It's feast or famine at the moment.

Brighton Seafront.

A warm welcome to my newest follower.

Hither & Thither

 Hello chums, it's been all go here. The Mr has recently returned from a Portugese sojourn. A golfing trip with his brothers and a few friends. I think it was in reality a sunshine and beer vacation with a sprinkling of golf thrown in. Nothing wrong with that I say, it's good for him to spend time with male friends and family. In contrast I'm off this coming week to East Sussex for a few days with a girlfriend who I hope to get to know a bit better. We have quite a lot of cultural things planned. 

Visits to farmhouses, which are not really farmhouses but the homes of extraordinary folk. Charleston was the country home of the Bloomsbury group from 1916 to the late 1970s when the last member Duncan Grant died. I had the good fortune to work there for some eight years and am very curious to see how the site has been developed since I left.

Farley Farmhouse is also on our list. I worked with the family for an all to brief time just before I moved up to Derbyshire in 2016. The house defies description really, it still feels like Lee Miller and Roland Penrose have a presence there. In a way they do because the site is still run by their only child Tony Penrose and his daughter Ami. 

I'm a little bit jealous of my chum, as she will be discovering these places for the first time. I'm hoping for good weather so we can spend a good long while in the gardens of the houses too.

I've started a wee bit of gardening now the cold winds have subsided. I wanted to create a little 'interesting' area on our top terrace and hoped to find some vintage cast iron shelving for my pots. I did find the perfect one but at over £200 I thought better of it. Being the super scrimper that I am, I painted an old ladder instead. I like the effect.