My top 10 posts of 2018

Today I’m taking a quick look at the top posts from this year, and in a slight change from last year there’s two lists. The main part of the post focuses on the popular posts which were created this year, then finish with a list of the top posts created anytime, pleasingly some of my 2018 posts are on that list too.

And yes, the IKEA hack post features again - but despite my reminder to myself in last year’s post I didn’t manage any more this year. So, let’s start with this year’s posts.

1 A map on my wall

I’m pleased this post tops the list because it’s high on my list of favourites too, so you’re likely to see it on that post too. I’m not apologising for that though as the mural wallpaper has transformed the room and I still catch myself heading up there for a peek, and perhaps a virtual stroke. It’s also been quite a hit with our visitors too, even if the decorators were slightly less than pleased when they learnt it was destined for our curved wall.

OUR GLOBE-LIKE MAP

2 Blinds and shutters with Thomas Sanderson

I’m surprised this post is so high up the list on views, but then again Thomas Sanderson is a well established and well respected company. From talking to their people on the stand at Grand Designs it was clear they have a passion, and plenty of knowledge, for window coverings and they’re worth a look if you’re after blinds for your conservatory, they have more than you’d think and the technological advances are amazing.

3 Our space in space

This Beautiful Border at Gardeners’ World Live in Birmingham had more to it than first met the eye with its connection to the Voyager mission in 1990. And the Dr Who tardis, is the blue dot that’s home, that’s us - you’ll have to check out the post for that photo, because I couldn’t resist sharing some bright green succulents against the grey of the slate.

4 A great summer to enjoy our redecorated conservatory

We’ve only managed two house projects this year, the wallpaper which is at the top of this list, and the larger conservatory revamp. 2018 has been a tricky year, but having this work done has made such a difference to how we use this space - and it looks great too! It’s no surprise then that this project features more than once on this list, but reassuring that the “after” is the most viewed.

BI-FOLD DOORS AT EITHER END OF OUR CONSERVATORY HAVE MODERNISED THE SPACE

5 Adding flexibility - and stools - to our dining table

What’s more is that now our revamped conservatory now matches the style of the rest of our downstairs, which while we’ve a house that was built in 1890, is much more modern. I’m keen that our furniture complements our style and each other, but doesn’t have to match exactly. That’s what I liked about these stools, they work at the dining table, but they also work in other rooms including the study, which is where they’re more usually found and brought out when we need that extra seating.

6 Hello February!

Perhaps another surprise to the top viewed list, but then again this pop of colour in February could be just what everyone needed. This post showed the contents of my February stationery subscription box, which was a gift that I very much enjoyed and I’m still making use of.

7 Our conservatory plans

This post captures some of the before shots - note the ice cream tubs above the doors top left in the photo below, catching water from an ever increasing leak, and while it’s not the prettiest of posts, I’m glad I captured it. As well as setting out our plans, it also shows what it looked like before the work started, so it’s easy for you to see how much of a difference the bi-fold doors made, especially if they’re something you’re considering yourself. We’d come to love this conservatory, and making the change was a big one for us, but we’re so glad we did as we love it even more now, and it’s a much more usable space.

THE ‘BEFORE’ SHOT

8 Those pom poms in the Botanical Bedroom

You know how much I like a show, so it’s good to see one of the room sets from this year’s Ideal Home Show in this list. The other big shows I visited this year - Grand Designs and Gardeners’ World Live - also appear on this list, so it seems you like a show as much as I do. The big thing in this bedroom was the pom pom edged throw, and I noted that they were one of the things that I saw everywhere at the show. I’m a confirmed pom pom lover, so that was good news for me and some pom pom edged cushions have snuck into a couple of rooms at home too - I’ll share more of those shortly.

9 Conservatory news - and progress!

Yes, another from the conservatory revamp - this one and in progress post, and where we had quite an open feel to the back of our house, once the oak doors had been removed. It was like this for longer than I liked as there was a mix up with the door and window delivery, which meant that I delayed posting real time updates, because, well we didn’t have a back to our house. And while it was perfectly secure, or so the builders and MOH told me, I felt much better when the doors were on. Although we did get quite used to just wandering out into the garden!

THE OPEN PLAN LOOK

10 The final push

Despite what it looks like in the shot below, it was almost there, there was just the tape to come off the doors and skirting and the floor to be sanded. Like all projects though - including a good sort out - it got worse before it got better, but it was so much better (see above!)

So looking back it’s a good reflection on our year, the new additions and building work featuring heavily along with a post from each of the big shows. No posts from our garden though, but then again, we’ve hardly found time to do much there this year either, which wasn’t quite our plan but other things needed to take priority. But I’ll share more from our garden, and the gardens we visited, in my gardening year round-up post next week.

And the second list

This list is posts created at any time but viewed in 2018, the year in brackets is the year the post was originally posted, as I do like a bit of detail

1. Ikea hack: storage table to laundry basket (2015)

2. Filling our gabion baskets (2017)

3. Let’s talk Edwardian house decoration (2017)

4. Softening our gabion seating area with plants (2017)

5. Tintagel castle and 148 steps for starters (2015)

6. A map on my wall (2018)

7. Making cute pom-pom Easter bunnies and chicks (2016)

8. Blinds and shutters with Thomas Sanderson (2018)

9. Exploring the RAF Oulton Museum at the Blickling Estate (2017)

10. Our space in space (2018)

And looking at the stats, it’s going to have to be a pretty special post to knock the Ikea hack off top spot, but who knows maybe my wallpaper will do it, or maybe there’ll be something else. We’ll just have to wait and see - but in the meantime I’ll be sharing some of my favourite posts of the year split into two parts again, as you know I have terrible trouble choosing just a few!

And relax, with an artisan cuppa

Much has been made this year of “Twixmas” the time between Christmas and New Year, the time of year we all recognise because we’re unsure what day of the week it is, and we’re still nibbling our way through the festive food, that was designated as “for Christmas” in the lead up to the celebrations. We still do that ritual of asking what you want for tea, but know that the answer is more than likely going to be turkey, or ham. That is until the new year when we’ll add beef to the repertoire!

But life is starting to get back to normal. Our Christmas guests have gone, the turkey is off its carcass and in only a small number of containers in the fridge. But the real barometer of returning to normality is the decline of the cheeseboard and that the pigs in blankets, even the second batch, have vanished more quickly than you’d know.

The calm after the whirlwind of family visits and the general hubbub of December is something to enjoy though, and this year it’s been enhanced by a proper cuppa, and artisan ones at that from Adagio teas, who sent a selection of their seasonal teas for me to try. In this post I’ll share a bit more about each of the samples, which are extensive.

Adagio teas are a family company who source their teas direct which means they arrive fresh and the farmers benefit from a better deal. On their site there’s information about the types of tea, the five basic steps of tea processing - plucking, withering, rolling, oxidising and firing, and the five basic styles of tea - white, green, oolong, black and pu erh.

A CHRISTMAS SELECTION OF TEAS INCLUDES: CHRISTMAS, ROOIBOS NUTCRACKER AND YULETIDE TODDY

I’m a big tea drinker, but I hadn’t realised that there was so many options and choices when it comes to flavours. The Yuletide Toddy is a mixture of cranberry and orange, whereas the Rooibos Nutcracker has a different slant of Christmas with nuts, caramel and cocoa, and is a good reminder of our trip to the ballet in Birmingham last month.

CHESTNUT, GINGERBREAD, CANDY APPLE, CRANBERRY, PUMPKIN AND CANDY CANE TEAS IN MINIATURE TINS, FULL OF HOLIDAY CHEER

These small tins are a great way to get started into a different kinds of tea, chestnuts are one of my go to Christmas flavours - chestnut stuffing anyone? No, you don’t like it either, no problem, that’s more for me is the usual gist of the conversations - so to have a tea that brings that roasted chestnut smell in a cup, well that sounds almost perfect.

CHRISTMAS TEAS INCLUDES: CANDY CANE, CANDY APPLE, GINGERBREAD AND CHESTNUT TEAS

SWEET TOOTH TEAS INCLUDES: CARAMEL, CREAM, TIGER EYE AND CHOCOLATE CHIP TEAS

The Sweet Tooth Teas box intrigued me. Sweet tea isn’t normally my thing and I’m not one for sugar in tea. The Tiger Eye blend caught my eye though with its smooth flavours, the website says this has a high caffeine level and the reviews warn of over-steeping this one.

CHAI TEAS INCLUDES: MASALA CHAI, CHOCOLATE CHAI, SPICED APPLE CHAI AND THAI CHAI TEAS

Masala Chai is one of my favourite teas, and I’m regularly found in the queue in the cafe at work asking for one of these. So much so, that if I opt for something else the servers there look most confused, so I was pleased to see a chai selection in this parcel, and while I haven’t tried these yet, I’m looking forward to branching out from my usual “plain” chai.

I also find traditional Earl Grey teas challenging, but the names of these blends may just make me overcome this. I think I’ll be easing myself into these gently, perhaps starting with the green and Rooibos blends, which are described as a classic blend with a twist. I think making sure I’ve some shortbread to hand will help with easing myself in. There’s something about a cup of tea and a biscuit, or two isn’t there?

EARL GREY TEAS INCLUDES: EARL GREY BRAVO, EARL GREY MOONLIGHT, EARL GREY GREEN AND ROOIBOS EARL GREY TEAS

The final two sample boxes have teas with names I can’t pronounce but flavours I know I will enjoy. Oolong tea is one of the five basic types of teas, and one of the most time-consuming teas to create using all of the five steps, but the result is a more complex flavour which are often smooth and rich.

OOLONG TEAS OF CHINA INCLUDES: TI KUAN YIN, WUYI ENSEMBLE, FORMOSA BAI HAO AND DANCONG ARIA TEAS

PREMIUM TEAS OF CHINA INCLUDES: YUNNAN GOLD, GOLDEN SPRING, KEEMUN RHAPSODY AND PU ERH POE TEAS

I’ve only shared some information about tea in this post because it’s impossible to do it justice in a single post, but if you’re interested in learning more about the different types of tea, health benefits, the teabags vs loose tea question, or even food pairings then do take a look at the Adagio teas website, like me, I’m sure you’ll be surprised at how much effort goes into a cuppa.

Tea is so much a part of the British psyche. We all know that a cup of tea will fix almost anything, help solve a problem or just provide some thinking time, and it’s something that is part of who we are, but so often we reach for the household name tea bags rather than anything more. So this Twixmas, my tea exploration journey has resumed, and I’ve a feeling it’s going to continue through to the 91st of January or whatever, at least and hopefully much further into the year as I’ve rediscovered that there’s really something rather nice about using loose leaf tea, which feels like a treat, when really it shouldn’t.

Are you joining me?

* This is a collaborative post, but all opinions are my own.

Making a gingerbread house with Neff

I’ve already shared a couple of pictures here and on my social channels of the gingerbread house i helped to construct at a blogging event a week or so ago. And it was billed as a bit of a bake off, which involved competition and skill. Thankfully I’d been teamed with some proper food bloggers who brought their knowledge to our team’s enthusiasm. Before being let loose on the challenge, we learnt more about the ovens and what lie ahead of us and although the dough had been made for us in the interests of time, instead of a recipe to follow we had to use our instincts, which is where those food bloggers came into their own. Between them they knew how long to cook the individual shapes for, and how to make Royal Icing. I quickly learnt this is where my icing goes wrong as I’ve not made that type of icing before. Lesson number one learnt and stored away for home use!

But starting off there was a simple cutting out job to do. First the templates and then the templates and gingerbread dough. With the dough cut out one of the most challenging parts of the evening was fitting the dough onto the trays to go into the oven, as with three teams cooking there was as much competition for oven space. Thankfully none of us were so competitive that we resorted to dirty tactics, everyone played fair, even to the point of checking on each other’s baking.

I’m a fan of Neff ovens, I’m on my second at home - the second one as when we did our kitchen we opted to upgrade our appliances too, and it was an easy choice when our kitchen suppliers asked which brand of appliances we wanted. Definitely Neff. They’re reliable, cook well, look good and why move from what you know?

Our only regret, well with hindsight, that has to be the timing of our kitchen refurb, which was just as the ‘slide and hide’ models were starting to be available. Of course, hindsight is a wonderful thing and I’m not sure we would have delayed it just for an oven door which disappears, but I know one thing, next time we buy an oven that’s what we’ll be aiming for.

Another thing I learnt from the evening was that clean ovens are more efficient than, well than mine. That’s lesson learnt number two, but that’s one that is likely to take a bit more elbow grease, or delegated elbow grease, to put right. But it’s something to aim for, kitchen goals and all that…

With our gingerbread baked and trimmed - it’s important to do that while it’s still warm, and a tip we picked up was to use those templates again, and not worry too much if it cracks, as there’s always icing. That’s my own real-world, icing loving, tip there - but it works.

While the main components were cooking we set about making some gingerbread and French stick canapes; there were circles, stars, snowmen and Christmas tree shapes - and more besides. Not liking to waste any of the dough I attempted some triangular bunting shapes, see above. The shapes expanded during cooking, and so the PR friendly bunting transformed into stepping stones to go outside our house.

And that icing, that’s all mine - it’s a bit wobbly in places, but not bad for a first attempt at lettering, hey?

Construction was made easier with many hands, and so I can confirm many hands do make light work. After my mini-venture into icing, I was happy to leave the construction cement-like icing to those that really knew what they were doing, happy to record the events in much the same way that Kevin McCloud does on Grand Designs, but with much less mud.

Confident that our house wouldn’t fall down, it was time for decorating, and the next challenge of the evening was trying not to eat our construction supplies - well until the decorating was done that is.

You’ll have seen my 3D tree here before, but I’m sharing it again because I’m so proud of how it turned out. I’d love to say it was planned, but when I saw two stars and a circle going spare, along with plenty of green icing I couldn’t help myself. The jelly babies proved to be the perfect baubles, and the tree looked great in our garden.

It was my first time making a gingerbread house, and it was way easier than I thought, especially with the combined knowledge of our team’s food bloggers. If you’re tempted to try one for yourself, give it a go, as not only is it fun to make, it also tastes fantastic too as my work colleagues can testify - and I’m sure it’ll be easier with the recipe too, so here’s the recipe of our gingerbread houses - thanks Neff.

* This is a collaborative post, but as usual all views are my own. Thanks to Neff and their partners for a great evening, and of course for the gingerbread house!