Four fabulous bedside tables

One of the ongoing projects we’ve had on our list to complete is to sort out the bedrooms in our new build, and it’s something that’s getting closer to being ticked off the list. And there’s been a whole lot of change since we moved in - including the ‘great bed swap around’ - which came about when we bought ourselves a new bed, but I’ll leave that post for another day.

However the new bed arriving meant that we had surplus beds, one had to go - and of course it wasn’t that simple. We had our old bed, a metal framed bed, which we wanted to keep, a divan bed which gives great storage, and a futon which we bought just before we got married in 2007.

The futon was a heavy one, and while we’d had it a while, it hadn’t had a huge amount of use. But it was this one that was on the hit list, and so I tried to give it away in a local Facebook group with no joy. After a pause over summer, and while the spare bedroom was temporarily repurposed as a huge clothes store while we had inners fitted to our built in wardrobes (there’s another post to come), I was back on the case.

This time though I had some unexpected Facebook success. In another local Facebook group thoughts were clearly turning to Christmas and sleeping arrangements for those hosting, and someone asked if anyone was selling a sofa bed or futon.

Well, hello.

Our futon is now in its new home just up the road, and what’s better I sold it rather than gave it away - its new owner is happy with their bargain for the snug and their kids were glad not to sleep on an air mattress. Everyone’s happy!

But of course that left me with no excuses for getting our spare bedrooms straight - so the final parts of the ‘great bed swap around’ were implemented. Our old bed, which had been stored dismantled in the third bedroom, is now in our guest room, and the divan is now in the spare bedroom.

Yes it would have been easier to assemble our old bed in the spare room, but the room shape is narrower/longer than the guest room and I thought that the bed with both a head and foot board would make the room look smaller. The guest bedroom is squarer and there is more space to navigate around the bed, so it really was a no brainer.

Searching for new bedside tables

For years we’d had some old Ikea units alongside the divan as bedside tables, but these really didn’t work with the metal framed bed, and were much larger than we needed. So the hunt for new bedside tables began in earnest.

I wanted something that would have room for a lamp, and a glass of water or cup of tea that wasn’t too large, or too small. I didn’t need a drawer, but I was keen on having a shelf of some description. And with these criteria I wasn’t that hopeful if I’m honest, but I struck gold at M&S, and two arrived and were assembled by MOH at the start of December.

Step forward the Salcombe side table

They are M&S’ Salcombe Side tables - the top is 35cm x 35cm which is plenty big enough for a lamp, a drink and a book and even a pair of glasses or a make-up bag. There’s no drawer - so none of our junk can creep into there, and hopefully that means no forgotten items either. And there is a shelf - so everything on my list. What’s better is that they were only £49 each.

They may not be billed as bedside tables on their website - my search reached the creative thinking stage before I was successful. You can imagine I was keen to try them out in both bedrooms - and if they worked order some more quickly before they sold out! I’m so glad I didn’t wait, as I’ve just checked while writing this post and this colour is no longer on their site, the lighter grey is still available.

They worked, I ordered some more which arrived the following week, and were just as quickly assembled by MOH.

THE PERFECT HOME FOR MY ORIGINAL SPRING CROCHET THROW

THE OTHER SIDE, ALONG WITH THE PEPPED UP GREY CROCHETED THROW

ON ONE SIDE…

AND THE OTHER, BETWEEN THE BED AND METAL STORAGE TRUNK

All four look fab, and really finish off the rooms - though two still have empty shelves, I’ll have to work on that!

My garden in January

Another short winter garden post this month understandably as most of the time we’ve spent in the garden is either walking to the car or emptying the bins - but I have enjoyed viewing the garden from the house.

And with frosts like these it’s hardly surprising is it?

Thankfully the plants seem to have taken the wintery weather pretty well - though it looks as if I’ve lost the sickly rosemary which I planted in the outside border, I’d hoped it would be able to turn itself around out of the wind, but it was not to be. The other plant that’s looking decidedly dodgy is the one midway in the border below (to the right of the three concrete balls). It’s got a variegated leaf and it really doesn’t look too happy - if it makes it, and I’m hopeful it may, then I think I’ll pop it into a pot and see how it does, as maybe the rootball is restricted somehow.

We had a large leaf blowing around our garden, and neither MOH or I could work out if it was actually a leaf or some cardboard. It turned out to be a very large leaf indeed - I’ve not seen other leaves like this, so I wonder how far it had blown.

The pots of daffodils and tulips are starting to do their thing and poke their shoots through the surface. I was glad to have spotted this as a couple of the tulip pots were double stacked, which clearly wouldn’t have been a good thing - though I’m sure the tulips would have tried their bendy best to seek out the light and grow!

Last March I’d bought some snowdrops in the green and had planted them in the border which we look out over from the house, and was wondering where they’d got to. Towards the end of the month I spotted some potential snowdrop activity, then overnight a single snowdrop appeared.

Since then this one has been joined by a few more, and the second clump is also showing signs of growth - hopefully they’ll really come into their own during February (and of course in the years ahead), but they are a good reminder that spring is on its way, however slowly that may feel at times.

Walking East Stoke's lanes: January 2025

I said the next post in this series would be here before you know it, and here it is - but first it’s a year now since I started these posts and it’s been an interesting way to learn about the countryside on our doorstep, and I’m sure that this year there’ll be similarities but also differences and it will be a fun way of noticing and sharing those.

Anyway, in January I only made it out on one walk - and I didn’t want to go on that! To be fair it was the day after New Year’s Day, and my cough and cold was just starting to show itself. Of course once I got out it was fine, if not a little chilly - and as our more usual New Year’s Day walk had been rained off, it seemed only right.

We headed down School Lane, into Church Lane and down to the Trent - a walk we’ve done many times, and I’m sure the photos are familiar to you too. We started our walk mid-morning, and to give you an idea of how cold it was this was my car windscreen less than half an hour before we set off.

As we walked down towards the church there were plenty of iced up muddy puddles which also formed some interesting designs.

But with a view like this in front of you it was almost possible to forget how chilly it was, turning and looking behind me though I got a great view of the church surrounded by the trees branches, but don’t be fooled by that sky it was still cold.

The track to the river was strewn with puddles and walking around them must surely have added some steps to our total count - thankfully though I’d opted for walking boots, and of course left a small trail of dried mud in the house before I left, but never mind.

Reaching the Trent it was clear to see the river levels were higher than normal. The vegetation was much lower though given the time of year, and we spotted the path to the jetty we’d spotted earlier in the summer - only the four post tops were visible, which gives an indication of how much additional water the river was dealing with. It’ll be interesting to see how the jetty and its post fare in future updates, vegetation permitting.

A few days, and more rain later, MOH ventured out for another walk this time heading down Moor Lane where he usually cycles, but given the ice he’d opted to go on foot. By this time I was full of cold and had no interest in leaving the house unless I needed to, but I was keen to see his pictures.

It was the greyest of grey days, as his photo shows!

What it also shows is the bridge on Moor Lane where we usually pause and turn back - both the field on the left and the stream are full of water. I don’t think I’ll ever get over seeing how much water floods onto the fields semi-regularly here, let alone when it goes further and houses are affected, it’s not something that was even a consideration when we lived up the hill from Greenwich in South London, and I suspect many people who don’t see it for themselves also can’t comprehend it either.

Thanks for joining me for this update, if you enjoyed this post you may also like to see all of the posts in this series. Hopefully I’ll still be ‘on schedule’ for an earlier in the month post next month, and I’ve pulled on my walking boots and have some photos to share in the meantime!