Community spirit on show in Delacourt Road

Bravo, to the businesses of Delacourt Road in Blackheath who've added some floral cheer and community spirit to the small parade of shops with their Gardening Group Project. I walk down this road, with its small parade of shops each day but as I've had a few days off I've not been up and down the road so much, so it was a lovely surprise to be greeted by the floral adornments as I popped to the local shops earlier today.

Wondering why the garage had left some tyres out I took a closer look.

TYRES AS A PLANTER OUTSIDE THE GARAGE

The card reads: MHA Gardening Group Project for Delaware Road, please respect and enjoy.

And a little further along there was more, a pair of legs relaxing in a garden chair outside the MHA Trust charity shop, who I suspect are behind this, I'm sure.

TAKING IT EASY OUTSIDE THE MHA CHARITY SHOP

Outside the taxi office, a storage crate or chest.

A STORAGE BOX OUTSIDE THE TAXI OFFICE

Outside each of the shops was an item that reflected the nature of their business, the baby shop had a basket which wouldn't look out of place in a nursery, perhaps without the flowers.

And outside the Natural Health Clinic, what else? A torso.

AND OF COURSE, A TORSO OUTSIDE THE WELLBEING CENTRE

On the corner of the road, the newsagents and corner shop were also taking part, using a wooden crate for their display.

Walking back along the road later I spotted one I missed the first time round, and one that uses a tyre, that's been on the fence for a while (I've no idea why either) inventively. 

Sometimes the most unexpected, but simple things can really bring a smile to your face can't they?  Let's hope these little arrangements of community spirit and cheer are respected, I'm pretty certain they'll be enjoyed.

A beautiful storage chest

For quite a while I've been looking for the perfect storage solution for our spare bedroom. Nothing has quite been right. Back in October I'd seen a lovely wooden chest in the same place I was wowed by all the crockery, but it needed work and they weren't up for budging on the price and so I walked away, reluctantly. On our recent visit to Norfolk I headed back down there to see if it was still there, it wasn't, and I didn't feel as sad as I thought I would. 

There was another chest there, this time tin rather than wood. Again though it was tattier than I'd like and I wasn't sure how we'd repair it. This time I'd gone armed with measurements and it was the right size for the space I had. We did a lot of umming and ahhing and once again walked away. 

But a seed was sown. 

It wasn't long before I was looking on eBay for tin storage chests, and I was amazed at what I found - as I so often am when I discover you can buy almost anything on there. I mean you can buy bricks, as well as lovely storage chests...

And yesterday I arrived home to a very large cardboard box. Inside was this:

Yes, a beautiful storage chest, sold as a 'second' on eBay. 

It's newly made, but made to look slightly more lived in. And that's a great compromise for us. I was keen for something that wasn't too pristine, while MOH preferred something brand, brand new. I didn't tell him until it arrived that it was sold as a second and it came with some added character.  

And it fits perfectly in the spot too. 

I'm really pleased with it, it was just what I wanted but wasn't able to articulate. The inside is lined with a plain brown material, which means it won't need any work and can be put straight to use storing the bedding for the spare room.  

That means no more lugging the pillows and duvet down the stairs each time we use the room, and you don't know how happy that makes me. It's just a small thing, but it's often the small things isn't it... 

And filling it with the bedding will start off a new batch of Spring rearranging, as the space the bedding is taking has already been earmarked and the new-last-December Christmas tree will be moving in. 

Yes, I'm finally getting my act together! Well, almost... 

Inside the Potting Shed at Mottisfont

On our way back from our Dorset break at the end of March we stopped off at the National Trust's Mottisfont in Hampshire. It was my first visit there and it certainly lived up to its romantic billing in the NT blurb. I'll share more from our time there over the next few weeks, but today I'm concentrating just on one quite small part of it, and that's the Potting Shed. Which is, as its name suggests, a shed.

And yes I know, it's a vast estate - we walked around a lot of it - and I'm showing you a shed. But, it's a very nice shed!

IT'S A VERY NICE SHED!

You're starting to believe me now aren't you?  

It was the kind of place I could happily have spent a good hour or two in, but I didn't think I'd get away with that so I spent as long as I could. It was also the kind of place that had the right mix of being a real space, but also carefully orchestrated, and I couldn't work out which it was more of. My head said the orchestrated side, but my heart just wanted to pull up that stool and get my nose into one of those books. I'd have preferred an easy chair over the stool, but I think that's probably why there wasn't one!

And is it just me, or do those tools say G & T? 

I like the wooden box for seeds, and make use of some wooden wine boxes in my own greenhouse and they're a great modern day equivalent. I always look out for those on our French trips and so far, have been lucky twice.  

I wanted to rummage through the seed box and sift through the papers on the desk but held back. Just. The notebook telling part of the story was a nice touch and a tactic that Mottisfont used in the property too, where if I'm honest I found it a little too forced, but also the handwriting a little too small and too wordy when the place was much busier. It worked here in the shed though as there was time to read it without someone hovering at your shoulder willing you to move on. 

The rose paintings on the wall were beautiful and reminded me of a herb book I have, a present from  my nan, with its botanical style illustrations. And it's true, I think, the best roses do survive and quite often we rarely know their names, just how they flower, their scent and of course their colour. 

It's hard to believe isn't it, that this is just a relatively normal sized shed, perhaps a little bigger than most of us have, but definitely somewhere to ponder and learn, experiment and succeed. And for all kinds of roses too.  

The "in tray" made me smile too. Not just the old tobacco tins no doubt used for storing seed, but also because it's just the kind of in tray I'd be happy with. I've still seeds to plant right now and so it's a job I  must get on with this weekend. 

Yes, it really was a fascinating place and jam packed with information and treats for the eye everywhere I looked. Even down to what must surely be orchestrated dirt... 

Quite a shed, and it's easy to see why sheds are often a safe haven and places for pottering isn't it? My pottering place is my greenhouse, while MOHs is his shed although lately neither of us have had enough time for a decent potter - we'll need to put that right, won't we?