Copper flowers, and a spot to relax too

August 2, 2019

For today’s Flowers on Friday we’re heading back to the 2018 Chelsea Flower Show, for a closer look at these copper flowers by Myburgh Designs. I’ve just taken a look at their site, and believe me it’s a very beautiful and potentially dangerous place. They had a garden at Chelsea this year, but when I fell in love with these copper flowers - and more - last year, they had a corner plot which I’m not sure many people stopped by and enjoyed.

These poppies look right at home in the border mixed with the red and white flowers. They’re relatively reasonably priced too, which is always a result, as I have a tendency to sniff out the priciest items.

I think a mixture of sizes works well, and the website says they have a life of their own collecting water for birds in the garden, or could be used to hold candles.

adding a touch of copper to the border at RHS Chelsea in 2018

But my favourite way to enjoy them would be just as it was at the show, from this copper pod.

Which I’m sure proves my earlier point about falling for the high ticket items, but who can blame me?

The Extra Loos Loo Series

July 31, 2019

When we arrived in Liverpool I was keen to find a loo, so keen that I was happy to contemplate a station loo. That was until I saw the queue, clearly we hadn’t timed our arrival so well. In fact I’d had a bit of a funny turn on the train, it was hot but I was struggling to cool down throughout much of the two and a bit hour journey, so I’d send MOH off to find some water.

I was putting it down to the coffee we’d had at Euston, although MOH thought it might have been some travel sickness from the Pendolino train. Whatever it was I was glad to get off and see the concourse at Lime Street. I felt so rough that while MOH went off in search of water, I moved into the window seat and despite it not having the cool air blowing onto it, I did start to improve. It really was quite odd, and either, or both of us could be right about the cause.

Arriving at Lime Street and needing the loo

But anyway, back to the queue for the loo, which was out the door and onto the concourse. I thought there must be somewhere else close by and so was pleased to hear a lady tell another of the loos in the Wetherspoons just next door. Not needing to be told twice, when MOH returned we set off in search of a queue-less loo.

I wasn’t quite ready for what I was to find, but as you can see it all started out fairly normally. Classic tiles, a row of basins and ornate mirrors. There was still a small queue, or rather I was the start of the queue, but that was way better than the previous option.

And then I spotted this sign.

Heading down here.

So off I went, and found a whole other level of facilities. And a huge mirror.

So there you go, an unexpected find - but a welcome one - and the first double level loo for this series.

Who’d have thought?

Big Ideas: A cocooning kitchen

July 30, 2019

I can always tell how much I like a room set by the number of photos I take, and you can tell from this post I was rather keen on this one, and I haven’t included all the ones I have.

The Big Ideas for this cocooning kitchen are:

Dark & Dreamy, with the refined textures and handcrafted feel
Timeless flooring, decorative parquet always has the maximum impact
Tropical elements, whether that’s focal point plants, or the wallpaper, but it’s a great way to personalise your space
Gold accents add a luxurious touch and bring a boutique look
Wine & Dine, the bench style seating is great for entertaining.

Just look at the darkness of the colours, the texture of the tiles, the pattern on the floor and the pop of colour from the chair. Hang on, at first I didn’t notice anything wrong, but looking again the chair looked a little unusual. Stepping back, it was reassuring to know that even for room sets there are hiccups.

Although the legless chair does have a certain air of comfort about it!

There’s wood flooring, on the cupboards and in the dining space, along with the touches of gold, on the table and hanging above it.

I think it’s the tiles that make this work, they reflect light, add texture and look simply gorgeous. Clearly it’s not a proper kitchen, I mean where’s the kettle?