Post Comment Love 21-23 October 2016

Welcome back to another Post Comment Love and I'm convinced that Friday's come around the quickest of any weekday. It's not so bad though as Fridays bring a chance to catch up with all of you lovely lot, and that can never be a bad thing. If you're new here then #PoCoLo is a friendly linky where you can link up any post you've published in the previous week that needs some extra love.

This week for me has been a busy one and started with celebrating my in-law's golden wedding anniversary with a scrumptious afternoon tea. And it was there that my photo this week was taken. The acorn looked quite forlorn on the steps, but I couldn't help but notice that it matched the straps on my favourite shoes of the moment. And then I noticed the patina and texture of the steps and I knew my phone camera would be out.

It struck me that in one moment I'd switched from being an advocate of looking up to being one for looking down too!  So maybe now I'm just an advocate for looking all around us and enjoying what we see by really looking. Who knows, but it's not a bad place to start.

Something new, coming soon...

We don't have a #BloggerShowcase this week but Morgan and I do have something up our sleeves which we'll reveal soon. There's something familiar and there's something new too, and we're hoping you'll get involved because it should be fun. I know that's a bit cloak and dagger but pop back next week to find out more.

An InLinkz Link-up

Fancy wallpaper and a painting to match my dress

Last weekend we celebrated my in-law's Golden wedding anniversary with afternoon tea at Alexander House Hotel in West Sussex. I'd not been there before, but when we arrived and I spotted those chimneys and the huge magnolia underneath them, I had a feeling it would be a place with some quirks. 

And I wasn't wrong. The patterned floor and log stack where in a porch near the bar. The desk with the vintage news sign and the chandelier were just inside the front door. Afternoon tea was great and I proved to myself once again why I could never be a food blogger. I was too interested in eating and drinking and so there are no photos of the food, but it's good, so if you're local definitely give it a go.

You're probably wondering why then I'm writing about a place I visited. Well, unexpectedly I discovered my next post in The Loo Series, which as you've guessed features the loos. And I say unexpectedly as wouldn't you know it I had to make a return visit with my phone.  But it gave me the opportunity to pose with the mirror that was almost as big as the generous door to the cloakrooms.

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It was the wallpaper that really caught my eye.

And the accessories.  The mirrors.  And the toiletries, the Verveine range from L'Occitane is a particular favourite and I'm also rather partial to a Verveine tea after dinner too.  When we're in France the Verveine tea bags are usually one of the first things that go in our shopping trolley as we head towards the wine!

All of that made for a lovely bathroom.  Once again though I was lucky to have the space to myself so I didn't look a right lemon photographing the loos.  In my title I promised you a painting to match my dress. And here it is.

This was in the ante room as you entered from the corridor, and while it's not my usual style of painting, I couldn't help but notice how well it matched my dress. I think my new friend agreed too.

So once again proof that bold colours do work in bathrooms, admittedly this is larger than a bathroom in a house might be, but it's bold and beautiful.  And top marks to the hotel for decorating it to match my outfit!

Do you find yourself noticing the decor in unusual places, or is it just me?

Let's talk Bamboo flooring

Now, if I said Bamboo flooring to you,  I've got a good idea what you might think. In fact it might be close to my first thoughts. Something like this maybe:

Thinking about it more I couldn't see any reason why bamboo couldn't be used for flooring, as I know it's a tremendously versatile material. I mean I have a couple of summer dresses made from bamboo, and instead of the stiff, hard fabric you'd imagine they are unbelievably soft. And remember those bamboo beach mats that were an essential holiday item? Well they're flexible and light too aren't they. 

So until I looked into this more, and browsed around the Ambient Bamboo Flooring site, I'd assumed that bamboo flooring would be a soft floor covering. It turns out I couldn't have been more wrong, as they are said to be three times harder than traditional wood floors, but with the same look and feel. 

The stranded flooring is so resilient because of the way it's made.  The bamboo strands are torn apart and then fused together using intense heat and pressure. And the strength increases if the strands are laid in a cross pattern, which makes sense even to my non technical brain.

So if it's strong, what does it look like?

That was the next question forming in my head. And no doubt yours. But I was pleasantly surprised there too. There's plenty of examples on their site and even as I was beginning to expect to be surprised, I was. 

It can be installed over many types of existing flooring, including concrete. And as bamboo's a fast grower - I can vouch for that if it's anything like the bamboo in my garden - the plants regrow in less than ten years, which is fast compared to seventy years for comparable hardwoods. It starts to make you think doesn't it?

So having not heard of Bamboo floorings before, suddenly I've found myself intrigued by it and wondering why it's not in use more. And then I thought, maybe it is and we just don't know it...

This is a collaborative post but all views and opinions are my own.