The Moo Loo entry in the Loo Series

During our short break in Suffolk we took the bikes out and cycled through the country lanes from Fressingfield to Framlingham in the beautiful sunshine. It was market day in Framlingham and after a wander around the stalls we thought tea and cake were in order and so found ourselves a spot overlooking the Market Square and watched the world go by for a bit. 

With a ten mile cycle back to the cottage ahead of us, there was one final visit needed. And so that's when I found myself in the Ladies at the Crown Inn at Framlingham, I think it's safe to say I wasn't expecting this.

I mean it's not as if the rest of the decor was shabby, but it was more traditional in its nature. In the Ladies though the cows with a fuchsia background really did take centre stage.  It was only later as I edited these photos that I noticed something unusual about the tiles - have you spotted it?

Yes, the tiles have been laid vertically rather than the usual horizontal. And now I've noticed I'm not sure about them, or how I feel. It's not something I would have thought to do with this size tile, but what do you think?

The wallpaper needed some chunky accessories to compete with it, and the grand mirrors were a good match.

And a couple of them side by side gave perfect balance on an otherwise plain wall.

And large mirrors, need large sinks - so again top marks to the designers here as they managed some very large sinks.

And to show you how large the mirrors are, here I am.

Considering I'd had my cycle helmet on I was quite impressed with my hair - or the bit I could see anyway!

So before I close, here's one final shot of the wallpaper and mirrors - aren't they great?

For me this is the kind of wallpaper I adore - quirky, bold and fun - but also something I probably wouldn't have at home, although I can see this kind of bold print working really well in a downstairs loo.  What do you think?

In my greenhouse...

Back in June it was all about reacquainting myself with my greenhouse, and trying to persuade my tomatoes to grow - and I managed that, in the end. I think I should have potted them on much sooner, but hey ho! 

i had a bit more luck with courgettes and squashes although no sooner had I planted them out in the allotment, then another one sprung out of nowhere... 

My chillies were suffering the same non-growing fate as my tomatoes, so on our recent visit to Hyde Hall I consoled myself with this pretty purple chilli plant. I've not picked any yet, but am curious to know what they taste like.  

The flowers I have in the greenhouse continue to flower, it seems both those grown from seed and the miniature bedding plants are acting the same way, and both are adding some unusual colour to my space. The one below is a poached egg plant and good for attracting pollinators.  Pretty too.  

Proof that my tomatoes have responded well to potting on. Of course now I'm left with the headache of finding space for them on the allotment, but that's a good problem to have. 

I've also had success with parsley this year. For the first time ever what growing from seed  I know parsley likes it warm to germinate and it seems this year it's playing ball.

I'm also trying starting off spinach, lettuce and beetroot in drainpipe. I know it sounds odd but I think these are the kinds of plant that do well sown direct. But the only problem with that is when the seedlings come through they look like weeds. So my master plan is to give them a head start in the drainpipe and then transplant them without needing to disrupt and interrupt them too much.  

Thats the plan anyway, and of course it's reliant on having somewhere to grow them... 

As well as the pale pink flower above I'm noticing that my blueberry has turned autumnal. I mean, it's a lovely colour but I don't know if it's putting on a show or slowly giving up, I guess I'll find out soon enough. 

It seems that this year though is my year of the foxglove, as not only did I have two flowering foxgloves I've a bumper crop of seedlings too.  

And finally, there's an unusual addition this month, with these solar powered light bulbs sheltering here. It was way too windy for them to be outside, so they're taking a temporary respite until the summer returns.  I'm hoping it won't be long!

What have you been up to in your garden or greenhouse? Share your successes and more in the comments. 

A relaxing few days in a beautiful Suffolk cottage

Sometimes you just need some time away don't you to recharge your batteries don't you? We managed to book a few days off work and head to a beautiful cottage in picturesque Suffolk village last week, and we were relatively lucky with the weather too, so phew. As we were away for less than a week we chose somewhere that wouldn't take us too long to travel to, but somewhere that still felt "away" - our choices were Kent, Hampshire or Suffolk. Kent felt too close to home and more day-trippable and in the end it came down to the accommodation we could book. 

And we weren't disappointed. Despite it being so close to Norfolk, a county we're familiar with, it felt different and its landscape was different too with it's timbered cottages, often pink and yellow cropped fields. The fields weren't the only yellow thing though, this welcome bunch of flowers of dahlias and jasmine on the kitchen table was a nice touch, as was the carrier bag full of purple snake beans. And the bottle of fizz in the fridge.

The cottage is a former granary and the kitchen still has the original first floor doors, and the walls were full of character - most noticeable in the pretty ground floor bedroom.

THE CHARACTERFUL BEDROOM WALL

It wasn't just the bedroom that was full of character, the whole cottage was and unusually for a holiday cottage the kitchen was full of useful items, and some decorative ones too.

There's those doors I mentioned before. 

For me the kitchen was the best space in the cottage and the double height area meant those doors could really shine. The photo below is taken from the galleried upstairs and gives a good view of the kitchen (and all of our junk - I really should remember to take pictures before we empty the car!)

Upstairs there were a couple of comfy sofas, a church pew and a TV which we didn't even attempt to turn on, it was one of those restful holidays were our usual routine went out of the window.  From upstairs there were also great views of the front garden of the owner's house which we were welcomed to use, along with their vineyard - more on that another day.

I think you can tell a lot about a cottage from its bathroom, and this one didn't disappoint with it's lino-ed floor, duck boards and toiletries.

Throughout the cottage there was some great artwork, the first two below hanging in the bathroom.

The French theme continued with the artwork in the bedroom with this "Le Journal de Mickey" something I've not seen before.

Upstairs though the walls were adorned with plenty of modern art, my favourite is below.

Although it provoked some debate amongst MOH and I - was it a stack of records, or blueberries or just purple shapes. I guess that's what modern art at its best does, provokes reaction. But I still think it's blueberries...

I was glad I'd packed a colouring book and some coloured pencils as it was the perfect peaceful evening pastime.  I must remember to carry this on now I'm home!

Do you abandon your normal routines when you're away, especially when holidaying in the UK?