While I was distracting myself when the back breaking work of picking up leaves was taking place last weekend, I discovered the most intricate of lacy leaves in the agapanthus. Clearly it’d been there a while, and the leaf tidy up that had happened previously, clearly hadn’t been so thorough, but once it was found and managed not to disintegrate in my gardening gloved hands, it made sense to loiter just a bit more and take its picture.
Worth it wasn’t it?
…And I was hardly even missed!
Hello there and welcome to this week’s #PoCoLo a friendly linky where you can link any post published in the last week. If you were here last week, it was great to see you and if you’re new here this week, then you’re very welcome. Both Morgan and I know you’ll find some great posts to read, and encourage you to pop over to some of the posts linked and take the time to leave a comment or two so that everyone benefits from some extra love.
With a weekend at home we finally got around to tackling the leaves in the garden, or rather MOH did, while I faffed about avoiding the back breaking work of picking up leaves. It’s my cunning plan every year, and it generally seems to work, if you ever find yourself in the same situation. I spent the time taking pictures of the garden - there’s more in the post I’ve linked this week, covering up the garden furniture and pizza oven, moving pots into a more sheltered position and covering our agapanthus in fleece. Which as it turned out was a good move, as as well as the rain earlier in the week we had hailstones, which was a bit of a shock, and then a heavy frost yesterday morning.
Oh, and I picked my last crop of tomatoes, some lettuce and even more bizarrely two miniature broad beans, like you do mid-November
1 Who are you?
Hi, my name is Alonyo Kilama-Oceng a London based blogger. I am British born but of Ugandan heritage. I have been blogging for just over a year on my self titled blog www.alonyokilamaoceng.com
2 How did you discover blogs/blogging?
Looking for an answer on the internet and then slowly stumbled across You Tube videos and then blogs. Then I slowly began watching vlogs and reading more blogs of my favourite influencers.
3 Why did you start blogging?
I wanted a space where my friends and family abroad could come and see what I have been up to. Where I have been travelling to, clothing I am loving and everything in between.
4 What do you find most challenging?
Sometimes it’s the inspiration and ideas of what to write for the blogs.
5 What is your favourite topic to write about?
I currently enjoy writing lifestyle pieces. I enjoy writing more about my experiences to help others who could be going through the same thing as me and helping others out.
6 Are you blogging for fun or do you have goals?
This is a hobby which I really enjoy. I take it seriously but I find it fun to write and edit.
7 What is your favourite thing about blogging?
Being able to interact with other people near or far. Getting new ideas and reading about experiences from others.
8 Have you ever attended a blogging conference and if so, what did you think?
I have not been a blogging conference or event. But would love to go to one .
9 What are you 3 favourite posts?
My first ever blogpost, Let’s start at the very beginning
10 Describe yourself in three words?
Diamond in the rough.
11 Are you a tea and biscuit or a coffee and cake person?
I love a Chai Latte or Chai Tea with custard creams or red velvet cake. But no sugar in any hot drink I have.
12 What’s your idea of a perfect night out?
Out with a few of my girls, anywhere with great music, mojitos and nibbles. Oh not to mention a great view to take a few photos social media worthy.
13 Your perfect night in?
In my PJs and fluffy socks with candles lit with my boyfriend. Ordering in mainly pizza and just watching TV or a movie.
14 What would your best friend or mum say about you?
I am too caring with a big mouth.
Don’t forget to stop by Alonyo’s social channels: Twitter - Instagram
I saw this kitchen by FincH at Grand Designs earlier in the year, and it was clear from those also looking at the room set that it divided opinions. I was impressed by it, and while I might not go for this colour, the idea of a single colour throughout appealed, whereas for MOH and others close by us, they were less wowed. For MOH it was one element of the design that he thought impractical, but strangely it was one that I liked, even if on the whole I agreed with his impractical assessment.
But we’ll come onto that.
The units and walls were all dusky pink, the worktops provided contrast with a soft white finish. The units are made from Jesmonite, a gypsum-based material in an acrylic resin, which makes it a versatile material. The cork flooring, was one of my least favourite elements, but I know that’s down to my inbuilt dislike of the material on floors and walls - yes, I’ve seen it on walls and that just makes me shiver.
I liked the unfussy lines and clean spaces, although in reality my kitchen is unlikely to ever look this clear - but a girl can dream, hey? As well as liking the clean spaces, I’m also a fan of stuff and I’m learning that these two things aren’t compatible. What tends to happen is it’ll start off relatively clear like this, and over time stuff accumulates and I get used to seeing it, and so it becomes part of the “furniture” - until I remember my plan was to keep the worktops clear, and so a tidy up follows. Only for the whole process to repeat, I do think that’s a good thing, or otherwise I’m not sure I’d have enough room to use the worktops to actually prepare food…
Ah yes, the living herb wall. I liked it, MOH thought it impractical. I agreed, but I still wanted one. Even though our kitchen has very little, if any, natural light. I knew it wouldn’t work in our space, but I liked the idea of walking to the end of the work bench to add herbs to my cooking. Often, gathering herbs is one of the tasks that I give MOH when he regrets asking if there’s anything he can do. And that’s usually followed by a description of the herb and its location, how much simpler would it be if the herbs were at the end of the kitchen?
I know, I’m living in a dream world…
The other thing I admired in this kitchen was the tidy concealed cupboards. Mine would never be this empty, but they’d also never likely to be shut, or if they were it’d be because I’d crammed stuff in and wanted to keep that illusion of a clean, clear kitchen.
How would you cope with cupboards like these, or a one colour kitchen?
