Calm and swirls in the Mediterranean garden at Houghton Hall

It’s hard to think that it was only four months ago when we escaped to a Norfolk cottage for a short stay. It seems much longer than that at times, and so much has happened since then, mostly Covid-related which needs no further comment. We were lucky that we were still able to go, and while we were there we made the most of where we were.

And that included a trip to Houghton. We carefully planned - or snuck - a visit for on our way home, and I think we covered every blade of grass while we were there. It had been wet, and so we were prepared with our walking boots. Less prepared when we found them in the boot of the car a month or so later, but you can’t have everything all of the time can you?

in the mediterranean garden at houghton hall

The main reason for our visit was to see the Anish Kapoor exhibition - which was fab - but I was also keen to spend some more time in the walled garden. This garden - the Mediterranean garden, is part of that, and while you can’t see the walls trust me, they’re there, behind the hedges.

swirled hedges with a hedge surround
symmetry and deep water

It’s the swirls of the hedges and the tranquility that appeals. The calming colours of the bench, the terracotta pots and the green of the plants, but it’s also the symmetry - it feels the ideal place to sit and while away a stressful day, in the right weather of course.

a bench with a view

Though keeping such a space looking so good is I’m sure no mean feat, if it were mine I’d need an attentive gardening team just so I could sit and enjoy those swirls. Not going to happen is it, but a girl can dream!

PoCoLo

A new crochet project

Last December, for the first time in a long while, both MOH treated ourselves to an advent calendar. His was coffee, though I think he’d much have preferred whisky, or as he later discovered a port advent calendar, and mine was wool. I was more than happy.

A fully opened yarn advent calendar

Each morning, opening our advent calendar, became part of our new ritual. He even feigned interest in the wool, me likewise for the coffee! My original plan had been to try and use each skein close to the day I opened it, but that was way too optimistic. And so they were carefully admired and put aside for when I knew I could enjoy them properly.

And here they are. The nerd in me couldn’t resit photographing them in order, starting with day 1 in the top left corner. The nerd in me is still sticking to using them in order too, as you’ll discover later on in this post.

24 mini skeins

Clearly I had no idea what colours would be included, but I’d given some thought in advance on how I would use them, but before we get onto that I needed to wind them to use. No fancy winding tools here, so I spent an enjoyable afternoon creating these balls of wool ready for use, and thankfully not too many of them misbehaved and ended up in a muddle of knots. Though a couple did, and my patience to untangle them astounded me.

24 balls of wool ready for use

Having already given how I would use them some thought and deciding to try something slightly different for me - though still crocheted squares - I knew I would need some neutrals to make my half and half squared blanket, well, less garish.

I’ve started with day 1, and so far I’m really pleased with how they’re turning out. I chose two neutral colours, one a pinky-grey and the other (not shown) a blue-green, both of which are colours that fit our decor and I like.

two half and half squares

So now, it like one or two other projects on the go is calling my name each evening when we sit and relax. And I’m keen to see how this one works out.

PoCoLo

Blinds and shutters with Thomas Sanderson

No doubt like me you've heard of Thomas Sanderson and their conservatory blinds and shutters and think you know their products. I did too, but when I visited their stand at Grand Designs recently, I realised that maybe I didn't after all.

It's been a long time since I've looked at blinds, and I think it's safe to say that I've never really considered conservatory blinds.  But with the work we have going on in our conservatory at the moment I was interested to find out if conservatory blinds really could be for us. 

I was surprised to learn that Thomas Sanderson have partnered with Laura Ashley to bring two great names into your conservatory.  There's twenty two colours in this range and while I didn't see them, I'm pretty sure the colours will be classic, muted, easy to live with and coordinate easily with every kind of conservatory decor.

conservatory blinds from Thomas Sanderson

There were a couple of other things I learnt on my visit too, and it seems that blinds are no longer just blinds. I expect the design to be elegant, and functional of course, but I never expected blinds to be full of innovation and technology.

The Duette energy smart blinds have a honeycomb layer, which is where the innovation comes in.  These two layers of pleated fabric offer superior insulation, keeping conservatories warm in winter and cooler in warmer weather - clever hey?  Someone's been doing their homework on the typical UK conservatory! 

blinds from Thomas Sanderson at Grand Designs
 
blinds by Thomas Sanderson at Grand Designs

Thomas Sanderson's website says that these blinds can "reduce energy bills by up to 25%" and as well as keeping the glare out they "absorb up to 45% of noise pollution" which is quite something.

The technology I mentioned before is two-fold.  Instead of manually raising and lowering your blinds you can opt for a remote control, which was new to me.  But even newer, and only to be expected is a new app.  I told you it was clever.

IMG_6819.jpg

Shutters provide a completely different look for a conservatory and are also suitable for kitchens and bathrooms.  Thomas Sanderson have developed their LifeTime shutters to keep the heat in, to not fade or turn yellow from exposure or sunlight.  Which sounds exactly what you want, and like their blinds don't have to be boring, as the image below from the stand shows.

shutters by Thomas Sanderson

It was fascinating to learn more about modern day blinds, and both MOH and I walked away from the Thomas Sanderson stand truly inspired and wowed by the possibilities for our own conservatory. 

What's put us off even thinking about conservatories so far is thinking that blinds were fuddy-duddy, but these certainly aren't.  Another consideration we thought might make blinds a no-go is the width of our window, which is around two metres but we learnt that this shouldn't be an issue either, and the people at Thomas Sanderson's have clever ways around this too, if needed.

Since we've been back from Grand Designs we've given blinds in our conservatory some serious thought.  We are tempted but at the moment our priority is getting through this part of the refurbishment and it's something we'll come back to and give further consideration to once that's done.  The unknown though is the price, and while I understand that Thomas Sanderson is committed to craftsmanship and personal service, it would be nice to know if they're in our price range before booking a design consultation, which for me, is something I'd do once I was seriously considering taking this forward.

I know from our visit to Grand Designs that it's well worth talking to their people, not only were they well informed and knowledgeable, they were also extremely personable and proud of the company they represented.  And how a company's people operate tells you a lot about a company, I think.  So thanks to Debbs and her team at Grand Designs for making us feel so welcome, and for sharing their knowledge, it was much appreciated.

 

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