My top 10 posts of 2020

Once again in my yearly ritual I’m looking at the most viewed posts here last year. I’m sharing two lists again, the first of which shows the top ten posts created in 2020, the second list is the top ten posts created at any time, mainly just to continue what I’ve started and to satisfy my own inner data nerd.

So onto the top 10 posts created in 2020.

1 Lockdown Learnings #1

Well, how 2020 - in some ways I’m proud that this one is this year’s most viewed post. Though of course in plenty of ways I’d rather I’d never been able to write it at all. The irony isn’t lost on me either, as we’re back in national lockdown, and a lockdown in winter is nowhere like a lockdown in spring. The lunches are quite different too.

2 A growing pile of colourful crochet

Not long after the first lockdown finished I signed up for a six month subscription box of gorgeous yarn, and quickly grew a pile of colourful squares. I’ve received all the boxes now - and they were all fab - and I have the last delivery to make use of. Once I have I’ll be sharing how I got on on here too.

3 My new room crush

Back at the start of the year it seemed like we were out every weekend visiting gardens and houses. This room in Nymans became a new favourite, and it’s easy to see why isn’t it?

4 Azulejos, hand painted tiles

This post is a throwback to our holiday in Portugal the previous year, and a visit to a local tile factory that was just over the road from where we were staying. And oh, so many designs in their shop - and such great craftsmanship in all of the hand painted designs.

5 My garden in March

This is the only visit to my garden that made it onto the top 10 list this year, and it’s a great time of year for our garden. With lockdown we spent more time either in it or close by than usual this year, like many other people too.

6 The loo we couldn’t find at first

This was the loo in our hotel room on our only trip abroad in 2020. And to be honest we were lucky to get that, though a few days in Lyon in February might not be everyone’s choice, it was a great break. It was also the one where we cut it fine and almost missed the plane home, but thankfully we didn’t. Our most stressful airport experience ever, but also one of the quirkiest hotel room loos.

7 Lockdown learnings #2

The second lockdown learnings post, I’d planned a whole series but they never quite happened. Maybe I’ll restart them to complement this lockdown, who knows?

8 Starting another crochet project

The thread was part of the random bundle that I bought in Norfolk along with the tiny crochet hooks. I wanted something to take away with us for our cottage stay near Holt in October, which was also well timed taking place just before half-term and the additional restrictions. I also found a pouch, made by mum, which was pretty much made to measure to keep it all in.

9 A secluded spot

Another successful National Trust visit, this time to Standen on the August Bank Holiday. Quite a novelty as the house was actually open, with everyone required to wear face masks, quite a different experience, but one that everyone was happy to follow. This spot overlooks the terrace and would be the perfect spot to while away some time, and to people spot mostly unnoticed.

10 What a difference a month makes

This was from our trip to Barbados at the end of 2019, and shows off my new beach towel. It’s a great towel, and Barbados is a great place. It was a much needed holiday, and given everything that followed well timed. What we’d give to be able to do this now though.

So another year, and another interesting list. All I ever ask of my blog is that it reflects my life, and with the 2020 posts that have been viewed the most it certainly does that.

Now onto the second list

This list is posts created at any time but viewed in 2020, the year in brackets is the year it was originally posted. This year none from 2020 made the list, and that’s ok. There’s also been some movement which is fascinating, or fascinates me anyway!

1. Filling our gabion baskets (2017) (-)

2. Softening our gabion seating area with planting (2017) (+3)

3. Let’s talk Edwardian house decoration (2017) (+1)

4. My IKEA hack: HOL storage table to laundry basket (2015) (-2)

5. Sean Murray’s Great Chelsea Garden Challenge (2017) (-2)

6. 52 Cookbooks #36: Beef in easy tomato sauce (2014) (new)

7. Love this 47: Poppy brooch (2014) (new)

8. Fabulous outdoor planters (and more) from Cox & Cox (2016) (new)

9. Blinds and shutters with Thomas Sanderson (2018) (-3)

10. Storing logs in our gabion baskets (2017) (new)

It’s good to see the gabion baskets posts retain top spot and increase popularity. But to be honest though it’s interesting, it’s hardly a scientific study is it. Who knows what the year ahead will bring - we’ll have to wait and see.

I also plan to share my favourite posts from the year - I need to work out if I’ll take the same approach as i previous years or do something different, as I’m pretty sure there’s been less posts on my blog overall.

Starting another crochet project

Erm, yes - because I need another project on the go, but there’s no time like the present hey?

Remember those crochet threads I bought in Norfolk as part of a lucky dip of vintage threads, well I’m starting to put them to use. I’d run out of mini-skeins from my multi-coloured yet-to-be-decided item, but I was keen to keep the pattern going in my head. So without really planning to, I found myself starting another crochet project.

But before I tell you more about the new project, here’s the most recent additions to my rainbow squared thing. Thing, because I’m not sure what the squares will turn into yet - but at some point they will have a purpose.

My next box arrived while we were away and so I’ll be picking that up again too. I’m finding this pattern pretty addictive. And while it looks complicated, it’s actually pretty easy to remember. My challenge is coming back to it when the new mini-skeins arrive, and needing to relearn it.

What I needed was something to keep it going through the month, and that’s where the crochet threads come in. It’ll be no surprise that I’ve no plans for the resulting squares, but I’m sure inspiration will strike. Or I hope so anyway.

Not wanting, or needing, to buy anything to keep my brain working and my hands active I realised now was the time to dig out some of those crochet threads. In the end I settled on this neutral colour as there were 3 full reels, one that had been started and a small hand wound ball.

I couldn’t help but smile at the instructions to ‘buy sufficient to complete’ your project. If only they knew, and actually if only I knew. How do you buy sufficient for an unknown project, and how given the number of years since is that possible today? Exactly.

I quickly realised this would be an ideal project to take away with me, and so I needed something to put this in. A plastic bag didn’t really cut it. So when I found this square pouch, which the threads fitted snugly in, I had a project and a pouch to carry it in. The pouch was a present from mum and dad, and one that mum had made. I’m sure she said at the time, you never know when it’ll come in useful - and she was right.

Even the small metal crochet hooks fit into the pouch - it was clearly meant to be!

A secluded spot

Over the weekend I made more of a concerted effort to tackle editing my photos, which seem to be building up, even though we’re not going out anywhere as much as in a normal year. But as some are edited there’s no reason not to share, so for a couple of posts this week we’re heading off to Standen. I visited on the August Bank Holiday with MOH and MIL, what was a nice surprise was being able to go inside the house, even though it was just the ground floor, it felt quite a treat in these strange times.

So of course we headed there first, there was a short (socially distanced) queue but being a National Trust crowd it was all very amiable and all very nice (not that we’ve queued anywhere tbh which isn’t nice!) Afterwards we headed out into the central garden, starting off on the terraces just outside the conservatory, pretending, as you do, that perhaps it was our house.

Actually Standen is one of those National Trust properties that you feel you could actually live in. But clearly we don’t. It’s the sort of place, that even now, it’s easy to find a spot to sit in, and it has the best secluded spot.

To the right of the photo above is the conservatory in the house, which is equally a fab space, but this covered space, with its tiled background has to be the best secluded spot, surely.

Even the plants on the terrace conspire to keep its secret. Though the plant itself is pretty spectacular.

Looking more closely it was the tiles, not the bench that drew my attention. It’s easy to see why isn’t it?

But where do the stairs and the little door go?

I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure this is a spot you could sit for a while or two, and maybe then you’d find out. Either way it would be time well spent.