Bank Holiday Monday is approaching and we are expecting the usual Bank Holiday weather, but don’t despair why not spend the weekend inside and spruce up your home.

Get round to doing some of those dreaded jobs, get them out of the way before the summer sneaks in.

Once you’ve spruced up your kitchen, fill it with our wonderful vintage style kitchen accessories, or why not create a traditional pantry and find a home for our retro storage tins.

If you’re one of the lucky ones and your DIY is up to date, kick off your shoes, sit back, relax and enjoy your day off. You deserve it!

Happy Holidays x

If you’re like me, you have probably turned down the central heating already, swapped your winter woollies and wellies for spring blouses and sandals and put the log baskets back in the shed..

March 2012 was a positively tropical month… well it certainly set records in history… with the warmest March since 1997 and the sunniest March since 1929. A new record temperature for Scotland was achieved in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire reaching a scorching 23.6⁰c!

Despite several counties now in drought – the worst national water shortage since 1976, some of us have been ‘blessed’ with the odd April Shower…. One of the major causes of the often heavy downpours is the position of the jet stream. In early spring, the jet stream starts to move northwards, allowing large depressions to bring strong winds and rain in from the Atlantic. In one day the weather can change from springtime sunshine to winter sleet and snow. The track of these depressions can often be across Ireland and Scotland bringing bands of rain followed by heavy showers (often of hail or snow) and strong blustery winds.

So where does this leave us at home and at work? If you are in a hose pipe ban area, you will be needing watering cans and jugs in order to water the garden and pot plants in the office and home.

If you are lucky enough to have an open fire or wood burner, you will need to ring the coal man and bring the log basket in from the shed… This said, my family and I had a BBQ at the weekend and we were all huddled around that. We could have done with a matches box though, as we ours had got wet! Mum was certainly glad of her tablecloth weights – They were definitely a talking point!

If March was too cold and if the start of April was a bit of a wash out, now is the time to pick up the fork and seize the moment. April is a good time to be in the garden. The soil is warming up, and spring is on its way!There is no such thing as an absolute set date for a job in gardening, for a start temperatures vary according to where you are in the country – Winter will come earlier to Scotland than to Devon.

There is quite a lot to be done in the garden in  April, especially if March has not been suitable. Hedges will need tidying up after the long winter,(check for bird nests before starting) and decking and woodwork needs re-painting. Timber frames and trellis will need treating too.  Tidy up and scrub down patios, being careful not to use too much water. It may be worth investing in some water butts if this water shortage is set to stay – any rain water we do receive is worth storing up.

Now is the time to start mowing the lawn too; gradually lowering the height of the cut as spring progresses. Weeds need attending to and hoeing in the borders, as well as adding mulch and compost to your borders and pots.

It is also the time of year to be getting your potatoes into containers, tomatoes started off from seed, parsley coriander and  basil are all ready to be planted out in the greenhouse if you have one,or the windowsill if you don’t.

Pot up rooted cuttings and young plants.

It is a busy time but hopefully a productive one for you…

St George’s Day is just weeks away (23^rd April), and with the Queen’s real birthday on the horizon too, I got thinking about all things British. What is it that sets us apart? What makes us British? We are renowned for queuing up and moaning about the weather, but there must be something else that makes our little island stand out from the crowd?

Afternoon tea is a small meal snack typically eaten between 2pm and 5pm. The custom of afternoon tea originated in England in the 1840s. At the time, the various classes in England had a divergence in their eating habits. The upper classes typically ate luncheon at about midday and dinner (if not eschewed in favor of the later supper) at 8:00 pm or later, while the lower classes ate dinner at about 11:00 am and then a light supper at around 7:00 pm. For both groups, afternoon tea filled a gap in the meals. The custom spread throughout the British Empire and beyond in succeeding decades. However, changes in social customs and working hours mean that most 21st Century Britons will rarely take afternoon tea, if at all.

Elevenses is a snack that is similar to afternoon tea, but eaten in the morning. It is generally less savoury than brunch, and might consist of some cake or biscuits with a cup of coffee or tea. The name refers to the time of day that it is taken: around 11am. The term is first attested, in East Anglia, as elevens (1849), elevenses appearing first in the record in 1889. Along with fourses, it seems originally to have been a lower-class usage, but by the middle of the twentieth century was associated with middle class language and culture.

Fish and Chips – The dish became popular in wider circles in London and South East England in the middle of the 19th century (Charles Dickens mentions a “fried fish warehouse” in Oliver Twist, first published in 1838), while in the north of England a trade in deep-fried chipped potatoes developed. The first chip shop stood on the present site of Oldham’s Tommyfield Market. It remains unclear exactly when and where these two trades combined to become the fish-and-chip shop industry we know today. Joseph Malin opened the first recorded combined fish-and-chip shop in London in 1860 or in 1865, while a Mr Lees pioneered the concept in the North of England, in Mossley, in 1863.

Tennis (and cloudy lemonade) - Wimbledon (25 June – 8 July in 2012), is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious.  It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors being the Australian Open, French Open and US Open. Wimbledon is the only Major still played on grass, the game’s original surface, which gave the game of lawn tennis its name. The tournament takes place over two weeks in late June and early July, culminating with the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Singles Final, scheduled respectively for the second Saturday and Sunday. Each year, five major events are contested, as well as four junior events and three invitational events.

The Queen – Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; born 21 April 1926^{[note 1]}) is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms, and head of the 54-member Commonwealth of Nations. In her specific role as the monarch of the United Kingdom, one of her 16 realms, she is also Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Elizabeth was born in London, and educated privately at home. Her father acceded to the throne as George VI in 1936 on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII. She began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, in which she served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. On the death of her father in 1952, she became Head of the Commonwealth and queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon. Her coronation service in 1953 was the first to be televised.

All information courtesy of Wikipedia.

Easter… What does it mean any way?  What does it mean to you? Chocolate? Hot Cross buns? Long Bank Holiday weekend off work?  Or does the tradition and history of Easter mean something too?

The origins of Easter have emerged from Christianity, but also has strong connections to pagan times and the celebrations of spring equinox. The name is derived from the Saxon goddess of dawn, Eostre who was honored in the pagan spring festivals, which coincided with the timing of the Christian celebrations of the resurrection.
Though the roots of the celebrations are different, many cultures around the world observe spring holidays and festivals centered on the common theme of rebirth and the egg as a symbol of the source of life.

Easter eggs are a widely popular symbol of new life in Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, and other Central European countries’ folk traditions. A batik (wax resist) process is used to create intricate, brilliantly colored eggs, the best-known of which is the Ukrainian pysanka and the Polish pisanka. The celebrated Fabergé workshops created exquisite jewelled Easter eggs for the Russian Imperial Court.

The first chocolate Easter eggs can be traced back to the 19th century, in France and Germany.  They were small and solid and made from bitter dark chocolate. As technology improved and cocoa became more widely available, so did chocolate Easter eggs. The tradition spread to many parts of Europe, often with each country making their own unique mark.

The first mass-produced chocolate egg appeared in England in 1873 when Cadbury made their first Easter egg. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that milk chocolate Easter eggs became available. Today’s European Easter eggs are available in dizzying variety – from those found on supermarket shelves to the top quality uber-thick chocolate works of art, beautifully decorated and filled with chocolate surprises from specialty chocolatiers.

An egg hunt is a essential is a game during which decorated eggs, real hard-boiled ones or artificial ones filled with, or made of chocolate candies, of various sizes, are hidden for children to find, both indoors and outdoors.

When the hunt is over, prizes may be given for the largest number of eggs collected, or for the largest or the smallest egg.

Real eggs may further be used in egg tapping contests.

In the North of England, at Easter time, a traditional game is played where hard boiled pace eggs are distributed and each player hits the other player’s egg with their own. This is known as “egg tapping”, “egg dumping” or “egg jarping”. The winner is the holder of the last intact egg. The losers get to eat their oponent’s eggs!  Happy Easter!

I absolutely love this time of year.  Spring and autumn are my preferred seasons.  Spring where by everything is fresh & new and autumn is the time to prep for bedding down for the winter.  I am lucky enough to cycle to my desk every morning, and it is lovely to see the roadsides awash with snowdrops, with the daffs making an appearance too. 

My favourite thing about spring though, is that the tumble drier becomes redundant once more (thus saving on electric) and the washing line takes over. 

Washing always smells better and somehow feels cleaner when it’s had a blow out on the line doesn’t it?  Although if you are anything like me you always end up leaving the peg bag outside! Interestingly Peg Buckets with drainage holes are now available.  Ideal for those who forget to bring the pegs in at night, or for those that simply don’t have the space to.

As well as the washing line getting an outing, I also like to use a clothes horse.  My mother always had one in the kitchen near the Aga.  It was always in-situ.  You can get metal ones these days, but the wooden ones are more traditional and I find they leave your clothes with a less obvious crease – brilliant for my ‘no-ironing’ faze I am going through! 

I also have an extending one on the utility room wall – useful for the tea towels and dishclothes to dry on.

In 1907 an Englishman, William Willett, campaigned to advance clocks by 80 minutes. He proposed four moves of 20 minutes at the beginning of the spring and summer months, and to return to Greenwich Mean Time in a similar manner in the autumn. The following year, the House of Commons rejected a Bill to advance the clocks by one hour during the spring and summer months.

Summer time was first defined in an Act of Parliament in 1916. The clocks were moved one hour ahead of GMT from the spring to the autumn.  During the Second World War, double summer time (two hours in advance of GMT) was introduced, lasting until July 1945.  Since the 1980s, all parts of western and central Europe have co-ordinated the date and the time of their clock changes.  British Summer Time (BST) starts each year on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October. On Sunday 25 March the clocks will go forward, meaning we lose an hour. British Summer Time ends on 28 October at 2.00 am when the clocks go back to 1.00am.

 We may be losing an hour in bed but with extra daylight in the evenings and a long summer ahead, there’s plenty to look forward to after the clocks go forward.  Get out in the garden!

Ever wondered what sort of lights to put up in the lounge?  Or what lights to use in the bedroom to create that ambiance?  Our guide to Lighting should help.  Room by room, light by light.

Living Room

Ceiling lights, like a chandelier can add glamour and create a wow factor to your living room. They also provide the best even light across a room, however very bright lights can make a room feel cold. Consider fitting the lights to a dimmer switch to control the brightness.

Wall lights are a good way of creating a warm, welcoming look.  Fit them above seating or tables, and in alcoves to create a sense of different zones around the room.   Picture lights are a dual purpose.  Not only do they light up your pictures or artwork, they also create a feature of the wall.

Asthall Wall Light - in Clay

Downlighters and spotlights are ideal if you want a minimalistic look and don’t want the lighting to be the main feature in the room.  Table lamps are more adaptable than wall lighting, as they can be moved around the room to achieve a different look.  Lamps can come in different shapes and sizes and can add to the theme of the room – ie traditional, country or modern.  Floor standing lamps are a brilliant way of bringing extra light into a dark corner.

Brompton Floor Lamp - in Clay

Bedroom

The right bedroom lighting will help you wind down at the end of a long day. Yet you also need good lighting so you can get dressed in the morning!  Wall lighting positioned either side of the bed provide excellent reading lights.  Dressing tables need to be lit from both sides to avoid dark shadows across the face.  Matching bedside lamps bring a hotel-style look to the room and create a symmetrical look.

To create the right atmosphere in the ‘hub of the house’, getting the colour and style is very important.  Warm and cold lighting will give surfaces an entirely different appearance all together.  Blue or silver grey will bleach out warm woods, instead try warm lighting to bring out the grain of the woods.  On the other hand, these cooler shades look great with metallics.  Try using pendants for over the island; for the sitting and reading zones opt for table and floor lamps, for above the cooking area tracks are suitable, and a trio of lights will look gorgeous  over the dining table.

Paris Light Trio

Consider decorative lighting.  An eye – catching chandelier or a pendant often grouped in twos or threes brings sophistication and colour to kitchens.   Of course, the fixture should fit the style and size of the kitchen, otherwise it will either look out of place or knock the whole room out of balance.

Harrow Light - in clay

The weather may be hit and miss, but believe it or not, Spring is fast approaching.  In just weeks, daffodils will burst into life, trees will be regaining their leaves once more and the traditional ‘Spring clean’ will be carried out in homes all across the country.

At this time of year, many people like to spruce up their homes by throwing out old rubbish and performing the menial DIY tasks that they hadn’t got round to in the course of the previous year.  Changing light bulbs, mending the chair that Auntie broke at Christmas (last year) or painting the hall way.  My dad has spent January and most of February clearing out his garage. He can actually get two cars in there now. He knew it was long overdue but he feels much better for it…

If though like me you are on a budget this year, and want to make changes that won’t break the bank, perhaps you too will be looking for ideas to brighten up the place.

For some of us, this may mean buying new cushions for the lounge, a new clock or notice board for the kitchen, and some new storage for under the stairs. Perhaps it’s new towels or bathroom accessories or something different for the bedroom?  New lighting can always change the look of the study.

Whatever you decide to add or change, it always makes you feel better. De-cluttering has a feel-good factor to it, hasn’t it?…and, in the words of Sheryl Crow.. ‘A change would do you good’!

Good Luck!

By the time you read this, you will probably have had your fill of this snow! Pretty as a picture at first, it soon hampers the smooth running of daily lives, leaving a trail of salty grime on road sides and footpaths.

Spring is just around the corner, and before all your plants begin to grow again it is the ideal time to take a fresh look at your beds, tidy up winter debris and move around or plant new specimens.

Begin tidying old leaves left on herbaceous planta by cutting with shears, and rake out rubbish and leaves that have collected under shrubs. – This helps prevent pests and disease harbouring in piles of rotting vegetation. It is also time to prune late-flowerig clematis. Cut back with our secateurs, to the hard woody stems – removing any green growth from last year.

Lets not forget the birds at this time of year too. Male birds are starting to mark out their territories ready for mating and the nesting season, so Birdboxes are an important addition to your gardens. Natural food supplies may be in short supply, especially when deep frosts persist. Birds such as sparrows, blue tits, chaffinches and greenfinches will be happy to use hanging feeders.

Since we have many frosty days this month, it’s an ideal time to find a compfy seat, a steaming hot cup of coffee and a choccy biscuit. Look through your seed and bulb boxes and gardening catalogues to let your imagination run wild and plan the season ahead!