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My English Country Cottage
  • Blog Posts
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  • Modern Day etiquette in an elderly 400 year old cottage

    Ok, this seems like a massive squeeze – well it is! I am spending the day in a socially distanced way with friends so I wasn’t going to post today but then this amazing company got in contact and asked me to become an affiliate. I am very careful about affilliations so I was slow to respond whilst I did my research. Whilst I was looking into them, numerous celebrities…

    August 22, 2020
    What Makes an English Country Cottage?

  • Craftsmanship

    Modern houses often make me extremely very jealous: “You have windows that OPEN?” “Your walls don’t let in the breeze?” “Your roof doesn’t house mice, squirrels, birds and spiders the size of your hand?” “What sort of miracle building do you live in? How do I get me one?”. But for all these modern quirks, I would still blindly, stupidly pick an old run down thatched cottage over a new…

    June 28, 2020
    What Makes an English Country Cottage?

  • Cushion Comforts

    My love of my Kate Forman, Cabbages and Roses and Susie Watson cushions is not filed under my poker face folder. Cushions are the heart of the home…oh no, that’s kitchens, ok, cushions are the hug of the home. I almost defy you to find a photo of a country cottage that doesn’t have cushions somewhere in shot. Albeit, perhaps not the bathroom (although that’s a thought… maybe I NEED…

    June 20, 2020
    What Makes an English Country Cottage?

  • Candles make a home

    Candles make an English Country Cottage…ok, fine, they make pretty much anywhere a home. Their fragrance, the ambience created by their flickering light as well as their original purpose to actually light a room. Our cottage can be rather dark (hence the variety of off white shades on every wall, I tried embracing the darkside and painting everywhere glorious dark shades of colour and frankly rampant joy. Unfortunately I had…

    June 13, 2020
    Home County Candle Company, What Makes an English Country Cottage?

  • Interview with Amanda Banham – Essex Potter

    “The Potter who lives here in this house makes houses and shops, trees and rainbows all from clay which she raku fires in her garden. She loves dogs and never leaves home without at least two. She loves her family and friends, mashed potato, reading magazines, the Suffolk coast, rose wine and roast dinners”. (Amanda Banham May 2020) This is the first in a series about what makes an English…

    June 6, 2020
    What Makes an English Country Cottage?
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Latest Posts

  • Bringing the outside in
  • Escape To The Country Necessities
  • Digging up Dahlias and Planting Peonies
  • Top 5 ways to Embrace Autumn with open hearts and joyous faces…
  • Top 5 Autumnal gardening Answers

Daily Instagram Blog

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The sunshine has actually turned our house yellow!
The sunshine has actually turned our house yellow! This is brilliant!!! . We have been muttering and procrastinating over painting the house as it is almost grey with age and weathering. Paint is peeling and windows are - let's call them 'gently declining'. . I fear we may be the cause of much 'weathering' - the house had been inhabited by just one solitary, quietling lady for some years and was then left empty to enjoy the peace and quiet of the countryside for a year and a half before we descended, scootering up and down ancient hallways of shrine like peace. Yelping around the garden like banshees escaping from... wherever banshees escape from, I'm not sure but I do know that they must have been somewhere pretty awful and very quiet because banshees are VERY, VERY LOUD. . The poor house shudders and groans waiting for the next nerf gun attack, the next cricket ball, the next arrow (we have several nerf bullets and arrows in the poor thatch) and the next door-slam of extreme fury and indignation. . But today, today the creaking, groaning, crumbling cottage is mellowed by this extraordinary Autumnal light and the children are exhausted after their first half terms back at school. May these small people keep quiet for as long as possible, this old home and this old Mummy need some quiet time (Mummy over celebrated again last night). . Happy sunshine and shhhhhh Saturday. X . #seekthesimplicity #ofquietmoments #cottagelife #countrycottage #englishcottage #cottagegarden #thatch #prettylittleengland #englishhouse #countryliving #englishhome #periodhome #oldhouselove #mygardentoday #cottagestyle #cottage #cottagecharm #cottagechic #countrycottagestyle  #countrystyle #charminghomes #englishcountrygarden #englishcountryliving #thatchedcottage #mycountryhome #thisprettyengland #calmversation


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It's a very, berry bathroom shot!
.
I have always
It's a very, berry bathroom shot! . I have always had cleptomaniacal tendencies which, as time has passed, have progressed from 'Fancy Pencils'- I referred to this recently & my daughter stared at me sympathetically laced with disdain "It's a pencil Mummy, it writes words, it's not fancy". Then she stopped & considered "I suppose you didn't have phones or devices in your olden days, is that why you call them fancy?" I nodded through tears of age & retreated to cuddle my cushion collection. . This clepto tendency has exploded again with the fruits of Autumn. Hawthorne berries litter the house, leaves crisping nicely, dropping crunchily onto rugs & carpets for the children to stomp into the weave. I can't stop myself from gathering these bright shiny jewels of Autumn, clasping them to my bosom is painful & I have snagged several jumpers but I feel the need to grab & gather. . My husband returned yesterday to find the stables bathroom filled with joyous berries. "Instagram?" he enquired. "Mainly you!" I replied "I wanted it to look lovely when you got back now that this is your office." "But I don't use this bathroom" he puzzled, "the washer is loose on the tap, remember? I have switched the water off? " " Oh yes", I gaily trilled "Well perhaps you might like to FINALLY mend the tap in here so you can enjoy my Autumn decoration... & the main bathroom taps & the taps in our ensuite whilst you are at it!!" . I legged it before he could rightfully point out that I am perfectly capable of mending them myself & buried myself in more berries (I am almost immune to the thorns now). He'll never look for me here.. . Happy never find me Friday. X . PS Head to my website to read @flowersandlifestylebymargot absolutely stunning 'how to' on a foliage doorway installation. No berries in sight! . #bathroomdesign #bathroomvanity #bathroomsink #bathroomgoals #bathroomdetails #cottagestyle #vanityunit #mycreativeinterior  #rustichomedecor #rusticdecor #bathroomideas #bathroomvanity #bathroomvanities #rustictiles #rusticbathroom #whitewalls #whitewash  #weatherboard #bathroombasin #bathroomstyling #allinthedetail #washstand #countrycharm #vintagebathroom


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This is actual real life, with no filters, just am
This is actual real life, with no filters, just amazing Autumn colours. . Admittedly it is now 2 days old, but I couldn't face posting the eternal, infernal, when will it end rain (yes, alright, I know it has only been a day but it's that sort of rain that makes you think that it has rained incessantly for months, I feel drenched to my soul... ok, not quite that bad but definitely a bit soggy). . The pears were shelved yesterday - I couldn't find any wretched jars, which resulted in a whole cycle of hashtag be kind to myself and so I didn't go for a run, didn't put the summer clothes in the suitcase for the loft, didn't pickle the pears or get any work done. What I did do was apparently order 28 pints of milk and 8 packs of butter and two broccoli, one cauliflower and then a massive mixed bag of cauliflower and broccoli , just in case, just to really ensure that we have a years worth of cauliflower and broccoli cheese (thank goodness I also ordered a massive cheese) in my Ocado shop. . I retired a la Lady Bertram to the kitchen sofa with a pack of milk chocolate digestives and sought refuge in a chapter of Nancy Mitford.. suddenly it was school pick up time. I wonder at what point hashtag be kind to yourself becomes total lazy indulgence that actually isn't really kind to yourself? My jeans may well be trying to alert me to the end of this 'me kindness'. . Happy think I might be overkinding myself Thursday X . #autumnsunshine #joyfulmoments #cottagefarmhouse #embracingtheseasons #cottageliving #mygardenthismonth #cottage #hyggegarden #englishcountrygarden #gardenliving #englishcottage #thatch #myhomesanctuary #outdoorliving #embracingaslowerlife #country #countryliving #countrycottagestyle #countrycottages #countryhomes #thatchroof #autumnfeels #countryside #outdoorspace #seekthesimplicity #autumnvibes


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Ok pears. This is it, this is you crowning moment.
Ok pears. This is it, this is you crowning moment. Behave well and you will be the stars of Christmas again. You will be introduced to your perfect partner Stilton and you will make everyone /me... very happy. . Dame La Aga is primed, she has been turned up for the occasion (ok, I turned her up last week for the inaugural roast of the season and a cottage pie the next day and then totally forgot to turn her back down). . A lot is riding on these pickled pears (mainly about £85 worth of oil). . No pressure. . I still can't find the original recipe that I used years ago that wowed us to silence on Christmas day (in a good way: this was the year that the family found our Christmas Carols party song sheets and we merrily swayed around the Christmas table singing Carols a cappella yet somehow the power of the pears silenced our choir of festive joy and allowed us to melt into the cheese course). . I think I will hedge my bets and split betwen the BBC Good food recipe and The Hairy Bikers' fail safe method - it's basically a scientific experiment. Well done me. . Happy which recipe Wednesday! X . #cosykitchen #myhyggehome #rustickitchen #agalove #aga #agalife #theartofslowliving #countrykitchen #simplelife #rusticdecor #thisishome #cottagelife #countryhomes #countryinteriors #daysofsmallthings #smallmomentsofcalm #cottageliving #cottagestyle #cottagedecor #nestandthrive #countryinteriors #homely #mycosyhome #kitchensofinstagram #heartofthehome #cottage #cottagekitchen


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Pear Emergency!
.
Abandon all jobs!!! The pears ha
Pear Emergency! . Abandon all jobs!!! The pears have dropped!!! We are pear ready! I repeat : Pear Ready!!! . I imagined that the entire house would rush to my aid as the pear siren was sounded. I assumed my family would charge outside, wielding baskets, throwing homework, birthday dolls and client zoom meetings out of the metaphorical window to rush to my aid. . I grabbed the nearest basket to hand and shot outside. . I ran alone, garden clogs half on, writers cloak streaming behind me (I am still sporting the cloak - it makes me feel happy) assuming my grab hot team would be close on my heels. . I began gathering the newly dropped pears, knowing that I was up against the worst of all clocks : groundling creatures. My pears of great girth and glory had for once remained unsullied by wasps or winds. They hung magnificent, royally allowing us to watch them magestically ripen into fruits of as yet unrivalled magnitude. . This was their moment, they had reached perfection. We had minutes to rescue them from the ants, woodlice, snails, mice, badgers and probably foxes. I worked furiously, even collecting the injured 'save yourselves, it's too late for me, I've been fruitflyed' pears. I left not a pear unturned. . I made it back inside in under 15 minutes, cloak billowing, daughter's birthday 'basket like Dorothy please Mummy' swinging on arm, panting breathlessly. . I met 3 puzzled faces "Why are you dressed as Little Red Riding Hood and what have you got in your basket (snigger)?" . Happy Thankful I didn't pelt them with pears Tuesday. X . #cottagelove #countrylife #autumnfruits #cottage #oldcottage #cottagegarden #countrygarden #gardengreatorsmall #autumngarden #peartrees #instahome #mycountryhome #countryhomes #lovegreatbritain #uklife #gloriousbritain #thatch #countryliving #periodhome #oldhouselove #oldhousecharm #listedbuilding #bhghome  #cottage #cottagecharm #cottagechic #charminghomes


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It's not level (but what is in this 400 year old c
It's not level (but what is in this 400 year old crumbly cottage?). . It's not symmetrical. Again: I refer the honourable jury to the above dilemma. . But it is loved. My daughter and her 3 two metre apart friends had a wonderful time scavaging for wreath making woodland flora in the "it will be totally deserted so perfect for a socially distanced birthday..no... no... absolutely rammed with people... Who knew woods could be so popular in October... in Autumn...after a miraculous summer... where all the leaves are a joyful ode to the beginning of the rainbow? Who are these people enjoying a Sunday in the glory of England's Autumn? . Well us! We played silly sack race and egg and spoon games (perfect for socially distancing), we got muddy and laughed a lot. We forgaged and yelped with delight at wildling yarrow and already burgeoning berried ivy. We stuffed hot crumbly fresh cheddar and leek pastries into our mouths... Eem.. Ok.. My best friend and I hit payday at the travelling van of pastry and tea joy... the girls ate nutella sandwiches... and chocolate mini rolls...and jaffa cakes.... and one grape each. . A super happy time and a very proud birthday girl "Mummy, you can hang this on our front door - your wreath died weeks ago.. this one is less upsetting". I grabbed it (gently) and did just that. Boom! Back in the wreath gang. Thank you my newly minted sunshine 9 year old. . Happy make your own happiness Monday. X . #wreathsofinstagram #doordecor #cozycottage #wreathmaking #wreath #doorwreath #autumnvibes #hyggehome #throughmywindow #simplestyling #wreaths #wreathmaking #autumnstyling #doordecoration #autumnwreath #cottagestyle #cottageliving #cottagehome #fallwreath #cottage #cozyliving #cosyhome #mycountryhome #countryliving #cottagedecor #cozyvibes #countrycottage


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Swing, swingeney, swing swingeney, swing swing swe
Swing, swingeney, swing swingeney, swing swing sweree. . Ah. This was supposed to beautifully tie in my blissful chimney sweeping experience par excellence and my glorious new @sittingspiritually swing. Unfortunately I was too busy swooshing my writer's cloak romantically behind me to realise that I had cut off the immaculately swept and picture perfect chimney. . Mitigating circumstances though: one socially distancing birthday party down, one to go. The 5 girls played so ridiculously, gloriously beautifully together. Crafting carnival masks, playing dolls/ libraries / hotels and spas ("Hello, I would like to check in for the relaxing package please"... I nearly steamed through and knocked the small happy 9 year old flying "ME TOO!!!!!! Fit me in first! ") / Carnival people who are at war (yes! Apparently it's an actual game). This was all squeezed into 30 minutes before they fell upon the swing of dreams and began the utterly terrifying game of 'Circus Carnival'. . If you have never heard of this amazing, parent terrifying game before, the rules are: Be 9, be a girl, wear a massive dress that could trip you up at any second, wear a mask that can helpfully slip over your eyes whilst balancing on one leg on the swing and then attempt as many death defying tricks as possible just before the mummies arrive to collect you. . It's genius. This swing is genius. They all absolutely loved it. I did not. I prefer it when it is slowly swaying, not balancing amazing carnival acrobats in huge princess dresses. . Head to my website to read my blog on the safer and more sedate world of beautiful oak swings and swingseats of dreams. . Happy swing safely and please sit spiritually Sunday! X . #magicofchildhood #joyfulmoments #cottagefarmhouse #embracingtheseasons #cottageliving #mygardenthismonth #cottage #hyggegarden #englishcountrygarden #gardenliving #englishcottage #thatch #myhomesanctuary #outdoorliving #embracingaslowerlife #country #countryliving #countrycottagestyle #countrycottages #countryhomes #thatchroof #autumnfeels #countryside #outdoorspace #seekthesimplicity #autumnvibes Swing gorgeously gifted by sittingspiritually



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