Introducing Georgia Rose

P and I have some big news...literally. On 8 July, we bought a house! It is a newly built three-bedroom semi-detached in a lovely residential neighbourhood not too far from where we live now.

I haven't been writing the blog as we have been busy packing, driving boxes to the new place, unpacking, putting up shelves and mirrors, gardening, etc, etc, etc. All the exhausting things you have to do when you move. We are happy as it's nice to have a place to call your own. I did have to sell my apartment on the Small Island to put a bigger deposit on this house. But it was time to do so and we are really pleased with the new property.

I will post photos once it is ready. We have ordered white shutters for all the windows and also the kitchen door which will take about eight weeks to arrive. I have always loved them as they remind me of the deep south of the Land of the Free, very 'Steel Magnolias'.

Talking about the southern states, we will have a new addition to the family as of 18 August. We are getting another dog! This time, we have chosen a short-haired silver dapple miniature dachshund. Her name is Georgia Rose and she is now seven weeks old.

I saw the ad for her some time last week and thought she looked beautiful but didn't look up the contact details of the breeder. However, she was somehow still at the back of my mind two days later so I looked at the ad again. This time, I decided to give the breeder a call and arranged for P and I to see her.

This is the pic of her that was in the ad:

We drove over two hours (one way) to her breeder's house yesterday and P and I both warmed to Georgia upon sight. She will be slightly smaller than Chynna and I hope as laid back. She seemed a confident little pup who was comfortable and didn't shiver or show nervousness when we picked her up. She is part of a dog family of about seven so she is very well socialised. The breeder has even started house training her in the garden. :-)

Georgia has very unusual colouring with lovely markings. She is mostly silver grey with a bit of black, tan and even red on her head.

Check out them rusty puppy paws:

Just call me button nose:

We will be very busy the next few weeks but once the internet is up and running in the new house, I will send more updates!

One Week from Shabby to Chic

Late last year, I bought this cabinet online:

I have always liked it as it is very old and unusual. If you click on any of the photos, they will enlarge so you can look at the detail.

However, the dark wood didn't suit the rest of our furniture, which is mostly off-white, creams and pale colours. I have said to P many times that we should paint it but somehow, we never got round to it.

However, last weekend when Yeller Fever and his girlfriend went back to the Small Island after a wonderful two-week holiday here, I was at a loose end and wanted something to do. P took me to the DIY store and we picked up a sander, primer and some brushes.

I did a bit of research on how to properly paint furniture and there are loads of steps. The first is to sand, which took P over two hours. He also helped me to tape up the glass frontage so that I could paint the woodwork. I then wiped all the dust off and painted both the cabinet and the two shelves with the first coat of primer:

A couple of days later, I primed it with the second coat:

After a gentle sanding and wiping down the cabinet, I painted the first coat of Farrow and Ball's 'White Tie':


F&B do the best vintage period paint colours. A small tin costs £15, but the finish is amazingly beautiful and tough. You don't even need a sealant or wax.

It looked much better after the second coat went on:

After that dried, it was time to distress the paintwork. Yes with shabby chic, you paint it on just to take it all off again! Or at least sand off certain bits to bring it back to the wood base. This part took absolutely ages and my arms (not to mention neck/back/shoulder) were aching. But P was a real star and helped me again with this bit of hard work.

Here is the finished result:

With all my trinkets, photos and vintage china back in it:

Do I love it? Yes, I do and so does P. It was really hard work and took over 20 man (and woman!) hours, not including purchasing the items or drying time. However, we now have a cabinet that is completely unique. It was really nice to do something together and have a wonderful new piece of furniture (and not to mention a ginormous blister on my thumb) to show for it.

Will we do it again? I'm not sure but now that we have the sander and the know how, it seems a waste not to!

I Met My Idol!!

Yesterday was undoubtedly THE best day I've ever had in Brrringland. "Why?" I hear you all ask. Well you all know that my favourite home design style is shabby chic, and I only met the Queen of Shabby Chic herself, Ms Rachel Ashwell!!!!!

But I'm getting ahead of myself here. Let me start at the beginning.

It was a dreary Saturday morning as usual, with the rain falling and grey clouds all around. All I could see ahead of me was another boring old day in boring old Blundon.

I was having my morning coffee and surfing the web when I decided to click on www.shabbychic.com. I sometimes check out Rachel Ashwell's website to keep up with what she is doing and to look at the beautiful photos she often posts on her blog. I knew she was opening a new shop in Blundon, but had no idea when that would be. Imagine my surprise when I saw the opening hours under the Blundon shop address. As soon as P woke up up, I told him that I wanted to check it out.

I have been following Rachel's story for a few years. She originally started the shabby chic craze in the 80s when she scoured flea markets for pieces of furniture. She would then refurbish them in her distinctive style by painting them white and distressing them. These pieces sold like hot cakes and her business expanded rapidly. Her decorating palette uses mostly pale colours and imperfect items are perfect to her.

She was successful for many years until the credit crunch hit a couple of years ago. To my (as well as many of her other customers') dismay, she had to close down her shops for some months. However, she is back in business again with three new stores, including the one in Blundon.

P drove me the 12 miles to her shop and we parked up. When we walked into the store, who should I see sitting on a big comfy sofa in the middle of the store but Rachel herself!! I was like,"Oh my god, you're here!!!" ha ha. Playing it so cool...not! Anyway, she was really friendly and said that she spends most her time in her other two shops in the Land of the Free but she happened to be in Brrringland to help set up this one.

I was so excited but tried not to gush too much. We looked around and although we didn't buy any furniture, I did pick up two copies of her latest book. She signed one for me and the other one for my stepmum. I also got my photograph taken with her. She was actually wearing the same pink top as the one on the cover of her book.

Her furniture is expensive but very high quality. After we move house later on in the year, I will definitely go back there and pick something up.

When we got out of the shop, I finally let rip and jumped up and down, squealing, "Oh my god I can't believe I met Rachel Ashwell, OH MY GOD!!!!" P could not stop laughing. He knows that I am never going to have an affair because my only passions are jewellery, Chynna, property and of course, shabby chic. :-)

I could not stop smiling all day and even when I think about it now, I am still very happy. I feel extremely inspired. She was so lovely and meeting her really has made my year. Actually never mind that, it has made my entire two year stay in Brrringland!

I've Joined the BIG 4-0 Club!

I wrote my last blog as a 30-something, but write this as a 40-something. In between the two entries, I left my youth behind and became 'middle-aged'!

On 19 March, friends and family descended on us for my 40th birthday celebrations. My dad and stepmum flew in from the Small Island and others came from various parts of Ewww-rope and Brrringland.

We had a Thai buffet lunch at the local pub and there were 16 adults and six kids. We pretty much took over the whole place and a great time was had by everyone. The kids played with toys that my stepmum had brought with her and she and my dad were a big hit with the children.

I sat safely esconded in the 'adults only' table drapped in mink and bling. P and my friends all chipped in to buy me a Paraiba Tourmaline ring surrounded by diamonds. I had several vodka cranberries for company too so all was well in the birthday girl's world. :-)

We spent the aftern0on eating, drinking, chatting and generally having a super time. I had friends there, both new ones that we've made since we moved here, and close friends that I've known for over 20 years. I did miss some other friends from back home...but I know that it wouldn't have been possible to have everyone I love all in one place at the same time!

The day really flew by in a blurr, as did the rest of the two weeks that my parents were with P and me.

We packed so much into those 16 days that both my dad and I got sick with terrible hacking coughs. However, that didn't stop us from being on the go! We visited P's uncle on his farm, saw my dad's sister in the countryside and made lots of side trips in between.

P and I both really enjoyed having my parents with us. My stepmum cooked us some delicious meals and she was wonderful company. We had lots of lovely chats and spent my actual birthday shopping at a country fair. Seeing my dad was great too. It was really hard to say goodbye to them at the airport at the end of their holiday and I miss them so very much, but we have lots to look forward to next year.

We plan on visiting P's parents in Oz in July 2011. My parents will come with us so it'll be a proper 'in-law' family reunion! The last time we were all together was at our wedding in 2007 so the trip should be a good laugh.

P's dad is also arriving here on 20 May for five weeks. He won't be with us the entire time but will use our house as a base from which to visit friends and family. His trip slightly overlaps with Yeller Fever's, who will be here with his girlfriend on 11 June. To say that I am looking forward to seeing all of them is an understatement.

While I feel settled here now, my family and friends have become more and more important to me. I am used to the Brrringlish ways and I do like working in this country as employees have a lot of rights. P and I are even thinking of buying a house here later this year. I only wish I could see my parents and friends from the Small Island every week like I used to. Then I think, life would be just about perfect.

I may not write much over the next couple of months as we'll be very busy. With the warm weather arriving, P and I have spent most of this weekend gardening. We also have a couple of weekend trips planned. However, do know that I'm thinking about all of you and I'll be back when I have some spare time in between all the visits and activities!

Broadstairs Bowwow

As we haven't taken a day trip for a while, P and I decided to drive to the coast today. It was meant to rain but instead, we got glorious sunshine!

On the way to the beach, we stopped in a cathedral town for a couple of hours. If you don't believe me about the sun, here is the photo to prove it:


We also saw this quirky little building that has a crooked door:


When we go to the beach at lunch time, it was cold but perfectly crisp. These amazing staircases lead down from the promenade:



Chynna absolutely loved the sand and tore round and round like a little turkey! She was inviting every man and his dog to play with her. There were two huskies on leashes that outweighed her by 25 and 44kgs respectively. She would run up to them to get them riled up, then at the last minute when they tried to lurch at her, she would tear away ha ha ha. It was hilarious.

When she finally settled down, I managed to get these two snaps of her:



Just under four weeks until my parents arrive but who's counting?!!! Me me MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

PAT Dawgitty Dawg

I received Chynna's official visiting 'uniform' this week in the mail and here she is in all her finery:


Doesn't that look like a dog that you can trust to give you lots of cuddles and unconditional love?!

I purchased a jacket, collar and leash for her. When we take her out after visits, it will also raise awareness of the charity and that can only be a good thing.

We have our second visit to the residential home tomorrow and we are all looking forward to it.

Doggone Therapy!

I would like to share some fantastic news with all of you. Chynna was recently selected as a pet therapy dog. What this entails is that on a regular basis, we will visit old-aged pensioners in a residential home. Some people prefer to go to hospices, hospitals or schools but as I had a very close and loving relationship with my paternal grandmother when she was alive, my first preference was to work with people in the twilight of their lives.

Late last year, Chynna went through a rigorous assessment where she was tested for temperament and obedience. They wanted to see if she was suitable for this type of visiting role where she would be handled by many different people. Well, what can I say? Our little baby was just a delight and passed with flying colours!

After my own references were done (thanks to my two lovely friends who did this for me, you know who you are), we got a letter of acceptance from the charity this past week. We didn't waste any time and Chynna and I went on our first visit today!

P drove us and was very sweet, acting as my 'assistant' and carrying all our bags. Due to the rules of the charity, he can't handle Chynna on visits as he will not be covered by their insurance should any incidents occur. However, it was a great help to have him around and the Matron who runs the home made us both feel very welcomed. We found her to be a very warm and lovely person.

I had to bring a small quilt for the residents in case they wanted Chynna to sit on their laps. And boy, did they want her to do that! There are 36 residents in total at the home and I would say that she visited with about 20 of them. Not all of them like dogs and some are happy to just look at her from a distance. A few are also quite poorly and don't often leave their rooms.

But those that loved dogs absolutely adored her. As it was our introduction visit, we kept it short and spent just a few minutes with each person. All of them kept saying how beautiful and lovely she was and how soft her coat felt, etc. They even asked me if I put special conditioner on her fur! You could see their eyes light up at the sight of her and it really was a wonderful feeling.

Although Chynna was very curious about the different noises, she took to each and every single one of them. Even the staff cooed over her and they all wanted to take her home!

I feel incredibly proud and happy and it is one of the best things that P, Chynna and I have done together as a family. We have committed to visiting every Sunday morning and I look forward to it.

What did crack me up though was that the Matron tried to disinfect every OAP's hands after they stroked Chynna. But that went out the window after a while because they kept coming back for more and some even encouraged Chynna to lick them on their faces!

One of the residents thought that Chynna was a male dog and didn't like her pink collar and leash. She said to me, "He's beautiful but I'm not sure about the pink. It makes him look like a poof!". Ha ha ha.

I'm not saying this because I'm biased, but Chynna is the most amazing dog that I've ever come across. She is laid back, so well behaved and loves everyone she meets. What I said to P today was that it would be a real waste if we just kept her all to ourselves. I know that the residents would have let us stay all day if we wanted but we just didn't have the time. Next week, we will stay longer so that everyone can get their fill of her.

The Matron loved Chynna as well and before we left, she gave all three of us in turn a big cuddle! I really hope we see more of her on our visits. I know that with time, I'll also get to know the residents a bit better. Today was a blurr of stroking hands, numerous names and passing faces. I will definitely blog when I get funny comments or hear special stories from the residents.

On this wonderful note, I wish all of you a great rest of the weekend!