Cathedral flags

Still feeling patriotic after the Queen passed the milestone of being the longest reigning British Monarch, I snapped these military flags in the south transept of Chester Cathedral after seeing the giant Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria meet by the city gates.

It's always hard without a tripod to take a photograph in dim cathedral conditions so they are not as clear as I like. But I love it when flags are grouped like this in churches and cathedrals, beautiful rich colours and of course the Union Jack is the basis of them. These are possibly flags of the Cheshire Regiment. 

Roald Dahl Day

Today is Roald Dahl day, celebrating his wonderful wacky world of marvellous medicines, chocolate factories, strange creatures, lots of revolting words and snozzcumbers. 

I grew up on Dahl, his books inspired me and led me into a world of bizarre adventure. Nights of reading in my room until past bedtime.....James and the Giant Peach, the BFG and The Witches. 

I still find myself making up words in the Dahl way - gobblefunk.

Can you guess which Roald Dahl books my pictures represent?

How Grey Can be Great

The colour grey has earned a bad rap over the years. We associate this colour with everything negative, scary or dismal in our lives: gloomy weather, sharks, mould, freezing temperatures, pollution and bad moods. However, grey can be a beautiful and versatile colour to work with, especially in your home. Here are a few ways that grey can be grey-t (forgive the pun, it was just too easy…). 

Neutral does not equal boring

Unfortunately, ‘neutral’ is often code for ‘boring.’ Many of us get intimidated at the thought of making a statement with our interior décor because we don’t want the costly chore of redecorating something that didn’t work out. That’s where grey comes in: the beauty of this colour is that it’s subtle enough to put anywhere – the walls, the floor, even your furniture (like the above piece from Fishpools sofa collection) – but still makes a definite statement. Play with gradients, blending varying shades of light and dark grey for a refined effect.

Collecting autumn treasure

 Stepping into the garden as its colours start to fade and spider's weaving webs across every walkway. Be careful for you may find yourself dancing about the lawn trying to rid yourself of them from your hair.

Gather late summer flowers and drying hydrangeas for the home. Mind the snails and leave some berries for the blackbirds.

Find a feather or two. Barn owl and rook. Stripy brown and a shimmering navy blue sheen. Soft beauty and pretty textures to add to the mantle nature display for a little boy to look at, feel and learn.
 Late summer walks with chestnuts on the floor already, padded cases and tiny conkers inside.

The joy of randomly stopping to look whilst in the countryside. Observing the leaves already changing colour, patches of trees turning yellow with streaks of umber. Noticing how some trees change quicker than others.
 Treasure to take back into the home and arrange for a splash of colour and to inject late summer magic into the rooms. 

Finding the perfect conservatory for your home

If you are needing extra space at home, a conservatory is a great option for providing you with another room for relaxation or play. With so many designs available you will find a conservatory to suit the style and period of home. Budget-wise they are a good investment as a conservatory can add up to 7% to the value of your property and make your property more appealing. Adding extra space to your home is an alternative to moving and something we certainly need in our Victorian semi.

Image source: Swenglish Home