huts and hideaways

you always have a wish list in your life – and as you get older, you find that the list gets longer….  but finally i got my dream – the suffolk cottage has 5 huts and sheds;  some are just big old boxes to store the wood and paint, but 3 of them are perfect hide aways, though all 3 of them need a bit of tender loving care and restoration.   robert says i bought the cottage because of the sheds – he may be right……

on my list was a shepherds hut or a gypsy caravan in a big rambling garden ( oops thats 2 of my wishes – the big rambling garden) – there is a long sweet garden, made beautiful  and practically easy to maintain by my friend Laura Arison, award wining gardener and landscape artist at Hampton Court garden show.

have a look at the lovely retreats  from the hideaway and remember you can always stay at the wonderful shepherds return – another of those things on my neverending list.  if you pass by dix sept in framlingham, take a look at the wonderfully atmospheric shepherds hut, built from found materials, its everybody’s dream hut.

 

its all the rage, glam camping – i keep reading all about it – i must give it a go – not with robert of course, but one of my bohemian girlfriends who will appreciate the rustic natural life.   someone sent me this info and it looks really cool for a girlie weekend.

“Introducing Mad Dogs & Vintage Vans – boutique glamping in the heart of the Wye Valley.  Come and stay in our beautiful vintage caravans in the grounds of a Grade II listed Rectory , nestled in the rolling hills of Herefordshire with stunning views out to the Black Mountains.  All our caravans have their own characters and are packed full of period features and vintage charm.  Bring the family or glamp it up with girlfriends, it’s the perfect place to relax and reconnect with nature.”

came across this website that looks very interesting, fun things to do with friends or with an adventurous family – vintage vacations.  my friend has this lovely 70’s caravan right near the beach in whitstable – a much cheaper alternative to a cottage and much less maintenance.

 

huts and hideaways

you always have a wish list in your life – and as you get older, you find that the list gets longer….

on my list is a shepherds hut or a gypsy caravan in my big rambling garden ( oops thats 2 of my wishes – the big rambling garden) -have a look at the ones from huts and hideaways and remember you can always stay at the wonderful shepherds return – another of those things on my neverending list.

I definitely miss my whitstable cottage  – its been 3 years now,  but its spurred me to book some weekend day trips.  you forget how beautiful the english countryside can be – despite the terrible weather.

its all the rage, glam camping – i keep reading all about it – i must give it a go – not with robert of course, but one of my bohemian girlfriends who will appreciate the rustic natural life.   someone sent me this info and it looks really cool for a girlie weekend.

“Introducing Mad Dogs & Vintage Vans – boutique glamping in the heart of the Wye Valley.  Come and stay in our beautiful vintage caravans in the grounds of a Grade II listed Rectory , nestled in the rolling hills of Herefordshire with stunning views out to the Black Mountains.  All our caravans have their own characters and are packed full of period features and vintage charm.  Bring the family or glamp it up with girlfriends, it’s the perfect place to relax and reconnect with nature.”

came across this website that looks very interesting, fun things to do with friends or with an adventurous family – vintage vacations.  my friend has this lovely 70’s caravan right near the beach in whitstable – a much cheaper alternative to a cottage and much less maintenance.

renting a caravan

the cornish arms in st merryn is a lovely local pub that serves good quality food.   child friendly too, its about 10 mins from padstow, and although owned by rick stein is more of a local type pub than a gastro pub.

there are so many beaches to go to in Cornwall – mother ivey’s beach is a beautiful beach for swimming – surrounded by natural rock formations – you can rent a caravan overlooking the beach, what an amazing view.  perfect beaches for surfing are constantine bay, watergate bay, polzeath and harlyn bay.

one of my favourite shops to visit is in Wadebridge – Acorn antiques  has a selection of french style painted wardrobes and kitchen armoires.  they source them from france, strip them, restore them and paint them in lovely shades of white.  i usually find great teacups for sale in charity shops in cornwall.

 

 

its all the rage, glam camping – i keep reading all about it – i must give it a go – not with robert of course, but one of my bohemian girlfriends who will appreciate the rustic natural life.   someone sent me this info and it looks really cool for a girlie weekend.

“Introducing Mad Dogs & Vintage Vans – boutique glamping in the heart of the Wye Valley.  Come and stay in our beautiful vintage caravans in the grounds of a Grade II listed Rectory , nestled in the rolling hills of Herefordshire with stunning views out to the Black Mountains.  All our caravans have their own characters and are packed full of period features and vintage charm.  Bring the family or glamp it up with girlfriends, it’s the perfect place to relax and reconnect with nature.”

remember you can always stay at the wonderful shepherds return – another of those things on my neverending list.

our friends margo and bobby have a glam 70’s caravan in whitstable right by the sea – they are affordable and perfect for a weekend retreat.

glastonbury

two of my kids have gone to glastonbury for the first time – what a fuss with all the stuff, from tents, to wellies, camping gear – its more to organise than you think!  i have to admit, i have never been to a festival  – i think that the only way you will get me there is if you book me a lovely boutique hotel to sleep in, or one of the lovely caravans like the wonderful shepherds return!

how to make your wellies prettier for a festival – buy lace stockings and turn them over the top of the wellie –  or for winter buy some thick fisherman’s cable socks and do the same – much prettier than the liner socks that you usually buy for wellies and cheaper!   mary did this for a shoot a while ago – its a great accessory with pretty dresses.  dont forget to buy your wellies a half size bigger if you intend to wear thick socks.   my favourite shop for buying socks is tabio – expensive, but they fit well and they have a great choice of ankle socks – i love to wear ankle socks with high shoes in the evening – makes me feel more cute and girly rather than grown up and trashy.   selfridges also has a great choice of socks.

huts and hideaways

you always have a wish list in your life – and as you get older, you find that the list gets longer….

on my list is a shepherds hut or a gypsy caravan in my big rambling garden ( oops thats 2 of my wishes – the big rambling garden) -have a look at the ones from huts and hideaways and remember you can always stay at the wonderful shepherds return – another of those things on my neverending list.

I am definitely missing my whitstable cottage now – its been exactly a year now,  but its spurred me to book some weekend day trips.  you forget how beautiful the english countryside can be – despite the terrible weather.

mad dogs and vintage vans

its all the rage, glam camping – i keep reading all about it – i must give it a go – not with robert of course, but one of my bohemian girlfriends who will appreciate the rustic natural life.   someone sent me this info and it looks really cool for a girlie weekend.

“Introducing Mad Dogs & Vintage Vans – boutique glamping in the heart of the Wye Valley.  Come and stay in our beautiful vintage caravans in the grounds of a Grade II listed Rectory , nestled in the rolling hills of Herefordshire with stunning views out to the Black Mountains.  All our caravans have their own characters and are packed full of period features and vintage charm.  Bring the family or glamp it up with girlfriends, it’s the perfect place to relax and reconnect with nature.”

remember you can always stay at the wonderful shepherds return – another of those things on my neverending list.

our friends margo and bobby have a glam 70’s caravan in whitstable right by the sea – they are affordable and perfect for a weekend retreat.

country hotels

so we spent our night (intended for our anniversary, but postponed due to the snow) in Coworth Park, a 50 min drive out of london – it was utter luxury to spend the day lounging by the open fires, watching tv in bed, swimming in the spa and having breakfast made for you.  i thought that sunday would be a quiet day, but in fact, it was full of family lunches, celebratory afternoon teas and dinner.  owned by the Dorchester, it was high luxury, immaculate and friendly service without the pomp and surly attitudes  that you can get in central london .  of course, its much cheaper to go from sunday to weds, so check out their last minute availabilities or dinner packages – it makes it more affordable, and if you have to back in work on monday, its still feasible as close enough.  its a real treat to spend even one night away from the domesticity of real life, so next time you have a birthday or anniversary, think about it –  it does momentarily offer an escape to another life, i somehow felt like cinderella coming home . (especially since i came home to an infestation of ants in the kitchen!)

another place that we did stay in a few years ago, is the Grove – i remember it has an amazing spa and also a barn to have lunch – in fact, i remember taking my mother in law there for lunch and she really enjoyed it.   its a bit more corporate than coworth park, but equally as close to get to.  cliveden is also another bolt hole worth considering.   a little further afield is barnsley house in the cotswolds;   i suggest all these places, if all you are after is a one night stay to rejuvenate, sleep and be pampered,   not for the culture aspect.   and not too long a drive from london,

of course nothing beats the charm of a small boutique style hotel, but there doesnt seem to be many of those within an hours reach of london, and if you want to stay just one night, it seems even harder to achieve – so many places have a 2 night minimum stay.  i still want to stay at the shepherds return – maybe when the spring and hopefully warmer weather arrives – there never seems to be hotels done in this individual style – now i realise why my cottage in whitstable is always booked.

the shepherds return

some days i wake up thinking, i am writing and talking to a computer, is this sane?

i dont even know who is reading my ramblings or who my audience are, but i do know that there are some very interesting people with inspiring and interesting things going on in their own lives because of it – the word ‘blog’ is such a horrible word, but it is the only recognisable way to describe your lists of posts, but on the days that i think, shall i give it all up?- i receive the loveliest of emails from readers who really enjoy the daily posts plus masses of discoveries that i can share with you.  one of them being the shepherds return – a unique  shelter that you can rent for a couple of nights situated in the south downs, just over an hour from london.   its definitely on my list of things to do.

if you look carefully, you can just about see this family of ducks coasting happily along…..