Saturday 24 August 2013

Style At Home Magazine Feature!! It's Out!!

You may remember back in may our house was photographed for Style A Home magazine? Well, im excited to say that we're in the October issue now in the shops!!:

I've had to pinch the above picture of a friends Instagram feed as we haven't seen a copy yet!! We were meant to get a preview copy but it hasn't arrived and despite it being out in some areas, I've just rung all our local shops and no one has it yet!!

I know they've posted this blog address as I've had some new followers and a couple of the lovely messages from people - so if you've found me via the magazine WELCOME!!

Hugs,

S x

 

Friday 23 August 2013

Best Friends and The Emerald Isle....

For our holiday this year we made the long journey by car to visit my Best Friend Forever Vicky in County Leitrim, Ireland.

Vicky and Mr G have known each other since they were 2 & 3 years old having grown up on the same estate and I met Vicky when I was 15 and we moved "down south".


Initially, we disliked each other (I thought she was stuck up and she thought I boy mad!!) but Vicky took pity on me when the popular girls started a campaign of bullying and befriended me.

I'm so glad she did as I love her like a sister and we have had some fantastic fun over the years - and I realise despite being in our forties we are still like teenagers when we get together!!

Vicky settled in Ireland about 20 years ago and used to visit home at least once a year so begin with I saw her regularly. Then her parents and two of her sisters followed her over and she stopped coming back over so until I attended her wedding in 2010 I had not seen her for ten years.

Determined to not let it go so long again this year it was decided that our family holiday would be taken in Ireland.

It took 36hrs (including overnight stop in Liverpool) door to door - but oh was it worth it!! Not only is Ireland the home of my BFF, it is just beautiful!!

We stayed in an annexe belonging to friends Martin & Eilish which had the most lovely view which looked different everyday:

On the Sunday, having left our husbands in their respective beds with raging hangovers (they went to the pub on Saturday - Mr G doesn't really drink but found everyone so friendly he couldn't help it - every time he went to the loo two more pints were waiting for him!!) Vicky and I took her beautiful crafts to a little craft fair:

Sunday evening was spent in front of the log burner on Martin & Eilish's patio:

Eilish & I....

Squeezing my Vicky and not wanting to let her go!!

Our visit was all the more special as Vicky is expecting a baby with her lovely husband David:

We have utterly fallen in love with Ireland, the beautiful landscape, slower pace of life and wonderfully generous, hospitable people. We've never been made to feel more at home and welcome.

Our evenings were most often spent tucked on Vicky's cottage crocheting:

In the middle of our stay we travelled south to stay for a night with Vicky's Mum and Dad, Diane and David, who run Ballywarren House - a gorgeous little hotel (when we were kids they had a cottage hotel too and Vicky and I would get into trouble stealing OJ and the expensive couverture chocolate chips by the handful!!)

We took the scenic route south and boy was it worth the extra miles:


The experience was spoiled somewhat by the boys squabbling in the back of the car like a pair of toddlers:
Butter wouldn't melt....


Ballywarren itself is beautiful. My kinda house!! I just love the Georgian double fronted look:


We were there on the 25th anniversary of Mr G and I getting together:


It was really wonderful to see Diane and David again!!:


Inside Ballywarren is the most wonderfully cosy, country house:
Diane is a fantastic cook and following a wonderful dinner we settled into our lovely room for the night:

The next morning we bid our farewells but not before the obligatory photos:

We headed back north to spend a few more days with Vicky before all too soon it was time to return home.
For a week or so after we got home we were seriously tempted to move to Ireland we fell so in love with it. House prices are currently very low and over there we could afford a really large house with several acres of land.
However, I would find it too hard to leave my family (despite having what feels like family over in Ireland) and so it's just a pipe dream!!
Phew, this has been a biiiiiig post!!
Hugs,
S x

 

Saturday 17 August 2013

Went AWOL There For A While!!....

Hello my lovelies!! It has been almost a month since I last posted on my poor neglected blog so today I am going to do a bit of a round up for you.

Since I last posted we have spent a week in Ireland visiting my BFF Vicky. I met Vicky at school when we were 15 and she has known Mr G virtually their whole lives as they grew up on the same estate:

We forgot the real camera so just inferior phone pics I'm afraid!!

The trip deserves a post of it's own so I'll save the rest of the photos until then.

Three days before we travelled to Ireland we had a bit of a shock. We arrived at the stables to find one of my horses dead in the field :0(


Ironically, at 22 years old he was the youngest of my four and one of the ones that was still fit enough to still be in work so it was a huge shock to find him laid in front of the field shelter lifeless. He was still warm and hadn't been gone long. We think it was a heart attack.

I am consoling myself with the fact that he went quickly, with no illness, in his home with his herd mates.

That's the trouble for we animal lovers, they just don't live long enough and it's heartbreaking when you have to say goodbye....

In more cheery news I finished my ruffled shawl:

It was shamelessly copied inspired by my dear friend Cuckoo at Tales From Cuckoo Land but alas it does not look anything like as fetching on me as it does on the gorgeous Cuckoo - (I've just showed Mr G the pics of Cuckoo in hers and he said "Yeah well she's tiny" - not exactly confidence boosting, eh?!!)

I think I shall keep it for wearing over my nightie when I want to do the full on Victorian thing.

I've also just completed another of my home embroideries - just a sneaky peek here as its yet to go off to its owner:

I'll be back soon to tell you all about the beautiful Emerald Isle....

Hugs,

S x