Finally, a post!

Hello folks, before I start with my post I would like to say a very sincere thank you for all the comments I received on my last post.  I found them very moving.

Right, here goes.  

There's been a lot of changes in my life and attitude to things of late (not really surprisingly) I've been trying literally to put my house in order.  The seemingly endless task of sorting out and decorating has begun, and as I'm sure you know the rooms that are finished make EVERYTHING else in the home look super shabby!  Last Summer I did manage to decorate our downstairs loo and hallway and also the bathroom, which were long overdue but finally I have redecorated our dining room!  I really don't like to admit that it has been many, many years since it was last decorated.

I took the plunge and 'Annie Sloaned' the dresser, corner unit, bookcase and hostess trolley, and though I shall whisper very quietly that I'm really not a fan of 'shabby chic' I really needed to make drastic changes.  Out went the over sized dining table and 6 chairs (now re-homed with my beautiful daughter and her lovely partner.)  It's taken me a while - I'm not getting any younger and I know when I've done enough!  Here's some befores and afters....

The dresser top before - I don't have good views of the whole of it!

(incidentally, the daffodil china is one of the (many) things that has been re-homed.

Sold it to a vintage tea shop.)

Painted in AS Louis Blue and Original (off white)
then it's been AS Soft waxed to finish.

The knobs are crackled cream (eBay)

I've painted the interiors to match.
Please note fab new carpet

Couldn't find a before photo I'd taken so this is from here but identical to mine.
Mahogany heated hostess trolley

After!

My pine bookcase was very similar to this one, but of course mine only cost £25 from a charity shop!

but afterwards it looked like this!

(This shows a little of the old peachy carpet)

The 'old' corner unit

And again after it'd been Annie Sloaned.

I managed to get hold of a fab pine farmhouse style table and hard wood chairs off eBay which someone had kindly already painted and waxed in AS Pure White.  

(Sid's sleeping quarters showing by the radiator - she's 19 now and needs a bit of comfort.) 

Since taking this photo I've also changed the curtains to a china blue colour.

It took me around 4 weeks plodding along at my own pace to do but we are delighted with the finished result.  I did however roller on the AS paint as I preferred the finish to brush painted.

There has been a LOT of thinning out of 'stuff', some has gone (back) to charity, some has been stored in the loft and some given to friends - with more to do in every room.

I'm in the process of sorting out the gardens at the moment, and then the kitchen is next up, it too will be attacked by Annie Sloan - who has time to rub down oak cupboards and drawers?  Not me!
I have taken to decision that ALL our downstairs rooms will be in blue and white.....well why not?  Both hubs and I like those colours :o)

On to other matters.

Hedgehogs are still a huge part of my life :o)  I've actually lost count of how many I've released back into the wild this year, I think it's nine or ten.  Four of those were my little Autumn juveniles, and the others needed a safe place to live and Joan at the rescue centre chose me to release them.
I found out an amazing fact from Joan when collecting one of the spiky little critters for release - she has run the rescue centre for the last 15 years, taking in between 450 -500 hedgehogs a year.  Those who are able to be treated are lovingly cared for and cured only to be handed back to the folk who bought them in for release.  Joan had NEVER seen any of them returned to the wild!  A few days later Joan rang me and asked if I could take another one, and that she could bring it round for me as she would be in the area.  I suggested she leave it until later in the evening so that she could release it.  She was over the moon!  She arrived around 8 o'clock, we had a cuppa and a chat until it was dark enough.  I marked 'Lucky' so that I could keep a close eye on him for the next few weeks.  Joan placed him into one of the hoggy 'Hiltons' in the garden and we sat on a bench and waited for it to emerge.  Half an hour passed and nothing happened, then Joan gave me a nudge as another hog had appeared for a forage around the food in the garden - she was beaming from ear to ear.  A few minutes later another hog appeared and started to hoover up some mealworms, then a third large hog appeared and snuffled over right between our feet to  one of the water dishes for a long drink.  Joan was beside herself.  Then 'Lucky' finally snuffled out and promptly began to eat.  We were both overjoyed.  We stayed outside for another 15 minutes or so until Joan had to leave.  She told me the next day she'd had a lump in her throat as she was so moved to see the delightful little creatures doing what they should be doing.  It was a privilege to be the one that finally let Joan release one of her beloved little patients.

Lucky.

Thank you for reading this, I know I've been missing for quite a while and there's been a lot of heart searching as to weather or not I was going to blog at all...for now I will try and 'get back into the swing' of it all as I do miss catching up with you all.

Best wishes as always

x x x