FILMING AT THE MANOR HOUSE - BARCLAY'S INSURANCE

Last week, we had a very exciting day here when advertising agency Mccann Erikson

came to film a 'mannequin challenge' for Barclay's home insurance.

For those of you who are not familiar with a mannequin challenge, it's a viral video

craze that is sweeping the world featuring people freezing for the camera imitating mannequins whilst music plays in the background.

This is the result....

 

GREENERY IN THE HOUSE

Pantone have recently announced their 'Colour of the Year 2017'. 

It's called 'Greenery' (Pantone 15-0343).  

'A refreshing and revitalizing shade - symbolic of new beginnings - 

a fresh and zesty yellow-green that evokes the first days of spring.' 

source

I understand the sentiment behind this colour but large amounts of Pantone's 'Greenery' is not a colour for our house. The photo above has just enough green for my liking. In fact the recycled shelves, bottles and leaves look great 'but' and there's a big 'but' and that is - the photo is mainly filled with white with a little emphasis on green.

 source

  

So this is the thing (well as I see it anyway)....this new colour for 2017, 

in order for us to embrace it, can only be used as a hi-light - mainly in the form of house plants then teamed with a lots and lots of white, which is the best colour in the world.

 

 

Funny as it is, I think we've got the balance correct in the spare room already!!

DINING ROOM - ON THE WALLS

With Christmas only 23 days away, 
it's got me thinking about our first Christmas at The Manor House.

We were deep in the middle of having the dining room renovated.
Finishing off the room, was getting less and less likely as Christmas drew closer. 
Our builders worked frantically to finish but unfortunately there just wasn't enough time to complete it.

 In a mad panic and knowing we were having lots of family to stay, 
what could we do to 'spice up' the dining room for the festive time?

Richard had the bright idea to get Alfie and Jemima 
to paint the walls with all the family members coming to stay.  

These were the results...
 

We had a fantastic family time, lots of food and games, laughter and happiness.  

It was a lovely Christmas.

The room felt cozy and warm and the paintings added a unique fun element.

  

It was a sad moment painting over the 'art' when the room eventually got finished but I'm glad we have these photos to remember what they looked like.

Our dining room looked very different last year at Christmas and with a few more members added to the family (Scarlett 6, Albie 3 and Boo 2), we managed to all sit down around the table and have another happy meal together.  This time, my super talented photographer sister,  Charlotte took this image to capture the magical moment.

PROUD PARENT MOMENT

There are celebrations today at the Manor House. 

Jemima passed her driving test......yay!  

Not only did she pass with having had 12 lessons (and lots of help from mum and dad), 

she also only got 6 minors!!!!

The examiner said she was one of the best young drivers of her age that he had examined. 

So, so proud and pleased for her.

Love you Jemima x

CONCRETE WORKTOPS

I've been following Remodelista for many years, getting daily updates on design ideas, amazing architectural projects, shopping and travel suggestions.  It's a very interesting blog which I'm addicted too. 

Today they focused on concrete worktops, a subject that I am passionate about as we have them in our kitchen.  I am so, so happy with ours, which is certainly 'The star of the show' in our kitchen! 

They have a solid, sturdiness mixed with a natural feel that no other worktop could provide.

Even over time the concrete will develop a patina with more use.  How good is this?

The only slight draw back with concrete, is that we have to be cautious about are squirts of lemon juice or spillages of white wine. Generally, washing off instantly rectifies this problem though. Because ours is polished concrete we add a waterproof sealant to buff it up every now and again...'rub it on, rub it off', a bit like on the film 'Karate Kid' if you've ever seen it?  

Once done, it shines like new again.

Concrete worktops don't have to be grey in colour, in fact when people walk into our kitchen this is normally the first comment they make.  Ours is a natural white.

If you're considering concrete worktops, I would highly recommend Lowinfo, this is the company that we worked with to produce ours. I have previously written a post about the process here. 

We are so pleased we chose concrete worktops.

MAIN BEDROOM DOOR

I love this photo of the door into the main bedroom taken on a sunny summers day.  

There's something both mystical and serene about it.  
White door, white walls and white floor, a hint of colour from green leaves in the glass vase. 
The letters are from Posh Grafitti.

WASHING-UP LIQUID YOU NEED TO TRY

One of my thoughtful and very kind friends has just given me a lovely gift ...washing-up liquid from Daylesford . 

Lucky for her, she visited the organic farm in Gloucestershire this weekend.

She certainly knows how to spoil me and knew it would appeal to me. I can't believe how excited I am about it!!

I've just cleaned some very greasy saucepans and spoons.  This is not just a pretty bottle of washing-up liquid, it effectively washes grease and grime leaving dishes sparkling and clean. 

 Environmentally kind, biodegradable, sensitive to skin with a beautiful scent of rosemary. It even looks good in a clear bottle with simple white and grey graphics so if you're anything like me, you won't be embarrassed to leave out on show in your kitchen. 

 I can't rave on enough about it.  All in all a perfect product...10 out of 10!!!

You can buy it online here.

HALL RENOVATIONS - A STONE FLOOR

Our hall has a grandness. It has remained, the same as it was originally built back in 1870's. 
The staircase is the prized feature, with its deep stairs and mahogany handrail. 

This is the hall as it looks today... 



and looking the other way towards the front door...

When introduced to The Manor House, it was the hall that we walked into first. 

Standing all together, our first impressions was of a room in need of updating and some renovations. High ceilings, large staircase, lots of space, mostly a light and airy room with beautiful original doors to rooms that had to be explored.  

Once we'd moved in and started renovating the house, generally our motto has been that not everything has to be expensive to update.  We always try to use what you have or clean, mend or add too it. 

Under a green carpet in the hall, we found a natural stone floor.  It was an exciting moment.  
We suspect that the sandstone had been sourced from a Mansfield quarry in Nottinghamshire around the 1800's when this part of the house was built.  



(above) detail of stone floor

After many years of walking on the floor, especially into rooms that were probably occupied by servants, some areas have become worn and indented. We were keen to discard the carpet and see the distinctive beauty of the natural stone floor. 
It's a durable, unpretentious, honest flooring that will last many decades and beyond.


BEFORE (below)
We had to take the hall carpet up as soon as possible because I hated it (we didn't even have time to take any photos). The stair carpet we had to live with for many years before we decorated the hall and came up with a better solution.

BEFORE (below)

A HELP WITH SNOWDROPS

Yesterday, there was a knock at the door.  It was a lady I'd never met before.  

She wanted a 'cheeky favour' (her words, not mine)....."could she have some snowdrops from our orchard"?

 She had struggled to find any snowdrops at the garden nurseries or shops near to us to buy.  

Her sister had recently died and seeing her sister's favourite flower were snowdrops, she wanted some to put on her grave.

Eager to help out, I suggested she dig up a few to take to the funeral today.

It's a lovely thought, that some of our Snowdrops (Galanthus) have found a new place to rest and grow each year. 

All around the UK, gardens are open to show off their beautiful Snowdrops. 

Click on the link and you'll find recommended gardens open by the National Garden Scheme, to walk through.

COLD OUTSIDE - WARM INSIDE

The weather has changed and we're experiencing winter at last.  

It's cold outside but warm and cosy inside.

This area in the kitchen is lovely sit at, after a freezing cold walk.

  

Luckily, we have a wood burner to add extra heat if needed.

We inherited it from the previous owner, who installed it probably in the late 70's.  

To be honest, it's not my ideal looking burner.  I would prefer something at little more

contemporary but by saving money when we renovated the kitchen, 

we decided to keep it.

On cold days like today, it's very good at it's job.

Bought at an antiques fair about 25 years ago, the school trunk is in its original state. 

It works well as a table.  We're not precious about it, so if anything gets spilt or knocked on it, we don't worry about it at all. Great for putting your feet up on too!

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

Christmas 2015 was a very special time for us.  

All my family came here over the Christmas period.

My wonderful sister, Charlotte took some amazing photos. 

Luckily for us, she is a professional 'children, family and lifestyle photographer'.

(You can find her website here)

Her style is natural, vibrant and full of warmth.

She used the house as a backdrop to capture our time together and here

is just a little taster of those treasured moments.    

'Princess' Scarlett on the hall landing.  

I love that Charlotte has managed to include the Christmas tree down stairs, 

in this shot as well.

Don't we all love a reindeer-themed-sweatshirt.

 

 Just look at Ben's chubby little arms and wrists.

 

Albie on the stairs with his favourite present....Spencer.

Fun, laughter, wine and crackers at the dining table.

 

and a Christmas birthday celebration too... 

Thanks to Charlotte and all the family for making Christmas at The Manor House so special.

The House can be hired for photo shoots or filming via location Company, Shoot Factory.

FRESH RASPBERRIES

 We're missing the Summer months and all that grows in the garden. 
 Summer favourites are fresh, juicy organic raspberries.

There is something lovely about taking a bowl from the kitchen, 
walking into the garden and picking homegrown raspberries straight off the shrubs they've grown on.

Simply gorgeous and so healthy. 

They couldn't grow fast enough for us. We ate them added to our breakfast cereal with yoghurt, or mixed into a smoothie. 

This recipe uses fresh raspberries and makes the most delicious cookies.  Very quick to make in less than 7 minutes - great for an afternoon 'pick me up'....

Ingredients (serves 6)

1 cup of cashew flour (cashew nuts powdered in a blender)

1/4 of a cup maples syrup

1/4 of a cup raw cacao butter, melted

1/2 cup of fresh raspberries

Method

In a bowl mix the cashew flour with the maple syrup and the melted cacao butter.  Then add the fruits and mix evenly.

Take a tray lined with greaseproof paper and drop spoonfuls of the mixture and shape it to desired cookie size with a spoon.  Place the tray in the freezer to set and when the cookies are firm enough, remove them from the paper and place on a plate to serve.

Inspired by a Nama recipe.

HARVESTING THE GARDEN

October is here and with that Autumn has arrived, luckily nice and slowly this year as we're still enjoying sunny days. 

It seems a time to reflect on what we've received from the garden and I'm amazed at how much we actually gain from it.  

There's always so many different varieties of apples...

gorgeous juicy eating apples,

 

to cooking apples (above), 

great for crumbles or stewed and used with muesli at breakfast.

Pears (above).  

Not the best crop this year but we still managed a few to eat.

Lots of tomatoes, grown in the vegetable plot.

even the odd blackberry or two.

In the greenhouse, there's a grape vine. 

 So many Mirabelle plums...

and an abundance of Victoria plums. 

Gorgeous, also stewed and used at breakfast.

The sweetest raspberries.  No need for sugar to be added! 

Walnuts. 

(if we're quick to get them before the squirrels do!!)

and lastly, a pumpkin which we'll pick for Halloween.

When everything is listed like this, I realise what lucky people we are to have all these free and organic harvests each year.