Covering up...

A scruffy old fence. An even scruffier old bench. Time to renovate and improve..?

Naaah, sometimes a quick fix is all there is time for...

... with my trusty, rusty bowl filled with blue and purple loveliness...

... flowers whispering summery tunes...

... layers of different shades of purple...

... just hanging around...

A "covered up" colourful corner to unwind in...

... and feel "tickled purple"..!

To all lovely readers out there, thank you so much for visiting! 

To those of you leaving kind words, a warm thank you. I am sorry I have not

 been around to see all your lovely blogs... time seems to be running away from me, 

but I read and appreciate every single word!

Wishing you colourful summer days,

Helena

Clothes optional...

Have you always dreamt of a horticultural outing wearing nothing but your "birthday suit"...?

Perhaps longed to come close to...not little green men, but one LARGE green head...?

Would you like somewhere to explore an abundance of floral "fabulousness"...

...and finally find a cauldron large enough for your secret potions...?

Well I, or rather Ian and Barbara Pollard, have got just the place for you!

Just 25 minutes up the road from us, in Malmesbury, is Abbey House and Gardens, a k a "The Home of the Naked Gardeners". It has a five-acre garden so full of interesting "rooms", beautiful flowers and playful elements, that it makes you want to explore every corner and every path. Oh, and did I mention the waterfall, the small island in the water, the stepping stones, the oversized chess game, the stricter park character mixed with the wild and untamed - a perfect marriage of styles, if you ask me!

...and one or two roses too... or 2200 different varieties, to be precise!

Should you feel that you are not quite ready to explore nature "au naturel"...

... you are welcome in clothes too!

Which, if you feel like sitting down to rest your feet on an inviting wooden bench, 

might turn out to be a jolly good idea...! ☺

More images from this garden in previous posts here, here, here, and here. 

Or visit their website.

Garden love to you all, and especially to our friends in Norway, 

whose lives have been shaken in such unimaginable ways.

Helena 

Kära vänner i Norge,

Idag är mina tankar hos er och familjerna som drabbats. Ofattbara tragedier!

Dear friends in Norway,

Today my thoughts are with you and with the affected families. Unbelievable tragedies!

Helena

Special days...

All days are special in their own way, but...

 

...some days are simply a little more special than others. Especially when...

 

... embellished by a visit from a very dear friend, LOVELY Charlotte with the stunning blog "Garden Flow", and her gorgeous family. A day spent chatting, laughing, exploring the local scenery. A day that passed much too quickly and I wish I could have stretched out to last just a little bit longer. A very special day indeed!

   

The images I show today are of a scene I wish I could have greeted the guests with: snacks and bubbly in the garden... But alas, the weather gods had other plans, offering surprise showers throughout the day, making indoor dining a more appealing alternative.

***

Last week offered more special days. A surprise parcel arrived from a dear blog friend in Holland, Ria (It's me), with - among other things - the gorgeous linen tea towel above, with a Focaccia recipe printed on it. Thank you, lovely Ria, for my special gifts!

Oh, and then there was of course another special day last week...

... in fact, it was my special day...

In the past few years, the man in the house has really caught on to a winning concept for birthday presents for yours truly... Or in his own words: "If it is old and rusty, she'll like it." Oh yes! So, the old butter churn and garden scissors (on the chair) above made this birthday girl a very happy bunny...! I am beginning to wonder if my fondness for surrounding myself with old and scruffy things is a subconscious move to - in comparison - not feel so old and scruffy myself...☺

Thank you so much for all your kind words and a special hello to new readers and followers.

I hope your summer is filled with many very special days!

Helena

(Most items flea market finds, except the crown, which was made by my father a few years ago.)

Featured in...

Dear blog readers,

Just a quick hello to say thank you to Silvia with the lovely blog Shabby Soul in Italy, who today posted a large feature about The Swenglish Home. Silvia is a lovely lady who is also very creative and for those of you dreaming of turning your bedroom into a romantic haven, do check out her bedroom transformation!

All the best,
Helena

A place to rest...

Summer days are lazy days...

... and this armchair is a favourite spot all year round to "collapse" in 

whenever collapsing is required... 

Normally it has not got a foot rest, but when we really feel like indulging ourselves, the basket from the wall on the left is pulled over to accommodate tired legs. From here, you have a view into the garden and it is also the perfect spot to enjoy watching someone else cook...

Some of you who have followed my blog for a while, may remember that this is usually the spot from which  my grandparents (see image below) follow the moves and lives of the Swenglish family members. However,  inspired by the nautical tunes of our beach trip to Cornwall, I felt like moving a few cushions around and make room here for a more New England-inspired atmosphere, with the chequered star cushion (made from fabric from a dress I never wore...).

The wooden tray hosts a mix of cream ceramics, 

among which is this little bowl from Maisons du Monde:

The ceramic bottle was a find (£ 2) at a French-inspired "brocante" in Bath last month, but the real treasure here, I think, is the "foot warmer" (below, left) with the wonderful text " Doulton's Improved Foot Warmer". When, a few years ago, the man in the house came home from an antiques market carrying this, I confess I was not entirely over the moon, but today I love this quirky little beauty! Boring rubber hot water bottles - be gone!

***

Another very tranquil place is a small church just outside our neighbour village Box.

(Bench outside the church.)

Regardless of whether one has a religious faith or not, I think many churches offer a wonderful 

place to catch your breath and quietly contemplate the wonders of the world...

(Church door.)

Wishing you a restful weekend!

Helena

Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside...

Oh dear, ...

... summer time blogging is perhaps...

... a little optimistic...

Particularly if...

... one is meant to stick to interior decorating or garden themes...

...when all one wants to do is dip one's toe in the gorgeous waters in Cornwall!

Well, technically, we are not on holiday yet. The boys are still in school for another two weeks, but a sunny weekend not long ago, we said goodbye to our lovely-but-oh-so-inland town and enjoyed the sweet little Cornish coastal town of Padstow, with its STUNNING beach and marine spirit. The boys loved playing on the beach, even if the first photo above reveals that the water temperature was perhaps not as Mediterranean as the "azure" colours of the water... It is no surprise painters flock to Cornwall: the colours, the views, the LIGHT!

Well, as I am very fond of the New England nautical theme, and as this is still attempting to be an interior decorating blog, here is a reprisal of some images from my older son's room, where there is a mixed theme of sea and space. The boat-shaped shelves on the wall were found in a charity shop for a few pounds, and with a lick of paint and a couple of bent plastic pipes (for "blast-off purposes"..), they were quickly turned into space rockets. 

The nautical theme is easily achieved with a few stars here and there, and rejected old jeans offer the perfect material for a denim star appliquéd onto a cushion. The marine inspired star picture below was made with some rough pieces of wood, which on purpose were allowed to "separate" a little, in order to give them a slightly weathered look. A painted star with stars and then, the final touch: a tiny piece of thin wood with a printed sign glued on (with transparent decoupage glue), indicating - rather falsely, I confess - that our little town boasts a marina...

You can find more images from this room here.

Thank you SO much for your kind words about my last blog post and 

welcome to all of you new readers! 

I hope you are enjoying a wonderful summer, wherever you are!

Helena