What a Year

It's been quite a year.  I finally found my little dream house in the country.  I didn't do too badly envisioning what I ended up with.  To clarify what I was looking for I decided to make a textile collage to remind myself what I needed and desired and hung it out in the old garden.   I was haunting Zoopla morning, noon and night and had almost given up when this house came along.  

I was totally stressed out, two offers on other houses had not been successful.  I was ready for a weekend off, no more house hunting and then this one popped into my inbox.  It's not old, but it ticked all the other boxes so I went, I saw, I loved and the rest is history.

Whatever the weather I never tire of this view .....

Then came the unpacking, choosing colours (always a favourite task) and then enjoying the results of my labours

There was lots to explore for the cats, a new garden to sniff around, new territories to conquer.  And they are so less stressed as I've only seen another 3 cats in the area whereas there were 10 that I knew of over the wall at the old house.

 Christmas has come and gone for another year.  Billy enjoyed the Christmas tree as usual, seeing it as a seasonal activity centre.

What will the New Year bring? What are we looking forward to?

• More homebaking, coupled with some vegetable growing, there is a whole blank canvas of a garden to make over!
• The summer house will be erected, a bargain in the sales, a welcome addition of some much needed shade on my sunny plot
• More colour in the garden, it desperately needs flowers
• More charity shop trawling and treasures to unearth
• More visits to more cemeteries and more photos of angels
• More rest - listening to my body and taking it easy sometimes and not feeling guilty about doing nothing
• And definitely more creative making (an easy intention to keep as last years creative output was paltry as the very least)

A Happy New Year to all my friends and family!  I hope it brings you all you wish for!

Visit to Rock Cemetery, Nottingham

 It was a blisteringly hot day yesterday, when my friend and I visited Rock Cemetery in Nottingham.  It had long been on my mental 'to visit' list but when I saw my internet friend, Linda of Blue Eyed Girl fame's photos recently I knew I just had to go now.

 There were angels galore in this Victorian gothic cemetery, built in and around old sandpits and sandstone rocks.

 I thought I'd share a few of my favourites with you.  The graves were tightly packed together, no paths between them and such a mixture of statues and crosses.

 Whilst it was nice to wander about on a bright and sunny day, I couldn't help but wonder how the atmosphere would change on a say, misty or frosty day.  I feel another trip is needed later in the year.

 Some lovely iron work,

 beautiful carvings,

 and wild flower settings really give much to the overall atmosphere and ambience of the place.

 Unfortunately the couple stripped and sunbathing, together with the family having a barbeque in one of the shallow caves did not add to the experience.  Whilst I am all for the living appreciating the resting places of the dead, these behaviours just smacked of over familiarity and were inappropriate; especially when there was a park next door but I assume no park keepers in the cemetery.

But the cold of an autumnal morning or the damp of a winter's day should soon put paid to such interlopers and am looking forward to my next visit.

Trip to London

I've been endulging my passion for victorian gothic cemeteries again, this time with a trip to Nunhead in London. One of the magnificent seven cemeteries that ring the capital. (Only another 3 to do, Norwood, Abney Park and Tower Hamlets and I'll have visited them all).

As with the others I've visited they have seen better days. There are lots of trees that have been allowed to grow up and disturb the graves, alot of vandalism and neglect but this cemetery still has a lovely, calm, peaceful feel to it. I could have stayed here all day, soaking up the atmosphere and the sunshine.

It was like walking through a woodland only there were gravestones everywhere. Green parrots and jays were chattering and flashing their plumage high in the canopy. Ivy scrambles everywhere and spring flowers adorned banks and graves alike.

Nunhead is high up and there were clear views over St Pauls and the London Eye from certain parts of the cemetery.

In this cemetery there were not that many angels when compared to say Highgate or Brompton but I still managed to find some and get some photos for my journal.


After Nunhead we headed back into the city and made our way to Somerset House on the banks of the Thames to see the installation of thousands of ceramic flowers. They made a really stunning display.

Pssst........ like a sneaky peek?

My other journal is really turning into a labour of love. It's getting even fatter but I don't think it's ready for binding just yet. I thought I'd share just a few pages with you.


I want to use this journal to house some of the many photographs I've taken of cemetery angels and gravestones. Another trip planned soon to Nunhead, one of the big seven Victorian gothic cemeteries that ring London! Can't wait, hope it's a bright sunny day :)

Trip to London Cemeteries Part Two - Brompton Road

After Kensal Green cemetery it was just a short tube journey to alight at West Brompton to go to Brompton Road cemetery. The atmosphere was just so different. Still an overcast, dull, damp day but the cemetery was still a peaceful, inviting space.

I have never seen so many squirrels, racing about, playing and coming up to us, looking for food. Next time I'll take some peanuts although they already looked well fed.

Loved these lions heads on the memorial to the Chelsea pensioners.

This sweet little angel is suffering a bit of subsidence, leaning over.

This tomb for Frederick Leyland, was designed by Edward Burne-Jones, one of my favourite pre-raphelite artists.

If any gardeners out there can shed light on what sort of tree this is I would be grateful as it is just magnificent with it's fruit, a natural christmas decoration. I'd love one in my garden.

I just love this door, with it's scroll work and the patina of time.



Have a peaceful Sunday and don't forget, if you'd like to enter my giveaway there is still time, just go to this link.

Trip to London Cemeteries Part One - Kensal Green

I had a really interesting day visiting a couple of London cemeteries yesterday, the first one being Kensal Green Cemetery.

This was my first visit and I wasn't disappointed by the wealth of angel statues and ornate gothic mausalea, which I just adore,

but the amount of neglect, vandalism and litter really saddened me. The above must once have been a fabulous angel in a very unusual pose but she was such a sorry sight.

This cemetery is hailed as one of the big seven around London and whilst I can see that efforts are being made to perserve and maintain this large site it looks like a lot more work is to be done.

This horse statue must once have been a very impressive sight and indeed still had the power to move me.

This is the grave of Emile Blondin, the man who walked over the Niagara Falls on a tightrope.




The overall atmosphere, with it's litter, lack of respect and regard for the dead, left me feeling very uneasy walking around the site. I would go as far as to say I didn't feel safe. It was a dull, misty, damp day and my friend and I wondered if that was contributing to our general feeling of disquiet so we decided to visit Brompton Road Cemetery, where we enjoyed a great visit back in July, to see if it was the season and the weather affecting our mood. I'll post about that tomorrow but in short, no it was not the weather so I'm not sure if I'll return to Kensal Green, maybe in a few years, maybe never.....