Now That's a Flower BED!

I make no secret about loving the idea of using things in a way that they weren't originally intended. The previous owner of our cottage left some old iron beds in the shed, and I've been wanting to repurpose them for a while now. 

My first thought was to spray paint this headboard white, but after seeing it in the  garden, I like the rusty look!

The green hanging pots are temporary - I will be planting pink peonies that will grow into the railings, so I'll post an updated pic when that happens. I really do love this look!

Rockin' It

When we cleared a big mound from the back garden we were left with large stones that we needed to dispose of. Since a skip was out of our budget, I came up with the idea of lining the top of our new wall with stones. So here's the end result after a few hours worth of work. Lots of effort, but ZERO cost!

The Great Outdoors Part 2

We've done some sprucing up around the outside of the cottage, and things in the garden are beginning to bud and bloom.  Here's some of the latest pics -

Freshly mown grass and trimmed back shrubs for a new start!
 

Pansies are always show cheerful, don't you think?

This will soon be a popular location for breakfast or a nice cup of tea.

Tea for two - won't you join me?

Here's a bonus - These lovely bluebells were residents of the cottage long before we were!

So graceful are their blooms...

And they are growing everywhere!

Like here...

...and here.

We've even cleaned up that "ugly" area!

And in front of the wall is ready for grass and flowers, another project!


Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more blooming pics.  

The Great Outdoors

We've made a good deal of progress to the outside of the cottage!

If you remember from earlier posts, the retaining wall in front was in danger of falling over. 

We put up a new wall and lowered the incline of the driveway. 

Our next project will be a bit of landscaping around the new wall. I'll post pictures when it's done, so stay tuned!

Absolutely Livid!

I've always wanted a purple door. Here's the finished result, painted with Dulux "Absolutely Livid" gloss paint.

                          

I will post more photos when we paint the rest of the house , but the door was in such a state that we couldn't wait -

                                          Goodbye peeling paint, hello Absolutely Livid!

If Music be the Food of Love, Play on

One of the daunting tasks of downsizing is where to keep your treasured things. Coming from 2700 square feet, there was an extra reception room for our many musical instruments. In the cottage, they've been stored under a bed  for lack of a better place. As that's not very conducive to spontaneous playing, we needed another solution -

Making the instruments part of the decor keeps them always at the ready for a session. 

Music is a theme throughout our home -

Below is my grandfather's first violin, all the way from Texas. 

The next project is to to find a space for the banjo, mandolin, bagpipes and autoharp!

Can You Dig It?

Our latest project is in front of the cottage. The driveway, in its current state, presents a variety of problems. The previous owner's DIY job extends into the street as a treacherous bump. At the top of the drive, it goes above the damp course and is causing a damp issue in our bedroom wardrobe. 

Then there's the retaining wall in front. Part of it is leaning out and in danger of collapsing, so that's being done as well. And the final project is damp proofing the entry porch to correct an efflorescence problem that is blowing the paint off the walls! 

The cows were curious about the digger bucket until the JCB dropped a load of concrete into the dump truck, which made them scatter!

Digging up the slab that overlaps the road. The bowlers will be glad that it's gone. The bump has been a menace to many a player!

Lowering the driveway will correct the damp problem. 

As you can see, there's never a shortage of projects here at Moonlight Cottage!