How to keep a house tidy part two hidden treasures...

All this fever induced cleaning has meant that I have discovered things that I had forgotten or thought long-lost.  I love these beautiful editions of F Scott Fitzgerald classics.

The wood inlaid chest of drawers was bought at an auction years ago.  At the time I hated brown furniture and was painting everything white or pale grey for a house that we were doing up.  Twelve years on and my tastes have changed, I'm finding the brown quite cosy and grown-up, something that I can get old with...

The one on the right is Regency, I picked it up for about 20 quid, it was so close to being painted, thank goodness my mum talked me out of it.....

This flat sheet was a bargain from Bicester Village about 15 years ago, it is from Deschamps was reduced from £360 to £80, it was still in its packaging...

 There is now space for the pilates reformer, which has been a reliable toner of tummy and waist over the last gym free 3 months...

I popped out with the dogs to get the fussy, small one her preferred brand of food and realised I hadn't locked the door. What if we were robbed?... but then I remember it looks like we have been...(the Sodoku continues, tomorrow the hall will get some attention)

 I had a date for afternoon tea, so wore 'the uniform', skinny beaten up boyfriend jeans (Primark!), blue t shirt (may be a dress) charity shop, Day Birger Mikkelsen coat from sample sale, Hermes bag and Ash copy boots from TK Maxx, love the glitter on the back.

 My favourite place to eat in the world as it means that I am with....

 This guy and he likes to hang out there as it means he is with....

 this girl.....

I was eating lots of protein as am on a turbo charged version of the Thermic plan (more on that later)

Normally I would choose from these....

Everything is so pretty, maybe I will always hanker after a bit of painted furniture...

How to keep a house tidy...

It seems the best way to enjoy cleaning is to catch the horrible cold/cough that is doing the rounds, lasts for 3 weeks and has no redeeming features other than inducing the urge to clean.  And I mean really clean, I have scrubbed every inch of woodwork in the cottage, wiped down all of the walls and paintwork in London, even our life-sized baby hippo had a spa day....

I've been meaning to move all of the nick-knacks and put this pair of cabinets to better use for years. Finally all the glasses are in one place and I have deliciously empty kitchen cabinets to put to good use.  Every glass was washed and polished until it shone...

Even the Victorian fruit dishes have found a home which will mean that they will be used rather than just gathering dust...

Here are the nick-knacks, which have been carefully wrapped, boxed and put away...

The dining room now 'works'.  All the glassware and more unusual china is stowed where it can be seen (and therefore used!).

I have a friend coming for lunch on Wednesday and can't wait to try out all my 'new' finds...

As usual there are pink roses in place, hosting at home isn't the same without a sprinkling of roses, this lot were only £5 from M and S.....

 My lunch date is a detail person, she notices everything, so it will be worth going to the extra effort with the table and food...

I started at 8am and at 4.30 stopped for a cup of tea...

 It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago, I'm not keen on presents and so on, but the husband knows me too well, he just gave me a selection of international magazines that I am too mean to buy myself, exactly what I wanted...

I am thinking about some brightly coloured Ikat cushions for the Summer, my pillows need an update, but I am not sure which way to go.  Any suggestions as to what you would do? Naomi can you make me some??

Unfortunately 'tidying up' is like Sudoku in my house, tomorrow I shall start on the bedroom...

The 'uniform' skinny jeans, Vince shirt, Ash Jalouse boots and 'Hermes' bag, no point in fighting it, officially dressed like everyone else in West London..

Making Spring garlands....

The cottage looks a little bare now that all the Christmas decorations have gone, today the sun came out and Spring didn't seem so far away.  This is one of my favourite Pinterest pictures and I wondered if I could make something similar from a coat-hanger.  The wire ones get caught inside all of the others in the wardrobe so I always throw them away, which feels a bit wasteful.

All the bits and pieces....

 One bent coathanger....

 covered in ivy, ordinarily I would have just stopped here, but Spring was the theme of the day...

 I added some old silk roses, which will be replaced with real ones when I get out of the village 

(it's been a while)

To go with the long sprigs of rosemary, I harvested another variety

still going strong in the depths of winter...

The scent of rosemary and thyme is quite powerful...

 It's passable for a first attempt.  I need a ton of roses to make it really work, but since all it cost to make is a coathanger

And Spring suddenly doesn't seem to far away.

Sandy scissor hands...

Looking for pics to illustrate how old all of my favourite clothes are, I found this picture of Tatjana Patitz, she was always my favourite of the supers, I loved her fine features and feline eyes.  The polar opposite of me, but I decided on Friday I might try out this hairstyle.  

Tatjana got her cut on the beach...

I started mine in the bathroom in London (no pics and no light) the scissors were the ones that I use for Christmas wrap and even my impatience told me to stop and wait.

The coiffure continued at the cottage...

I needed pics to see how the back was going, err not great...

 So kept cutting until it was vaguely even...

Emboldened by the cutting prowess I decided to tackle the topiary, I balanced the balls...

To round perfection...

 Unruly boxes and firs...

Trimmed to tidiness..

Pooped pooches resting after all the exertion....

The workers needed the traditional fare, PG Tips, digestives and dark chocolate...

Family sized of course....

And back to more tidying...

Alexandra has a thousand abbreviations, one of my Scottish friends christened me Xandy (pronounced Sandy)...Sandy Scissor hands...