Designs used: Dame Giralda, Uncle Walter, Señora Emanuela, Grandfather Olaf, Lord Montague, Princess Flaminia and Brother Stanwick,

THE GREAT REHOMING - OXFORDSHIRE. In December 2019, we bought a gorgeous, but pretty rundown thatched cottage on the edge of the Cotswolds. At over 400 years old, it was a real head vs heart dilemma. Heart won and it was a twelve month labour of love to get everything perfect for Christmas 2020. When describing a blonde oak ceiling and beams, gold and khaki walls with almost neon pink carpet, people were dubious… until they saw it, somehow it suited the cottage perfectly. On Christmas Eve, the local drains failed to cope and our lovely little cottage was ruined by storm water. In the middle of the devastation, Dame Giralda, Uncle Walter, Señora Emanuela, Grandfather Olaf, Lord Montague, Princess Flaminia and Brother Stanwick sat brightly on the walls, totally unfazed. They’ve been temporarily fostered at Mum’s, a medieval thatched cottage in Buckinghamshire. Now hung in a more muted environment, they remind me that we’ll get our cottage back to normal where they’ll be going, pride of place. My only regret? Not getting professional photos in time of our “before”, so here’s to plenty of “after”!