End of an Era

It’s my last day of work today and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t just a tad emotional (ok, maybe a bit more than a tad). I have made some wonderful friends that I will miss for many years to come. I was fortunate enough to nab a job in Conservation Architecture and working in the UK, it doesn’t get any better than that. As with every job, I have had endless ups and downs but over the past year or so, the ups have far outweighed the downs. I’ll clock out and wave goodbye with a very heavy heart at the end of today.

I’ll leave you with some of my favourite site pictures at Hampton Court. I was lucky enough to help out on a site survey for every Friday for 6 months last year. These ancient roofs hold some of my favourite memories.

The pointy shoe brigade…

I’d like to apologise in advance to my shoe-obsessed big sister for mentioning this but it still gives me the giggles. When I was younger, my big sister went out into the scary wide world and got herself a job. Her uniform was uber-corporate and smart and soon pointy (size 8.. yes, we are both blessed with skis for feet) shoes started appearing on the lounge floor. Now this might sound strange but pointy shoes were rather progressive for a sleepy coastal town on the Garden Route of South Africa, and I have to admit that they became an item of ridicule. Whenever my sister wasn’t around (because I am no fool),  the big pointy shoes would go on my feet and wearing a pair of silly shorts, I would do a little dance in the kitchen for my mother. It became our nightly ritual… until my sister caught us. She was not amused. My mom’s hysterical laughter while she cooked dinner still remains one of my fondest memories of her. But I digress. My sister will love to hear this but a few years ago, I tentatively joined the pointy shoe brigade. (And of course the first thing I did was put them on with shorts and do a funny little dance).

Let the drink come to you…

The days of long twilights and barmy al fresco dinners are quickly waning. Even though I am heading straight into another summer, I am still sad to see the end of another English summer. I know I am guilty of complaining about the endless rain and cold but when the weather is good here, there is nothing quite like it. The Traveling Gin Company is the perfect example of lazy English summer days (and what drink could be more British than a gin and tonic)? Started by Ed Godden and Joe Lewis, The Travelling Gin Company consists of a pretty butcher’s bike, equipped with a laden picnic basket and a gin bottle attached to the handlebars. And call me a lush (again) but I just love the idea of the drink coming to you!

Images via

The City Revisited

I’m feeling a little fragile (again) this morning after yet another leaving party so please forgive my lack of words this morning. I am conscious of the fact that it sounds like I am a major lush but it’s less than 2 weeks (eeeeeeeeekkkkk!!!!) until we jet off to Australia and my very last week of work so celebrations are in full force. I never thought I would say this but thankfully social gatherings are now winding down and we are going to spend the weekend moseying about London just taking in the surroundings for the last time. Starting with one of my favourite places in London, The City.

Monday Snoop – Lavender Loveliness

For as long as I can remember, I have had an aversion to lavender. I’d like to think that my tolerance levels have got better over the years but I still find myself cringing at the colour or wrinkling my nose at the smell. Worst of all, I am not even sure where my totally unreasonable hatred stems from – it just exists. So I was a little perplexed when I found myself stopped dead in my tracks by a lavender beauty on Veranda. Logic dictates that I should be repelled by it, but strangely, I find it incredibly soothing and for lack of a better word, “pretty”. Of course I am fairly sure that as usual, the kitchen won me over and the rest just fell in to place.

Images via Veranda

And then there was light!

I have to admit to a wee-bit of trepidation in writing this post. In all honestly, I didn't know much about VELUX®, and what I did know, I wouldn't say it was all together enthralling.  But homework was promptly done and after a few minutes of research, I was pleasantly surprised about what I discovered. Turns out VELUX is a bit of a dark horse.

Want to know what ultimately swayed me? Attic and loft spaces! It’s no secret that I can’t resist the cozy loveliness of an attic space (Exhibit A and Exhibit B) but when it comes to the practicalities/technicalities of making the awkward spaces liveable, I have no clue. I mean how do you get a windowless sloped space filled with light and fresh air? Well this is where VELUX steps in. Way back in the early 40s, Danish born Villum Kann Rasmussen (the founder of VELUX) spotted an opportunity to develop a cheap and useful space under a sloping roof and designed and created the first VELUX window – fitted with an ingenious pivot hinge which allowed the window to be opened at 135 degrees. Suddenly attic spaces were transformed into liveable rooms. Today, their sloping windows are instantly recognisable and hugely popular here in the UK where space is at an all-time premium. It’s not just sloping and flat roof windows and skylights, they do their part for the environment too, manufacturing solar hot water systems and energy efficient blinds (which insulates the window up to 21%) but most fascinating of all is their involvement in the construction of carbon light homes. So there you have it, not just a boring window company after all…

This post is sponsored by VELUX but my opinions are my own and I wouldn’t be blogging about them if I didn’t think they were a cool company!

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