Once upon a time there was a little girl who dreamed of living in a white cottage by the sea….
(Not in the sea)
It just had to be magical .
An old boat fashioned into a hut? . A perfect childhood den..
So, fast forward forty (odd) .. actually very odd years…but that’s another story…Wigwams in the garden/ hide outs in-between sheds/ childhood bedrooms designed and redesigned for a (usually- bored parent) /numerous crazy junk-filled student flats/ an escaped marital castle. a temporary refuge and our hug house which help put us back together again…..but still, this little dream of a little blue and white house remained..
My small person and I kept feeding the plan, despite massive hurdles. It had to have no stairs, and be a place of sanctuary . Where flowers grew, and the kettle was on.
We imagined…..
A seasidey, comfortable little house where people would feel at home, hydraengas in the garden and shells around the edges, inspired by trips to France and Greece and a love of deep Blue from iconic paintings and seaside holidays, ( So much so that my daughter has blue as her middle name.)
I knew all our years of looking would be worth it. The ingredients were coming together and we had faith in finding our home. We knew it was here.
As you already know, we spent a long time over the last year doing the groundwork, the garden, the inside etc. Finally, this week, we managed to get the walls done and it was like coming home..
…Can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs, and the mess was worth it. !
We were lucky to have the best village painter and the weather held out so we got the job done in two days. Finally the whole picture came together .
Day one.
Day two.
So.. here is our home…
And the stripey detail drainpipes..
And the funky tattoo doorstep with the fishermen donated by the other beach hut lady.
And the beach blue windows..
And the additional path colours.. Which will be a lifelong project I think. A bit like the forth road bridge…
And the fab shipwreck wood half gate which will keep our neighbour’s little dog from escaping when we pup sit… ( It is a work in progress as it needed to go up before the rain hit… )… Another masterpiece from my dustbin- cover-upper-erer…
And the beach…( which will be a long term working painting given the temperamental nature of my joints and the weather here!)
That’s Molly giving it the once over… Again, it needs another coat.. not least because of the er.. snow affect my lovely painter accidently added in a mini blizzard. But also it will have more detail in it as time goes by…
Hope you like it. Think my six year old self would be quite pleased, given how many small people have congregated here this Summer!
I can feel the weather and my body getting less adaptable already, so I am grateful for these last few months of long sunshiney days. If I have had an ounce of energy it has gone into making what we have here, chipping away until each piece is done. It has been done on a shoestring, it hurts, its frustrating, but for now the biggest things are complete. You need the patience of a saint to build something yourself, and the skin of a rhino to throw off your critics….My rhino skills are sadly lacking but the positive comments and new friends made over the fence have more than made up for that.
Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not possible xx
Big love, Kettle’s on
Love Liz
And six year old Liz xxx
