Yorkshire tour....

A rare day day off for us both saw a trip to North Yorkshire... Not the Dales this time, but the wild Moors on the East coast.

Following the coastline of Staithes and Whitby... we travelled inland to find Lavender Cottage in Iburndale near Sleights owned by lovely Helen from Busy Bee Studio.

 We found it, tucked away in a little row of delightful, dinky cottages. 

Perfect for a romantic retreat for two..

To see inside www.lavendercottagewhitby.co.uk

Continuing south we found ourselves once more at a familiar National Trust property....

Nunnington Hall. 

This time we managed to visit the gardens as well as the house....despite the rain.

Clever willow sculptures of horses in the wild flower meadow....

Clipped box hedging...

Worn, wet flagstones...

Dashed poppies...

All lead the way to the productive, kitchen garden.

Home to Peter Rabbit...

Scarily guarded by "Long John Titchmarsh" in his tatty old Barbour.

Joining him in the garden was the delectable Daisy Daisy.... a National Trust volunteer.

Non verbal I'm afraid, unlike the lovely volunteers in the house whose enthusiasm and knowledge made the tour of the interior a pleasure.

Finally at the other end of the garden.....the wishing tree... Where you can tie a ribbon around its branches and make a wish. Which I did....

Of course, no trip away is without its buying....

I just had to have this huge earthenware bowl. 

Worn blue glaze inside, chippy terracotta outside and I think it is going to look right at home on the oak coffer in the Bastle

Back next time with a Bastle update.

Julie x

"Pod" removal.....

The kitchen extension on the side of the Bastle housed a most unusual "pod" kitchen and staircase arrangement when we bought it..... Oppressive to say the least. 

But with fabulous old beams and soaring height we realised this would make one big dramatic kitchen. 

The view from the front door...

View from the top of the stairs....

The yellow kitchen......

Lovely!

So....plans approved, we ( the two of us ) set to work removing the kitchen pod and worm infested staircase....cement render was chipped from the walls and total devastation was created.

A party electrical cable hung precariously over the kitchen... This was the power supply to the next door cottage, paper insulated and a little dangerous. Thankfully after many months of negotiation it has been removed and our neighbours have their own supply. 

Black beams were painstakingly stripped of treacle varnish, walls repointed with lime, insulation installed in the roof, new oak front door, timber sash windows and stable door installed and painted.....

 The old concrete floor removed and dug out by hand ready for the underfloor heating.....and finally the sub base was floated in.

Fast forward now to 2013...... Under floor heating trays and pipes in

And covered with the final screed.

The original ledge and braced front door was cut down to fit the boot room opening

Monster slate flooring was laid...

And grouted.

Just awaiting the new staircase now to replace the temporary ladder arrangement.... Bit of a problem lifting the plasterboard and steel bath upstairs, never mind...we are finally getting there!

Hope you are all enjoying the gorgeous sunshine.....it has been glorious in Northumberland.

Long may it continue.

Julie x