Forget about the Joneses

I may have mentioned the other day what a drag it is to water the garden by hand (a la watering can) due to our hose pipe ban. Since that day its barely stopped raining so as appreciative as I am I would now quite like it to stop, should anyone be listening from above! Not only do  I need to get into the garden and plant it plays havoc on our hair (Maud and I that is not Mung's). Here I sit in the corner of my bedroom with a zillion lights on, its cosy and snug but a week of sunshine wouldn't go amiss. I've mentioned this a few times also, I am a huge believer in decorating changing lives, by that I mean, decorating if you get it right can give you  that feeling of squishy contentment the moment you walk through the door, so you will never, ever want to leave. Working on the TV programme Get Your House in Order, pretty much put my theory to the test. None of the homeowners had a home that they felt contented in or that they loved. Yet it didn't take much to turn it around. In a nutshell by introducing colour, pattern, texture, lighting, playing around with scale, layering personal stuff like art on walls, adding flowers before long you build up a narrative of stuff you love. That is the key,  surround yourself with things you love and forget about the Joneses and what they think.  If you want a giant size pink flamingo in the garden go for it (well maybe not but you get my drift). I've got silver pigs on landings, stone dogs sitting on chairs outside the school, pelicans on mantle pieces,  stuff, stuff that makes me happy no matter what the Joneses happen to think. Stuff that makes me happy, silver pigs hanging out on my landings And layers the more layers you add to your rooms the more interesting and intriguing they become. Happy Tuesday x