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Top Five

Top Five | Christmas Parties and Shopping

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Top Five Christmas

Well isn’t December getting busy, it is Thursday already and we are only just getting round to our Top Five. Christmas festivities are in full swing at the cottage. Let’s take a look at what has been going on:

One

Christmas Tree

The tree is up! Every year we go to a local Christmas tree farm and pick up a Fraser Fir. It is a slimmer than a traditional real tree so it fits into smaller spaces. We have gone for a traditional scheme this year using pine cones and red and gold baubles. We also have a lovely set of 12 days of Christmas ornaments which fit right in.

Two

Christmas Party

Christmas party season has started (along with the accompanying hangovers!) We helped Rich’s folks host a drinks party on Sunday evening with mulled wine and mince pies aplenty. On Monday morning we stepped outside to survey the damage done. Not too bad considering!

Three

V&A Museum

We took Monday off work for a bit of a London Christmas day out.  We started with a little wander around the V&A.  It is probably our favourite London museum, we especially like the British galleries.

Four

Christmas Shopping at Harrods

The true reason for our London trip was Christmas shopping.  We stopped off at Harrod and Liberties, did Oxford street, regents street and Tottenham court road.  We didn’t get everything we needed but we made quite a dent!

Five

John Lewis Roof Garden

Whilst traipsing down oxford street we felt the need of a little pick me up. Thank goodness for John Lewis. We headed to their roof garden pop-up bar, themed around a winter forest it was festive and fun.  We especially like the garden lodges you can book for dinner.  Their G&T wasn’t half bad either!

15th December 2016
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Top Five | Christmas Holidays

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Top Five Christmas

Our top five is a little late this week as we have been off on our pre-Christmas holidays to Copenhagen. We love Denmark and Copenhagen and we will be blogging more about our trip later in the week. Let’s get back into the swing of things and take a look at this week’s top five.

One

Frosty Morning

Having a dog means lie-ins are a thing of the past. On the cold and frosty morning, we have been having later it can be quite a chore to drag ourselves out of bed.  However when it is a bright and clear morning the rewards are great, like this hard frost that covered Horsell common last week, it was magical!

Two

Mini Christmas Tree

As we are still without permanent abode we won’t have our own Christmas Tree this year (don’t worry we’ll be fully involved in putting up the decorations in the cottage) But we have invested in this mini tree to liven up our room!

Three

stråla mini festoon lights

We are loving these mini battery festoon lights we got from Ikea (they are called Stråla in case you were wondering) we have strung these up behind the bed, they makes the room lovely and cosy.

Four

Florist in Helsingør

As mentioned above we recently returned from Denmark, a country that knows how to celebrate Christmas well. Whilst walking around Helsingør, a small town north of Copenhagen we found this beautiful florist, a perfect shop selling perfect plants to decorate for Christmas.

Five

Scandinavian Interior Design Magazines

With all the stunning shops, decorations and interiors, we saw when we were in Denmark we had a bit if inspiration overload.  To help with the inspiration we picked up a few Scandinavian interiors magazines – a Danish one, a Swedish one and a Norwegian one!

7th December 2016
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Top Five | Start of Advent

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Top Five

It has been another busy weekend for us as we prepare for a weekend break and start to think about how we will be decorating the cottage for Christmas.  Let’s look at out Top Five and what has kept up going this week.

One

toy advent set

Sunday just gone was the first Advent in Christmas.  Being dutiful God-Parents to our Godson Dexter we gave him a toy Nativity set to start the Advent celebrations. We have yet to find a Nativity set that we agree on, but are hopeful we will find one soon.

Two

Christmas Movies

We have a tradition of watching Christmas movies through December to get us in the mood for Christmas.  We started with the 1942 classic “Holiday Inn”.  We will spend the rest of the month trying to make sure we fit all the movies in before our final movie, a Muppets Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve.

Three

Ikea Candles

We made a little trip to Ikea on Sunday to pick some items to make our Christmas gifts.  As it is either illegal or impossible to leave Ikea without buying candles we left the store with a large number of them.  We will be using them throughout Christmas as they help make the cottage cosy.

Four

Advent Calendars

We like a good advent calendar and this year we have decided to go for a traditional one, ie without chocolate in it, and found this vintage looking one in John Lewis.  Don’t worry, we will still have a chocolate one and will be including the cat and dog as they will also be getting special pet friendly ones too.

Five

Off to Copenhagen

We are off to Copenhagen on Thursday for a short weekend, start of Christmas break.  This is the second time we are going and are looking forward to the fairy tale feel in the city.  It is also predicted to snow, which is equally as exciting.

28th November 2016
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Top Five | Back to Normal (whatever that means)

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Top Five

We are now well and truly back to full health, thank goodness for that! Let’s hope we stay healthy and full of beans for the rest of the year! To celebrate being back up and running we had a pretty busy weekend full of fun stuff, let’s take a look at this week’s top five

One

Scandi Market

Aren’t these little guys cute? We picked this up at the annual Scandinavian Christmas Market in London.  Located on Albion Street in Rotherhide and conveniently between the Norwegian Church and the Finnish Church.  The market is a celebration of all things nordic and festive and is a great day out.  The market isn’t huge but it is perfectly formed. There were stalls to buy lots of gifts from, as well as many serving scandi food and drink (we enjoyed the glögg).  Inside the two Churches, there are further stalls and places to eat. It  is a great little day out!

Two

Twickenham

On Saturday we headed to Twickenham to watch England play Fiji as part of the Old Mutual Wealth Series.  We love heading to Twickenham to have a few beers and  watch the rugby. It was a good game with England winning 58 – 15. After the match, we headed to Hampton Wick where we used to live, to have another couple of pints and a curry. A good day out!

Three

Fresh Flowers

One advantage of having a florist in the family is that we are often given leftover flowers. On Saturday Rich’s mum did a large event with lots of table displays.  When we got home we found she had made us a small arrangement using the left over roses. It made us very happy!

Four

Winchester Christmas Market

As if we weren’t feeling Christmassy enough having for to the Scandinavian Christmas market on Friday, we headed to the Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market on Sunday too! The market is now in its 10th year and is going from strength to strength.  There are 100 stalls, plenty of food and drink options and an even an ice rink! If you visit on Sunday 11th or 18th December there is a family carol concert in the cathedral too

Five

Dog Beer

We love beer, we love our dogs. What better way than to enjoy a beer with our dog? We discovered this doggie friendly beer in Pets At Home at the weekend and we thought it was a great idea so we picked some up as a present for Hettie so next time we have a beer she can have one too!

21st November 2016
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Top Five | Forty Days and Counting

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Top Five

Hooray, we are on the mend! Hopefully, that is our illness out of the way now and we can start to enjoy ourselves. It is getting pretty busy between now and Christmas, we can’t believe it is only 40 days away, we better start getting organised.  But first, let’s have a look at this week’s top five.

One

Poppy

On Friday it was the annual day of Remberance for those who lost their lives during World War I, II and the more recent conflicts.  We always pause and pay respects for the two minutes at 11am on Remberance day and Remembrance Sunday.  A worthy thing to do as a frequent reminder of the few who gave their lives for us to live peacefully.

Two

Horsell Common

It is great to be able to get out and about again with Hettie. We took this snap on Sunday morning, it was a beautiful misty and mellow morning, and it was great to be outside to enjoy it!

Three

Copenhagen Planning

In just over two weeks we are heading to Copenhagen for a pre-Christmas getaway. We are beyond excited and are busy planning what to do.  There will be plenty of  castles, history and culture.  We’ll also be sampling the best of the city’s food and drink. We can’t wait! If you have any tips please let us know.

Four

Christmas Magazines

We love Christmas, really really love Christmas! To help with this year’s planning we have been buried nose deep in all our favourite magazines’ Christmas editions. We’ll soon be getting the decorations out for their annual audit and then it is Christmas all the way!

Five

Jamie Oliver Christmas

Continuing the Christmas theme we bought Jamie Olivers new Christmas cookbook.  This Christmas Calum is cooking so any help is going to be very much appreciated. Jamie (along with Nigella and Delia) will be helping us out!

14th November 2016
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Top Five | Sick Days

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Top Five

Hello, so you may have noticed we’ve been a bit quiet of late? We’d like to pretend it’s because we have been really really busy, alas not. We have both been ill, with Rich doing especially well as he caught pneumonia! We’re on the mend now and will be up and running properly again soon.  In the meantime let’s have a look at five things that have been keeping us chipper!

One

Get Well Soon

It is nice that people are thinking about us when we are not doing very well. Rich’s best friend Nikki sent flowers, a particularly lovely thing to do! And our Godson, Dexter (age 1 3/4), made us this wonderful get well soon card. It is the little things that brighten your day!

Two

Open Fire

It has got pretty chilly in our part of the world of late. We have been bundling ourselves up to keep warm. It is also cold enough for the first fire of the season at Rich’s folk’s cottage. When you are feeling poorly there is nothing better than being snuggled up next to an open fire. Bliss!

Three

Autumn Colour

Despite being cold it has been glorious clear weather around our neck of the woods.  Being couped up inside means we haven’t been about to get out and enjoy the glorious colours of autumn. Having said that the garden has been a riot of colour so we have been able to enjoy it a bit.

Four

Pumpkins

We have a dilemma, Halloween is over so we really should be taking our autumn decorations down.  But we are loving having these decorations about. In the USA they have the excuse to keep on going until Thanksgiving. We love thanksgiving so perhaps we should use that as our reasoning?

Five

the-crown-netflix

One advantage of being sick in 2016 is that due to Netflix we no longer have to put up with bad daytime TV.  Firstly we got a little bit hooked on The Gilmore Girls which is a bit of a guilty pleasure. Since Friday we have been loving The Crown, a really heavyweight drama that is just pure quality!

7th November 2016
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Top Five | Mellowness

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Top Five

The weekend went by in such a flash, sometimes it feels like we haven’t had one at all. The rain put hold to our plans to head out on an adventure but we still managed to fit lots in. Let’s take a look back at last week’s top five:

One

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When we take Hettie, our dog, onto Horsell Common for her walks we’ve been noticing lots of people foraging for mushroom.  It seems to be a bumper year. We know nothing about mushrooms (and in fact Calum is alergic) so we stay well clear. We assume this is a poisonous one as nobody has picked it!

Two

top-five-171016-3

We like nothing more than a Sunday pottering around a home or antique shop. On Saturday we headed to the Packhouse in Farnham. A treasure trove of antique, vintage and new homewares that we’d recommend visiting if you are in the area.

Three

Blue Pumpkin

Our pumpkin obsession continues! We were actually looking for a blue pumpkin for use at our Harvest Dinner but didn’t have any luck.  We stumbled across some this week, in Lidl of all places, it has now joined our autumn collection!

Four

top-five-171016-1

You can’t stop a cat from hunting! On Saturday afternoon we found Annie prowling around the garden. She had spotted a little field mouse that she was determined to catch. Luckily we intercepted her, rescued the mouse and sent it off for a happy life on the common. It was tiny and adorable, we hope it stays safe now!

Five

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On Saturday night we headed down our local for a few pints. It was raining outside so we may have stayed for one pint too many. Sunday Morning was a little bit slower than normal, but to make ourselves feel better we had sausage baps! All was good with the world!

17th October 2016
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Top Five | Sweet October

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Top Five

The last week has been a little busy us.  Lots of things coming up in the next few months that are going to keep us both occupied!  That said our week was also fairly eventful, so let’s have a look at our top five.

One

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A Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks is the perfect treat for Autumn.  The PSL are the perfect accompaniment to any days that start off with a crisp feel to the air.

Two

Lonely Planet October Travel

Our adventuring minds always think of fantastic holidays to go on and different places to visit.  We tend to wonder and get lost every time the Lonely Planet magazine turns up at the door.  The beautiful photography and great travel tips are perfect inspiration for any travel planning sessions!

Three

Parents Garden

On Sunday, Rich’s parents were out in the garden finishing off those last jobs before Winter sets in.  On a brief tea break, Rich caught a quick picture of them.  They love the garden and spend a lot of time out there when they can. To be fair, we also love the garden and look forward to having our own.

Four

Horsell Common

At this time of year, our walks on Horsell Common are stunning.  If you are on a walk and catch it at the right time of day, the misty dawns and golden evenings add to the picturesque views.

Five

Cinnamon Bun Day Swedish

On the 4th October it is national Cinnamon Bun Day in Sweden.  The day has been celebrated every year since 1999 and it is a worthy day to celebrate.  We made our own buns this year using the book Scandinavian Baking: Love Baking at Home, by Trine Hahnemann.  It is safe to say that Cinnamon Bun Day is certainly something will we be celebrating again next year!

10th October 2016
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Top Five | Hello October

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Top Five

This morning there was frost on the ground, the first this side of Summer. It made getting out of bed a bit more difficult than a normal but is was a glorious day so very much worth it. Today was the type of crisp autumn day that writers wax lyrical about.  With an autumnal state of mind lets look at our top five:

One

Chobham Festival at Chobham St. Lawrence Church

This weekend was Chobham Flower and Music Festival. Rich’s mum did a couple of displays so we took the time out on Saturday to admire her work. Chobham Church is a beautiful building, it brings back many memories of Rich’s schooldays in the village.

Two

Nordic Ware Autumn Wreath Bundt Cake

This weekend we had family visiting. It was a great excuse to get ur our Nordic Ware autumn wreath cake pan. We made Nigella’s Pumpkin Bundt cake. We are not being half-hearted about embracing autumn here!

Three

Autumn Wreath from Homesense

We picked up this wreath at Homesense to add to our ever growing supply of Autumn decorations. We love Homesense, especially for quirkier decor like this. We were also excited to see the start of their Christmas range in store, but we can’t get to excited about that, it is only just October!

Four

Glass Pumpkin from Lights4fun

Look, if you haven’t realised this by now we love decorating the house for autumn. We are especially loving this Pumpkin lamp from lights4fun we have plans to use this as a table centre at an upcoming dinner party, watch this space!

Five

Crockpot Slow Cooker

Hooray, it is the season of stews and casseroles. On Sunday night we had the first of the season in our brand new Crock Pot (we accidently broke our last one). We are looking forward to many more slow cooked dishes. Any recipe suggestions?

3rd October 2016
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Top Five | Adventuring

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Top Five

Life can get pretty busy, with lots of things competing for time and attention, but sometimes it pays to ignore an ever growing ‘to-do’ list and escape for a little adventure. That is what we did this weekend, and is in our top five, let’s have a look at the rest:

One

Lymington

On Sunday we met up with our friends Ben & Lauren, and their son Dexter for a little adventure down to Lymington in the New Forest. Lymington is as lovely harbour town perfect for a little day trip, or perhaps a night away.

Two

Pumpkins

We have been trying to hold off but we finally succumbed to getting the pumpkin decorations out, and buying a couple of fresh pumpkins to decorate the cottage. We found these glass pumpkins at Homesense, a great shop for finding autumn decorations.

Three

New Forest Ice Cream

How delicious does this cone from New Forest Ice Cream look?  Answer: scrumptious!  For the record that is one scoop of millionaires shortbread flavour and one of white chocolate and brownie flavour.

Four

Malta

Rich’s folks are just back from a holiday in Malta. Obviously, they bought us the obliquity airport chocolates (we got a bar of Toblerone too). Malta sounds a lovely country and it has leapfrogged up our list of future travel destination! Also, they speak English and drive on the left, sounds good to us!

Five

Walkie Talkie

It was Ben’s birthday last week. For his present, we bought him a pair of walkie talkies. We used them on our trip down to Lymington. They are great fun and really add to the adventure, great when travelling in convoy! Over.

 

26th September 2016
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