Hellooo!
I do hope your weeks have got off to a good start.
So thank you so much for all your naming suggestions. I have had long debates with the girls and in particular Ophelia (who asks about him every day several times).
She particularly liked Teresa’s idea to name him after a Reindeer.
We discussed Rudolph which seems apt as he will both be red (Well ginger) and w...
2023-10-23 18:22:46 +0000 UTC View Post
I wanted to show you this fabulous decorative iron and stone work on a house along Carrer de Sant Geudenci in Sitges. I find the imagination used inspiring to say the least. What if a Wedgwood blue was set as the background colour to this white rendered piece of wall? It is reminiscent of so much work in our own home - particularly in the entrance porch to our Magical Mansion and I attach the f...
2023-10-20 09:11:07 +0000 UTC View PostThis video is an update of how my work on the kitchen and bathroom are progressing. What with the general day to day managing of the house (a couple of hours of gardening today and yesterday to simply stop the garden returning to jungle status, kids, video editing and admin. I really feel alone. Ollie is working full time on his business, researching his next vlog with Stephanie and doing art. ...
2023-10-19 18:26:38 +0000 UTC View PostI wanted to share with you some work I have started to make the kitchen nicer to live with and to embrace the Bewitched look! Noticing that the panel around the sink needed filling, sanding and some mastic to prevent water getting in, I am now finding this job just keeps on growing. Here you can see I'm just working on the white painted wood and adding to this, the kitchen drawers. With the dra...
2023-10-17 14:45:20 +0000 UTC View Post
Am having a day of sorting things out especially my art studio. I am a messy painter so it has been a big job. Have also put together a To do list which I am not quite sure made me feel calmer. (LOL!). This is a drawing I am prepping the canvas today turn into a painted artwork. It is called "The bond of sisters". I intend to film this over the next few weeks...
2023-10-14 14:42:23 +0000 UTC View Post
Camilla and I found this house (now a shop and flats) in Barcelona and saw a certain similarity in features to Can Punxes- obviously it is not in the best of states but I am trying to imagine what it would have looked like when it was a house. I think it would have had a grand front door and would have looked rather lovely.
I hope one day this building gets the love it de...
2023-10-13 20:11:07 +0000 UTC View Post
Those of you who follow me on Instagram or Facebook would have seen this but for those that haven't I have been doing some iPad Sketching to try and plan some future paintings. This is one of them. Have not been feeling on the best of form this past week for some reason and feeling a little fatigued so doing some art is a way of lifting the spirits! (plus a daily run which is ...
2023-10-11 20:22:45 +0000 UTC View Post
We have received this picture of cuteness from our Norwegian Forest Cat breeder. The ginger kitten on the left is our little boy! The two on the right are his two ginger sisters!
As you can see they are looking a bit more like kittens now. though they are still incredibly tiny.
We have a just a week or two to think of a name as apparently the breeder needs this the...
2023-10-11 20:15:06 +0000 UTC View PostWorks continue to the house. It's a painstaking process but I want to do this properly so getting into my stride means really understanding my methods and what I'm dealing with. I'm glad I checked! I've also ordered some asbestos sampling kids in order to be certain that the wood chip effect on many of the walls is not asbestos.
2023-10-09 09:02:37 +0000 UTC View Post
Ziggy is theoretically a cat. But in fact in many ways is a dog due to the fact that he plays the whole time with Coco and thinks he is one of the pack.
I saw him looking at the sky from our bedroom and my heart fluttered! He is a joy.
Wishing you all a joyful weekend.
ps I just went to see the Creator tonight at the cinema. It is outstandingly good! Wo...
2023-10-06 22:17:59 +0000 UTC View Post
The struggle has been real! After trailing around motorcycle shops and shopkeepers having to go into storerooms to try and find a big enough moped helmet to no avail, I finally gave up and resorted to the internet!
So I am not an XL
I am not even an XXL
I am embarrassed to say I am an XXXL!
This has been a problem for my entire life! I hope that my big head is only physi...
2023-10-04 19:26:19 +0000 UTC View Post
This is a picture of a ginger Norwegian Forest Cat. Apparently they are known as 'Wegies". I have no idea if ours will look like this but he will be similar for sure! I think they are very aristocratic looking - we will have to keep him the appropriate name! After all we do have Lady Pekorina !
2023-10-03 14:58:30 +0000 UTC View PostOphelia has been pretty upset with the loss of Don Pekoe who was her fluffy teddy bear - so after much deliberation a new and VERY fluffy and VERY big cat will be arriving here in December!
He is a Norwegian Forest Cat, they are huge (males can be up to 9kg) and very fluffy and can be trained to go on a leash.
This is him at 2 days (his eyes won't open for a week) …he was born jus...
2023-10-03 14:53:39 +0000 UTC View Post
Two photos from my run. It was a sun blessed way to start the day for sure!
2023-10-02 10:26:06 +0000 UTC View PostToday I went for a run (a rare thing). The views in the morning sunlight were glorious and I wanted to share them with you. Thank you so much for your support - always - and especially this last week. Camilla and I both feel so supported and are very touched. xxx
2023-10-02 08:54:11 +0000 UTC View Post
Today was a lovely day. Both girls were appearing in films in the local film acting club! They did so well - a proud parent moment! It was all super professional. Fun to see them on the big screen.
And as you can see the cinema wasn’t just any cinema - I think normally it is a theatre and a Modernist one! The ceilings are beautiful. I never knew this building existed until today. It is ...
2023-10-01 16:12:28 +0000 UTC View Post
Fabulous day today with a visit from Jane and Fred from Atlanta, Georgia who are so lovely.
Then into the studio to do some painting. Finished off this one from before. It is 97cm long and 75cm wide. It needed a bit more contrast in and the table needed a bit more work. I think it's done now. Phew!
I hope you are all having lovely weekends!
2023-09-30 20:47:13 +0000 UTC View PostHappy Friday everyone! Always look on the bright side of life :-)). Here's a nice little movie showing the story so far of our bathroom following that devastating leak from the lead pipes. It follows the drama of multiple little holes in a material that when it ages, becomes like shattered glass, in an unstoppable trickle, over many weeks... Well, that legacy of making good continues. And the r...
2023-09-29 18:21:16 +0000 UTC View Post
In case the link above doesn't work, please do try this one! https://vimeo.com/868866747/f7b132d4a6?share=copy
Here is our update ahead of tomorrow's episode where we take it live to the public along with a couple of other things to show you at the mansion.
And I will also have a short video re...
2023-09-27 19:23:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Here we are filming a little video for you lovely Patreons for tonight. It's a pre vlog, in depth download of where we are now! I'm literally uploading it now and will send the link soon. xx
Then our weekly episode which normally runs on a Wednesday will be out tomorrow.
See you all soon! Cx
2023-09-27 18:55:56 +0000 UTC View PostJust a little video showing what Camilla is up to in the garden!
2023-09-26 19:18:19 +0000 UTC View Post
I promised I would share a few photos of Portugal this week - and this was one of the oddest places I have ever been.
It is called Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra. Sintra is outside of Lisbon in the lush hills where Portuguese royalty and aristocrats and other rich Portuguese built palaces to cool off in the summer.
The owner of this house António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro was ...
2023-09-25 20:15:10 +0000 UTC View Post
Portugal was an amazing and I will share a few more photos this week but it is great to be back home in Can Punxes with Camila and the girls. Last night we went to a housewarming party. The theme was at the movies. I am not sure what movies we were in but we had fun dressing up anyway!!
I hope you are all having a lovely weekend! Camilla wore this dress on our first ever...
2023-09-24 08:19:08 +0000 UTC View PostAt long last I can show you the braid has been put into place and the chair installed in it's intended room - Grandma's bedroom! It's a nice little addition to the house and a wonderful break from some of the other work I've been doing. :-))
2023-09-22 12:07:13 +0000 UTC View Post
These are the painted walls in last night’s hotel in the Palacio Seteais in Sintra! Lots of inspiration for the dining room in Can Punxes.
I love the way the plants curve up onto the ceiling, it’s really stunning.
The palace was built by a Dutch consul to Portugal. He was responsible for all diamonds going into the country - and he was paid by taking 1 in every 10 diamonds trade...
2023-09-22 09:45:31 +0000 UTC View Post
Today I am in Sintra - just outside Lisbon where royalty and aristocracy went for the summer. It is packed full of palaces - this is the Pena Palace - fantasy castle built in the 19th Century.
It has been a a huge day of filming with 23,000 steps and two vlogs filmed. But one of incredible beauty - I am feeling a lot of gratitude today!
2023-09-20 22:43:14 +0000 UTC View Post
I am officially in love with Porto. It has so many architectural styles., but I particularly love the Art Nouveau and I have found some wonderful wonderful doors!
My other favourite in the Cafe Majestic which was the place to be seen back in the day with an interior that is unchanged in a hundred years. And these two stunning churches stood out for me too - love the contrast of the grey s...
2023-09-19 21:41:23 +0000 UTC View Post
I’ve been waiting a very long time to change this light bulb! This strip light has never worked since we moved into the house so our kitchen is almost in darkness. In the summer it’s not so bad but with winter approaching, it’s going to be a big improvement if we can have a working light. There is currently one side strip light which once warmed up- 10-15 minutes - works and even then itâ...
2023-09-18 14:58:22 +0000 UTC View Post