Today is the beginning of Christmas…

Today is the beginning of Christmas…

Awaiting magical transformation! I am writing this on the 12th December 2020 – the end of a very strange year, I am sure you will all agree. In normal times, I would be dressing the house ready for our annual festive wine tasting that has been held here for the last...
Goodbye to an old friend…

Goodbye to an old friend…

All ship shape with the beautiful new Rayburn in place (and Bill’s fruit loaf for tea!) It is over 27 years since we moved into our lovely Pinks Barn here in the Cotswolds. We almost didn’t move in at all ­­– within hours of unpacking the removal van, we had to...
Inspiration in the bluebell woods

Inspiration in the bluebell woods

Over the past few weeks I have been making up gorgeous silk collections into different colourways. Each set has an evocative title as I thought that it would perhaps give you ideas of how to use them – and also because it helped me select the colours once I had a...
My Catherine Archer Sampler

My Catherine Archer Sampler

I may have mentioned once or twice before that I am obsessed by stitched samplers. I hope this is something we have in common, so you will forgive me dedicating this Jotting to one sampler in particular. It was stitched by Catherine Archer in about 1865 and is one of...
And down came the trellis

And down came the trellis

Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants is a wonderfully inspiring nursery Our courtyard garden has been a joy this year with a froth of white and pink cosmos and Japanese anemones practically taking over wherever they can. This garden is surrounded by rather an ugly...
Don’t you just love vintage linens?

Don’t you just love vintage linens?

I am not sure when I started hunting for old linen pieces, sheets, kitchen textiles and so on. I just know that I love this fabric and I have always enjoyed wearing it, which is why I look permanently creased but I am told by my family to refer to my crumpled state as...