I thought I would post some new photos of the front of my new but ancient cottage.  it being outside, it is the one of the few things I have managed to get completed during the virus situation.

It is still not quite complete but due to everything going on I missed a few planting deadlines and will have to wait until next year for them.  I’m sure it will look better next year too as the plants I’ve put in place will have settled in by then and grown a little.

It looks nice and cheery in the bright sunshine but somehow it stands out even more in the cloud or rain as it is still bright and blue when the other buildings are gloomy looking, even the white ones.

You probably couldn’t have a newer or bigger house painted blue in Britain unless by the seaside but there is something about very old and small cottages that can pull off bright colours.

I am pretty sure if I lived in a trendy village mews in London I would end up having a steady stream of tourists taking selfies outside!  As it is I get so many people crossing the road to say how much they love the house or how it cheers them up.  People take photos, sketch drawings and just stand and look at it as well as those who knock on the door just to say how walking past the house is the highlight of their day.   I’ve even had an old lady stop and ask if she can sit on the bench for a few minutes.

Everyone says the rest of the street should do something similar so we will look like Portobello Road in Notting Hill but I’m not sure everyone else is quite as brave.  It shows though what you can do with some paint, a simple piece of garden furniture and a few flowers and shrubs.

I wonder what the people who lived here in 1826 would think. Some things haven’t changed and I’d like to think they would appreciate it especially as Georgian houses were often brightly painted but as accommodation for a farmer or mill worker, I can’t help but think they’d go their whole lives without ever seeing an olive tree, let alone having an olive.  I’m sure they would feel at home with the roses though!

What do you think, is it Instagram worthy?