The beginning, the middle & almost the end!

Are you sitting comfortably? I feel compelled to warn you that this is a lengthy blog, but make a cup of tea, grab a biscuit and you'll be just fine, I promise not to waffle and use lots of pictures!

Way back last May I went to view Rose Cottage and there is no doubt that I fell in love instantly, there was no question about it, this had to be our home in Oxfordshire. It was not in the most perfect of states and had a terrifying colour scheme which included vast amounts of this blue.

And a slightly lighter version!

Then there was this red, which would be wonderful in a high ceiling dining room in an elegant georgian house not my dream little cottage in the Cotswolds.

But it gave us time to plan and dream

To take in what we had purchased and try to comprehend the enormous task that lay ahead.

Not even the garden had escaped the blue and this old lean to shed hid a large wall with windows! So many quirky nooks and crannies, and although we were a little daunted the mass operation began.

Then February arrived. Not a good month for us Magics, the news of Mr Magic's redundancy which was very closely followed by the tragic loss of Mr Magic's younger brother. Our house in Wiltshire was just about to exchange contracts and we had huge decisions to make - rock bottom sums up life in the Magic household.

Big decisions were made, we pulled out of the sale of our home in Wilts and decided that although we loved our little cottage we needed to move back to Wilts as Rose Cottage was just unaffordable as our family home. It was heartbreaking, friendships had been forged and our dream home was slipping away.

And to top it all off Rose Cottage was in no fit state for sale, so the troops were mobilised, some how we mustered energy and determination and Rose Cottage was turned around. Friends and family were invaluable, we only got through this because of their unending support.

Slowly, slowly the old colours were disappearing. Spanish villa tiles were removed.

And our dream for Rose Cottage started to become a reality.

A real Cotswold cottage with an inviting door, come inside and have a look around.

A quiet corner

A sitting room to relax in, cosied up in front of the fire with a good book and a cup of tea (or glass of sloe gin!)

My favourite room - the utility/boot room, I know it's not the most romantic
of rooms but it has my dream sink and the most beautiful york stone work surfaces.
The work surfaces were a bit of a curse, as they very nearly finished poor Mr Magic off! But a true friend appeared to help raise them into place, believe me this was not for the faint hearted!

My adored sink looks just perfect now!

And a kitchen! Wooohoooo, this was sooo very exciting 8 months with no kitchen,
then to have running water inside, I was very happy!

And instead of a dingy dining room we gained a bright and airy Kitchen/breakfast room

A comfy bedroom, uncluttered and clean - my dream!!!

A scrummy bathroom to soak away the day's stress

Finally we spent time on the garden, the old lean to's vanished and a pretty space
ready for coffee and croissants appeared.

Even the wisteria decided to make an appearance!

So we did it, the reason I was away from blogland for so very long, seemingly endless
days of lifting and shifting, sanding and painting and pruning and strimming!
Now my beloved Rose Cottage is for sale, ready for someone else to be enchanted
by her and enjoy her charms.




(although should the ideal person for my dream cottage
not appear then a holiday home she will become and I know I shouldn't hope that this
might happen, but.........)