It's The Little Things Space-Saving At Roullier White!

 

It's The Little Things Space-Saving At Roullier White! Good Morrow! Well, I have news! The GD and I have put in an offer on a cottage! My experience of buying property is very dated - everything has changed and it's virtually an auction now with 'Offers Above' the new mantra! We have a lot of competition, including investors who are buying to rent out on Airbnb. I think that is quite sad for rural villages as it brings nothing to the community. It is a 'hot market', apparently, so we are trying to be pragmatic - Que Será Será!  The property is bijoux (i.e. very small!) and was built around 1800 (so Georgian Regency in style) and on the loveliest street that I have ever walked down in Britain - so the compromise was space for location. We started with a check list; detached, off-street parking, etc. and our potential home fails at every turn, however the position is absolutely stunning, and we could walk to a castle, tennis court, pottery, 2 gastropubs, a Norman church, village shop and delightful tea-rooms in less than five minutes - and frankly what else could one wish for?! There are no bad views - everything is gorgeous, and I believe that it would be a real privilege to be part of village life. I will be honest, I am very nervous about living in such a relatively confined space - I have been totally spoiled by the proportions of a Victorian villa for a long time, but I like a challenge and it is a new way of looking at interiors. One is never too old to learn! The cottage has a log burner and would be very cosy, plus the long garden has views of the South Downs, so "Small Is Beautiful"! Of course, the real reason for this adventure is the Good Doctor, whose practice is in Sussex and with whom I now get to begin a new chapter. So, fingers crossed that 'Michael Donovan lives between London and West Sussex' (this is for my book jacket.....when I write one!) happens sometime in the not too distant!  This rather unexpected turn of events has inspired some space-saving musings this week. Indulgent I know, but we all need to combine style with practicality, so please bear with! First up, it's my favourite topic - wine! While I remember, I must recommend a Riesling that we discovered when holidaying in The Cotswolds recently. It is called Chateau St Michelle (I photographed the label - above) but is actually from Washington State - so an American wine, with a French name and German roots (pardon the pun)! It has a natural effervescence and fizzes slightly on the tongue - always a winner with the GD! Perfect for an early evening tipple in the sunshine, and available from Waitrose I believe.  Shop Now - Wine Rack - Black - 12 Bottles - £72.00 Shop Now - Metal Wine Rack - Honeycomb - Steel - £75.00 But I digress, I meant to speak of wine racks. We have two, and I selected both for their space saving properties. The first is a tall, slim, black and, best of all, floor standing. This means that if counter-space is limited but you have a spot behind a door or adjacent to the kitchen cupboards, then this will nestle in nicely. It also holds 12 bottles, which is enough for anyone!. The steel, 'honeycomb' wine rack was chosen to maximise oddly shaped spaces, as the hexagons can be clipped together in whatever form is required. So, if there is a space under the stairs or an irregular corner, this design can maximise storage space and still look very chic. I like the idea that one can add to this over time and discover what works best. Shop Now - Vivid Porcelain - Serving Bowl - Set Of 2 - £40.00 Shop Now - Vivid Porcelain - Cereal Bowl - £9.00 We have a set of two 'nesting' bowls from Denmark which we use every day without fail. They are both a good size, so can be used as mixing bowls when baking, or for salads/pastas etc when serving. As they stack, they don't take up very much room in the cupboards - in fact, we have the matching cereal bowls in 'Nordic Grey' and pile these inside them too, so we get 6 bowls in the 'footprint' of 1 (the Estate Agent jargon is still in my head!). Shop Now - Dual Oil & Vinegar Cruet Bottle - £11.00 For the table, one can dispense with the traditional, two-bottle cruet and simply use this lovely, dual, oil/vinegar flaçon. Not only compact and decorative, but it will add flavour to your Italian themed dining experience! Shop Now - Recipe Book - One Pot Vegan - £16.99 Now, I have to give a shout-out to the recipe book 'One Pot Vegan'. Obviously, the space-saving benefit here is that one is only using a single baking tray or pot in/on the stove, but the benefits in flavour and to the planet are manifold. I shall not wax lyrical about the benefits of veganism as I believe in personal choice, and I would not categorise myself as 'vegan' as I do still enjoy cheese (a lot)! However, the GD has introduced me to some of the most gourmand experiences of my life and again, food should be an adventure. I am particularly grateful for last night's Tofu 'Bacon' Caesar Salad, which was one of the finest dishes to every cross my palette. If one is looking to make a lifestyle-choice or just flirt with something new and exciting then this is the place to start, with 80 quick and easy recipes that don't require a list of ingredients a mile long (we hate that - you know those recipes that say that they are easy but cost £50 by the time you have found the correct seaweed?!).   Shop Now - Micro-Umbrella - £32.00 I hadn't mentioned the weather, but now it is time.  The rain!!! My goodness, what a wet w/e it was! I am now rather paranoid about global warming - exacerbated by the various Estate Agents who dropped in "you do know that this cottage is on the flood plain don't you?" or "it doesn't flood every year, but it did last year because the next-door neighbour left his back door open" - both true I promise! I found the premiss that leaving one's back door open obviously invites disaster rather puzzling !  Anyway - our Umbrella's (or Micro-Umbrellas to be exact), are back. We have, like so many, been having a hideous time with couriers and customs. My parapluies have been backwards and forwards from Paris twice without me managing to lay a finger on them, but finally we changed couriers and they are here. No bigger than my i-phone, strong and light, I have two of them - one in the driver's door pocket of my car (where it fits perfectly and is always on hand), and another in my bag - it is so tiny and light that I don't notice it is there. If this summer has taught us anything, it is that we always need to take an umbrella, and these are the perfect, practical choice. I have chosen lots of strong colour for good reason - it is much harder to leave an umbrella on a shop-counter when it is 'chilli red’! Shop Now - Emile Henry - Large Storage Bowl With Cork Shelf - £120.00 When we were living in Hove, I invested in a large storage bowl with cork lid and we both still adore it. On the lower tier, this double-decker bowl houses vegetables that need air circulation and darkness to keep them fresh, and fruit is arranged on the cork shelf above. Cork absorbs any surface moisture on the fruit so it last much longer and does not attract flies. It also looks so pretty, the most photogenic fruit-bowl on the world!. We have them in white, teal, red and black - all with a satin finish.  I should get myself organised - I am working at the store later today as the Lovely Lene is in Broadstairs. I love the idea of a Brazilian choosing Broadstairs for her hols - Rio To Broadstairs! She told me that she misses the Ocean - if memory serves, it can be quite a walk to the sea at Broadstairs ( low-tide), or this could be a childhood memory playing tricks! After work, I am not sure what to do; we have spent every w/e viewing houses so it's a bit of an anti-climax.  I would really like to start researching 'small furniture' but don't want to jinx it - perhaps light-gardening and lunch at Maria's Tortillas on Sunday. I neglected to mention how much we have enjoyed the Tokyo Olympics! It has been wonderful to watch so many diverse sports - from Rugby and Hockey to BMX, Swimming and Gymnastics and the Triathlon Relay - the latter so utterly exhausting, just to watch, that I had to have a lie down afterwards! Seeing the camaraderie and generosity of spirit between athletes from across the globe really did gladden the heart! Finally, I just want to say a big thank you to the GD for looking after me this week while I have been under the weather. I was taken to Knole Park each day for a short waIk and there are summer fawns all around at the moment (it took all of my willpower not to deer-nap this one) and treated to the most fantastic cheese scones, and a zingy, vegan, citrus cheesecake with strawberries! I felt cosseted, which is just what one needs when feeling under-par. Baking, it appears, is the best medicine! Have a healthy, happy w/e! Michael x P.S. We have just heard that our offer has been accepted - the new chapter begins!

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