A tour of my new home – overview today, details tomorrow. I’m completely in love 🙂 Welcome in – the kettle’s on, don’t forget to wipe your feet…

My living room from the door:

The dodgy looking cupboard in the middle will become my pin up girl bar; the mannequin was a leaving present from my old work; the Stetson is the one I wore when I competed in Worlds line dance in 2000; I frequently knock the hanging bird cage candle over and spill hot wax on myself.

From the stairs looking towards the front door. The carpet entirely accidentally matches my colour scheme. The helicopter throw on the sofa (more visible in tomorrow’s details post) is a nod to helicopters having been around my whole life – I know a shamefully small amount about them but Dad works with them so I’ve always had them around.

This is one of the detail shots I was going to share tomorrow, but it gives you an idea of my bookshelves – they run more or less the length of the living room next to the front door 🙂 I know of a few people who will approve of my mini-Whistlejacket who I’ll see every day – I used to visit the real one reasonably often when I worked in London so it’s nice to have brought him with me. The numberplate you can just about see is Rusty McLusty’s from 2011’s Romania banger rally.

Moving through to the kitchen:

Having central heating is the biggest luxury ever – the flat didn’t have it. I’m missing my dishwasher but hopefully will get it plumbed in (it’s currently in the conservatory) in the next few weeks. I much prefer the layout of this house! Getting to grips with a gas oven is entertaining – how the hell do you translate between degrees C and gas marks?!

The orange kettle on the stove used to live on our tiny boat when I was a little girl, and the teapot is a Cornish one, probably Dad’s as he and his family are Cornish, borrowed/stolen from my ever-patient parents!

Conservatory and garden:

Cleverly cropped so you can’t see the pile of stuff that needs sorting to go in the shed or the loft!

I think I might be the most excited about the garden – I’m not very greenfingered but I love having fresh herbs, and I cannot wait for the sunny days (optimistic? me?!) when I can have breakfast and dinner outside…

And upstairs, my bedroom (there’s more of it but it’s hard to photograph)

There are ballet pictures on the wall but I appear to have missed photographing them, oops. I’m sleeping better in this house than I have done at any time in the past four or five years. No idea what’s causing it, but it’s beyond wonderful.

My studio and model horses:

Yep, that’s a sewing machine lurking. Unfortunately it’s one of my many that no longer works – I am working on getting this sorted! The inspiration board used to be a mirror, but seems to be enjoying its new purpose. I have deliberately hidden the shelves full of stuff that live in here on the other side of the room… 😛

And my very lovely bathroom. With a radiator. I cannot begin to tell you how gorgeous that is in the mornings.

So there it is – my little, perfectly-formed new home. If this landlord ever decides to sell, I think I’m going to have to find a way to buy it – I never want to leave!

Detail pics coming tomorrow 🙂