The place where I live

Hello everyone

Many apologies, I missed a week, and why? Well, a lot has been happening, life, the universe and politics got in the way, and I put my writing efforts into My Other Blog. If you click on the icon you’ll find two posts, one written on the 17th October and one on the 22nd. Events, especially political events, move swiftly in the UK and both will be out of date by the end of today, Monday 24th October!

So with not much photography done, I thought I might give you a tour of my little flat, which is actually bigger than the last two places we lived in.

This is where I write and as you can see it is getting a bit more cluttered than when I started using it in April of this year.

Actually there isn’t enough storage space and I intend putting two shelves up on the wall above the desk and getting a taller white filing cabinet. The current white filing cabinet will become my bedside table. I do like loads of drawers.

I swivel my chair round and do my makeup at the rather battered white table, battered as for two years it was outside on my balcony in my Kemptown flat! I do love the greenery outside the window.

Across the room are my hat boxes.

At the last count I had over 40 hats, and there is another very large hat box at the top of my wardrobe for the huge wide-brimmed hats and more on the shelves inside the wardrobe.

When I hear some of my American friends (who blog) talking about their walk-in closets, I sigh. They’re not a thing here, it’s the space we have in this little island and housing just doesn’t have that facility.

As you can see on the left of this photo, my wardrobe is a cupboard to the right of my desk. When I buy clothing and say, it is one in and one out, I really do mean that. I have another half cupboard where my dresses and jackets hang and then some shelves, where on one shelf there are seven big brimmed hats. It is a tight squeeze.

And here is the bed.

See that material on the mirror?  I use that to cover my desk at night so I don’t see any sign of work when I go to bed.

And now for the sitting room.

It’s a rather fore-shortened photo as I’m standing in the middle of the room to take the photograph. The room is quite long as at the other end is the dining area.

Fully extended I can get 8 people round that table plus a high chair! And I’ll be doing that at Christmas when everyone is going to come to ours for the Christmas dinner!

We used to have so many books, but when say we’ve down-sized, we really did, so much furniture went including heavy brown furniture and a lot of books. I do like minimalist furnishing, but the books are creeping back! Here is close up of the shelves to  the left of that sitting-room photo.

Here’s the kitchen, which joy of joys, is a separate room from the sitting room – with a door!!! Having had an open-plan living area twice now,  I relish the fact that I don’t have to worry about my living room smelling of onions!

This is where I close the door and cook the evening meal listening to podcasts, mostly political ones. I especially like The Rest is Politics, with Alistair Campbell and Rory Stewart, who are at the opposite poles as far as politics go but are the best of mates and their analysis of political events is second to none.

As you can see the washing machine is in the kitchen, that’s where the majority of households in the UK would have their washing machine and again it’s a space thing. We are a small island and consequently our housing is small. You’d think new builds might have separate laundry areas, but they’re only found at the expensive high end side of the market.

And finally, for more storage what about the blue metal cabinet near to the entrance door?

This has my Pilates equipment and my weights, plus toys and teddies for little ones, and the masks and Covid test kits. The red metal cabinet next to it has our gloves and umbrellas.

And finally, here’s a photo of my new half-price Helly Hansen raincoat.

I think I’ll be noticed in the dark!  It really is a bright yellow!

Thanks for reading to the end, and more apologies, as we are still having problems with our IT. The whole lot including My Other Blog crashes on a Sunday, as both did yesterday. The solution is proving more complicated than we thought. But rest assured Mr F is working on it.

But that’s all for now, with love

Penny, the Frugalfashionshopper

 

The place where I live
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55 thoughts on “The place where I live

  • 24th October 2022 at 9:50 am
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    Penny I love your blog, but find the grey typeface really hard to read. Any chance of changing it to black on white for better readability for those of us with less than 20:20 vision?

    • 24th October 2022 at 10:23 am
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      Dear Sue, I am so so sorry that you are having this problem of not being able to read the blog. I totally get it. Absolutely yes, we are aiming to change the entire look of the blog. In fact, we have to as part of our IT problems is that the ‘theme’ or, in other words, the look of the blog is out-of-date. But changing to another ‘theme’ is problematic and would you believe it, the typeface is universally pale!!!! Yes, really! And you have to pay extra for different darker typefaces. I think it’s because all the designers of these themes are young – they have no idea why darker typeface is needed!!

      The changeover is highly complicated and Mr F gets so annoyed with the ‘platform’ people, who aren’t all that helpful. But it will happen. Just when I can’t say. Huge apologies in the meantime!!!!

      • 25th October 2022 at 5:54 am
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        Thank you for your reply Penny. I look forward to the change in format when you are able to achieve it!

  • 24th October 2022 at 10:00 am
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    How lovely to see where you live Penny. I do love to look round other people’s homes. My husband just thinks I’m nosey, but as my mum would say – I’m interested! Your new mac is wonderful. I went out to get the paper yesterday morning in my current mac and it leaked so I made the decision to get a decent one finally, and Seasalt were offering £60 off rainwear – so I went for it. Not at all frugal but well reduced and I have confidence that this one won’t leak on me.
    Of course last night we got the news that the odious Johnson had pulled out of the race for PM. Despite his bluster I think he either didn’t have enough votes, or someone has put the frighteners on him. He wouldn’t act for the good of the country. Roll on the general election. All the best Kathy

    • 25th October 2022 at 7:25 am
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      We’ve got a Seasalt in Lewes and I am really impressed by their clothes – they’re well made. I’m also impressed by their sales and will wait until the Spring for their reductions on coats. I saw that sale on raincoats but the Helly Hansen was already bought!

      Ah yes, indeed, roll on the General Election – we absolutely need one. Thanks Kathy 🙂

  • 24th October 2022 at 10:46 am
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    Thanks for the glimpse of your home. There is nothing more pleasurable than ‘interior porn’ except frock porn. It looks cosy, with plenty of your personality and well thought out. I hope you will enjoy living there for many years.

    • 25th October 2022 at 7:27 am
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      We do love living where we do and won’t move again. I left out one room! My other half has the second bedroom as his office.

  • 24th October 2022 at 10:53 am
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    Thank you so much for mentioning the Mole Clinic in a previous blog. My partner and I took advantage of the 2 for 1 offer. He muttered “do we have to?” but I went ahead and booked it in their Cambridge clinic. Fortunately I didn’t have any problem moles but they found one on his pale Scottish skin which was stated to be a basal cell melanoma which his GP will be referring on to the local hospital next week. Caused probably, they say, by sun damage decades ago e.g when he spent one glorious summer virtually living on a beach in Portugal but without any sun protection. Without your nudge he might have carried on in blissful ignorance. Thank you so much.

    • 25th October 2022 at 7:32 am
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      Oh my word, I am delighted that you both went to the Mole Clinic. That 2 for 1 offer is such a good thing. So glad his skin was checked. Your local Skin Department should move quickly – if they don’t push them!

      All the very best to you both

  • 24th October 2022 at 11:03 am
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    I love listening to Rory and Alistair too Penny. As for downsizing – that’s what we have done too. From an enormous barn conversion with a granny cottage, to a two bedroom cottage in Bristol, where my eldest daughter lives. Getting rid of books and clothes is my biggest trial. We used to live in Spain, where I not only had a full wall of wardrobes in the bedroom, but I also had a dressing room, again with a wall of wardrobes. (And my own swimming pool!). Ah well. Less to clean. Love your blog. It makes me get rid of more clothes than maybe I would have otherwise done.

    • 25th October 2022 at 7:36 am
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      Yes, Rory Stewart and Alistair Campbell are absolutely the business!

      Wow, that was a big down-sizing move. A wall of wardrobes, sigh. But actually I had that in the first flat we moved to, where funnily enough the main bedroom was the largest room. I agree and am with you about the ‘less to clean’ and think almost the best thing about down-sizing is how little I have to clean!

      Thanks for the kind words about the blog 🙂

  • 24th October 2022 at 11:20 am
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    I love your flat Penny so refreshing and peaceful. I wish we could downsize but my husband who is a terrible hoarder refuses – I can see why, as the problem of too much stuff it daunting!
    You look great in your new yellow raincoat and I do love your hair that length too.
    Take care
    Lynda

    • 25th October 2022 at 7:40 am
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      We’ve lived in so many different houses and I wasn’t always minimalist, I had a lot of heavy usually brown, antique furniture. A smaller place needs a whiter, cleaner look. And just a thought, when you move you have to get rid of your stuff – it’s essential to do it so you do.

      Thanks re: the yellow raincoat!

  • 24th October 2022 at 11:56 am
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    I so enjoyed a look around your new flat, Penny! It was lovely to see all the outside greenery. Someone has already mentioned property porn and, if I’m not careful, I can waste hours looking at property in Brighton and the surrounding areas. I love your new raincoat. It is totally fabulous on you.

    • 25th October 2022 at 7:42 am
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      I had that syndrome and every now and then I still look on Rightmove, just to look at property!!!!

      Thanks re: the raincoat 🙂

  • 24th October 2022 at 12:20 pm
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    Your flat is just wonderful! So neat – and no hoarding! I do wish I could live in a more minimalist fashion….but we are still in our 4 bed family home, which accommodates everyone, from family visitors, grandchildren, and friends. I recently read Tricia Cusden’s/LFF blog about “To Move or not to Move” – very interesting. It is a big decision, and should be done before we become incapacitated! But we like where we are for the time being.
    Your yellow mac is just fab – I wore my similar one (White Stuff from a few years ago) to the local railway station this morning and got chased about by a wasp – very annoying. Yellow does attract insects I know! I love your posts and photographs – and enjoy all your comments, plus the political ones too. Keep up the good work.

    • 25th October 2022 at 7:48 am
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      Hi Jessica, well if you’re happy in your home don’t move, but if you think you might have to move one day. Don’t leave it too long. The place where we live is for the over-55s (I forgot to mention that) and there are a few very old and frail people living in these flats. My neighbour is 96. But when I asked how long they’d lived here, they’d lived here for well over 15 years, some over 20 years, so actually they must have moved long before they became frail. It would be impossible to do it once that happens. So that’s what we mean when we say don’t leave it too long.

      One of the best things about living here is that there is so little cleaning to do – quite a positive I’d say!

      Thanks for the kind words about both blogs.

  • 24th October 2022 at 12:38 pm
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    Hi Penny
    From across the pond in Berkeley, California. I live in a remodeled 1906 house and although
    I do have a walk in closet, it is in the hallway! No en suite bathroom either! Thank goodness you are “back” from IT hell-I searched and searched. I regularly put books in our free library which
    is on our fence, and just as regularly take other books out. Some of the books left are amazing gems!
    An incredible art book of Giovanna Garzoni (1600–1670) which is now on my coffee table to peruse
    occasionally! Will be interested in listening to the Alistair/Rory podcasts, as I read the book Rory
    wrote about walking across Aghanistan years ago. Am crossing my fingers that our vote turnout will
    mean good things for the Democrats!!!
    Mary

    • 25th October 2022 at 7:59 am
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      Hi Mary and the IT situation is very annoying. We have found out that the main problem is the ‘theme’ (the template) which is out-of-date but transferring is not a done thing, it can’t just be sorted. We are so very frustrated that we can’t just sort it!

      Ah yes, you understand older housing stock. I’d say at least half our housing stock is old, some Victorian, some Georgian, and so on, as in really old. It must seem unbelievable to those who live in large countries but for instance the terraced houses that we have in abundance and are so typical of the Edwardian and Victorian era when built would not only not have a laundry area they wouldn’t have had indoor toilets and bathrooms!

      Rory Stewart is such an interesting person and you can easily find the podcast through the link I gave of Alistair Campbell’s website. I have a Podcast app on my phone. I don’t pay anything to listen to there podcasts so I have to search every time but they’re easily found. Their broadcasts are very international and don’t just focus on British politics, apart from now that is! Gosh what a shower that Conservative party is and as for Johnson how very Trump-like he’s become! Both give politics a very bad name. On the other hand the political analysis given by both Stewart and Campbell is a breath of fresh air. Good luck with the voting, fingers crossed the Democrats will do well 🙂

  • 24th October 2022 at 1:03 pm
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    Yes, have been wondering how you are viewing the political events of your country. So much is going on!! Hi Penny! I will hop over to your Other Blog.
    First, thank you for sharing your lovely home and the cheery photo of your new raincoat. My raincoat is gathering dust (in Southern California) in the back of my first ever walk-in closet. I grew up sharing a tiny built in closet in one of two bedrooms where my parents, my maternal grandparents, and us three kids lived. Ha! Lived there until I turned twenty-four. I’m thankful for the forward strides that my entire family has made.
    Your shorter hair length really suits you! Love your desk and the view of greenery! Your kitchen is so streamlined! Inspiring to cook a meal in there! Your Home is lovely and I’m delighted to read that you will be celebrating Christmas there!
    Actually, I’ll be pulling out my rain jacket and my puffer coat as we will be driving north to Seattle, Washington, for a November 24th Thanksgiving with our firstborn son and his growing family in their new home. This will be our first solo vacation in many years. Thankful that my husband’s health has been steady for a while now.
    Enjoyed this view of your life in your new abode, Penny. 🤗. Now, onto the politics!
    Charlene H.

    • 25th October 2022 at 9:41 am
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      I always think that most Americans have walk-in closets but, of course, that can’t be so. Likewise not everyone in the States has the larger housing that I was speaking of, and I have seen the many homeless encampments around your larger cities. Inequality is a so sad.

      Thank you for the kind words about the apartment, the greenery outside and the raincoat. And I’m so glad you’re getting away on vacation. I’m having fun planning some holidays in 2023. It’s good to have something to look forward to!

  • 24th October 2022 at 1:16 pm
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    Such a cozy and welcoming space! I love your hat boxes. Both functional and pretty. Interesting idea about covering your workspace at night. I’ve taken to buying books and reading them on the Kindle app on my phone, but my husband still buys actual books. I confess that I love how books look stacked on shelves. I don’t have a preference about which I read though. And your new yellow coat is fabulous!

    Michelle
    https://mybijoulifeonline.com

    • 25th October 2022 at 9:34 am
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      Thank you Michelle, and yes, the covering up the desk is vital I think as I don’t want to be reminded about deadlines whilst falling asleep, or trying to!

      I read actual books because I don’t want to read on a screen, but my other half reads on his Kindle and goes to sleep, no problem. I also like keeping the really good novels on display – they remind me of the pleasure I got from them.

      Thanks re: the yellow raincoat – I did wonder about the colour!

  • 24th October 2022 at 3:19 pm
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    I love your flat Penny. It’s modest stylish and colourful! Love the HH coat, too.
    xxx

    • 24th October 2022 at 9:18 pm
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      Not sure Penny if this comment comes under my normal space! It seems different?!
      Anyway I love what you’ve done putting your home together. Your kitchen worktop is the same as ours.
      I love your raincoat, it’s fabulous.
      All the best Penny x

      • 25th October 2022 at 9:29 am
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        Thank you Vivien, and I can see you no problem. Oh, you’ve got a sparkly black top as well – isn’t it great! I love the little red speckles in amongst the other sparkly bits!

        Thanks re: the raincoat – I did wonder!!

        All the best to you too 🙂

    • 25th October 2022 at 9:31 am
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      Thanks for the kind words about the flat – it is so much nicer than the last two – we shall stay put now!!!

      And the raincoat is ace but I did wonder about the colour when it arrived!

    • 25th October 2022 at 8:03 am
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      Thank you so much Nicole. We put in the kitchen ourselves as the one that was there when we bought it was hideous and old. I do like modern and sleek and I love to close that door!

  • 24th October 2022 at 10:41 pm
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    It is so interesting to have the washing machine in the kitchen, but that’s only because we aren’t used to that.
    XOXO
    Jodie
    http://www.jtouchofstyle.com

    • 25th October 2022 at 8:06 am
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      Yes, washing machines in kitchens is very much the norm in the UK mainly because of smaller living spaces in our small island. Also I bet you would find this interesting (!) at least half the housing stock is really really old. Examples would include all the Edwardian, Victorian and Georgian terraces that are so typical of many towns and cities today and when they were built not only would they have not had laundry areas they wouldn’t have had bathrooms or toilet facilities. With regard to the latter there may have been one outside? But not always!

  • 25th October 2022 at 4:27 am
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    Oh, the views out your windows are worth so much! I loved looking out our windows and seeing green, then gold, then snow! Now, I see the back of our neighbor’s house. But, he’s a delightful fellow so all is not bad! And, that kitchen is amazing! I’m with you. I want a kitchen in a separate room though that’s not what I got! Your hatboxes are such a clever decorating/storage idea! They are lovely! And, I’ve got to pop over to your other blog, but not tonight as it is going on 1:00am here!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

    • 25th October 2022 at 8:13 am
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      I thought I loved the urban outlook of my last apartment, but the greenery outside this flat is such joy. And wow, snow came early for you! It’s rather unnaturally warm here at the moment, not sure I like that.

      Thanks re: the kitchen, we designed it and put it in as the one that was in when we bought it was hideous and very old. I do like sleek and minimal and it’s actually not only a bigger kitchen than in the last two apartments, it’s bigger than the kitchens in my last two houses! And how I love that door!

      The hatboxes are a necessity really as I have so many hats!!! But thank you, they are pretty 🙂

  • 25th October 2022 at 6:15 am
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    I am a very curious person so I love a peek into other people’s houses. I especially love your kitchen, very modern. Would also love to see your outside area!

    • 25th October 2022 at 8:01 am
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      We put that kitchen in ourselves so it’s totally my design. I do like sleek and smooth and I love that I can close the door!

      I’ll do the outside next post – it’s not much but just enough for me to play around with. Thanks Nancy 🙂

  • 25th October 2022 at 1:24 pm
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    I so enjoyed the look at your home. would much rather see how real people decorate than in magazines. having nature right outside your window is such a benefit. I look forward to seeing your garden in future posts. maybe get some inspiration for my own small outdoor space. you have done a good job of keeping the clutter at bay. always a challenge in a small home. I am always tempted with artwork or what I think is something pretty. I would love to be a minimalist but so far have been an epic failure. You did inspire me to get rid of a few items of clothing after I added a couple if new pieces recently. that raincoat is wonderful, so cherry on a gloomy day!
    digesting your political observations on the other blog. wow, so impressed by your knowledge of such a complicated situation. As you are probably aware we have our midterm elections in two weeks. a scary situation, so much on the line and the races all over the country are very close. actually, early voting begins in a few days and I plan to do this. seems like a lot of people are already doing this on both political sides, democrat and republican. so much at stake. that is it for now. love from New York, Darby

    • 27th October 2022 at 9:25 am
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      Thank you Darby and yes, I am a minimalist now, but wasn’t always. It was the moving to a smaller place that made us get rid of all our heavy dark furniture and get the more streamlined look. We do love Ikea!

      And re: my ‘knowledge’, I was absolutely obsessed with the politicking that was going on within the Conservative party – it was so unbelievable that people still want Johnson. I was really fearful of him getting the post and yet felt it would be a gift to Labour as it would have driven many people to vote against him and the party. It was all so Trump-like! And yet he didn’t have quite enough, well enough votes (he says) to get him sufficient nominations but not enough to win. And he would never put himself in a losing situation. And still talking of a comeback – one day!! Amazing narcissistic ego. I have cut back the amount of Twitter time and news time now!

      I am thinking of you and the midterms – fingers crossed!

      All the very best to you from Lewes 🙂

  • 25th October 2022 at 3:07 pm
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    Really enjoyed a peek at your home,Penny, and might have guessed you’d have a lot of hat boxes !
    Like you I love to look out on greenery, we have a large mulberry tree outside our kitchen that I can look at when I sit at my computer. We prune it back drastically every Autumn to let the sun in, and it shoots back up in the spring to help keep the house cool during the long hot Greek summers.

    • 27th October 2022 at 8:32 am
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      I have soooo many hats! It’s like shoes in other women 🙂

      The mulberry tree sounds lovely and so good and necessary in the summer.

  • 26th October 2022 at 8:50 am
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    Nice to see inside your new(ish) home Penny. How good to have a separate kitchen. When we were looking at flats the worst thing about the new ones is that you get one multi-purpose living room. Of course it’s about space and therefore cost. I think you said that you have a second bedroom now? I would not want to be without that. We are lucky here to have three bedrooms and a study in our bungalow & we’ve decided to stay put now that I’m ill. HI actually likes the outside work, it gives him something to do! I was quite looking forward to making a new home after 18 years here but I can’t see that happening now. Your bright yellow mack will certainly glow in the dark!

    • 27th October 2022 at 8:30 am
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      That mac will be a safety feature when I go out in the evening!

      Yes, the last two flats were part of a block and I suppose the combined kitchen and living room was all about lack of space. This is the biggest flat we’ve had (it’s still for over 55s) but it is so refreshingly not like a place for older people as the flats are just small houses divided into two – we have the ground floor hence I have the outside space at the front to do with as I please.

      I forgot to say there is a second bedroom which my other half uses as his study – half the books on the shelves are mine though!!!

      I do hope the treatments are going well for you – think you often 🙂

  • 26th October 2022 at 12:53 pm
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    I really enjoyed the tour of your flat! When I visited my friend in Montpellier, France last year, my boys really got a taste of city living in France when they realized how large our house is compared to many people a round the world. People have to be creative in how they use their space. My closet is so large, it is almost ridiculous and I know it is not the largest walk in closet out there. I really love your workspace and the greenery outside the window.
    http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com

    • 27th October 2022 at 8:03 am
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      Yes, I think things are very different in larger countries like yours. Also a friend has told me that her son and daughter-in-law just cannot find a small house in New Zealand – they don’t seem to exist! It’s the space they have. Here a walk-in closet would only happen in a very expensive house probably in the countryside , or just maybe if you have a large house and the children have left home you might convert one of the bedrooms to be the walk-in closet. The best solution is to have a whole-length fitted wardrobe which I did have in my first apartment, but with this one I have to content myself with a fitted wardrobe that spans just half a wall. It can get very cramped, so I have to be very careful as to what clothes are kept.

  • 26th October 2022 at 6:55 pm
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    Love a peak into other people’s homes. Your flat is so carefully thought out, with space utilised so well. I love your writing area. It doesn’t look cluttered in the least. Your comment about the kitchen having a door, and no onion smells in the living room, is one for Mr Mutton. He’s very keen to have an open plan kitchen / dining room, and I’m not! Our washing machine is in the conservatory, but in every house and flat I’ve ever lived in it’s been in the kitchen, except in Munich, where our apartment block shared a washing machine in the basement (a nightmare) and my first 3 places, which didn’t have a washing machine at all.

    • 27th October 2022 at 7:55 am
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      Actually I left out one room – my other half has the second bedroom as his office although half the books on the shelves, which stretch an entire length of one wall, are mine!

      I wasn’t always this tidy, but I do think if you live somewhere small, it has to be kept like a small boat, with everything stowed away, so no clutter is allowed, and yet I do allow for the art and the artefacts out on display – it’s a balance that I try to keep to.

      Oh no, do not have an open-plan living/cooking area! You’ll always be thinking of your soft furnishings smelling of onions! Also I like shutting myself away to cook, which I think is really necessary when entertaining as I’m not a tidy cook!

      Ah yes, what’s the worst thing about apartment living for the over-55s? The communal laundry which I totally hated. Having my own washing machine again is utter bliss!

  • 27th October 2022 at 12:01 am
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    Penny, I love your flat. You’ve really maximized the space. And I am so glad you use that cloth to cover your “office” at night. That is so clever!

    • 27th October 2022 at 7:47 am
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      Thank you so much Jean, and yes, that cloth is essential as I don’t want to be reminded of deadlines when I’m going to sleep!

  • 27th October 2022 at 9:22 am
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    Hello Penny , I tried to comment yesterday but there was a problem so will try again.
    I enjoyed the tour of your newish flat , it is such a bright and airy space. Well done on the kitchen design , so stylish and functional. I think it probably is a very English thing having the washer in the kitchen. Even small flats and old houses have a laundry space , our house is Victorian and our laundry is under the staircase.
    I did think of you with your new P.M. and will look forward to your thoughts.

    • 27th October 2022 at 9:35 am
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      The IT situation is not resolved. We think we know what it is but the solution is forever out of reach and my other half is very techy and usually really knows how to solve issues. But this? No, both blogs crash occasionally during the week and always on a Sunday. It’s very frustrating, thanks for sticking with me!!

      Yes, I think the UK was a very different place when I was growing up re: cleanliness and laundry matters. Of course, about half of our housing stock was built without bathrooms let alone separate laundry areas! I can remember that bath times were not every day, but possibly every other, but often once a week – it was the norm – seriously! Also we didn’t have fridge until I was a teenager! But mum shopped every day. As for heating – don’t start me on the chilblains we all had from the cold. But we’re going backwards here – they’ll probably come back what with the cost of heating now! Yikes

      The new PM is not Johnson – phew – but he is still a Conservative and while our new budget is delayed I am expecting more huge cuts in public spending – I really don’t know why the population doesn’t take to the streets!

      Thanks Jill 🙂

  • 28th October 2022 at 2:39 am
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    I loved seeing your living space as well! I recently set up a little writing/art area in my bedroom and hoping it inspires me to get more done. I’m with you on the small closets and I live in the states but in an old neighborhood with homes built in the early 1900’s so closets are tiny. When I see images of people’s walk in they look as big as my entire house! I think I’d be tired living in a large space wander ing around in it all day. Thanks!

    • 29th October 2022 at 8:59 am
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      Hi Joni and thank you so much for commenting! I like my writing area but feel I always have to keep it neat and tidy as it’s in the bedroom – so it’s quite a discipline! Oh for a larger wardrobe – but maybe it’s good as it certainly encourages me not to keep clothes I don’t wear. Yes, I’m really happy with this size of apartment, a smaller abode is great and the best thing there’s not much housework to do! Now that’s a great advantage – it is easy to keep clean.

      Thanks again 🙂

  • 28th October 2022 at 9:20 am
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    As an Australian who has lived in England I get the whole washing machine in kitchen thing! Your place looks delightful and I really love your new rain jacket!
    Debbie from debs-world.com

    • 29th October 2022 at 9:21 am
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      Hi Debbie – yes, our putting the washing machine in kitchens is a way of life here. The thing is while standards of living have risen (although the current cost of living crisis might put a dent in that, but I’ll stop right there as I’ll get into our politics, oops) the way we build houses and apartments seems fixed and only the high end has laundry areas. In fact, starter homes are notoriously small, ridiculously small, with tiny kitchens and bathrooms, with, yes, you get it, the washing machine along side the fridge and everything else. Another thing, we seem to be a very cramped island with a large population, and yet there is plenty of open countrryside a lot of it is privately owned, as in not us, the population. So we do have the space, but it isn’t for us, but I’ll stop right there!!

      Thanks Debbie!

  • 28th October 2022 at 10:24 pm
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    Oh your flat looks lovely so cozy and love the views out the windows and your aesthetic is lovely what a wonderful place to come home to.

    Allie of
    http://www.allienyc.com

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