robertmealing.com http://www.robertmealing.com Mon, 05 Mar 2012 21:46:09 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 New year, new home! http://www.robertmealing.com/2012/01/16/new-year-new-home/ http://www.robertmealing.com/2012/01/16/new-year-new-home/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:03:02 +0000 robert http://www.robertmealing.com/?p=1897 [...]]]> We’ve moved! Our old landlords decided to sell our flat, so we needed to find a new place pretty quickly. We liked our old home a lot, especially the location… Osney Island is a small island built on a floodplain in the middle of the Thames just west of the city centre. It was developed very quickly in the middle of the 19th century to accommodate the workers who were coming to Oxford to work on the new railway. It’s now a historically protected area and, I think, one of the loveliest neighbourhoods in Oxford. There’s something magical about stepping off of Botley Road and onto the island, it feels different, like you’ve travelled several miles out of town and are entering a real community.

Luckily, we were able to find a place on the same street, further towards the south side of the island. It’s a wonderful house, the moment we walked inside we both just said “wow” under our breath, it’s so close to the type of home I’ve always dreamed of living in… cosy, inviting, charming and full of character. Whenever we’ve looked for a home to live in, I’ve had three things that I’ve looked for: hardwood floors, a fireplace and a garden. This has all three, in fact there are four fireplaces in the home, two downstairs in the living room and dining room, and two upstairs in the two bedrooms.

The living room is small, but very cosy, and feels like the heart of the home. We’ve not had a fire yet, we need to have a sweep come and clean the chimneys. Nevertheless, it feels comfy and inviting and is a place I like to study or plan my lessons.

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The dining room, kitchen and conservatory are all joined together in one large living area. The conservatory was added on within the last few years, and the kitchen was updated with modern appliances. It’s wonderful to be able to cook in the kitchen and talk with friends sitting in the conservatory or dining room, I don’t feel isolated any more. There are skylights in the conservatory and kitchen, so the entire area is bathed in light during the day, which is so wonderful during the cold, dark winter months.

The dining room:

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Standing in the dining room looking towards the kitchen and conservatory, with the garden just beyond the conservatory:

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The garden, looking towards the conservatory. I was able to bring 16 roses in terracotta pots from the old house, and have them arranged on the patio to surround the lovely pillar table and chairs:

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The garden:

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I’m sure I’ll spend some time in the garden this year. I’ll plant foxgloves, delphiniums, and other cottage garden plants and I’ll probably add a few roses as well. I was delighted to find that two roses are already in the garden, both bought from David Austin roses: Falstaff, a large red rose with a strong scent and Blush Noisette, an old garden rose famous for being in bloom much of the summer. Fantastic.
So, here’s to a new year and a new home, I think we’ll be terribly happy here.
]]> http://www.robertmealing.com/2012/01/16/new-year-new-home/feed/ 1 From Downton Abbey to Kirstie’… http://www.robertmealing.com/2011/11/17/from-downton-abbey-to-kirstie/ http://www.robertmealing.com/2011/11/17/from-downton-abbey-to-kirstie/#comments Thu, 17 Nov 2011 22:21:45 +0000 robert http://www.robertmealing.com/2011/11/17/from-downton-abbey-to-kirstie/ From Downton Abbey to Kirstie’s crafts … the New Boring is everywhere http://t.co/G2BEPdPf via @guardian

]]> http://www.robertmealing.com/2011/11/17/from-downton-abbey-to-kirstie/feed/ 0 These are incredible old movie posters… http://www.robertmealing.com/2011/10/28/these-are-incredible-especial/ http://www.robertmealing.com/2011/10/28/these-are-incredible-especial/#comments Fri, 28 Oct 2011 11:01:20 +0000 robert http://www.robertmealing.com/2011/10/28/these-are-incredible-especial/ These are incredible, especially the Caligari and Thief of Bagdad posters. Check them out! http://t.co/iORfnRyS

]]> http://www.robertmealing.com/2011/10/28/these-are-incredible-especial/feed/ 0 She’s reading my mind. http://www.robertmealing.com/2011/10/28/shes-reading-my-mind-especia/ http://www.robertmealing.com/2011/10/28/shes-reading-my-mind-especia/#comments Fri, 28 Oct 2011 10:46:39 +0000 robert http://www.robertmealing.com/2011/10/28/shes-reading-my-mind-especia/ She’s reading my mind. The fireplace in the last photo is just wonderufl! http://t.co/iJUM8Azy

]]> http://www.robertmealing.com/2011/10/28/shes-reading-my-mind-especia/feed/ 0 Other Lives: My new favourite band http://www.robertmealing.com/2011/10/18/other-livesmy-favourite-new-b/ http://www.robertmealing.com/2011/10/18/other-livesmy-favourite-new-b/#comments Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:03:15 +0000 robert http://www.robertmealing.com/?p=1828

Other Lives:
My new favourite band. This video “For 12″ is both cool and emotional at the same time. Love the album too.

Other Lives – For 12, Video on YouTube

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