I have recently visited some truly gorgeous villages in this area – dripping with chocolate box cottages and pretty pubs and the odd even prettier shop.  When you look up at the frontages, near the thatched roof and down the…
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It’s been quite a while since I had the pleasure of wandering around a very old family home.  I do love that slightly musty smell as you open the unused and probably unloved bedrooms and the mothball aroma drifting from…
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When you have offices to run, it is even more imperative that your waste management and janitorial services are in good order.  There is nothing worse than an untidy frontage to a business, be it a shop, warehouse or maybe…
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There is a lovely little cottage down a lane near me.  I have coveted this property for years and years.  I often go past and just stand looking at the pretty windows, the beautifully proportioned gable roofed porch that surrounds…
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It always amuses me that when we have the very warmest of weather, we rarely remember to look around our homes and properties to see if any thing needs repairing or replacing.  It’s only when the harsh winter arrives that…
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You can tell when your house is beginning to wear out and need that hands on refurbishment if regular maintenance has not been carried out.  There are tell tale signs that start quietly but then tend to jump out at…
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I volunteer regularly at a local country house – it has been opened to the public for many years but only on group guided tours basis.  This has meant it remained a rather hidden gem amid many other louder, more…
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I have just come back from a few days in the midlands withh family – three teenage grandchildren and a mad bad puppy.  The best description is “a week in the funny farm”.  I literally never know what’s going to…
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I was watching a popular lifestyle tv programme – one of many repeats currently filling the spare scheduling spaces.  The main theme was about the changes in house design and how much easier it is to knock up an estate…
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When you can’t decide whether to try and move to a larger house or just have y our current one expanded up or out, or both, there are so many questions to be given very careful thought to.  Financial matters…
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