lovely jubbly london

roll on spring

 
 

Calling All European Anthro-aholics

 

The European online store is open!
 

no.3?

Is it bad if I say there could be a 3rd?!

Because in all honesty, I kind of have an appointment tomorrow at a flat very close by where we are now that looks so nice and perfect. Bonus points for being in the village with a really, really good Indian. 

I swear I had stopped looking after the mews house and we submitted our credit checks to them but then (after days of begging on my part) the husband finally calls his accountant for his opinion since he lives in the area. He said while it's a lovely place it has some negatives. We had always felt a bit off about the location and he told us a few things that are making us question the decision to move there. I don't think it would be the end of the world if we ended up there just that it may not be the best area to move to. It's not like we haven't lived in some interesting places in London!

Truth be told our current letting agent called last week and he said there is a house on our street we might be able to have too. (Yes, that would be 4 although I never said I would take it!)

2 weeks and counting!!

House of the Week

House at a glance:

• Lake District location
• Stone built country home
• Easy reach to Penrith, Keswick and the central Lakes
• 3 bedrooms
• 2 bathrooms
• Open plan kitchen, dining area and sitting room
• Utility room
• Workshop/studio on the grounds
• £460k

   

   

Finally

 After months and months of promising, the time has come. 

 

Selfridges has launched online shopping.

Asian Orange Pork

 

Surprisingly kinda good. (I did bread my pork first.)

Recipe from Tasty Kitchen.

competition

The competition for housing here is really fierce right now. With the housing market crash, the rental market is booming. Not much on the market and what is available is quickly snapped up. 9 out of 10 places I call about are gone. Realtors tell me most places go on first viewing.

So I arrange two viewings last week. The morning of the viewings I get a call that one of them is gone. One I really wanted to see- 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, utility room and garage. Taken first viewing. Anyway, I go along to the only other viewing I have- a nice village kind of close to where we live now. I went to see it and was told we could only have it guaranteed for 3 months since they are trying to sell. I don't see it selling soon due to the fact that it is priced higher than some houses in the area. Who would buy a leasehold flat when you could get a freehold house? The only negative was it isn't available until a week after we need it. Whatever, I was desperate so made an offer. 

This is where it gets interesting. After I leave I get a call on my mobile from the viewing that was cancelled and told they have a property coming back on to the market due to someone losing their job. It's a new house in what they are calling a gated mews community. Get those picturesque mews houses out of your mind, it isn't like that (!) but it is nice and new. While only 2 bedrooms, they are quite large and it is off the high street. The area is a little more eclectic than anywhere we've lived in a while so that makes me a little nervous. Not bad, just a real mix of people from the wealthy to some a bit chavish. Anyway, I make an offer on that one too!  

So there is my dilemma- I've made two offers that have been accepted. With the way the rental market is, I don't think anyone can really blame me (right?). I think we'll go with the second house since it's available right away and while the area is different, there are some lovely villages and countryside surrounding it. The trains are also nicer and a bit faster to London. 

Now, how to tell the first agent what has happened...

my mom called

and asked me where to get her haircut. This is where I sent her:

Creative Fringe Finds a Home from Brooklyn Ink on Vimeo.

Do you think she'll still like me? 

One Dish Dinner- Spanish Chicken & Rice

 

Spanish Chicken & Rice

• 1 T olive oil
• 2-3 chicken breasts, cut into inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1 cup frozen peas

In large saucepan with lid, heat olive oil over medium heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add to pan. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add the wine, tin of tomatoes, rice and additional salt & pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, cover and simmer for at least twenty minutes until rice is cooked. Stir in peas, cover and cook a further two minutes until peas are tender. 

Notes: I love one dish dinners for their simplicity. I definitely had to watch this and add more liquid for the rice to cook fully. After adding about half a bottle of wine, I switched to water and it did take about 10 extra minutes for my rice to cook (thirty minutes total). I also didn't bother to taste it which was a mistake! It definitely needs some more spices to perk it up- something in the red family like cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes or maybe even paprika would have worked well. It wasn't bad as is, just a bit bland.

Recipe from Real Simple

House of the Week

House at a glance:

• 18th century, grade II listed Cotswolds gem
• 10 miles from Bath city centre, 6 miles from Trowbridge
• 9 bedrooms
• 6 bathrooms
• 4 reception rooms
• 5.5 acres of gardens and grounds
• £2.25 million