Waveney Cottages

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Waveney Cottages

Three cottages on the Suffolk Norfolk border. Well behaved dogs are very welcome!

23/12/2023

Merry Christmas one and all. 🎄

Our 9 year old daughter, Georgia, has created this little film which we’re using as a Christmas card this year. She’s written the story, made the models and animated them herself. I’ve been in charge of holding the camera!

She hopes you enjoy it.

If you’re watching in a phone… turn to landscape and make sure your sound is on. ❤️🐕🎄

Xx

15/11/2023

Sometimes, you just have to wait for the right piece of furniture. The joy of buying at the auctions is that you never know what you’ll find. You can scroll the catalogues for weeks and then, one day, you spot the perfect piece!

TW Gaze Auction House 👍

26/09/2023

I haven’t posted for a while so I thought I’d brighten things up with this bunch of flowers cut from the garden yesterday afternoon. It was an impromptu gift for a friend who called by. Being able to step out and collect a bunch like this really does make me so happy. Knowing that someone else will enjoy looking at these beauties makes me happy too. Flowers really are the best. 💐

04/09/2023

Reclaimed luggage rack from looking splendid in the bedroom. blankets to complete the look. We’re not overdoing the whole train accessory thing. You won’t find station signs or train pictures on the walls but this little nod is just perfect. ❤️

23/08/2023

Handsome little guy! Have you ever seen a baby pigeon? A ‘squab’ or ‘squeaker.’
We’ve watched the parent pigeons sitting on this nest for some time and now there’s a chick to admire. The second egg hasn’t hatched and I shouldn’t think it will now.

The pigeons do like nesting in the most precarious places. This nest is on a beam in one of our old barns. This chick actually fell out of the nest early on and we popped it back in. We didn’t know if it would survive.
Thankfully, it looks it be thriving now.

In a few weeks it can join all the others in drinking from the edge of the pond. It’s lovely to sit and watch them fly in, take a drink and fly off again.

I’ll try and get more photos as it continues to grow. 🐦

22/08/2023

When Lily Pattison came to stay at and felt inspired to draw the flowers. 🌸 ❤️

21/08/2023

Yesterday’s hard work…..

The annual daisies that looked so incredible a month ago are now dry brown sticks, tangled amongst the flowering carrots and blocking the light to new seedlings. I don’t really want them to seed too much. They’re lovey but they’ve certainly crowded out other annuals this year.
Sunday’s task… pull all the now dead daisies. Thankfully I had my sister staying so not only were the cousins entertaining themselves but I had an extra pair of hands.
I dragged the pulled plants and piled them behind the fencing. I understand that many insects use these dead stems to hibernate in over winter but I didn’t want to leave them standing. By stacking the stems like this and creating a dead hedge, rather than composting them, I’ve retained those little hide aways and also created a dense area of cover for other insects, animals and birds. By pulling them we’ve disturbed the soil too which will stimulate other seeds and leave little pockets of bare earth for me to sow into.

The whole meadow area looked a lot more green after we’d finished, with naturally trodden paths. We finished off by mowing those paths. We can now walk down by the waters edge. It’s been really exciting to see the whole thing from a different perspective. I’d only looked down on the meadow before and now we can walk right amongst it. It means I can ‘garden’ it more easily now too. I’ve planted numerous verbena bonariensis which still have time to send their long stems up above the other plants. I hope there will be a mist of purple in this area in the next few weeks. I’ll keep you posted!

06/08/2023

I couldn’t resist this one….

George, the carpenter who’s worked on the carriage with us, stayed the night with his wife and son. He said it was totally wonderful.
The rain (tedious now!) didn’t stop him taking an outdoor bath. He just took an umbrella out with him. What a genius idea!

29/07/2023

Spot the kids on the end of the jetty!

27/07/2023

I’m so happy with this area around the decking. I had plans in my head before I started but it’s really just evolving as I go.
I started with bare earth last autumn and I scattered a mix of left over meadow flowers along with handfuls of saved seed from my cottage garden. I just threw in everything and anything. This year it’s been dominated by white daisies (from the original meadow mix. I don’t know the variety), cornflowers and o***m poppies (Papaver somniferum). Now, the daisies are fading and the wild carrots and coreopsis (unknown variety) have taken the main stage.
In the area where the deck drops down to the planting I’ve piled brick rubble and gravel. In front of this I’ve planted irises, salvia, some oregano, lavender and anything else I’ve found. Having the space to experiment like this is such a blessing.
George the carpenter said it feels you’ve stepped into a beautiful abandoned garden. I absolutely know what he means and I’m very happy with that. There are positioned plants and there are scattered seeds and then I’ve also allowed the existing seed bank to do its thing. There are some very impressive thistles! It’s a rather wonderful result and I’m enjoying watching it change day by day.
Next year, the perennials will be more established, the biennials I scattered will show their heads and the whole thing will look quite different again. ❤️

( The Althaea cannabina are in there somewhere! The plants I bought at the June opening are just starting to come into flower.🌸)

Inspiration

19/07/2023

Forget your ‘butterfly and bee’ flower mixes… just leave a few thistles!

14/07/2023

Yesterday, we welcomed our lovely neighbour and her friend who spent an afternoon sketching by the pond.

This is such an oasis. The neighbour said she felt a million miles from home.

I love that people feel creative here. I’ve left some art materials and a couple of sketchbooks in the carriage. I hope that guests will feel inspired and leave a picture for us and future guests to enjoy.

🎨 ✍️ 🖼️

11/07/2023

Laying out the sleepers which will form raised beds in the parking area. Having taken inspiration from these will be filled with rubble & sand and then sowen with an incredible mix of annual flowers. (Picture three was taken at the hall on Sunday. This is what we hope
to achieve!) I just need to decide on the flower mix now. I may plant a different mix in each section.
I’ll take photos as I go and this time next year it will be a riot of colour.
Do take a look at what Chris at has been trialling. Their gardens are open for the 3 times a year and we’ll worth a visit. We go 3 times a year!
The next open gardens is Sunday 1st October so if you book to stay with us that weekend you can pop along

10/07/2023

This isn’t something you get to see everyday!
We have a honey bee nest in the gable end of our house. A break away swarm has just formed and settled in a small tree in the neighbour’s garden. They’re drunk on honey and very docile.
It’s pretty special to be so close to this incredible spectacle. 🐝 ❤️

06/07/2023

A brief but heavy shower halts play… original soundtrack courtesy of the plumber’s radio!

Please note that this will be a very quiet spot for guests. The carriage does not have a radio, television or music system.
It does have birdsong and barking deer!

05/07/2023

Bath taps ready to be plumbed in!
Outdoor bathing with a view of the pond.

You can use this link (not 100% finished) for prices and availability and then book by emailing me rather than letting Airb take their hefty commission. 😉

https://abnb.me/wQ5oM7SO4Ab

Xx

28/06/2023

We’ve christened the pizza oven!! 🍕

Approximate cooking time- 2 1/2 minutes!

(If you don’t want to make the pizzas you can cheat and nip to the supermarket. Just don’t include the wrappers in your holiday snaps. Nobody will ever know! 😉)

26/06/2023

The little piece of whimsy that started off as a joke and ended up as reality…

We had the diggers in anyway so why not add a lavender lined pétanque court that overlooks the pond. It would be daft not to!

Cheers! 🍷

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Videos

Merry Christmas one and all. 🎄 Our 9 year old daughter, Georgia, has created this little film which we’re using as a Christmas card this year. She’s written the story, made the models and animated them herself. I’ve been in charge of holding the camera! She hopes you enjoy it. If you’re watching in a phone… turn to landscape and make sure your sound is on. ❤️🐕🎄 Xx

When Lily Pattison came to stay at #thedragonflycarriage and felt inspired to draw the flowers. 🌸 ❤️ #flowers #cosmos #fizzyrosepicoteecosmos #zinnias #paintedflowers #handdrawing #pencilcrayons #pencilcrayonart #outdoorsketching #drawingflowers #artist #textileartist #sketchbook #sketchbookdrawing #sketchbookart #cuttinggarden #cuttinggardenflowers #homegrownflowers

I’m so happy with this area around the decking. I had plans in my head before I started but it’s really just evolving as I go. I started with bare earth last autumn and I scattered a mix of left over meadow flowers along with handfuls of saved seed from my cottage garden. I just threw in everything and anything. This year it’s been dominated by white daisies (from the original meadow mix. I don’t know the variety), cornflowers and opium poppies (Papaver somniferum). Now, the daisies are fading and the wild carrots and coreopsis (unknown variety) have taken the main stage. In the area where the deck drops down to the planting I’ve piled brick rubble and gravel. In front of this I’ve planted irises, salvia, some oregano, lavender and anything else I’ve found. Having the space to experiment like this is such a blessing. George the carpenter said it feels you’ve stepped into a beautiful abandoned garden. I absolutely know what he means and I’m very happy with that. There are positioned plants and there are scattered seeds and then I’ve also allowed the existing seed bank to do its thing. There are some very impressive thistles! It’s a rather wonderful result and I’m enjoying watching it change day by day. Next year, the perennials will be more established, the biennials I scattered will show their heads and the whole thing will look quite different again. ❤️ (@holmehalehallgarden The Althaea cannabina are in there somewhere! The plants I bought at the June opening are just starting to come into flower.🌸) Inspiration @holmehalehallgarden @grassroofco @coyotewillow @norfolkschoolofgardening @norfolkherbs #thedragonflycarriage #wildflowers #biodiversity #meadow

Forget your ‘butterfly and bee’ flower mixes… just leave a few thistles!

This isn’t something you get to see everyday! We have a honey bee nest in the gable end of our house. A break away swarm has just formed and settled in a small tree in the neighbour’s garden. They’re drunk on honey and very docile. It’s pretty special to be so close to this incredible spectacle. 🐝 ❤️

A brief but heavy shower halts play… original soundtrack courtesy of the plumber’s radio! Please note that this will be a very quiet spot for guests. The carriage does not have a radio, television or music system. It does have birdsong and barking deer!

We’ve christened the pizza oven!! 🍕 Approximate cooking time- 2 1/2 minutes! (If you don’t want to make the pizzas you can cheat and nip to the supermarket. Just don’t include the wrappers in your holiday snaps. Nobody will ever know! 😉)

Last night, welcomed our very first overnight guests… my mum and dad. They didn’t mind that the water hasn’t been connected! Stuart and I had a mad dash to furnish and arrange the interior and clean up the decking and it all looked incredible. We’re so pleased. It’s beyond anything we initially imagined. Here’s Dad…. He looked just perfect. I’ll post some interior photos a bit later. Right now, we’re going down to join them for croissants by the pond. Xx

Pizza!!

A sea of flowers and a sea of bees! 🐝

I could happily sit and watch these all day!! Not forgetting the dragonflies, moorhens, newts, tadpoles, wagtails, bats, barn owl, bees, butterflies, water boatmen… When you come and stay… you can! Take time to appreciate the simple things. 🚂 ❤️

Sometimes it rains here while the sun is shining and warm. On occasions like that you can shelter in the outside kitchen (with a glass of something) and gaze over the water - tbh it almost feels like being in a safari lodge… 🚃🚃❤️🍷