A weekend ramble...

Good morning folks!
I'm sorry I haven't blogged too much over the last week or so - I've had a chaotic shift pattern so have been all over the place with work, sleeping and catching up with friends etc.

We had the loveliest afternoon in Knole Park, Sevenoaks last week. If you haven't been, it's well worth a visit - with it's 1000 acres of deer park it's the perfect place to have a walk. Long live the National Trust! It has been feeling so Autumnal, I love this time of year when the trees change colour and it's still fairly warm but you can feel that winter is on its way.

Oh and we've been HOUSE HUNTING!!! So I guess I should give you a little update on the housing situation! We're basically on a rolling contract with our current flat which is brilliant because if we manage to buy somewhere soon then all we need to do is give our landlord 3 months notice. Perfect! 

Anyway, on Friday Rob and I drove down into Kent and viewed two properties in the morning. The first was in a beautiful village called Farningham - it's a village we've both totally fallen in love with. It's such a perfect location for getting to work as it's so close to major roads but as soon as you drive into the village it is so stunning and tranquil you instantly forget that you're only a few minutes away from the motorway. It's got an old church in the centre of the village (the nave of the church was built in the 13th century!) along with a little village hall, and the River Darent trickles through the village under an old narrow bridge. Anyway, we visited a little cottage in the village which we have had our eye on for a while, but to cut a long story short it was way too small for what we're after. It was pretty much the same size as our flat and didn't have a garden. We were both so disappointed because we've had our hearts set on the village. That's the joy of house hunting I guess!

(Farningham)

The next house we saw was in the next village along, in Eynsford. Again this is a really picturesque village with a lovely ford in its centre with a big hump-back bridge over the river. The property we viewed here had more potential than the first but again we felt it was just a tad on the small side. It was a two-bed but both bedrooms were pretty tiny. Another disappointment!

To cheer ourselves up we drove back to Farningham and had lunch in one of our favourite pubs, The Lion. It was bliss. I enjoyed a nice glass of pinot grigio to drown the sorrows!!

After lunch we drove down further south into Kent to visit our friends Dougie and Jessie who have just had their first baby, so lots of cuddles were had and it was lovely to see them as always. Nothing beats newborn baby cuddles!!

On our way home we then visited a third property, just outside Sevenoaks in a small village called Bat & Ball (weird name, huh?!). And oh my word it was pretty much perfect and ticked every box!! It's still on the small side with two bedrooms but they're both of good size, it has a living room, a breakfast/dining area and a kitchen, with a beautiful cottage garden, and a large outbuilding/shed. There's quite a bit of work that would need to be done to make it a home and put our stamp on it but we're both so excited at the prospect of a challenge! (Ok, maybe I'm a little more excited than Rob, he's a bit nervous I think!). It was so good to finally see somewhere that could potentially be 'the one'!

So we're left with lots of thinking to do and lots to get sorted if this is actually going to happen! Keep your fingers (and toes) crossed for us please!

In other news I have been preparing for Autumn by having a big sort out of my wardrobe. This is always a task I put off for ages, but I feel really good now that it's finally done. I packed up all my much-loved summery floral dresses and skirts into a suitcase and have done a bit of clothes shopping to prepare for the colder months ahead.

I've got to admit I'm definitely more of a Winter girl at heart, I love all the magic that comes with Autumn & Winter... snuggly clothes, scarves, hot chocolate, snow days, roaring fires, bonfire night, Christmas... Love it!

I hope you're all having a relaxing weekend whatever you're up to!

Lydia xxx