Love this post, Helen- you do look like vulture fodder, to be fair!! 😂 The Godfather of our village allotments died a couple of weeks ago at 88. He used to tell walkers on the footpath next to his plot to watch out for the red kites, as they carried off toddlers and weaklings. (He once skinned and butchered a muntjac deer next to his shed- the fact that he hung up a sheet somehow made it worse, as you could just see the silhouette of him wielding an enormous knife and the odd blood spatter.)
That was a bit of a tangent! I wanted to ask if you know ‘Miss Happiness and Miss Flower’ by Rumer Godden, about a girl who is given 2 Japanese dolls and learns about Japanese houses so that she can make them a dolls house that they will feel at home in. I loved it, and was so sorry to miss the BBC radio dramatisation at Christmas, which disappeared after just a month! 🤷♀️Your dolls house looks like the perfect fixer-upper, what a treat! ❤️
The Godfather of the allotment sounds absolutely terrifying, the knife an dthe sheet! WTF! I like him. I have never read Miss Happiness and Miss Fowler, I love Rumer Godden, must get my hands on a copy!
When we moved to Cornwall when I was little, there was a little shop called the Doll’s House which sold … doll’s house furniture. I used to love looking in the window and inside at the little worlds inside the cabinets! The shop is long gone but I remember it quite clearly.
There was a miniature village not far away, although I don’t remember ever going until I was an adult 😅 miniature villages make me think of the film Hot Fuzz - a firm favourite here.
I also loved making miniature cardboard houses with my Dad and brother - lots of fun!
Hi Helen! Coming to you from Ontario, Canada. I love your little snippets of daily life so here is a bit of mine. It is STILL snowy here. Last night marked the beginning of the month of Ramadan which means we have started fasting. I am also a fellow mug collector, and I love drawing them, along with pigeons, trees, and my toddlers.
I love that bathroom set - the mis-matched toilet seat is perfect! And the fact that the green one comes with a weighing scale!! Thank you for the lil shout out! 🚽💚❤️🤩
That bath is the perfect earring trug! I love Godshill model village on the IoW, it has lovely bonsai trees. My aunt Fleur is a model village expert and I think she favours Beconscott, I've never been but it's on my list.
I remember visiting Swissminiature as a child, but I have not been back since. If you ever find yourself in Switzerland, it may be worth a visit. https://www.swissminiatur.ch/?lang=en
Your little house is darling! Ok so there's Miniature World in Victoria on Vancouver Island, BC Canada. If it's the same one, I went there as a child in either the late 70s or early 80s. And I remember being bored out of my skull once I discovered you couldn't actually go inside or open up the houses. I might feel differently were I to visit now, but something tells me I'd still be disappointed. I do have to say though if you're ever in Guernsey it's fun to walk through the "little chapel" (can't remember if that's what it's called but there's only one!)
Ooh I love a model village! Southport where I grew up had an excellent one with a house with moving flames attended by a fire engine doing a very dramatic rescue- I think there was a zip line. Also another house where you could look through the living room window and watch a tiny telly. I adored it but they knocked it down!! Can you imagine the carnage when the miniature bulldozers came in 🫣 all those wonky people and tiny handmade things! 😭
You are having a new house built? We sometimes fantasize about that, ditching this drafty old house for a modern build with solar panels and insulation!
Not exactly. There is a new small estate being built and we hope to buy one of them. It will have solar panels and insulation! I was brought up in a very old house with no central heating, let alone insulation, so I am looking forward to it. But inevitably, there are delays.
I know of two model villages…well 3 if you count the Legoland one in Windsor (which is not quite a village but an “around the world”) It’s very cool though.
The other two are The Model Village in the Cotswolds which is apparently the only UK model village that replicates its own home in 1/9th scale and has qualified for Grade II listed status. It’s so sweet and cobbledy! Plus the real life village itself is heavenly… very popular with tourists.
The second is a little closer to my home in Berkshire and that is the Bekonscot Model Village in Beaconsfield, which is the oldest original model village in the world! I haven’t visited for some years but now you’ve reminded me, I’m going to make a trip there this week while the sun is out to play ☺️
Love the house chat as always (never dull!) and thanks for the continued inspiration.
Oh yes, Legoland can count! We visited a lot as kids. Thanks for the other recommendations, I fancy visiting ‘the oldest model village in the world’. I bet that is a beauty!
I planted sweet pea seeds into long little pots in sunshine yesterday and then discovered a leak coming from bathroom to kitchen that was making a plug crackle because water was running into it! We’ve discovered the source of the leak and just waiting for the plumber!
(I felt like a dorling Kingsley first aid photo turning the plug off with a very long bit of wooden beading (that had fallen off the wall last week) it was bendy, partner almost got boshed in the face and only just about effective and falling asleep last night thought “why didn’t I just use a wooden spoon??” Think the primary colour outfits of those books are what have stayed with me rather than the practical life advice….)
Love this post, Helen- you do look like vulture fodder, to be fair!! 😂 The Godfather of our village allotments died a couple of weeks ago at 88. He used to tell walkers on the footpath next to his plot to watch out for the red kites, as they carried off toddlers and weaklings. (He once skinned and butchered a muntjac deer next to his shed- the fact that he hung up a sheet somehow made it worse, as you could just see the silhouette of him wielding an enormous knife and the odd blood spatter.)
That was a bit of a tangent! I wanted to ask if you know ‘Miss Happiness and Miss Flower’ by Rumer Godden, about a girl who is given 2 Japanese dolls and learns about Japanese houses so that she can make them a dolls house that they will feel at home in. I loved it, and was so sorry to miss the BBC radio dramatisation at Christmas, which disappeared after just a month! 🤷♀️Your dolls house looks like the perfect fixer-upper, what a treat! ❤️
The Godfather of the allotment sounds absolutely terrifying, the knife an dthe sheet! WTF! I like him. I have never read Miss Happiness and Miss Fowler, I love Rumer Godden, must get my hands on a copy!
There’s a sort of sequel, too, called Little Plum. I’m so cross that the bbc thing has disappeared- what do I pay my license for?
Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells.
😂
When we moved to Cornwall when I was little, there was a little shop called the Doll’s House which sold … doll’s house furniture. I used to love looking in the window and inside at the little worlds inside the cabinets! The shop is long gone but I remember it quite clearly.
There was a miniature village not far away, although I don’t remember ever going until I was an adult 😅 miniature villages make me think of the film Hot Fuzz - a firm favourite here.
I also loved making miniature cardboard houses with my Dad and brother - lots of fun!
Have a lovely Sunday ☺️
Oh yes! The Hot Fuzz miniature village scene! So good!
‘Wanna be a big cop in a small town?’ …😅
Hi Helen! Coming to you from Ontario, Canada. I love your little snippets of daily life so here is a bit of mine. It is STILL snowy here. Last night marked the beginning of the month of Ramadan which means we have started fasting. I am also a fellow mug collector, and I love drawing them, along with pigeons, trees, and my toddlers.
Snowy, I am so jealous! We don't get enough snow here.
I love that bathroom set - the mis-matched toilet seat is perfect! And the fact that the green one comes with a weighing scale!! Thank you for the lil shout out! 🚽💚❤️🤩
I know, the scales! Aren't they cute?
That bath is the perfect earring trug! I love Godshill model village on the IoW, it has lovely bonsai trees. My aunt Fleur is a model village expert and I think she favours Beconscott, I've never been but it's on my list.
Oh thanks, EXPERT recommendations!
I remember visiting Swissminiature as a child, but I have not been back since. If you ever find yourself in Switzerland, it may be worth a visit. https://www.swissminiatur.ch/?lang=en
There is a model village in Wimborne, Dorset- amazing and fun to feel like a giant walking about the streets!
I think I visited that one as a child. Would love to go back this year!
Your little house is darling! Ok so there's Miniature World in Victoria on Vancouver Island, BC Canada. If it's the same one, I went there as a child in either the late 70s or early 80s. And I remember being bored out of my skull once I discovered you couldn't actually go inside or open up the houses. I might feel differently were I to visit now, but something tells me I'd still be disappointed. I do have to say though if you're ever in Guernsey it's fun to walk through the "little chapel" (can't remember if that's what it's called but there's only one!)
I watched a lovely film about the Moomin house on the official Moomin YouTube channel the other week, it was absolutely lovely.
Right, I need to find that ASAP
Oh my goodness you sent me down a rabbit hole - just found this fantastic Pathe news clip of Southport Model Village that I mentioned - enjoy! 😅
https://youtu.be/8a9eyfUbvJ8?si=CTn8zijjPmtCPZsh
So good, I would love a job painting houses at a miniature village! I missed my calling!
😅
Ooh I love a model village! Southport where I grew up had an excellent one with a house with moving flames attended by a fire engine doing a very dramatic rescue- I think there was a zip line. Also another house where you could look through the living room window and watch a tiny telly. I adored it but they knocked it down!! Can you imagine the carnage when the miniature bulldozers came in 🫣 all those wonky people and tiny handmade things! 😭
Do you know Madurodam? It's in The Hague, Holland - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madurodam
Wow! I did a google image search, that is incredible!
Hi Helen, we have 2 model villages down here! There's the one in Babbacombe which is the best one I've been to. Another is in Corfe in Dorset.☺️🏡🏡🏡
I think I visited one of those as a child, I must ask my mum which one. We visited a few as kids and we used to holiday in Dorset sometimes.
Thank you for the mention, I am sure your house will be more comfortable to live in, and not require a ruinous number of servants!
I hope you are over the trauma of hearing about vultures. I had a good laugh when you wrote that you didn’t realise they did not live in Darlington!
I am envious of your renovation project. We are still looking for somewhere to rent and then have a further move when the new build house is done.
You are having a new house built? We sometimes fantasize about that, ditching this drafty old house for a modern build with solar panels and insulation!
Not exactly. There is a new small estate being built and we hope to buy one of them. It will have solar panels and insulation! I was brought up in a very old house with no central heating, let alone insulation, so I am looking forward to it. But inevitably, there are delays.
Morning Helen!
I know of two model villages…well 3 if you count the Legoland one in Windsor (which is not quite a village but an “around the world”) It’s very cool though.
The other two are The Model Village in the Cotswolds which is apparently the only UK model village that replicates its own home in 1/9th scale and has qualified for Grade II listed status. It’s so sweet and cobbledy! Plus the real life village itself is heavenly… very popular with tourists.
The second is a little closer to my home in Berkshire and that is the Bekonscot Model Village in Beaconsfield, which is the oldest original model village in the world! I haven’t visited for some years but now you’ve reminded me, I’m going to make a trip there this week while the sun is out to play ☺️
Love the house chat as always (never dull!) and thanks for the continued inspiration.
Have a lovely Sunday x
Oh yes, Legoland can count! We visited a lot as kids. Thanks for the other recommendations, I fancy visiting ‘the oldest model village in the world’. I bet that is a beauty!
I planted sweet pea seeds into long little pots in sunshine yesterday and then discovered a leak coming from bathroom to kitchen that was making a plug crackle because water was running into it! We’ve discovered the source of the leak and just waiting for the plumber!
(I felt like a dorling Kingsley first aid photo turning the plug off with a very long bit of wooden beading (that had fallen off the wall last week) it was bendy, partner almost got boshed in the face and only just about effective and falling asleep last night thought “why didn’t I just use a wooden spoon??” Think the primary colour outfits of those books are what have stayed with me rather than the practical life advice….)
Ha! The long bendy stick! Why choose the boring wooden spoon solution? Were’s the fun in that?