Let's rewind to the start of life at the cottage

So, we moved into the Nunhead Cottage on July 1st 2011 and non-stop social engagements over the summer - mostly weddings, stags and hens (typically a weekend spent overseas these days -between us we had seven in five different countries) meant that we hardly spent a single weekend here until we got to mid-September.

We pride ourselves on being pretty creative types, but even the simplest of DIY tasks seem to be beyond us now that we have four walls to call our own. And I mean the simplest. Putting up a light, hanging a mirror on the wall. Fixing a missing kitchen cupboard door knob.

My mum found this light in a skip, it's been wired and everything but putting it up is something we've been putting off for a while now..

Saying this, getting 2 days a week to tackle these constant niggles means it's always going to be work in progress and a slow one when you consider that we'd both rather be sat in the pub come Friday night, Saturday or Sunday or cooking for friends, or reading. Or sleeping. Anything other than the dreaded DIY.

What we have managed is a few, very minor, paint jobs. We've done the kitchen units a lovely cream colour - the DIY shop in Dulwich mixed us their own version of Farrow & Ball's Tallow for a fraction of the price. The fireplace in the dining room also got the Tallow treatment - although as we've started to light real fires I'm not sure how long that colour will last.

And luckily when our cabinet finally arrived it was nearly an exact colour match.

Because the cottage is so small getting furniture to fill it was never going to be daunting. In fact the biggest challenge we are facing is trying not to empty my parent's place of their unwanted old furniture. Saying that, we've taken a lot from them. As of today, and counting - five chairs, a dining table, two light fittings...

My mum has a keen eye for spotting lovely bits and pieces - normally on other peoples' scrap heaps (we laugh when she says she could have been an interior designer but perhaps she's right) this cake stand, the scales and the vintage tea set are just a couple of her charity shop/skip finds. .

So come to think of it is this random chair that they gave us -

We are going to keep the original wooden doors that run throughout the cottage rather than paint them as I love how they look..

Purchases have been few but we hope well thought through.. and we've Laura Ashley and of course my ma to thank for providing us with traditional cottagy-looking things that, just about, fit our tiny nooks and crannies.

So, considering the fun we had over summer we're pretty happy with what we've achieved here since July.

Redecorating the whole of the upstairs and the hall are projects we've yet to start on and we are desperately seeking the tiniest chest of drawers to fit upstairs, and a small bedside table.

But for now our stacks of books that will do for that