Author: Tabitha Schofield

Dates & Paints

Posted on by Tabitha Schofield

Movie date night was highly anticipated – (I know its only the flicks but January hibernation is long) I had booked us in to see The Revenant after watching the trailer and thinking it looked like a good ‘cinema’ film. Hell NO. It was the most traumatic 2.5 hours of 2016 so far.. Don’t get me wrong, it is beautifully shot, cast and set but it was so grim! Leo spent most of the film dragging himself across frozen ground unable to talk. The poor guy.
It was the kind of movie that made me want to get in to bed with each of my children for a long cuddle as soon as you get home – which is exactly what I did. It made me so tense I must have checked my phone at least 20 times in case the babysitter had called (weird Mamma anxieties going round in my head, fitting, high uncontrollable temperatures, house fires, cat suffocation, fingers in plug sockets to name a few).

A beautiful morning at The Manor

A beautiful morning at The Manor

Our morning at the cottage

Our morning at the cottage

We have had unbelievably beautiful frosty mornings this week, unlike any before -6oc this morning. I have so many photos of Moreton looking like something out of a painting – I really need to learn how to use my big camera properly soon, iPhone’s are great but I think I could get better shots!
Plum and I have been on lots of long walks across the ford and up through the forest making the most of the gorgeous weather.

We have been wanting to do some redecoration at The Manor for a while but have had to plan it quite closely to find a long enough gap between guests to get the work complete, we are starting in early Feb with one of the beautiful front facing bedrooms and a bit of work in the drawing room. With a house the age of The Manor a lot of TLC is needed so we have to take our time!

New Farrow & Ball colours released in a few weeks

New Farrow & Ball colours released in a few weeks

One of the bedrooms is getting a makeover

One of the bedrooms is getting a makeover

I am a huge fan of Farrow & Ball and their colour palette, the cottage is head to toe greys, minks and elephants huff. So I was thrilled to hear they are launching new colours in a few weeks. I popped in to our F&B shop in Dorchester today and the manager gave me a little sneak peek of the new colours ahead of their launch and they are beautiful! There is a fab little catalogue coming out with inspiration on how to match the new colours with others they have and I will definitely be taking tips from that. I will keep updating with developments but I am really looking forward to starting the project.

Meanwhile back at the cottage I have been having a great declutter and spruce up – it’s sometimes a little strange going from working at The Manor and the huge rooms to our little cottage nest, but it is home and I love where we live. I would need to have all my friends move in with me to fill The Manor on a daily basis, or have more babies… nudge nudge Harry!

The boy one had his first school disco this evening, bittersweet! My baby boy got himself all dressed up in his new shirt and was so excited to be taken back to school in the eveing (almost alone, big sis was on standby for emergencies) it was beyond sweet. He has grown up so much since starting school in September and is catching up with the girl one in so many ways. I am proud & blessed!

Sibling love x

Sibling love x

T xx

No snow Monday

Posted on by Tabitha Schofield

On this day three years ago we woke up to a thick blanket of snow in Dorset – it was beautiful. This morning is dark, wet and very cold! I am still hopeful for some snow this winter, I love the kids taking a snow day – sledging, lighting the fire and having fun outside… Well – I like it for a day and then I need to get to the shops, or go to a meeting, the kids get bored and wet, the snow gets sludgy and brown and it all becomes a bit of a drag.. but ONE snow day would be perfect please.

Snowy Cottage

Snowy Cottage

Sledging in Moreton

Sledging in Moreton

We had a fun weekend. The boy one started football training on Saturday, it was very sweet to watch him playing with his buddies and he did so well, it was bloody freezing though so I don’t think I will become a regular sideline soccer Mom observer!

Our guests at The Manor booked The Dovecote for a birthday celebration so the team there were busy preparing on Saturday night, the pizza oven was lit and fairy lights were a plenty. It looked great.

The group enjoyed freshly cooked wood fired pizza, Mediterranean salads and petit four deserts.

Back at The Cottage we enjoyed a lovely brunch on Sunday – drop scone pancakes and fresh fruit and smoothies for the kids and smashed eggs with avocado for Harry & I. The egg recipe is one of my go-to favorites – it is from Madeline Shaw’s cook book.

I love Sunday brunch – I allow myself to make what ever everyone fancies – loads of mess – take my time – no rushing!! If I stretch it out long enough I can constitute it as lunch too so that works out for me. The girl one was on smoothie making duty (she is becoming very handy in the kitchen!)

We spent most of Sunday exploring Durlston near Swanage. There is a wonderful castle and some great walks and views, Guillemot spotting and lighthouse exploring. I reccomend it for a day out. The sea was a wonderful silvery green and you could see for miles.

Girl & Boy one enjoying the view at Durlston

Girl & Boy one enjoying the view at Durlston

Lovely sea greens

Lovely sea greens

We explored the castle at the end of our walk – it has received lottery funding and is very well designed. There was plenty of interactive stuff for the kids so they were well entertained. We had tea and milkshakes in the cafe before returning home for a lazy afternoon.

I am planning some new interior renovations at The Manor which I will be sharing this week. I have been on an online interior design course for what feels like an eternity so I am pushing myself to get it finished this year. As I am lucky enough to have The Manor as my blank canvass so I am going to start one room at a time. I am going to collaborate with a new launch at a well know local company so it is all very exciting. I am working on mood boards today so will reveal more and which rooms are on the hit list later this week.

T x

Friday, Netflix & Food

Posted on by Tabitha Schofield

Friday, my dear friend, we have made it. Another full week of work, meetings, catch up’s, kids, family and to do lists (mainly not ticked off I must add). Glorious sunshine hit Moreton for most of the week with crisp frosty mornings – my favorite type of weather. The sunshine looks set to continue over the weekend which is not only good for our guests arriving but also for us as we celebrate my pop’s 70th birthday this weekend.

GP celebrating his birthday last year.

I have been busy at The Manor preparing the house for the weekends guests, pottering around that house is most agreeable – painting, sorting, adding this and that moving stuff around. It’s lovely to think about how the guests will be using the space in the house. The Manor is in a great situation and when the sun shines the front of the house gets the full hit…

It is oh so tempting to just lie out on one of the beds and sunbathe like a cat but I am always busying about. I am determined to carve out a weekend stay there myself next year. Here is a view of the house when walking back from The Dovecote at The Walled Garden.

Just lovely.

We are looking forward to starting our weekend, the plans start mid week for the kids as they work out what what food they want to cook (weekend food is pretty important though hey?) They have chosen to marinate ribs for this evening and then they would like to do GP an afternoon tea tomorrow. Nanu is baking a cake so we will be getting other tea related things ready, I think a special birthday crown will also be needed for such an auspicious birthday.
Sunday we hope to do a coastal walk at Dancing Ledge – Harry is suffering with man flu so we need to get him fighting fit first.

But this weekend will mostly be – NETFLIX – I do not know how we have missed the last 7 or so years of this phenomenon. SKY blinkers were on I suspect. But, wow.. considering this is January and we are hibernating it is just perfect for us. Harry received Apple TV for Christmas and it is brilliant but Netflix is the shining star. Currently obsessed with Bloodlines, Narcos & Making a Murderer.. I know there is heaps of other stuff to start too but I don’t think I could cope with any more.

Have a great weekend.

T x

TabsFamilyShoot-253

Seasonal Optimism

Posted on by Tabitha Schofield

I don’t understand how it manages to happen so quickly after Christmas, but each January before the cold snap comes I start thinking about spring, summer and generally sunny and warm things. I seem to do this all year round, one seasonal event ends and I am on to the next – I like to think it gives off a positive and optimistic vibe but I suspect my nearest and dearest would rather I enjoyed the seasonal “moment” a little longer!

As we have been having little glimpses of sunshine I am starting to peek out in to the garden a little more, beautiful, but pretty neglected through the winter and having little day dreams about picnics and BBQ’s, sun-downers and camping trips (some of which actually happen, a few never do – ie. camping)

Here is the view I get going through our door –

Snuck a peek in to the garden yesterday – not been out there in a while.. Need to get #dorset #garden #tuesday

A photo posted by Tabitha Schofield (@tabsschofield) on

And when the sun is shining like that I just get a little optimistic about it all. My darling friend gave me the most enormous bunch of flowers yesterday which have filled the house in various vases and vintage jugs and that is helping very much – there is something so fresh and clean about having flowers in the house, I love it.

IMG_0210

I am battling with an incredibly slow laptop today, I think it needs some TLC -typically on the afternoon when I have loads to type about it is just so frustrating!! So I will have to save the more interesting stuff for tomorrow after I have given this damn machine a bit of attention. Please excuse any spelling mistakes or shocking punctuation – typing a word is taking ages!

Just before I go I wanted to share this picture – the view from our bedroom window, I love our little corner of the world.

T xIMG_9436

Weekend Round up

Posted on by Tabitha Schofield

We kick started the weekend on Friday afternoon by baking a huge batch of cookies with the boy one and girl one.. they love getting involved in the kitchen and although its messy, chaotic and not always a great success it’s the moments like this that are the ones I remember the most from my childhood so I think it’s pretty important to make the same kind of memories with my brood. We also received a dashing set of matching aprons from the children’s godfather for Christmas which they have been desperate to put to use..

The cookies were delicious – we used a Millie’s cookie recipe from BBC good food.

I had met my girls on Friday for coffee and ended up having a really feminine discussion about log stacking, log piles and how cool they can look – apparently the biggest selling book at Christmas was one about log piles, I need this in my life. So this chat inspired my Saturday as we had emptied our log store over the festive period and with a hugely anticipated cold spell on its way Harry & I chopped, wheeled and stacked at the cottage.

No fancy patterns here but neat and oh so satisfying. I now need to do the same with the enormous stack of logs at The Manor.. one for my to do list this week.

We ventured out for a walk to the Ford at Moreton to see how the floods had affected the water level.. it is lovely to live in such a beautiful place and see the seasons changing and landscapes constantly changing. We dodged a downpour by minutes and retreated to The Dovecote Cafe, The Manor’s sister site to warm up by the log burner and have some yummy food.

The Walled Garden is directly next door to The Manor and we have co managed the site for around a year now, the gardens are absolutely beautiful, there are lots of different areas, nooks and corners to explore. A stream runs through the garden and there are a series of bridges that look so pretty. At this time of year it is still stunning, with a settled and peaceful atmosphere like it is slumbering until the spring.

We ate a delicious lunch and sampled some of the new local ales. The farm shop within The Dovecote always has tempting bits and bobs to buy too.

Sunday morning was so bright and clear I took off for a run in the forest, apart from a tumble in to a puddle it was great! We then lunched with friends and planned our summer holidays and some important upcoming birthdays. A lovely weekend. And on to a good week with lots of Manor House projects starting.

A little taste of summer on a grey Sunday. Gorgeous lunch with lovely friends. #sunday #bordeaux #friends @louisaloasby

A photo posted by Tabitha Schofield (@tabsschofield) on

T xx

Hiking up the hill…..

Posted on by Tabitha Schofield

With the children finally back in school after what seemed like a mammoth break it has been time to catch up on the vast amount of stuff that has fallen to the wayside over the last three weeks.. admin, accounts, wedding planning, laundry (literally mountains of the stuff) texts unanswered from weeks ago – the usual for Mamas and the self employed all across the land.

I have been supported through the last few days by mainlining all varieties of Pukka Tea (cinnamon and apple flavor I credit you with a lot) as I, like most people I seem to talk to are depriving myself from anything ‘nice’ – wine, chocolate, carbs, cheese mmmmmm as it is JANUARY, yey! The month of absolute self inflicted torture – punishment for having such a lovely time over Christmas and actually letting ones hair down and not giving a damn….

Anyway, the plus side to all this is the wonderful feeling of vitality, positivity and wellbeing. Getting outside and breathing in all that lovely fresh air that is there for us. Today I took the pup up a nice big hill near the sea. Ham Hill (Hambury Tout) at Lulworth.

Pom at the top….

Fully wrapped up in my own pom poms for the trek – Jumper Antipodium –

It was just what I needed and so very refreshing, back to work this afternoon preparing The Manor for the weekends party of guests and putting some new interior design plans in to action at the cottage and at The Manor. More to come on that front.

T x

New Years Walks in Dorset

Posted on by Tabitha Schofield

We love our walks with Plum and this Christmas break we decided to make the most of our beautiful Dorset. This is Stair Hole, just up the hill from Lulworth, it was a chaotic stormy day but the sea looked dramatic and wonderful! I would highly recommend a trip to Lulworth & Durdle Door for anyone visiting.

On the last day of the Christmas holidays we decided to make the most of the limited good weather and headed to Thorncombe woods, it’s our local favorite and such a wonderful place for a walk. Thomas Hardy was born in a cottage on the edge of the wood, which can be visited during the summer. It has a truly magical feel in this wood, and we always discover new paths and bits we have not yet noticed. There are wild white ponies which look like unicorns strolling around – ponds and a mix of forest and woodland to enjoy. There is also a fab new cafe ‘Under the greenwood tree’ (catch the Hardy reference?!) which is a great place to stop at the end of your walk and have a well deserved refuel.

View of Bockhampton from Thorncombe woods #family #walks #thorncombewoods #dorset

A photo posted by Tabitha Schofield (@tabsschofield) on