SATURDAY PAPERS

I love the weekend newspapers, don't you?
You can take your time, sip a cuppa, do the Crosswords and Suduko without the need to hurry somewhere.
I love the Travel section especially.
We are so far from everywhere except New Zealand and I've grown up learning the history of England and Europe and always longed to go there to see it all.

At last I 'm managing to do that, I've spent a short time in Ireland and Scotland, seen some of Alaska and explored the Rockies around Jasper and  Bamff and the lovely Vancouver.

But the best holiday of all was three months exploring England -- the fantastic cities of London, Oxford, Cambridge, York and the glorious countryside of Cornwall, the Cotswolds, the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, Lake District, Wiltshire and Kent.

So imagine my interest when I came upon this headline in the Saturday paper's Travel section.

Oh no I thought! This is what I love about England.

I look around at all the new houses here and there is a very definite change.

There used to be variety, a whole lot of different styles of house

Australian Colonial, Spanish, Square modern boxes, two storey, One storey, Mediterranean Villas.....

on and on the styles went.

Now if you drive through a new housing estate there is not that variety any more, the houses all have similar features:

square portico at the front,

one level,

shutters decorate the portico

water features,

rendered bricks painted cream, or mushroom , or taupe !!!!!

Inside is usually bare, minimalist, and cream ( or taupe, cinnamon or coffee )

Now I know a hot climate lends itself to this style...

but I love the old style - warm , welcoming, looking like a family lives there with their bits and pieces on show, their photos scattered around where they can be enjoyed,  but tidy too.

 I'll be going back to England, because I love this.

 

Well that's my rant for today!

Cheers.