Editor’s Letter
This time of year is so full of hope and optimism. The dark days of winter are finally over, and spring is so close you can almost detect its sweet, fresh scent in the air. I love watching the garden and surrounding landscape slowly come back to life, and the accompanying influx of birds, bees and butterflies. With nature’s revival comes my own renewal of enthusiasm for living, and I feel empowered to revisit old pastimes, and discover some new ones, too.
Since my husband and I bought our house two years ago, we have been very slowly working on the garden, and last summer invested in quite a few new plants – with mixed success. This year, however, I would really like to take things to the next level and have a go at growing my own produce. I’m a keen cook and imagine using my own lovingly cultivated crops would give me a great sense of satisfaction. That’s not to say I’ve never tried it before – in our last home we inherited a greenhouse in which we grew tomatoes (a success until we went on holiday and didn’t make any arrangements for watering…), basil (fairly successful) and peppers (total fail). And on a patch of land behind it we planted a large amount of potatoes, which looked fabulous until we examined them a little closer and realised they were all riddled with wireworm. I was so disappointed that I didn’t bother trying again! However, this month’s feature on growing your own organic fruit and veg (page 123) has given me just the push I needed to give it another go. Check back with me in a few months, and I’ll let you know how I’ve got on, and in the meantime I’d love you to tweet me @melanieshome with your own successes and failures – along with any sage advice for a novice.
Hobbies aside, regular readers will know that my main focus for this year is redesigning my kitchen, and as soon as the days get longer and lighter I’m hoping to kick things off. However, a number of costly issues have already presented themselves that are making me worry I might not be able to fulfil my goal before the year is out. I could just replace the old units with a like-for-like design, but unless I solve the bigger issues with the space, I don’t think I’ll ever be truly happy with it. The kitchen is such a major part of the house, and once it’s finished I can’t see us doing it again, as we’ll probably have moved on by the time it’s eventually worn out. If you’re planning to update your own kitchen, take a look at our guide on page 99, where along with design inspiration, we offer advice on getting it right, from the overall space to the finishing touches.
Finally, this month I’m happy to tell you that Period Living is supporting a brand new craft show, Made by Hand, Cheltenham, where you will discover around 100 talented designer-makers. Turn to page 28 for a preview of the show and to find out how you can win free tickets. Enjoy!
Melanie Griffiths Editor, Period Living