Window shutters

If you have been following my blog for sometime you will have noticed I mention my (twin) sister Enid a lot. 

I may have also mentioned Enid's blog also.  She originally started blogging when her husband and her began renovating an old Victorian Dublin house.  Now that their building project is over (and they are living in the house) she blogs about daily Dublin life. 

It was Enid who actually got me into blogging! 160 posts later - thank you Enid :-)

  I stayed the night in hers last night and as I opened the shutters this morning I just thought wow... Imagine being lucky enough to live in a house that has shutters and large shutterboxes instead of curtains!

I also like this big old fireplace.And I particularly like this painting done by her husband - I think the modern style art against the old style Laura Ashley wallpaper is a really great contrast.

Paddington Bear

I recently read a great little book all about the makers of Paddington Bear in the late 70's, early 80's. It is the story of Shirley Clarkson (who is the mother of Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson) and her company Gabriel Designs.  

 

Paddington Bear always reminds me of my childhood because my twin sister and I used to love Paddington books.  When we were about 8 we went to a book fair in the RDS and entered a Paddington Bear competition which Enid won!

 

Her prize was a fantastic Paddington Bear teddy bear.

 



This is Enid's second bedroom and you can see Paddington Bear in the background behind Bones - in the fireplace where he currently resides.

 



As you can see he resides with a number of little Paddington Bears...but none of these bears are as nice as the big one.  Big Paddington Bear is solid! While the small ones are soft plushes.

 



I think Paddington looks very smart in his coat and boots against Enid's lovely Laura Ashley wallpaper.

According to the book at the top of this post, last thing just before leaving the bear factory, Paddington would be given a little upward smack with the hairbrush to give him his uptilted snout/look!!!!!