Haleyrose’s Weblog

The Cottage – Before

October 20, 2008 at 7:37 pm (Uncategorized)

Well, we had planned to renovate the old house but the City Council denied us permission to do what we wanted to do! (Proof this is NOT a free country! Very strict rules about what you can do to your own house!) So, on a whim and reeling with disappointment, we decided to go view a cottage we had passed for months and admired. We fell in love with it and the couple who lived there for the past 50 years. We love the history – it was built in the 1700s – and the garden is heaven. Best of all, it has a wine cellar! I think that is what sold it for Kevin, that and the workshop at “the bottom of the garden.” (No back “yards” here – only back “gardens.”) These are the pictures from the “estate agent.”

: Our new home!

: Dining room

: Our bedroom.

: Back garden and “coal shed”

: Back of the cottage

: Back bedroom

: The “snug”

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Wedding – 1 September 2007

October 20, 2008 at 7:16 pm (Uncategorized)

: Confetti

: Mr and Mrs Rose

: Mom and the Bridesmaids

: The Ceremony

: A paddle to keep Kev in line

: Outside the church

: The Moat House at Acton Trussell

: Friends and family

: Groom’s cake

: Feeding the ducks at the Moat House

What a wonderful day. Although I was very late to the church due to a “wardrobe malfunction” (the hook that held the dress up at the top came off and had to be sewn back on!) we had a wonderful ceremony, performed by Reverend Fowler of my church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Sixty of our family and friends from both sides of the pond joined us at the Moat House in Acton Trussell for the Wedding Breakfast (for you Americans – it is a seated daytime meal with toasts and lots of wine – much like a rehearsal dinner), and another sixty British friends and family came for the Evening Reception or “Evening Do” as they say around here. Cake, dinner, and dancing until midnight, and what a great time we had!

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Pre-wedding home renovation

October 20, 2008 at 7:14 pm (Uncategorized)

Before the wedding, there was much work to be done before 48 Himley Crescent, Kevin’ semi-attached home, would be ready for Mom and Dad and the bridesmaids to stay in!

48 Himley Crescent, Wolverhampton

First we had to wait for Brian Bussey, Kevin’s friends and “lodger” for three years, to close on his new home and move out, so we were Three’s Company for a while. Brian was great at dishes so it was all very friendly. Kevin and Brian had their own decorating style… posters and liquor bottles!

The Lounge - decor by Kev and Brian

The decor was a mixture of everything bad from 1940-1988 from previous occupants, with an emphasis on clashing colors, sponge paint, stencils, glitter, and plastic-hung curtains. (ew!) Think orange, pink, and tan, touching. Contrasting patterns. Bright patterned carpet, a new color for every room which never, never coordinated with the wallpaper or drapes in that room. So much to do!

The bathroom needed immediate attention, so we set out to have it complete before the guests arrived one month later. Foolish really! But we started by tearing out the old tile and horsehair plaster walls – trying to leave this bathroom functional at the end of the day….