Hello. From England. Aug. 31, 2020. . . After a week of high winds and lashing of rain courtesy of storm Francis which battered lots of places around the U.K. Thank goodness the wind and rain have both gone and we were left with a serene Bank Holiday Monday. As a rule bank holidays are sunny and prompt lots of visitors to our coastline.. we, being the nearest beach to London experience crowding on our beaches which means that businesses thrive. After the last few months we could have done with a sunny weekend but never mind, there is always next weekend and I prefer it to get our seafront back to ourselves, we can swim and walk without weaving in and out of people.

It has been a busy week as the lockdown eases even further and more public places start to reopen. The community Hub that I run is one of those places and we have to jump through a lot of hoops to be allowed to open up. Risk assessments that show separate entrances and exits social distancing measurements, paper towels instead of material and copious amounts of cleaning in between groups. . . . Time consuming, but possible. But most of the paperwork is completed and now we have to try it out.

The first group we are welcoming back is the film group and the book club. Both on the same day but in different rooms which will make it slightly easier. I haven’t yet decided on how to serve tea and coffee yet. . . . As you know, us Brits can not go very long without a cuppa, so I have to solve that one pretty quickly.

And Our young people are back to school next week, I spoke last week how our system differs particularly in the area of holidays. It has been a longtime for our youngsters and they have to be back in school for a variety of reasons.. . . They really need to get used to learning again and to socialize in a different way of course. , but some of them haven’t seen their friends for ages. . They also need a routine in their lives. It will take some time getting used to the new timetable and regime. One of the big differences is that as a rule, students go to the teacher in specialist areas but now the teacher will come to the meaning students will be in the classroom for much longer periods. With staggering lunch and break times things should go smoothly, we shall see!!! There have been many instructions issued and many changes to those instructions almost as soon as they were issued which has caused some frustration but I think it is ironed out now, it is all new and you can rarely get it right the first time.

And now for something quite different, I thought I would tell you about some of the most interesting things that I have seen in our county of Essex, starting with Talliston House which is in a small hamlet not far from where I live here in Essex. This house looks like any other ex council house from the outside. The inside is very different. . . John Trevellian who bought the house in 1990 has transformed it into a wonderland of inspirational location, each set in a different time and place.

Each room has been deconstructed back to the brickwork and rebuilt from scratch that not one square centimeter of the original house remains both inside and outside.

At one point John had to reluctantly put the house on the market after he lost his job and could not afford the upkeep of the house. He set up a go fund me page and thankfully generous donors raised enough for the home to take it off the market. More than 1,650 objects from 27 countries fill the incredible house which he naught in 1990 for 73,000 lbs.

The word Talliston is Old English for ‘ Secret Place in the Woods ‘ and includes a 1950’s New Orleans kitchen Victorian Dining Room , Moorish bedroom, Cambodian Treehouse Loft and a Scottish Edwardian Hall. Even the smells are authentic as nutmeg and coffee prevalence the New Orleans Kitchen and the smell of jasmine wafts through the treehouse air.

Mr Trevellian opens the house to visitors and even hosts Murder Mystery nights and photo shoots , a perfect setting for both. He also of his house “it’s the perfect place for entertaining. People walk and are transported to different paces. I want Talliston to be the center of creativity. I want to inspire people.”

I so admire people who have the urge to do something different and actually create their vision, in this case it took 25 years and a lot of money . . . But it was worth every penny. If you have Netflix , you can see this house for yourself as it is featured in a new series about ordinary places turned into amazing interior space. Talliston House was one of only two properties to be included in the program ‘Amazing Interiors’

I must go as I have leeks to plant in the garden alongside of the carrots which should be on the table for Christmas dinner. Have a great week . I hope it is full of wonderful things.