Space is at such a premium in the majority of homes, and yet it is so inconvenient to have to move big pieces of furniture around a room to accommodate whatever event is on the agenda. But, when your table is made to roll around, that is an entirely different story. I’d say its genius, and I know at least another sixty women who I would expect to agree.

I mean really it opens up a whole new world, the room goes from being a fall back spot, to a highly functional one. In fact it is like being able to transform a purpose based room into whatever you want that requires a large tables top. Imagine the large batches of cookies, muffins, or tiered cakes you could easily and happily make. Ok, I’m going to stop there, or I will surely go off on a tangent. But, while I know it is not in any shape or form a romantic item, I would love to get one of these for Valentine’s Day, or any other holiday for that matter.

Now, I could go on and list umpteen things that I would cherish in a more modern abode, but there are really two things that tempt me most. For those of you who know me, they will not come as a surprise. While many people are attracted to the crisp new flooring, and more energy efficient structure, I focus more on what would make a difference for me personally on a daily basis.

Floor to ceiling sliding glass doors that open on to a garden, instead of the heavy wood one that must have been made for a fairy tale sized family, would change a lot. For one thing, my husband and guests would no longer have to remember to duck. It is hard to ensure friends walkaway thinking they had a good time at our place if they are still rubbing the knot on their head from bumping the doorframe. To be able to look out through the glass and admire my gladiolas and geraniums would also make a nice addition. Plus, I think it would make me feel more connected with nature, and less trapped like an animal hibernating to be able to see outside.

The second thing I fancy is a state of the art spa bathroom. Ah, I could go on and on about this, and probably already have in earlier posts. We have made improvements to our bathrooms, but they still fall short. But in a new house we could have a tub that you actually want to linger in, instead of one that you can’t completely submerge one’s self. And without a doubt, luxurious under floor heating in those bathrooms. Just think, no dreading getting into, or out of the bath.

While we have no plans to move anytime in the near future, I am still keeping a list of what we will want when we do start to peruse the new homes sales with an intention to buy. In the meantime, I will try not to spend too much time daydreaming about the upgrades that are to come, and remember how lucky I am at the moment.

You see, we do not have any one employed, or enlisted to maintain and check on the house. As it is in another country, this has posed many conundrums. Not least of which has been safety of the belongings held within. While the location of the building is considered to be remote, and there are relatively few break ins reported, you still must take preventative measures.

So we pondered what we could do to make it appear as though there are people either there full time, or at least on a regular basis. Leaving cars parked out front was one way, but clearly not enough. This is especially true since the cars remain in the same positions as we left them. We considered asking someone to go over from time to time, but to be entirely honest, we did not feel close enough with anyone to make such a request. Sure, we could pay them, but this would not ensure they would not use the house, or the cars.

We contemplated getting timers for our outdoor lights, and some indoor lights to go on. Yet, we decided closing the shutters was safest, so no need for indoor lights. As for timed lighting for the outside, it seemed practical enough. But, when we went to purchase the materials in that country we were faced with sky high prices. Dropping into a home improvement shop is not the quick jaunt that it is back home. It involves a lengthy journey, and then the confrontation of tremendous expense for what we are accustomed to being reasonable.
The conclusion, after making the journey to the nearest store was to buy solar lights to line the drive up to the house. This felt right, because the lights will not go on at the exact same time each and every day. And as daylight savings time sets in the lights will not automatically switch on when the sun is still out. Embarrassingly, we had not come to this conclusion without being confronted by prohibitive pricing of alternatives. Still, we got there in the end and are happy with our decision.

But there are some ways you can bring cheer to an evening around the dinner table or in front of the fire with a glass of wine without shopping in the trendiest stores and depleting your pay check. Keep an eye out for materials and products that are recycled but which can bring some cheer to your property in London this Christmas:

-Pick up a basket-full of raggy wool and cashmere strips from your local haberdashery and make a recycled Christmas wreath to hang from the door or above the fireplace. Using garden wire, wind the wool scraps into a store-bought or homemade wreath, in rainbow or colourful patterns.

-Buy a bright print or take your favourite photograph to a print shop. Laminate or mount it and brighten up your walls with your loved ones’ faces or motivational messages. Some popular prints at the moment are the wartime Keep Calm and Carry On and Don’t Panic slogans, which are appearing on towels, mugs, t-shirts, bags, chocolate bars and more.

-Pick up a colourful plant: Visit your local nursery and look through the Christmas plants on sale. There could be a range of plants from fragrant citrus to poinsettias to elegant orchids. Flowers can help bring soothing scents to your home, along with a dose of freshness that soothes and comforts, despite the winter cold.

-Buy a bright set of Chinese bowls, painted with flowers, birds or polka dots, or if you’re feeling artistic, purchase white, non-varnished bowls and paint them yourself. Brightly coloured crockery is available in fresh and creative styles on sale or at low prices. If collecting dinner sets isn’t quite your style, look out for brightly-coloured tea sets, which are a great reason to host a tea party with warm scones and cream.

Pull out your blue, white and silver wrapping paper, a utility knife, a glue stick, and transparent tape and you are ready to get started. Really all that is needed is for you to cut a strip of the wrapping paper to wrap around the cover, then glue into place. Of course there is plenty that can be done to accessorise and enhance that first layer, so let your crafting spirit take hold.

Tie the candles and the matchboxes together and hand over to your guests as they depart. This gesture is sure to get a smile in response, which is just one more way to light up the night in our view.

This time I am deciding between the crumb cake muffin, the apple sauce muffin, the walnut date muffin, the pear and granola muffin and the spiced carrot muffin. Having no experience with any of them, I am pretty definite that I will be selecting the new object of my affection based upon the number of ingredients, the price of those materials, the calories, and finally the amount of time it will take to make them. Already I eliminated another kind of muffin because I read that your baking soda and flour need to be really fresh to get the best results, and since I have no idea when I bought either of those last, I thought it best to move on.

I mean it seems like such a long time ago that my husband was lighting a fire under members of our family to identify what would be the event that they would most like to attend. I can remember him sitting in our living room on Boxing Day going through the choices with all of us one by one. Needless to say, I was pleased to be able to excuse myself to look after the meal cooking in the kitchen. I thought it was a bit of overkill, but in the end we did get some decent tickets, so I suppose it was a necessary madness.

Once he told me what we would be going to see a few months back, I recognised we should turn our attention to additional related matters. This clearly involved looking for a flat to rent, but life has a way of diverting one’s attention and that is precisely what happened to me. That and it still seems so far off in the future, I have trouble making it a priority on the to do list.

Now, maybe if we were only going to the Olympics things would be slightly less stressful, but we will be proudly seated at the Paralympics too and that follows the Olympic events we are attending by weeks. I imagine it is me who has added to the difficulty that may or may not be involved in finding a place as a I am the one who wants to attend the Paralympics more than anything. I think it is a very important celebration of human strength for us to participate in, and believe it will be even more memorable for me.

In reality, I have once again avoided tackling the search for accommodation, and instead filled my time with this admission of being a procrastinator. Well it must end, so I can regain my title of being super smart, and to shake this new found title of super slack. I am off to set things up. With two hundred and fifty-six days till the start of the Olympic Games and two hundred and eighty-nine till the Paralympic Games I can’t be one of the last to wrap up these loose ends. Right? Wish me luck!

One way to relax is to simply concentrate on your breath. It won’t cost you anything, and while reclining in the tub you can spare a few minutes to focus. Lie back, close your eyes and simply listen to your breath. Push everything else out of your mind. If your attention is drawn away from listening to your breath, bring it back.

You can also practice this when you have difficulty falling asleep. It is such the typical time for your mind to start racing at a hundred miles a minute. Stop it from keeping you up. And again, if your mind wanders, bring it back as many times as it takes for you to ultimately doze into la la land.

Although memory foam mattresses are more supportive than most standard mattresses, their denser material can also make them very heavy. When moving a memory foam mattress, make sure that you have help available and don’t try to shift it on your own.

Memory foam’s open-cell structure is what allows it to mould itself around the shape of your body. This happens when the heat and weight of your body causes the memory foam material to become soft, so you sink into it. This relieves pressure points on certain areas of the body, and hence the use of memory foam mattresses in hospitals to prevent pressure sores and other aches and pains. The higher density a memory foam mattress is the longer it will retain its moulding properties. A lower density mattress may work well at first, but over time it will stop moulding to your shape quite so effectively.

A brand new memory foam mattress unfortunately gives off a distinct, chemical smell. The longer you keep the mattress for and the more you sleep on it, the more this smell will fade. You must decide for yourself whether enduring the smell whilst it lasts is worth the mattress’s other benefits.

Because of the nature of the memory foam material, dust mites and dead skin particles cannot be trapped as easily within the fabric and cannot embed themselves within the mattress itself. This reduces the risk of asthma attacks and outbreaks of dust allergies, so if you suffer from these conditions then a memory foam mattress may be for you. For a new matress look no further than our friends at dreams, dreams have the perfect size mattresses for all double and single beds, visit www.dreams.co.uk to visit the site now.

To get things under control, plan your weekly meals prior to hitting the grocery store. You will learn that you do not need to spend a lot to make healthy, hearty meals. By doing this you will avoid impulse purchases as you roam the aisles of the shops, as long as you commit to sticking to your list. In addition, if the fridge is stocked with items that you know will add up to such satisfying meals then you will avoid those budget wrecking take out orders, or delivery ones. As we all know, they can cost triple, if not more than that of what the planned meal might, and then there is the guilt factor. But that is something to be discussed at another time. Keep your eyes on the prize for now, PLAN THOSE MEALS!