News from Amberley
I´m sharing these heartwarming photos with you from Amberley, the beautiful Sussex village where our Rustic Escape, Spring Cottage is nestled in the Southdowns, overlooking the Wildbrooks nature reserve. Steve, one of our Local Representatives, sent me a couple of photos taken this winter; one of a robin redbreast and the bare winter trees at the back of the garden, along with one he took of the same garden last summer when we had just mown our meadow under [...]
Quarentine in a Rustic Escape
I haven´t blogged in over a week. The reason has been twofold. Firstly It´s been so terrible for me to have to share the distress of all my Valencian compatriots at seeing our Fallas festival cancelled, our schools closed and our lives thrown into havoc by being placed in quarentine for what will be an interminable two or three weeks. Secondly I have a horrible sense of guilt at my fortune to be able to spend my quarentine in [...]
Sundays in Valencia
On Sundays I am sole charge of the school zoo. Its lovely out there amongst the animals;enjoying the peace and quiet of their weekend. We have all manner of rodents, two tortoises, chickens and birds, fish and ten goats. They all munch happily on the spring greens I have brought them from our huerta in Partida de la Mar, Almassera and then I head back to find that the buds on the orange tree have come into full bloom. [...]
Spring is sprung!
The almond trees have lost their white clouds and are now lush and green and the orange trees are full of little white buds. Local farmers are worried that a late frost will wipe out this year´s crop. Spring has come early. I took the dogs off around the Valencian huerta and loved seeing the fields full of our spring produce: cabbages, lettuces, cauliflowers, artichokes and onions; ready to be picked and shipped all over Europe. And the charm [...]
A light breakfast to keep me going!
Well here’s my first update via twitter and facebook. Two days into my new life. I’ve been really busy down in Finestrat, blustery but beautiful at our lovely La Casa de la Campana, comandeering carpinters, glaziers, plumbers and painters…everyone busy getting our new Alicante property ready for our first guests on April 1st. The traditional tiling and woodwork in this 1890’s house are lovely, our designer baths and wood burning open fires are all in place. Along with modern [...]
Share my project with me
Today we get ‘out there’! You can join us! I must confess to feeling slight trepidation. Monday, March 2nd I go live! Here’s what’s been going on. In September of last year I became a part time founder,owner and Senior manager of my school so that I could fulfill my ambition to develop Rustic Escapes. We find and restore interesting historic properties in distinctive rural locations, in or near small villages yet well communicated ,by public transport to a [...]
Only the best for us in Rustic Escapes!
As everyone knows, all Rustic Escape properties boast either designer or roll top baths. The lead image is our gorgeous Catchpole & Rye bath, which looks beautiful against the ancient stonework of our typical Valencian farmstead, Partida de la Mar. Guests can rely on enjoying a soak in the bath. Below is a photo taken from one of the baths in our mountain village house, La Casa de la Campana, ready for guests on April 1st. There’s another on [...]
Scouting for new Rustic Escapes
I´ve been out scouting for more Rustic Escapes this weekend. I toured the province of Teruel. Look at me loving a beautiful run down village house in La Fresneda. It was full of old beams and beautiful stonework. I really wanted to get it for us; so that Team Rustic (representatives, contributors, investors and guests) could all enjoy restoring it back to its former glory. However I´m afraid it´s too far from an airport; All Rustic Escape properties must [...]