A Run Around Northumberland With Lola

So it's less then 3 weeks until we go away to Marrakech on holiday, I've left it a bit late to get the dream bikini body but something is better then nothing non?!
I've been a seldom runner for a few years now, I've never really found it easy, some people are born to run, not me, but I do love the feeling after I've completed one, the health benefits are definitely to be reaped.
Since moving here running is no longer so much of an urban chore, I'm not sure if it's because every run is an adventure and I'm not doing the same mundane route.  Sorry this is the second 'Northumberland is my new beau' post but it really does make my heart beat.  Today's run was a good 10.5k but a slow one (1hr 41) because I kept stopping to catch my breath and soak up the views. Here's some pics to share...

 Acomb Hall in the distance

 Rapeseed as far as the eye can see, I just wanted to dive in this field, the smell was immense!

 These cheeky calves, so curious. Lola was too, she's not met that many.

 a lot of Northumberland was regularly under attack from Scotland so had means of defence built to protect livestock.

Northumberland Day Out

We've been living in Northumberland for around 4 months now, Davy was born and bread here but I am from the lakes and never really ventured east but this county is gorgeous, some say Britain's best kept secret.

I love doors especially when they are full of character, it gives you an insight of what the home is like inside.

I wonder if the heads above this door are of the lord and lady that built the house and became the first residents?

This is Allen Mill or what is left of it.  It use to be an old smelting mill powered by the force of the river.

Bardon Mill is close by, the chimney has a plaque on it to say it was built in the 1920's but this must of been a later add on as the mill started making pottery in 1878.  Before that lay a woollen mill but this was destroyed by a fire made by a one-legged employee with a grudge!

One of the kilns

We topped off the day with a nice drink sat outside the anchor in Haydon Bridge with it's stunning view of the Tyne.

Langley Castle -  those windows!

Our New Van

The hunt for a VW van has been a long one, all the decent options seem to be around the south-coast which would be a trek and a half.  After endless days of searching one came up in Scotland, so we bundled in my car and headed up with Lola in tow.

 On the Anglo-Scottish border there is a place called Carter Bar where two stones lay, one to mark Scotland and one to mark England.  Here in 1575 hosted the last large scale battle between the two countries. 

 Whilst in Scotland you have to have an Irn Bru!

Lola seems to like the van too! The view from the border is gorgeous especially on a nice day.

Lola's Bed and Kirkstall Abbey

I took Lola for a walk around Kirkstall Abbey in Leeds last week.  A medieval cistercian ruin - no thanks to Henry VIII!

 Walking round the place you do get the feeling of how grand it use to be, once inhabited by monks now is the home to various types of birds.

Lovely to see some snow drops along the bank of the river, the first sighting for me this year!

Another thing I wanted to mention was Lola's bed, I have posted a few pictures on Instagram but I wanted to shout out about how clever the design is...

Lola is a pretty big pooch, an Airedale terrier (king of the terriers although in her case queen, she really is a madam at times), so since moving into our rental we have struggled to really find the best place to put her dog bed.  At first it sat at the bottom of the stairs but it was just getting in the way of the front door and it wasn't really a nice safe haven that it should be for her.

So Davy, being the clever one that he is suggested we put her under the table in the kitchen, seen as it isn't really a table we sit and eat at (we have a separate dining table for that) its more an extension of worktop.  But this table has pretty chunky legs so Davy designed it so it fit perfectly by cutting leg shape corners.

I wanted to make it really comfy for her, so I bought a coffee sack off eBay and filled it full of sheep wool (the type you get for eco packaging) and I quite often find that she has taken herself to bed when she feels like a kip or a bit of me time!

A Week In Pictures- Instagram #1

I've decided to do a new blog series, a week in pictures, it's basically a roundup of pictures we've both captured on Instagram and if you aren't following us already add us here.

Finally January is over, I'm sure you all agree, it's been a bonkers month and quite quiet on our Etsy shop.  The weather has been pretty dramatic so far this year with the country suffering from floods etc, but we have managed to catch a few lovely pictures and a rare one with Lola basking in the sunshine.  Not to mention a few shots of the amazing dramatic skies that recent storms have brought.

I popped over to Kirkstall Abbey with el poochio (full post to follow later this week), the buildings around are made from this lovely Yorkshire stone.

Elle Decoration trend issue-has anyone else got this copy?  I love that homeware trends are linking back to the catwalk, a subject close to my heart.  The cover itself is themed with the Pantone colours of the year Rose Quartz and Serenity.  In particular I love the pink and have lots of big plans for it product wise, watch this space!

Bath and New Bed

Sorry in advanced for the photo heavy post, we've been working on Lola's new dog bed for a while, it's totally a case of we had no where to put her bed in the house that wasn't in the way or somewhere that she could relax and feel cosy.  Until one day Davy suggested that we build her one that fits perfectly under the table in the kitchen, what a great idea!!

So we set to work on the design and specification, we wanted to use pallet wood as it has that lovely reclaimed look at comes up lovely after lots of love and hard work, sanding, sawing and waxing. 

 

 

 

Got to have a bath before trying out the new bed!

I got hold of some lovely coffee sacks and filled them full of reclaimed sheep wool so it would be really comfy and warm for her, she seems to like it!

What is This Tree Doing in the House?!

Lola our Airedale is 3 years old, and has only experienced 3 Christmases so it's quite exciting to see how she reacts when we bring a big green tree that usually lives outside into the house.  The look on her fluffy face is priceless, 'what are you doing with that?!' 

 

 

We have managed to obtain a lovely big old lovely wooden cable reel which comes with a lovely red makers stamp on (more detailed photos of this later) and Davy thought it would be a great idea to put the tree on.  I went ahead and did this myself last night because I couldn't wait until he was back at the weekend!

I think we have been a bit adventurous on the size and as you can see from the below picture it is touching the ceiling- oops.

As well as all the festiveness the orders are coming in thick and fast, another caddy was shipped to London yesterday, all gift wrapped.

Autumn

The leaves are turning, the nights are drawing in and there is certainly change in the air, something I always get excited about. I think this is my favourite time of year because it is time to get snuggly, start cooking the comforting things like stews, casseroles, sausage and mash!

Fresh in the shop this week we have our cook book holder made from reclaimed pallets.  I love the colour of the wood, grey with a rosy hue peaking through.  We chose copper nails to compliment this and the chain detail helps to keep your page open. You can buy this here

Bous UK

So we are finally live, i thought my first post could be a list of FAQ's to get started!


Who or what exactly is Bous UK...

A reclaimed and vintage homeware shop with a nod to industrial and mid century styling.  A carefully curated mix of old and up-cycled treasures. 

Who runs the show...

Kate, a designer for the last 9 years has a huge passion for interiors and has a real eye for things and knows what works.  Kate spent most of her Saturday mornings as a child in auction houses- she was the kid at the back swinging her legs back and forth on a mid century Eames chair.


Davy, great with his hands he can knock up just about anything, he has a passion for handcrafting salvaged objects and materials into functional and quirky new products. He tries to 'design outside of the box' and has an enthusiasm for the retro, modern rustic and streamlined industrialism.

Lola, the Airedale terrier who thinks she calls the shots, but really she's great at receiving hugs.

 Where can I view BousUK products...

Etsy at the moment, our shop link is here

Where can I view the brand progress... 

Click on the social media links via the icons, top right hand side of the page.  We will regularly feed our followers with Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages.  We've also set up our Pinterest account which will be a brain map of creativity.