The world from my window

I've been up half the night stroking my new baby. After a very delicate procedure, the island unit was safely delivered in the kitchen, thanks to Mr Grigg, Mr Sheepwash and Nobby Odd-Job, in a scene that could well have starred Bernard Cribbins and Eric Sykes. I have been unable to stop looking at it, touching it and admiring it. It's far too good to use. In the meantime, if you hop across to my new blog Manor from Heaven , you'll see I haven't been totally idle. Here in The Enchanted Village, the circle of life continues. It's that time of year again. It reminds me that what goes around, comes around, as the street I parked next to in Bristol shows. That's about it Love Maddie x

My new kitchen island unit has just arrived. Island? It's more like a small continent. I'm half expecting to find Dr Livingstone in the middle drawer with a large tribe of pygmies in the bottom and Thomas Cook selling tour tickets at the top. I always get the size wrong. A few years ago, seduced by the DFS adverts, I went out looking for a sofa and came back with two huge settees and a large armchair. In the showroom, they looked in proportion. And besides, there was a sale on (is there ever a time when there isn't a sale on at DFS?). Two delivery men and much huffing and puffing, shunting and shoving later, the sofas were sitting opposite each other in my long living room. 'It looks like a railway carriage now,' Mr Grigg said, looking across at me. 'Yes,' I shouted, on the edge of the seat and my feet swinging, not touching the ground. 'And we're The Borrowers.' The only time I had a double wardrobe was for five minutes until the man who made i...