more heavy snow - but maybe it will bag you a prize?

I thought it might be fun to have an informal competition - and I promise to think of a lovely prize (or prizes!) So, here are the 'rules'..........

Do you live in or near a Border Oak house that would look spectacular in the snow? Perhaps you walk or drive past a Border Oak building that looks fantastic in the frost, or magical in the mist or wonderfully wintery in the early sun - if so take a photo, send it to me at merry.albright@borderoak.com and I will make a winter montage here on the blog. 

The best pics win a gorgeous prize or a donation to the charity of their choice (oh, ok, lets do both). 

Competition ends at the end of February.

'Marvellous Project Manager Mark' sent me the blog topper photo and this pic which are both quite amazing, but sadly not eligible because they are missing one vial ingredient - the Border Oak building (although strictly speaking those oak trees could, one day,  be a BO house .........)

Good Luck!

and then I saw this............!

Blimey! Two magazine articles in one week!

This is the house that features as the lead house in the February issue of Country Homes and Interiors and isn't it lovely? I haven't seen the magazine yet but there is a sneak peak on the CH &I website and it has got me all a jitter! It looks so enticing. 

CH & I magazine is really good if you like, well, country homes and interiors - but seriously, it's a very good magazine with a great images so I would recommend buying it even if we weren't in it.

The couple who live in this pretty cottage are incredibly nice people with a gorgeous tortoise called Darwin (who makes a guest appearance in the new Border Oak brochure) and so 'thank you' to Stephen and Elizabeth for everything - we are very grateful to you both.

p.s and thanks to Vivienne and the team at Country Homes - we really really appreciate your support and think the article looks fab.

The back of the house - Ben and I used to live next door

The house has settled into the village beautifully

a little bit of press coverage.......

This is the front cover of the current Homebuilding magazine - and guess what - it has a Border Oak house on the front cover! A HUGE thank you to Jason and the team at HB&R for this article, we were all over the moon. And an extra HUGE thank you to the house owners who kindly let me borrow their gorgeous house for the day to take the photos and then agreed to share the pics with the world. We are very lucky.

Out now in all good (and bad) news agents, super markets, corner shops and doctors surgeries.