Spring cleaning

As February is often the start of spring cleaning, I've been reading a couple of lovely books on home- making. The Way We Live: with the things we love, by Stafford Cliff and Giles de Chabaneix ia wonderfully illustrated book on collecting all sorts of artefacts, and shows how to display and use them to best effect. The items chosen have come from all over the world, although they are shown in European settings. An inspirational book.

Thrifty Chic byLiz Bauwens and Alexandra Campbell is probably more in my line, as it shows how to use fabric, paint and so on to create a chic, comfortable home on a limited budget, which I've been doing most of my life, following my mother's example. There are several projects which show how to achieve various items for yourself. Full of inspiring pictures and helful advice.
However, most of the actual cleaning I've been doing is of the very basic, necessary daily sort so far, in house and garden, when I can get out to it in between the bouts of rain.