Country Life

Thoughts on resilience and overwhelm. When Even the Jam Doesn't Get Made. There was a moment this week that caught me completely off guard. Not a major disaster. Not bad news. Not a dramatic event. Just a bowl of blackcurrant pulp.

Why Old Houses Keep Their Cool (and Why We Still Love Them). As temperatures have climbed, newspapers and broadcasters have been filled with stories of modern homes and flats becoming uncomfortably hot, leaving many people struggling to keep cool. With climate scientists warning that heatwaves are likely to become more frequent and more intense, it's becoming clear that this isn't simply an unusually warm summer—it's part of a changing climate that we're all learning to live

When a childhood friend working in Hollywood asked why Chaos Cottage wasn't listed on a location database, it sparked an unexpected journey. From antiques and spaniels to gardens, ponds and a 1980s Land Rover, discover why our Yorkshire home has joined Screen Yorkshire as a filming and photography location.

A reflective Monday’s Musings from Chaos Cottage on caring for ageing parents, family loss, late spring gardening chaos and the strange balancing act many Gen X families now find themselves navigating — all accompanied by a polytunnel full of increasingly impatient plants.

There are Easter weekends that involve chocolate eggs, family gatherings and gentle pottering… and then there are Easter weekends at Chaos Cottage!

Creating a living wreath using spring bulbs and primroses. Celebrate Spring!

Expanding and deepening our orchard pond in Yorkshire as a natural solution to garden flooding. A practical guide to wildlife pond creation, moving frogspawn, planting around a pond and building climate resilience in a UK cottage garden.

The Future of Work, Ownership and a Slower Life: Climate, Resilience and Life at Chaos Cottage Mornings are early here at Chaos Cottage, the dogs tumble out and the kettle sings, there is chaos from the moment we wake but it’s our casual, enjoyable chaos made up of excitable spaniels – it’s the start of another day and there’s breakfast, right?! Once the coffee and tea are made there’s time for a breath or two, and everything calms down. This year though, calm has come with w