By the light of the fire...

Fortunately, the fireplaces in both the living room and the bathroom are fully functional (if a little clogged with dust, dirt and the odd dead pigeon). As the nights draw in, there's little that makes me happier in this world than curling up in front of an open fire with a glass of wine and a good book or film. Perhaps it's because we always had open fires in my childhood homes in Portugal (although admittedly we had the windows open most of the time to let out the heat!). Either way, I can't wait until the flue has been cleaned and the fire is lit for the first time. I've even got an initial lust-list prepped for when that happens...