REAL LIFE VICTORIAN
A woman has taken her house back in time - by spending £10,000 to transform it into her Victorian dream home. Quirky spinster Julia Wood, 42, lives her life like a 19th century lady and can often be seen leaving her terraced house wearing ankle length velvet and carrying a parasol. The self confessed "eccentric" has transformed all five rooms of her property in Leicester with late 19th or early 20th century decor. Her lounge, bathroom, bedroom and kitchen are filled with antique furniture, fireplaces and artefacts and even nude portraits complete with lighting from the period. She has a large mahogany mantle piece in her lounge and sips tea from an 1890s crockery set she says she bought for just £10. Her kitchen, which also acts a sitting room, includes an Edwardian day bed, wood burning stove, antique tub chair, pine table and even a black fridge. The author and writer, who has lived in the home for two years, is an avid Oscar Wilde fan and says she lives her life like a character from one of this plays. She said: "I must have a Victorian or Edwardian aura. I was just born in the wrong era. But Downton Abbey has changed things lately. Sales of long gloves have gone up hugely, I understand. All of a sudden I'm in fashion.
Other great stories
CHIPMUNK YOGA
ARM extended and head flung back, this little chipmunk performs a loose-limbed yoga move .
IT'S RAINING DOGS
WITH THE WIND blowing through their fur, you'll believe a dog can fly in these hilarious images .
LIQUID SCULPTURES
A BEAUTIFUL sight for the eyes and the imagination, these liquid sculptures take shape in many different colours and formations .
SECRET POOL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT
HIDDEN in the middle of the Mojave Desert, a secret oasis awaits intrepid travellers .
FEARLESS CHEF SLAMS TRIPADVISOR REVIEWS WITH HILARIOUS INSULTS
FOR most restaurateurs, the phrase ‘the customer is always right’ is gospel .
HUNGRY CHAMELEON CATCHES DINNER
EXPERTLY camouflaged, this clever panther chameleon knows how to catch its prey by surprise .
NATURE'S MOST STUNNING SHAPES AND PATTERNS
FROM ICE bubbles to boiling lava, these photographs highlight the stunning shapes and patterns found in nature .
STABBED BY SON
Daniel Blore, 21, of Innage Crescent, Bridgnorth, stabbed his mother three times in the attack on January 11 this year, Stafford Crown Court heard .
NERVOUS SQUIRREL
EAGERLY BITING his nails, this little squirrel is clearly nervous of looming predators as he searches for his meal .
TRIG-OF -THE- EYE STREET ART
At first glance what might look like ordinary rusty bridge and road railings, are in fact amazing works of art .
GARY BARLOW SUPERFAN LOSES 11ST AFTER ‘HORRIFYING’ SELFIE
A Gary Barlow superfan has lost an incredible 11st after a selfie with the pop star left her horrified by her 22st 9lb figure .
MUM SPENDS £17K ON HER REBORN BABIES
When mum-of-three Becky Tully was told she couldn’t have any more children due to health reasons, she refused to give up on having the little girl she had always wanted .