TAGGED!!

I've been tagged twice! By the lovely April - Cakes make the World a Better Place

And the lovely Twiggy - Twiggypeasticks

Thanks for thinking of me Girls! Here goes :-

Rules

1 Link to the person/s who tagged you.

2 Post rules of the Tag on Blog.

3 Write 6 random things about yourself.

4 Tag 6 people at the end of post.

5 Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving them a comment.

6 Let tagger know your entry is up.

6 Random things about myself.

1 I went to Agricultural College, and learned to make cheese!

2 I had a pet fox as a child, called Popsey!

3 I don't like prawns or any shell fish!

4 My first car was an automatic Mini!

5 I have been and Abseiled! - only once, once was enough!

6 I am the eldest of 3 sisters.

6 lovely people I shall Tag!

Driftwood Shack Driftwoodshack.blogspot.uk/

A Thrifty Mrs athriftymrs.blogspot.com/

Indigo Blue indigo-blue-designs.blogspot.com/

Suzie Sews suziesews.blogspot.com/

Silver pebble www.silverpebble.me.uk/

Fan My Flame ginaferrari.blogspot.com/

That's all for now folks!

HUBBY P IS CROSS!!

Hi you! Just a few musings from the Allsorts household!

A furious Hubby P burst into the house this evening! - I was just stirring the gravy!! 'They have gone and put it up again' he said - in a very Angry Voice! 'And that will have to be switched off for a start' he said - as he switched the immersion heater off with a flourish!!

YES - the Electricity has gone up again - it was on the 4 o clock news. This causes instant fury, and cursing of everyone from the Government, energy companies right down to anyone who dares to have too many lights (in Hubby P's opinion) burning!

We've settled down a bit now we've had our bread and butter pudding, I haven't dared switch the immersion heater on just yet.

I have been far more responsible and 'pro-active' - I have been looking at thermal underwear on ebay. What a choice! and some of it quite sexy in a 'manly'- I'm a lumberjack! kind of way. Maybe this is the way, certainly we will have to wrap up - I can see us huddled round a candle if Hubby P has his way!

Mind you he has been looking into solar lights - quite cheap on ebay, he has bought a little shed light - for research purposes - I won't bore you with all the research data, I'll just tell you if its any good or not!

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Garden News

Look at my pretty cardoon flower - they got a bit bashed with the rain, but this one was trying to lift its face to the sun!

Apples on the tree! There are so many and growing bigger and bigger, looking forward to a bumper harvest!

And the beans have suddenly gone mad - we are having to pick every day - lots for us and lots for the freezer!




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Carboot-y Finds!
Not a lot to share with you I'm afraid.
This little book caught my eye, very retro! I had a good old look at it, but I think its destined for ebay, someone somewhere will get more from it than I.





And these little hankies - just a couple (I have put these two on ebay) of a handful I bought on Tuesday, I have kept most of them for myself. These two are rather pretty!

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Sheddy Bits!

This is my new 'nursery' area, I am in the middle of setting up alongside the sheds. Hopefully it will be cool and shady enough to grow on the little cuttings, lots to pass on to green fingered friends!

This our latest project, a new big log shed - It doesn't look much in this photo, but the effort it took to dismantle the old coal bunker (and get rid of the old tin and timber!) - and in the heat of last weekend! It nearly put our lights out!!!

Hopefully get some more done this weekend, and I will show you a photo of a 'pretty' and complete log shed!

That's all for now Folks!!

BROLLIES AND BOXES - CARBOOT-Y GOODIES!!

Hi you! Hope all's well!

Just a few bits and bobs to share with you!

Look at this Vintage brolly I found - and all for just £1, it has a small tear in the fabric - but isn't it just Fab!

Its so pretty and flowery - I think I may just use it as a sunshade, its so bright and cheery!!!

On the Shed Front!

I found these exciting wooden boxes, just the very thing for storing Hubby P's car bits in (£2 each) - I thought they were so shabby/pretty looking, so much easier on the eye than anything plastic I could buy!

As you can see they must have been used by the National Trust at some time - does that mean we might have a bit of National Treasure about us??

From labels attached to the outside I think they were used for storing flower bulbs in, crocus and that sort of thing. As you can see they are stackable - Is it just me? or would you get excited at the thought of such rustic shabbyness residing in your shed!!

On the 'Glamour' front! - I found a couple more vintage lipsticks. I like the ones in the metal gold/bronze cases, and the shades of lippy are just amazing! - if you went out with some colours on these days, people would think -'what a shame, fancy her carer letting her go out like that!'

Some make you look positively anaemic, and they taste just awful - all whale blubber and whatnot I should think!

BUT NOT TO WORRY!!!

It means I have the perfect lippy on stand by for when my Vintage phone rings, and I can

quickly apply said whale blubber - and answer 'Gwalchmai 172!' - just looking the absolutely

perfect part! (see an earlier Post - you may be a bit confused!)

Sorry photos a bit rubbish!

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On The Garden Front!

We have started to enjoy - with great gusto I might add - our home grown veg! The little round carrots were from the window boxes we made earlier in the year - they were so sweet many of them didn't make it to the pan, we just sat outside, rubbed the compost off them and ate them like toffees! Wish I had planted more now!

Another exciting Carboot-y find! - I know it just looks like a few boring pots with something growing in them! But I have wanted an Agapanthus for ages - they are so expensive in the Garden centres, but a wonderful Lady was selling these at £1/pot £ for £2.50 - I could have kissed her - I didn't - she would have thought that a bit over the top!
Anyway - I was pleased! - and have now carefully planted these in the garden with every safeguard against slugs I can think of! Fingers crossed they do well!
I will take the nice Carboot-y Lady some spare plant pots, she tells me its her husband who has 3 greenhouses and likes (is encouraged??) to keep busy growing and potting - so she sells a few on the carboot - keeps him in compost!




Just a little chicken for Gary and Rob !!

Got to go, Ta Ta for now xxxx

JUST A LITTLE OF WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO!!!!

Hi !

Just thought I would have a ramble - fill you in with my hum drum doings!!

First of all an exciting Award from the lovely Twiggypeasticks! Thank You so much for sticking with me and reading 'everyday drivel' I come up with!

The rules which go with this are ;-

1 . I can put this rather sparkly Logo on my Blog.

2. Put a link/or mention (If you can't like me do the 'Link' thing yet!) the lovely person who

gave you the award.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put a link to those Blogs on your Blog (Unless you need to learn that bit - like me!!)
5. Leave a message on their blog of your nomination.

So I would like to Nominate ! (all can be linked through my side bar)

Juicy Fig

The imagination of Ladysnail

Pipany

View to The Hill

Lace Threads

Driftwood Shack

Fan My Flame

Take a little look, they are all so entertaining, a good way to while away the hour you are supposed to be ironing!

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A lovely surprise in the post, from one of my trendy young things - that I like to call a friend! - goodness only knows what they see in a batty old thing like me, hiding away in my garden!

Just take a look at these delightful little birds - delightful little things created by Ladysnail - take a look at her blog and little Etsy shop (The Imagination Of Ladysnail - link through my side bar)

I just really love the batik type fabric, and the pretty colours.

This is Mr Chickeny chops, just check out his button wings!

Both are now happily ensconced amongst the other memory trivia which hangs above the table in the conservatory!

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Just a couple of garden-y pictures, as you can see the flowers are trying their best - just getting bashed and battered by the rain!

The first of my Hollyhocks! - I've not had Hollyhocks in the garden for many a year so these are very welcome. I think I will try and save the seed, and get some more going - fill the garden, they are so cheery looking!






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A Little Carbooty Find!

I found this on Tuesday - I thought it was so different! Some one has spent such a lot of time making it. I think it is made from some sort of hessian - maybe an old sack or something (during the war or times when fabric was hard to come by?) It is beautifully embroidered and in very good condition. Mind you now I have it I don't know what I will do with it! Just knew I had to 'save' it - how sad is that!






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Waste Not Want Not - Home Economy!!

I know, I know - Christmas is ages off! -and you don't want reminding of it yet! BUT! I am being PREPARED - GIRDING MY LOINS!!! (I just love that phrase!)
No really, this 'industry' came about after a 'stern talking to' from one of our sons who said it was just 'not on' us (as parents) spending a fortune on presents for them (the children), as they are all 'grown ups' now and working - after all it should be just a token thing!
SO - taking them at their word, I am just going to fill a stocking for each of them - and send them to Santa of course!
I have always done them a stocking - they say that is the best bit of the Christmas present-y bit anyway, so this year no big pressys - it will be a challenge to find interesting bits and bobs of the stocking.





So here we have various stockings being made and re-vamped, ready for the - hopefully!- exciting fillings I can find!

More On The Home Front!

Because we live in such a small cottage, I don't have much storage space, and I really felt we needed a CRUNCH CUPBOARD! - this is a storage cupboard for storing extra supplies - tins and whatnot ( buy them when they are on offer/cheap ready for any unforeseen 'lean' times). Hubby P calls it my Crunch cupboard - short for Credit Crunch! When we were at war with Saddam Hussein some years ago I had/well we still call it the Saddam cupboard!
This new cupboard is only an old steel cabinet - not very smart really, but sound and clean, and it fits into the greenhouse - which is going to be the new shed - another blog post altogether!





Not a very exciting photo, but you get the idea!

Good old beans - Its amazing what you can do with them!

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A New Fence!

Again - make do and mend! Hubby P has made these fence panels from old pallets - they look great don't they!

We have a bit of a problem with two aspiring young footballers next door - whose aim for the goal is still a bit dodgy, so the balls end up in our garden - squashing the veg plants! Hopefully this fence will help save the plants a bit. I have tied up my very prickly old climbing rose this should stop little people wanting to climb the fence! As you can see we still have another panel to make, lets hope its not raining this weekend!

Hope you all have a good weekend

Ta Ta for now xxxx

DID YOU KNOW? SHED WEEK 2008!!

Shed Week 2008!!!!

I saw this in an article in the Times, and thought it might be worth a look for all us interested in Sheds! Shed Week 'celebrates the importance of the shed, hut or gazebo in our our culture as a place of refuge, storage and amusement'. There is a competition for the 'best' shed, 1000 are in the running!

The article suggests a visit to Readersheds.co.uk and Shedblog.co.uk, for all you 'sheddies' out there!

News on our shed front!

We have the shed we won from a nice Gent on Freecycle up and running (its nearly full already - where does the stuff come from!), and we have moved the chicken shed - so the sheds are 'back to back' as it were.

This gives the little lovelies (chickens) more of a view of the garden and closer to the house - and us! All the better for me to 'commune' with ' chat', 'share secrets' and generally 'ask advice' of the special little souls!!

You will be amazed how much sense you can get from them - such 'knowing' little bodies!!!

Now we have moved the sheds across we have all this yard space!







Hubby P is going to build me a new larger greenhouse, from recycled timber and whatnot! Got to keep the Green ideals alive - its so easy sometimes to slip into the easy option of 'lets just go to B &Q and buy it'!
But I firmly believe 'everything comes to she who waits' - and there is so much of everything in this world, so much wasted, what you need always shows up! - So I am just waiting for my greenhouse windows!!!



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A quick garden pic - the runner beans are doing really well, perhaps all the rain!!!
We had our first beans for Sunday Dinner!





And they were just wonderful!!!



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Carbooty Finds!!

This pretty pretty runner was wet, dirty and stained, in a 3 items for 50p box. Just look at it now - after a good boil wash and de-stain (little bit of bleach). I think maybe its destined for Ebay - its a bit big/long for me - too long for me to display anywhere.
No doubt it will make someone happy!







And these lovely vintage brooches, so pretty - just to brighten my day, I wear them daily - they were made to be admired!






A couple of Willow Pattern plates for my collection - I want enough ( and cheaply) to use them daily - they don't necessarily have to match - I have found the colour varies widely.






Now this is just the 'Bees Knees'!!!!
and all for £5 -
I found these two Victorian Lace window panels - just beautiful, they even have the original little brass hanging rings on the top.
There is some damage ( to be expected really) - so I will attempt to do little repairs and then a gentle wash.







I can't decide where to display them yet, I am worried if I hang them at the window, the sun might do further damage to the fragile fabric. Think I will give them a wash and see!






So romantically pretty!!




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Home Front Economics!!


I think we are all a bit worried about the cost of power and fuel!
So continuing my theme of 'Economy in the Home'! I thought I would give you an insight into our heating arrangements - our 'Stock Piling' -' Girding Our Loins'!!!!!- an all that, ready for the long (most probably wet) winter!

We have various sheds (more sheds! - I know!!)- and piles of wood - not just any wood, Hubby P makes sure it is all graded! (he can be as sad as I!!)
This is the rubbishy - recycled - old timber, pallets etc shed. This burns really well, hot but quick and is good to start the fire. This gives enough heat for use during the summer - if its needed, or to air a bit of washing!







This is the 'posh' wood, Our son Will is a tree surgeon, so we are lucky not to have to buy logs - it sometimes means having great lengths of tree lying around, until has time to cut it up - but hey - it saves us a fortune.
We burn the logs during the colder months, they are longer lasting and give off a steady heat, and if we are lucky we get some nice scented wood -maybe a bit off apple or cherry - lovely especially around Christmas time!

We can,and do burn coal on our multi fuel, but it is so expensive (didn't they use to call it Black Gold!), someone told me the other day that coal was going up by £3 a bag - that would make it nearly £13 a bag! I really don't think there is a cheap heating system today - its a case of get out your woolly vests girls!!

This is what we burn it on! This heats all of the original part of our tiny little cottage!

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Crafty Bits!!

Not a lot of crafting really, just made another couple of smocks, from what fabric I had lying about.

All in the name of Frugality!

They are so comfy to wear around the house - cheap and cheerful!

Hope to get back to something a bit more creative and challenging soon.

Got to go , Ta Ta for now xx

DRING DRING!!! GWALCHMAI 172!

Look at this!!! How exciting! I have been given an old vintage phone that really works - and works well! Its a real 'meaty' sound to it -DRING DRING! it calls - and a body simply has to answer 'Gwalchmai 172! Lady of the house speaking! How may I help you?' - this of course necessitates me being dressed at all all times in twinset and pearls and investing in some RED lippy!

Its so smart - well the kids think I have gone totally mad, but you know what - I don't care!

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Carbooty finds!!

Its been so wet its been difficult to get a 'Fix', I think Hubby P has with drawl symptoms, at least I have been able to go to the Tuesday carboot whereas he has to work!

This delightful little number is so cute, embroidered by Phylis M Taylerson, Colchester 1949 (it has a little card inside with these details ) - so nice to have a little history with a 'find'. I wonder what Phylis was doing in - I think it says -Everry Tree Camp, Colchester?

Such a pretty little thing, and the work is beautifully done - I shall treasure it!

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More wonderful Gifts!!

Take a look at this - unfortunately the photo doesn't do it justice.

My very special friend Alice (pixiealice.blogspot.com/) gave me this very special picture - it was part of her Degree Show work (she is a illustrator). The guy in the picture is my son Will (he's a Tree surgeon - thus the leaves!). She has captured Him sooooo well!

Check out her other work on her Blog - pass her name around - girls trying to get on the career ladder, God knows its so hard these days for young people.

And me and my chickens!

A gift from Inspector Marmalade! - another illustrator friend! She knows I love chickens - I think this was probably something to do with her Show work. Check her out ( inspector-marmalade.blogspot.com/ ) I am so thrilled that they should think of me!

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A RANT!
Ok! The heavy - worryin stuff now!! Prices, Recession, Credit Crunch!!!!!

How we gonna manage? everything is going up and up - I am dreading the increase in electricity - its one of our biggest bills ( we have no gas this part of the Island, and anyway that's going up too!)

So , I've gone back o he War years - they managed then, and its fascinating, how little they had with rationing, and what they did with it!

Hubby P found me this book on his lunchtime charity shop trawl, and I am on the look out for others. I know there is lots on the web, but there is nothing like a good book is there!

I have got back into making bread, I use to do it all the time - but I got lazy! But it is so much nicer, and I worked out that it costs about 25p/per nice wholesome fresh bread, compared to the what - approx £1/loaf at the supermarket! (I know I am so sad!)

The only down side is - You just want to eat great chunks of it - spread with Asdas reduced price butter ( down to 50p over the weekend!) and nothing else! Looking more like the side of a house every day!

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Where Do You Get Your Inspiration!!

I was just thinking the other day -as you do! So many people out there with wonderful ideas, where does it/creativity come from.

I know I shamelessly browse books and magazines and often link one idea with another, I collect all these ideas/things I like/ things I would sell my soul for!!! by sticking the pictures in scrap books. I have quite a collection, and they are nice to browse through for ideas.

Here's a little photo of some of the scrap books - nothing fancy as you can see, but in a way I suppose they 'sum me up' - my likes, my wants, my interests, my dreams! When I am dead and gone someone need only look at these to get a picture of this nutty woman living in a tumbly down cottage in deepest darkest Anglesey!!!

Ta Ta for now xx