A Little Rain and the Garden's jus' Lovin' it!

Hello there, hope all's well with you!

Life's just been rumbling along here, nice and quiet, just as we like it - we are so lucky, so many people are struggling along with uncertain futures. This Swine Flu thing is a bit worrying, everyone is going to be worried about the slightest sniffle! Lets just hope it passes without harming too many people, life is tough enough at the moment with this Recession.

On a lighter note, a little rain last night and the garden seems to have taken on a lovely lush summery feel, all is green and it smells 'fresh and green an summery' if you know what I mean!

This little guy was busy doing his thing!

And the sun shining through the leaves brings up all the glorious colours!

I spent a lot of money (well a lot for me - too much to mention to Hubby P!) on Alliums last year, so I am quite excited to see them emerging - I just know they are going to be fantastic. I think they are so lovely - they remind me of my Mum, she loved them too, she would buy just a couple each year - her 'One Weakness' was plants, an extravagance she could not really afford being a Widow on a small pension. Her garden gave her so much pleasure - I do hope there are gardens in Heaven - somewhere she can do a bit of weeding!

Bit more done on the Summer House! Over the weekend we (me doing the 'Yes - it looks straight to me' bit!) put up the wooden frame for the roses and clematis to climb up, and over. It just needs a bit of finishing off then I can get the plants in.



Car Booty finds!

I know I showed you the lovely lampshade I found on the last post. Well I found an ideal lamp stand for it. It was in pieces when I found it - someone had thrown it out of a box and it had been stood on, and broken. Well I paid my 50p and brought it home for Hubby p to do his magic! It just needed re-gluing back together, it worked really well and looks great.

Looks just the part on our old Radiogram. The only hitch was finding an old style light bulb (not the new energy efficient ones) so that the lampshade would fit on it - the shade has little wires that straddle the bulb.

Hubby P found one on a shelf in the local Garage - non of the Super stores sell them now. Although he is rather concerned that having the lamp switched on will increase out Carbon Footprint no end!

Honestly! the things we have to worry about these days!

Three little Council men turned up yesterday with 'Another' big wheelie bin for me - a green one this time, with a booklet of Do's and Donts, when I looked inside there were' Two More' recycling boxes! That makes a total of Three big bins and Four recycling boxes we have been given - Just How Much rubbish do they think we have!

I said to Hubby P -'Well at least they will make good planting boxes!' I have some little chitted potatoes that are looking for a good home!

Leave you with a nice picture of my lamp and pretty Ballerina Lady!

Take care xx

Weekend Goodies!

Just a little Hello, and a few Pic's of goodies found at the car boot this Weekend.

Marsh Marigolds amaze me every year, they are just so gloriously bright and cheerful! Just look at this one, shining her little socks off in my pond!

Highlight of the weekend finds just has to be this 1930/40's little lampshade. It was awfully dirty when I bought it (for £1!) - and I thought maybe it would fall to bits when I washed it, but its come up beautifully! Just need to find a nice base for it now.
The little pots of Aquilegia were just £1.20 each - how could I leave them! I have only the blue - rather common one in the garden at the moment, so these white and pink will make a nice addition.






Just 'ANOTHER' (as Hubby P said) bag - but I haven't got a 'just Black' Vintage bag - and it was all of 50p - how could a Girl walk away without it! This again was very dirty, but for 50p you can afford to take a chance, and Yes it came up a treat! Another pretty scarf too - I didn't show him that (and it was more than £1!!!)






We spent Saturday clearing the ground in front of the Summer house (bigger job than it sounds!) and on Sunday after the Car Boot ( we had a stall and made LOADS of money - lots of nice friendly people, buying lots!) - of course we has spare cash, so we bought some bags of chipped slate to put down on the path up to the Summer House and in front of it. It looks really well, the Lads (Hubby P and Rich) worked really hard - Bless' em!

Hopefully, fingers crossed xxx I have persuaded Hubby P to build a wooden framework over the area in front of the Summer House, so that I can train roses up it and have a kind of Rose Bower - if that's the right word for it. Some where shady and sweet scented to sit and ponder the world! I have suggested it might be for my Birthday - in June - no pressure of course!!

Have a nice week, I'm off to plant my Aquilegias! xx

The Print Room!

Hello there!

Hope you had a nice Easter Holiday, we had a lovely time with friends who came to stay, we did all the 'visitor/tourist-y' things like visit a Castle and whatnot.

Thought I would give you a glimpse of one of my favorite plants - not that its very bright and showy, but it does so remind me of Home! It grew with gay abandon in the garden of my childhood home.

'Twas my constant companion', as I played, and created my 'make believe' worlds of fairies and little people in a wonderful lush garden with a little brook tinkling through it.

Plants are so very much more than just 'plants' - if you know what I mean? Do they have the same memories, ties or whatever to you? Can you not pass a rose without thinking of your Grandad?

Shall I get on to the more 'real' heavy duty stuff - enough of the 'air fairy' stuff!

This is what we have been mostly doing - heavy duty crafty stuff!

Using a lot of this!!

It all started when Hubby P came home with a van full of these!





These are Printers trays for those who didn't recognise them. They hold all the lead type for a printing press (Letter press). Sadly our friend has had to close his print shop due to ill health, they (Hubby P went to help) had cleared all the equipment, sadly no one wanted a lot of the old letterpress stuff, so a lot of it went to the scrap yard. The trays had been thrown in the skip! Of course Hubby P 'lept into action' - well that's not entirely true - rheumatics and a dodgy back put paid to the 'leaping' bit! Let us say he fished them out, and proudly brought his trophy home!
Very nice - but what to do with them all? We slept on it!

To go back a couple of weekends Hubby P (the back was good, sun warming the rheumatics) had re roofed the little summer house he had built in 2000. It had sprung a leak so needed a new roof and general 'fix up'. His idea after a sleep, was to fix the print trays to the ceiling of the summer house to give a 'different' - honeycomb effect. I quite liked this idea - and so it started!

As you can see it is quite 'different' - but what a job trying to hold them up (me using a broom handle Hubby P and screwing them in place!
I had the idea of papering the panels between the spurs/framework of the summer house with a mix of Vintage print - old magazines, sheet music , old comics, old children's etc.

I wanted it to be 'The Print Room' - a random mix of yesteryear printed materials, and of course the ceiling one huge print tray!

In summer we often use the summerhouse as an extra bedroom (it is much sought after - so quiet at the top of the garden - bit like a retreat) so we put the bed up, and my Grandmothers rocking chair lives in there too. Altogether very cosy!

Just the outside to finish now - Yesterday I painted the door and window - bright Yellow - very yellow - it was an old tin of gloss I found in the shed - 'this'l do', I thought!

Still nice and bright and cheerful, clean and fresh looking.

Just needs the wood work staining now and a new step, and a general tidy up around the front - I am getting there, but what a big job its been!

Just a photo out of the window - we haven't a huge garden, but I feel blessed to have a little space to indulge my love of plants.


Other news!

We went to the Household & Collectables Auction - much excitement, but a little disappointed. It was a poor sale, not a lot that caught my eye. I got this little 'swizzy' chair - how retro does it look! A bargain at a £1. Ideal for sitting at the computer!

And a pretty water colour painting (by a R A Cook - if that means anything to anyone) -I just thought it looked pretty, and again a bargain for£1!

Not a lot of sewing/crafty stuff been done - it seems I have spent my last couple of weeks shut up in the shed!

Although I am in the process of making a couple of hot water bottle covers - I know Summer is on its way, and it seems a bit 'unseasonal' - but I am trying to work my way through my fabric stash - I had a piece of a vintage Candlewick bedspread, and thought covers would be a good use of it.

I backed/lined them with a piece of flanelette sheeting to make them nice and thick and cosy, I think they look ok, nice had inviting!

Just leave you with a pic of some pretty flowers.

Ta ta for now - be good! xxx

Sam !! Back with us.

Hello, hope you are all enjoying this sunshine.

I don't know about you but my garden is simply bursting with colour! The front of the cottage is almost buried amongst the fresh greenery and sparkling flowers. To think when we first got the cottage their wasn't a flower to be seen!

I just planted whatever I could find, and slips of plants from kindly friends - we had no spare money to spend on plants.

Luckily most of what I have planted spreads easily and self seeds all around the garden - along with the weeds I might add!

Below is a little clump of 'Three Cornered Leeks', so pretty with their little white nodding heads - they spring up everywhere. I hadn't come across these until I moved to Wales, I think they are native amongst the hedgerows.
I use the greenery chopped up in salads and omelette's - they taste onion/leek-y.







They look so pretty amongst the bluebells ( they are on their way, flower buds are there just waiting to open!).
As I say pops up everywhere, if you would like a cutting just let me know.

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A little sad news today - the little Robin has deserved her nest and chicks - chicks are dead, I think the nest has been hit by a football from next door - it looked knocked about!

Such a shame, I could have wept!

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I wanted today, to tell you about Sam.

Sam is my long time Trusted Friend, Survivor, Hero and Indispensable Co -Pilot!

He trundles around the lanes with me, now in this, my new car.

I first met Sam at a car boot sale - where else! He had a notice on him saying 'Buy me now and take me home - or I go in the skip (rubbish/garbage bin for those of you overseas!) Price 25p'!!!!

I was horrified - by the look of him he had served his time well - was battered and threadbare - had obviously been so well loved, did his little people not want him anymore?

Needless to say he came home with me, I put him in my first Moggy car and he travelled with me, taking care of the car whist I worked, and giving sound advice, and 'spot on' directions - and what a wonderful listener - and so discreet' He knows all my troubles and secrets!

One dreadful New Years Eve something dreadful happened! Some bad boys stole the car - with Sam sound asleep inside - took it and set fire to it! Needless to say Sam fought the fire with all his little being - luckily the fire engine turned up and saved a lot of the car and Sam. The car could and was repaired - not that it was ever the same.

But poor Sam what a state he was in - all singed and grubby!
As you can see he permanently has one arm bandaged and no wears a waistcoat to hide and protect his singed body. But he is very brave and still has a smile on his face!



We were so proud of him, we thought he deserved a medal, and asked on Freecycle if anyone had such a thing for a Brave Bear. Of course we had lots of response - there are lots of people out there just as Nuts as us!
He got his Medal (although its a swimming medal - we didn't tell him!) and we proudly sewed it onto his waistcoat.




So now he is back with us in our new car, in his rightful place as Co - Pilot extraordinaire!

Anyone else have special 'friends' they cart around in their car, or keep in a special place - or is it just me??!**

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Just a quick look at a WIP, I don't know if it will work, but I am trying to surround a glass jar with felt stems and leaves - to make a kind of soft pretty container/desk tidy?!



It doesn't look much now but I will persevere - It may turn out to be something entirely different!

Ta Ta for now! xx