Making The Most Of The Children...

Hello there ...

bit of a windy and wet start to the day ... but the sun came out to play for a while this afternoon.

 

 Our son Will and his partner Kat have been visiting ... 

so I roped him into cutting ... extreme pruning ... my Apple trees ...its his job so he knows what he's doing.

 The trees have got totally out of hand .. so needed a good old trim.

 And he is young and fit enough to get up and in there ...

 I'd hate to think of the consequences should Hubby P try the same these days....

 A good spectator sport ...

Trees are looking a bit bare but will benefit from the trim and come back nice and strong.

A good job done ....

 and all inside for a drop of Pea and Ham soup.

~~~~

Hubby P has just got back from picking up the most enormous old Victorian chest of drawers ... my ... they made things big in those days ... even the ladies bloomers were 'roomy'...

~~~

I've just asked Hubby P to get the duck out of the freezer ... we're having a nice bit of duck for New Years Eve dinner ... frugal duck of course ... special bargain price (I think).. 2  huge ducks for £12 

 ....how about you ? 

 ... have you a bargain feast lined up ...

something tasty to welcome in the New Year ...

~~~ 

Nice Gifts and Good Eating ...

Hello there ...

thank you for all the lovely comments on the last post ... its so nice to read your thoughts on the blog. I try and keep it a bit 'allsorts-y'...

bit of this ... bit of that ...

I guess its how my mind works anyway ... 

after all I am a Gemini!

Today it has been colder ... and the winds are back.

 The remains of our 'use it up' tea ... Lentil and Bacon soup .... Hubby P demolished it before I thought to take a pic .... and some cheese and a surprise bit of ham.

 Hubby P wandered in earlier with gift of a small gammon joint .... from a friend ... a single chap who likes to cook ... 

but invariably makes too much ... 

especially at this time of year.

He thought I could make some soup ... or something?

How very nice ... we haven't had Ham this Christmas ...

and I am certainly not too proud to turn my nose up at good food...

I shall make him a nice cake in return ... he likes a nice cake ..

 After tea I gathered together what I had in the way of veg ...

 Dropped  a knob of butter in the soup pan and chopped the onion... couple of sicks of celery and couple of carrots small ... and softened them in the butter.

Chopped the remaining ham ... added that.

Added a stock cube... water and a handful of lentils .. and simmered for half an hour or so.

Then I added two portions of the cheapo AF mushy peas that I had put in the freezer.

One nice big pot of pea and ham soup for tomorrow.

~~~~~

 Another thoughtful gift this year was a large box of lovely fruit and nuts ... the sort I would not buy for ourselves (Hubby P usually has to have reduced 'yellow sticker' nuts after Christmas) .... 

my sister ... 

she knows me well!

 At this time of year its so nice to have something refreshing ... something bursting with goodness ... after indulging in all the stodge and sugar.

 It gave me a bit of a kick up the 'you know what' .... and I dragged my little wonder machine (my juicer) out of the cupboard and gave it a freshening wash.

 Oh the magic of the green juice ... how refreshing and stodge busting ... just love it.

I don't have set recipes ... I just tend to juice what I have .. most days I put some kale in (I have it in the garden) and apples for sweetness. Carrots are good and cheap ... and cucumber gives lots of 'fresh' tasting juice.

Its nice this way because its always different ...

A pick me up for the long wintry weeks ahead ...

 here's hoping it fends off all the nasty cold and flu germs that are going around.

~~~~~

 So how are you faring .... has the tree come down?

 are you still wading through the turkey?

My flowers are lasting well ... considering the heat from the fire ... blue roses have gone .. all but one.

 Do take care ... and keep warm .. or cool .. I believe its unbearably hot in some parts of the world.... 

What a topsy turvy place we all share!

~~~~~

A Grand Day ... Playing Out In The Sunshine....

Hello there ... hope you've all had a nice time ...

I'm sure Hubby P and I have eaten far too much ....

I've had such a grand day playing out in the sunshine .... 

yes ..

 at last ... 

after all that awful rain .. hail ... and dreadful wind...

we have had some lovely sunshine.

 Puddycat made the most of it and sunned herself on the windowsill.

 It was so mild I didn't even wear a coat ... 

The Christmas wreath took a bashing in the wind ... it looks very sorry for itself ...

 And there were plastic bags scattered all over the garden and in the hedges ... the wind must have got into someones dustbin ... 

I had a good old tidy up...

Not a pretty sight .. a wild haired ...dumpy... middle aged woman...  scrabbling around in the hedge ... but hey ho...

at one time maybe .. they'd have 'ducked' me as a witch!

 The windows were filthy ... all that wind ... 

I'm sure it had blown half the sand from the beach ...

 6 miles away ...

 and left a thick film over the windows.

I gave them a good wash over ... let the sunshine in.

 Looking around the garden ... lots going on ... in a quiet way.

How exciting to see all these little treasures peeping through...

Oh .... for an early spring!

 Back to work for Hubby P .... we may not be trading for a few days ... but we will need something to trade with.

There's always something to repair ... re fashion ... re purpose ... something to give a new life to.

 These little beauties arrived in the back of the van a few days before Christmas ...

 lovely old Singer sewing machine bases ... 

they make lovely little tables ....

so I think that was today's project ...

Would you like to see the finished tables before we sell them on?

I never really know what interests you dear bloggy readers .. 

I'd hate to think I just go on about work.

After a nice afternoon in the garden .... 

a spot of soup making ... 

Hubby P fancies a drop of Lentil and Bacon soup ...

Just the job as the sun goes down .. and that chilly dampness creeps in ... 

time to bank up the fire .. and toast our toes.

~~~~

Just thinking ... what is it you do like to read about ?

Sometimes I feel I don't lead a wildly exciting life ... 

don't travel much ... 

no fancy restaurants ... 

not particularly knowledgeable on any subject ...

I just try to give you a snippet of a quiet life on Anglesey. 

Take care x

 

Christmas ... Flowers.... Piccailli .. and Scollops

Hello there ... 

just a quick catch up and a chance to wish everyone 

Seasons Greetings 

and Blessings for the New Year ...

lets hope its a good one.

Busy day today .... bit of work this morning .... then of course Hubby P had to do his Christmas shopping ...

he always leaves it until the very last gasp.

 Mid afternoon he came bustling in with a big bunch of flowers ...

my Christmas flowers ... 

he just knows how I love flowers and he makes a special trip into town to see a friend with a florist shop...

and I have flowers for Christmas.

 So I get to have an enjoyable hour or so arranging them ...

well ... 

more a case of plopping them in a jug really .. but I enjoy it.

 The Christmas corner looks really lush and quite festive with lots of greenery and my flowers.

 Even the cat is looking quite animated ... she's not an affectionate cat ... very aloof sort of girl.

 Can you see the little bust of the lady ... I brought her back from work ... she was one of two ... the other was bought and given a new home ... 

I just loved her from the moment I found them this summer ... so I think she has been with us long enough to warrant a home with us.

The blue flowers are a bit unusual ... white roses sprayed a fresh blue colour ... I'm not sure what I think? 

They are striking and bring out the oomph factor of the display.

 And Piccalilli ... I broke open this years makings ...

my goodness...

Piccalilli to die for....

 It is so scrumptious ... I shall have it with everything I think ..

Not having made Piccalilli before ... I am most impressed.

 Just as we were settling down for the evening ... a phone call ...

'Do you like scallops?'

 Just look at this ... a whole bagful .. straight out of the sea at Pwllheli ... still 'popping' with the indignity of being in a plastic bag.

So we set to and sorted them ....

And for tea ... Surf and Turf ... of course .. with a simple salad....

lovely!

Wishing you all a lovely time ... however you do it ...x

Floor Finished .. and Cards Up ...

Hello there ....

just a few pic's of the finished floor .... some of you asked.

We worked like crazy today getting all finished and the furniture back in.

 All is peace and calm ... and I've enjoyed a little candlelight.

 Hubby P worked his little socks off sealing the slate tiles with linseed oil and then polishing them ... it was a bit smelly (the linseed oil) .. but the smell has gone now.

 You can see how the oil brings up all the colours and patterns in the slate.

 Whilst we were at it I had a good sort through the bookshelves ... I'm sure they breed .. where do they all come from?

Anyway we have a boxful to go to the car boot .. and all the 'keepers' are neatly stacked (and dusted).

The other day I bought a nice mixed bunch of holly, bay and other greenery ... from some friends at the car boot ...

I made a simple arrangement just to sit on the side. 

This is as close as I will get to a Christmas tree ... just a simple bit of greenery... pretty.

 In the midst of all this Hubby P kindly lugged all the geodes into the bathroom and gave them a good wash in the shower .... being all tiny crystals they don't half attract and hold the dust ... I've found a shower is the best way to clean them.

 I had a nice time playing about with them ... rearranging them.

 The flooring looks a bit dark in the photo .. 

the dark grey does show off my pink silk rug .... I got this rug the other week .. its a bit used .. a bit loved .. and perhaps a bit faded .. bit like me ....

But I love this rug.

Even the old mule chest got a good polishing ... Hubby P on a mission with the polishing cloth.

He knows I treasure this mule chest ... its been in the family for 60 odd years and has a real tale to tell ...

but that's for another day.

xx

Crazy Upsidedown House ... and Lovely Vintage-y Lady...

Hello there .... 

its an awful night here .. the wind is whipping the trees and howling around the cottage ... I'm so thankful to be sat by a crackling fire.

I think we can say winter is here.

Actually I am sat here ....

 the house it totally upside down around me ..

 We are having a new floor fitted ... lovely huge slate tiles ... a bit like the old fashioned flagged floors ... its looking just fabulous ... 

Its all fitted now ... just needs Hubby P to set to and seal it with oil and polish it up ... very good with a polishing cloth .. Hubby P ...needs a strong arm .. or so I tell him...

In the mean time the furniture is piled 'as and where' ...

and of course it means we will...

 (thats the Royal We ..as in Hubby P) ...have to at least 'touch up' with the paint ...

Lots to do before Christmas!

Being so 'upside down' of course really restricted me from doing much ....

 But I found this little lady on Sunday .. a little battered .. and worse for wear (bit like I feel at 4.30 sat outside a carboot sale on a sunday morning)... she was crushed under a pile of stuff...

 'all 25p' ...

I noticed her crumpled dress ... it was that ...you know ...old .. vintage-y colour.

 I plucked her out of the heap of modern junk ... paid my 25p ... and took her away home ... to see if I could save her.

Under her skirts she is hiding lots of wirework ... she is/was a pretty little lamp.

The wire work was very crushed but all the workings were there ... so today I set about trying to bring her back to her pretty self.

.

 I started with something easy ... she had a little parasol .. the fabric is very faded .. but I like it for all that.

 I reattached it on to its frame ... and found some lace to jazz it up a bit.

 All parasols need to be lacy .. frilly and over the top I feel!

 I repaired her dress ... again lots of frothy lace .. she's a frothy frilly kinda girl!

And I straightened out her nether regions ... I just need Hubby P to work his magic under her skirts ....(now .. now!) ... with a light bulb and electric plug etc.

And she's one pretty lady.

I touched up her paintwork a little .... a girl needs a bit of 'slap' before she leaves the house.

(  'Slap' ... make up/cosmetics for those of you in other parts of the world).

Her body is made of a kind of plaster .. so I would imagine she would easily get knocked about and scratched ... but she has made it this far .. and hopefully I have given her a bit longer.

It kept me occupied and from under the feet of the builder ...

funnily enough it doesn't make the job happen any faster if I stand and watch ...

although the cheese scones I baked seem to spur things on ...

So not Christmas Card or a sprig of Holly anywhere yet ...

why is it Christmas comes at the same time every year ..

 yet we always seem to be rushed off our feet ... getting ready for the day.

Hope your preparations are going well ...

xx

Good Old Soap ...Grannies Pinny and Memories ...

Hello there ...

What is it about this time of year ....it always starts us off thinking of yesteryear ... the whys and wherefores .. what .. who .. and why..

what happened to such and such..

the memories.

Even the everyday ... things we live with can get us thinking.

I've got a thing about soap .. yes I know ... 'Another Thing'!

But I love soaps ... especially the old chunky sort ...

 

 The sort that our grandmothers would have used on a daily basis for all the cleaning jobs ... from floors to dishes to the children's hair.

As you can see I have some on the windowsill in the kitchen that I use ... I wash my hands with it and dab my scourer on it to rub stubborn stains on pans ...or whatever.

 I just love these old boxes of soap ... just fab ...

Perfection .. of course .. what more needs to be said!

 And this pink one is just wonderful .... it even smells healthy ....goodness knows whats in it.

The soap is always there on the windowsill ... so why start musing on soap ...?

well I found a couple of little pinny's.

 Just like Gran use to wear ... the pull over your head ... like a dress .. and tie well around your ample figure ... all good stout cotton....

they all use to wear them ... ladies of a certain age ... it was like a uniform...

 This particular one even has its label on saying Made in Lancashire ... I grew up in Lancashire and the towns were mill towns .. producing cotton and all manor of cotton products...

and as it states here 'Sterling cloth'.

Many a morning the fresh bright colours could be seen wrapped about a stout matron nipping to the corner shop for her fags ...

 

 I remember walking to my friends house .. she lived in town ... amongst the rows of terraced houses built originally for the workers of the mills...as we dawdled through the cobbled streets many a Mum would be outside with a bucket and scrubbing brush .. sprucing up the front of the house ... and in that bucket lurked a bar of the hard soap.

Windowsills .. doors and steps would be scrubbed and sluiced down. Not many 'donkey stoned' the front step when I was a child .. that had mostly died out .. but still the houseproud ladies scrubbed off the grime of a industrial Lancashire town.

 

 And I loved this little label .. you just wouldn't get this nowadays would you!

Of course its just a passing piece of treasure .. nice to have a while ... nice to have the memories ... but it will go to a new home to make its own memories ... its on ebay .. its new owner awaits.

 Whats brought back the memories for you this week ... happy ones I hope?

xx