Monday 6 January 2014

Back To Work ... and If It Can Go Wrong ...It Will ...


Hello there .... 
Yes .. its been a busy few days ..


Flowers are lasting well ...
 Back to work with a vengeance ... mind you we were glad to start trading again its been two weeks ... nice holiday ... nice rest ... but no work no pay.

So Friday we were all organised .. we would get up early on Saturday ( as usual on a work day) ... there were just some 'bits' to finish off ... and get the van packed for Sunday trading. 
It would be a nice gentle start back ... probably quiet due to the weather .. we could be home in front of the fire just after lunch .. hopefully with a few pennies in our pocket.

So Hubby P set the alarm clock ... it went off in good time ... the cat was stalking about the bedroom wanting to be let out ... 'For Goodness Sake' ... says I .. (or something similar)...
 'let that cat out!' .
So Hubby P rolled over to get out of bed ... it must be said .. with a bit of a Huff!

Bang ! Crash ! .... the bed collapses .. (on His side!)



So guess what the first job was.

Serves me right for banging on about Make Do and Mend.
We had to mend it ... we couldn't afford a new one .... 
luckily Hubby P has a stash of bed fixing wood ... 

I did mention that in other households ... the ladies would be taken to salubrious places such as Argos to look at shiny new beds...

Hubby P said he certainly would not be taking me there ..  because I would come home with a Greenhouse!
That's my next 'in the pipeline' project ... the ideal one resides amongst the pages of an Argos catalogue .. watch this space.

So after bed fixing ... and it is always mucky under there isn't it ... no matter how much you try climbing under with the hoover...

We were all behind with our plans...


Quick pic's of the sewing machine tables Hubby P made ... before the were put in the van .. 




Lovely things ... these still had their treadle plates ... they will make a lovely feature table in someones home.




He made the table tops from pieces of nice old pine ... and they 'polished up lovely'.
And they sold quickly on Sunday ... which was nice.

Knobs ... lovely old knobs....


I was given the job of cleaning them up then they could go back on the large Victorian chest of drawers.

Hubby P bought this the other day .. in a rough condition .. and after considering the best way of giving it a new lease of life ...
it was repaired and painted a nice soft grey.. and waxed to give it a fine shine and protective finish.



You can see how far behind we are ... its almost dark.
Hubby P was just giving it a final polish ... 



In between jobs I managed to run up some tea towels from the last piece of vintage linen ... I have made lots of these and they sell well ... and people keep asking me for more ... well this really is the last of the fabric. 
That's the thing in this job ... the way we find things furniture/fabric and what not ... there is often just one piece.. or one bag full ... or whatever ... there is no going back to the shop for more.
Makes everything more special in a way.

Oh .. and amongst everything else ... we had to clear an old shed (of useful ...wood and manly stuff ... including a 'spare' shower I noticed) ...
Because we said we would re home this little gang.




Their previous home was getting a bit waterlogged .. and their owner finding it difficult to care for them ... and he was worried what would happen when he goes into hospital ... so of course we made room at the inn.

I had so missed having a few chickens.

Again ... their home is a bit 'make do' ... and needs some work ..
when we have a spare few minutes ... they need proper perches and a wire ventilation door .. but they are on clean bedding .. with good food and water for now.



The little white cockerel is called Rocky ... he is very old but still a dapper chap.
He was once ours ... he and another cockerel came to us as youngsters and did nothing but fight .. one day Rocky escaped the pen ... we could not find him. He had run up the hill and joined a bunch of 'Girls' living around the ancient windmill.
We left him there ... he seemed happy enough .. and there he stayed for nearly eight years ... I know ... really knocking on ... we are amazed he's still strutting his stuff.

Sundays trading went well .... quiet but okay.

A chap hurried over to us and asked if we could possibly help him out ... the roof had been ripped off a static caravan with the wind .. and it needed clearing of all the contents .. before the wind cleared them for him ... all across the fields.

So we dashed home ... changed into our grubby work clothes and dashed off to the desolate windswept caravan site.
A lovely place in summer ... a happy family place ...children up and down on their bikes .. laughter ... BBQ's ... all good fun.

Early January ... a cold bleak place ...all the caravans shut up .. all looks cold and uninviting.

Anyway we did the job ... packed everything up ... the van was packed with stuff by now ...
climb in the van to go home ... no gears ... van wont move!

Just what we need ... we've been up since 4am. 

We called a kindly body ... my sister .. and she brought me home (luckily we were not far from home)
 .. to get the fire lit and a meal ready .. Hubby P sat four and a half hours waiting for RAC.

As the light faded the caravans appeared ghostly in the semi light ... the windows looking spookily like hollow eyes ....

I didn't dare mention to him ... before I left for hearth and home ... that it was like a scene from Zombie Apocalypse ... or some such film....

Enough for now .. I have gone on and on ....

xxx



20 comments:

  1. Sorry folks .... I dont know why the text is different sizes ... blogger seems to be playing up a bit x

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  2. you could go on and on and I would still be right here listening, um, reading, I love to read your blog so much, that little rooster has some good spirit!!! You have the best life you truly do and I WOULD not be taken down to a fancy shop for a new bed either, lol,

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  3. what larks Pip!

    It's one thing after another at times, isn't it.

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  4. That's too many things to go wrong all at once.
    Is see the chickens have plenty to read if they get a bit bored with the wet weather!

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  5. Of course ... and its the Times newspaper ..
    One of my ideas a couple of years ago ... we wanted to try and insulate the shed for storage .. so it was boarded out and 'wallpapered' .. all on the cheap.
    x

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  6. Excellent, loved reading the post too. You have to look on the bright side sometimes, when it goes wrong, it seems to go big time. The chicken home looks quite inviting too! I loved those tables, unfortunately living in the motorhome at present I have nowhere for them, but of they were lovely. (maybe one day...)

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  7. A good description of the kind of situation we have all experienced in our different ways. But sounds like a happy ending at least. And you do have those hens to come home to! :).

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  8. What a time you had, funny to look back on but I bet there were some frayed nerves that day. Glad you got some chooks, love their literary wallpaper!
    The chunky pine on the wrought iron works really well for the tables, they look fantastic, no wonder they went quickly!

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  9. Hopefully all the trials and tribulations are out of the way in one lump now. Love the chicken shed.
    Twiggy

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  10. Well, I suppose you wouldn't have it any other way........it would be too boring!
    Amazing age of the cockerel Rocky! So as well as fresh eggs you might get some chicks too LOL!
    Keep well and safe and carry on mending that bed!

    xxx

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  11. well I was with you all the way too, really enjoyed the journey, you have a way with words. sitting here in a blanket, with my feet up while it is 5 degrees F, out side and 24 degrees below wind chills, brrrrr. record breaking - for over 40 years now, it was 5 degrees F. I love the tops he made for the treadle bases!

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  12. An invigorating read, the treadle tables look great. My bed base is homemade, nice and high with lots of room for boxes of fabric underneath, the plastic ones on wheels. They slide out easily for a quick hoover and the flat tops store my cutting boards and rulers. I would love to have chickens but worry about the times when I am away for a week at a time. One day maybe.

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  13. What a day you had. Hope you get to sleep in in the morning. Love the tables. Will you be able to get more?

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    1. I cant say Janice .. thats the way of things ... we never know what will be at the next house clearance. We do have a rather plain table base .. I think it housed an electric machine.. Hubby P will be putting a top on that this week.
      I shall certainly look out for more they make such nice tables.

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  14. Love reading your posts so please do go on and on :-), Pam x

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  15. Lovely post. Glad you got the hens. I miss having them.

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  16. Goodness me! You don't need a bed you really don't have time to sleep!!

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  17. Oh dear! What a shock to the system! Lets hope things will get better. Your hubby has made a fab job of the furniture. We had the same sewing table that fell apart - we used the metal sides for protecting a vulnerable ( as in smashable) bathroom window, sounds odd but worked a treat.

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  18. Thank you for you lovely comments on my blog recently. The sewing machine tables are lovely, I'm not surprised they sold quickly. It's so interesting reading about what you make and how it sells. But now I hope you have some better luck with beds, cars and the like! x

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  19. Wow , you've been busy , no, no, no , no ,no , no Argos , its got no character , your bed is beautiful , we have a reinforced wood bed its so not like anything you buy new , i have new stuff , love the tables , i love to see you go on and on lol xxx

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