A Day Of Sunshine ... Thrifty Doings and Make Do and Mend ...

Hello there ....

Well .... a spot of sunshine!

I must say it got me all excited and raring to go ...

we got all togged up (still a tad cold) ... and ready for a day playing outdoors .... an outside jobs kinda day.

Its nice to see the garden stirring after all those damp dreary weeks.

This little flower ... Coltsfoot .. reminds me of 'home' ...

Springtime ...when I was a child walking the lanes to school .. or running home ... these little flowers starred the sides of the lane.

They are a wild flower ... found on poor stony ground .. it took me ages to establish them in my garden. 

 This strange little plant sends up scaly little flower stalks .. and blooms long before any leaves ... and the leaves are a 'colts foot' ...bit horse shoe shaped.

Lovely bright and sunshiny coloured.... 

Little sprigs of Tansy .. an old herb ... bitter tasting .. used in the old days to add to dishes as a tonic .. to 'stir the blood'...

I think that might be a step to far for Hubby P ... he says 'his blood don't need no stirring'...

Hubby P set about fitting what he calls 'French doors' .. to the chicken shed. I just asked for a wire/mesh door so they could look out .. and get some fresh air in there. Hubby P found an old folding screen and a roll of wire and made a rather fancy folding door ... the chickens said they were most impressed!

Next up he set about making them some nesting boxes from an old wooden box.

This was much clucked over and tried for size ... we will see tomorrow if they have deemed it suitable to actually lay in.

The next project .. when I have found some chicken wire .. is a covered run at the side of the chicken shed ... its all coming along... its a case of Make Do and Mend here ..

everything that's needed comes along ... eventually!

Whilst Hubby P was doing the nesting boxes ... and he didn't need me to hold wood/nails/wire or whatever .. I pulled the very last of the scraggy leeks.

Mind you there was enough for a good pan of soup ... so that's tonight's tea then.

I weeded and dug over where the leeks had been .. and scattered a trug full of bedding/litter ... from the chicken shed (all nicely enriched with chicken ... you know what).

A bit 'fresh' really .. but I thought .. well its got a good few weeks to all rot down before its planted up again.

I covered the area with an old mat ... help the rotting down and suppress the weeds a bit. 

Just need that sunshine to up its game a bit ... the days a bit longer .. and it will be planting time.

This years leeks are up and will soon be raring to go.

So .. thinking of teatime ... a big pot of leek and potato soup ... and digging deep in the freezer I found the last bag (of last Spring's) nettles.

So they were added to the soup .. give it a bit of a zip.

That reminds me .. the bagging up and freezing of tender young nettles worked so well last Spring .. I will have to get out there and replenish the freezer .. free .. super nutrient rich greens.

Just make sure you pick away from roadsides to avoid any nasty fuel/smoke pollution ... and of course anywhere where dogs may have ... well you know.. all common sense.

So for tea ... on our laps in front of the fire .... 

nice warm soup with fresh from the oven bread rolls (AF bread mix ) and rustic cheese scones.

Ohhh.. it has been so nice to sit out in the sunshine ...

I do hope its been sun shining for you?

xx bye for now  xx

Thrifty Doings ... and Pretty lace...

Hello there ...

well .. a few pretty flowers blooming here..

Maybe we have turned the corner ... and Spring is on the way ...

I do hope so!

   

This is a rather strange sort of 'arrangement' .. but the colours work and it has a rather interesting look...

The large corms on top are some Turks Cap Lilly's I dug up ... with an idea of planting them back behind this log .. once we had finished this garden bed ..

well ..  guess what .. we haven't finished the garden bed ... and the corms are still sitting there. Mind you we haven't had any frost .. and they still look fine .. I should just pop them in somewhere for now.

We've just been a bit busy ... or its been too cold and wet ... and windy ..

just a tad windy here.

Yesterday and today we have managed to get a couple of hours outside to catch up on jobs.

Hubby P spent some time sawing up old.. broken .. past its best... furniture ... it makes excellent firewood.  

Thrifty as always here..

He trudged in earlier today and plonked this down on the counter .... a nice tidy/new washing up bowl full of cleaning stuff.

And posh stuff too ... posher/more expensive than I would ever buy ... I'm afraid its supermarkets basics all the way here.

Anyway earlier in the week Hubby P had a small clearance ... nothing grand ... 'bread and butter' stuff ... all work is good work ... it all adds pennies to the coffers.

He had to clear the cupboards and of course 'under the sink' always holds a stash of cleaning stuff ... so every now and again I get box full of very useful cleaning materials.

They are mostly ...of course....half used but that's hardly a problem .. the stuff isn't going to go off. 

It saves me a pretty penny ... and as I said .. its often posher stuff than I would buy ... this week I will have some nicely scented bathroom mousse to use rather than the 'basics' cream cleanser.

Its a bit worrying ...

 getting excited about a box of cleaning stuff!

Note to self ... must get out more ....

The day gets more exciting :-(  .... sorting wool.

Whenever we get in bags of oddments of wool I bag them up into cheapie 50p bags ... ideal for bits and bats of crafting and whatnot .... so it had to be done.

I had brought my tins of vintage buttons home ....

to have a sort out ... 

And a basket of vintage lace ... the basket had got in a right old pickle with people rummaging through it .. it all needed sorting out.

Whilst I was at it I realised that I have got rather a lot of lace ... I just keep throwing it in the basket as I come across it ..

so I put some nice bundles together and popped them on ebay ...

give it a go .. cheap and cheerful .. free postage an all that.

Its so pretty .. the old lace.

Again with the vintage buttons .. I thought I would try a few on ebay ... I think lots of people love a button!

I suppose I should have some sort of card with my ebay site on .. so I can give it to people when we are trading .. lots of folk ask if we have an ebay site. They are usually on holiday and would like to be able to 'shop' with us all year round ... especially the sewing and crafting ladies ... they love the buttons and lace and whatnot.

Its a thought next time we have some printing done ... I'm just afraid of the ebay becoming a bit of a bind .. a bit of a 'must do' .. as it is I do a bit when I have a mind to ..

Its something to 'think on'!

Leave you with another pic of the daffs .. and their cheery sunshiny colour .. how lovely.....!

Take care .... bye for now... x

Just A Work Day ... A Few Snap Shots ...

Hello there ... 

not a great deal to show you today ....

so I thought I would just share my day ... my working day..

There was a lovely sparkling moon shining down on us as we left the house.

We arrived at the Car Boot Sale site ... it was still very dark .. we have to be there early and get in a line of vehicles if we want a place inside the large showground sheds. 

Its not unpleasant sat cocooned in the snug darkness of the cab ... I have a blanket around my knees and a hotwater bottle to keep me toasty warm....

and of course my trusty basket of coffee .. hot soup and sandwiches ... for later.

Its fascinating sat watching all the goings on .. even at that early hour ... people are arriving .. greetings can be heard ... deals are being done ... heads in the back of vans ... its all very busy.

As soon as we are in the sheds everyone sets too .. setting up their stall ... the early birds are there hustling for the choice pieces.

Today we had a heap of tweedy coats and hats ... lots of lovely white lacy linen.

The usual vintage scarves ... compacts... jewelry and the like. 

A lot of new in Vintage clothing from the 1950/60's ... this sun dress and jacket made a nice splash of colour.

Pretty brooches ...

Beads and bangles ..

This Sunday Car Boot is on all the year round on the Showground at Mona ... 

a smaller affair during the winter ... but it grows and grows in the summer .. it can be huge .. lots and lots of stalls .. lots to see and bargains to buy.

It is rather like a market in that it has stalls selling just about everything ... from vintage collectables ... to your everyday groceries.

Today I just grabbed my camera and took a few quick shots early on .. just before it got too busy and crowded with people.

 One of the fruit and veg stalls ....

Nice .. fresh as you like veg..

The cheese stall ... some seriously tasty local cheeses here .. a girl could go mad! I limit myself to one a week ... this week I have the Wensleydale with cranberries.

The butcher van .... just the same company that does the local markets .. good value meat .. and often in summer he does BBQ packs and whatnot for the holiday makers ... nothing quite like bangers (sausages) on the beach!

Micheal here sells toilet rolls .. kitchen paper... washing up liquid and the like .. during the week he supplies the B&B's and hotels and whatnot... always a busy man.

We even have a chap who sells fishing gear for the men (and women... of course!) ... not that I know anything about fishing .. but he does a roaring trade during the season ... we have lakes rivers and of course the sea on our doorstep.

He often sits behind his stall tying fly's/flies? ... 

There are a number of stalls selling lovely ..interesting vintage and collectable things ..

these are all beautifully restored.

They are all labelled .. good job because some of them are so unusual you couldn't even guess what they were used for ... and yet they would be in regular use at one time.

All that lovely wood ... 

and shiny brass ... 

its a feast for the eyes ...

Anyway that was my day ...the sun shone .. the people came out... we had a good day .. 

the packing up is always the hard bit ...

but now we are sat by a nice fire warming our tootsies.

Hope you enjoyed the trip ... its a funny old job we do .. when I was a girl I wanted an outside job ... but I never envisaged myself doing this ... life is a funny old journey.

And as they say ... it takes all kinds to make a world ..

so what kind are you ?

... what do you do or did do .. I know many of you are retired ... 

there are so many jobs .. ways of life/living out there ...

xx bye for now xx 

Its Just That Kinda Weather ... Pudding Weather...

Hello there ...

well we are still here  .. we haven't been blown away quite yet.

But what's to do in this awful weather ... but feed up a cold and achy Hubby P on a nice ginger and syrup sponge ... with a dollop of custard.

It was a bit of a make it up as you go along sort of effort.

Hubby P had gone out to work and I thought a nice pudding would be welcome this evening ...

we don't eat dessert every evening as some people do .. just now and again... when its puddin weather!

I tend to just mix up in a bowl ... my Kenwood mixer is in the cupboard but it doesn't seem worth pulling it all out for one little pudding.

As I said .. make it up as you go along ... I have a couple of tins of this in the cupboard ... from A Food ... not the greatest stuff ...

a bit like axle grease (as my Grandad would say)..

But it needed using up ... so I tipped a whole lot of ground ginger in the mix .. to disguise any taste from the 'not so great marg'.

That's how it came to be a Ginger puddin!

I rustled up a few scones as well .. just to fill the oven .. but nice with a slather of butter.

So what else ...

Not a great deal ...

 I found these lovely 1950's nightdresses ..

Such a change to find everyday stuff ... that everyday Mums would wear .. rather than fancy things that people 'put away for best'.

But of course the everyday stuff would be worn until it fell to bits ... or cut down for children's wear ...

These are so lovely ... such a warm heavyweight flannelet fabric with pretty feminine touches ... just a little lace here and there.

I just love this spotty one.

Anyway I've washed and ironed them ... ready for selling ... don't know if I should try them on ebay.

I've put a few bits on ebay today ... a couple of you have asked how to find my ebay .. well if you look on my side bar near the 'about me' bit .. there is a 'my ebay' link ...just click on it.

I try and keep everything cheap and cheerful on there ... we non of us have a great deal of money to treat ourselves.

Although I must say I do use ebay a lot .. to buy bits and bats of things... I like to think people on there are just like us ... small sellers .. ordinary people just trying to make a living ... rather than the huge shops taking over our towns.

So if its say.. seeds I am looking for .. I will browse the little independent seed people on ebay rather than say go to Wilkinson's .. or Lidl even.

Just try to do a bit for everyone .. where I can.

So we are all set for our puddin tonight ... and can I say a big thank you for all your comments ... 'keeping in touch' with the wider world through your blogs ... has kept me sane as the wind and rain has lashed the cottage ... 

and they say more is on the way ... keep safe everyone.

xx

A Spring Clean .. Without The Spring...

Hello there .... 

well ... the North Wind doth STILL blow ... 

but no snow ....just yet..

So there has been rather a lot of this ... sitting around ... although not as quite as much as the cat.

It gave me a chance ... or rather no excuse not to ...get on with some mending .... do people mend these days?

I seem to spend an awful lot of time mending Hubby P's clothes ...

mind you that could just be him ... throwing himself around ... finding sharp corners to get caught up on.

Buttons are the thing with him ... forever losing buttons ... and because he wears button braces .. lots of buttons.

 And really ... there is nothing worse than the sight of a gentleman's botty hanging out of his trousers ... especially a gent of a certain age ... and well ... with Hubby P lifting ... stretching and bending a lot ... we do rather consider the braces a must ...

we do want to keep our lady customers. 

So that was a good job done.

I had a good sort out too ... bit of a Spring Clean really ...

I turned out all the drawers and wardrobe .. and had a sort through our clothes ... any past their usefulness went for rags ...

It feels so much better ... having tidy shelves and being able to see just what exactly is in there.

I found I was washing and wearing the same few jumpers because it was such a jumble in there .. and I hadn't the patience to look through the 'heap' for something different.

Amazing what you find! 

I had a huge box of scarves ... I do love a pretty scarf .... but I was firm with myself and turned them out ... gave them a gentle wash ... and sorted through them.

Some I had never worn .... lovely but wrong colour for me .. so they will go to be sold on.

I do wear my scarves .. but again I had got into the habit of wearing just the same few. I find a simple silk scarf around my neck keeps me that extra bit toasty.

If I think back to when I was a girl ... all the ladies wore a scarf ..

they knew a thing or two those old girls!

Of course doing what we do ... I find lots of vintage scarves ... all the older ladies have a stash of them ... and I suppose they were an ideal ... modestly priced gift.

So of course ... in theory I can have my pick of scarves ...

 but what I tend to do is keep the damaged ones ... 

and I find the older used frailer ones have a lovely ....

 softly aged .. feel to them.

Look how pretty and fragile this one is ... and yet it is so warm to wear .. and makes a girl feel so pretty.

So .... enough playing with the pretty scarves...

I spent a couple of hours running up a cushion and throw from a damaged set of vintage curtains ... make do and mend .... waste not ...and all that.

Scarves had dried ... and pressed...

So I returned the ones I am keeping to their hat box...

Don't look at the unmade bed ... I have just climbed out of it (its Sunday afternoon)....

I find the best way to get my joints warmed up ... after standing the car boot from 4.30 am this morning ... is to climb into bed with a hot water bottle for an hour.

Although I am really well wrapped up and I do have a nice bit of carpet (like a big mat) to put my chair and work table on .. behind the stall ... our stall is so large I end up walking from one end to the other.. serving customers ... and the cold seeps up from the concrete into my joints ...

just a little down side of the job ...

Hopefully soon the sun will shine ... 

and we can have nice hot days selling on the field ...

 and become brown as berries .. 

and have a good old merry time!

Anyway whilst I am in the bedroom ... here's a bit of a join in thingy....

You know how people ask on their bog ....

what's on your kitchen window/by your front door etc....

Well ....

This is my bedside cabinet ... so whats on yours ...?

Do you like my two little Batmen .... always and forever will I think of my 'boys' as little caped crusaders!

Bye for now xx