All in the garden is lovely

Hello there .. thought I ought to say a quick Hello .. 

sorry .. 

I am a bad blogger ..

It just seems work has hit a silly  pace .. 

and I struggle to make time for sitting at the computer .. 

I am missing you all so much !

So a photo heavy blog ... if you have the time to wade through it .. just a bit of what we have been up to ...

Hubby P has has a few interesting calls ...  

people are having a clear out .. and/or houses need to look at their best .. to be fit for sale etc.. so he goes along to help clear.. and brings home all sorts of goodies..

On one trip he came home with .. what he said was a load of firewood .. helping a dear lady .. on crutches poor thing .. to clear around her outbuildings .. to tidy up for sale.

As he unloaded his firewood .. riches unfolded before me ....

just look at this lovely old oak ladder/steps...

it was one of two.. the sort you see allowing Ramblers and the like to climb over walls..

They had seen much life .. 

and endured nasty weather on a Welsh hillside ..

 just look at all the pretty moss growing amongst its old wood.

I had a plan and knew straight away where they could stand .. somewhere quite and tranquil to end their days..

As you can see there was plenty of room for both ladders .. and my plan was to see what two would at least look like ...

but as I went round the corner to enquire of Hubby P where the second ladder was ..

Oh no!

Hubby P was in his .. sawing up for firewood mode .. and the other ladder was in pieces...

My fault .. not explicit enough instructions!

(...it must be said ...Hubby P is rather well trained after all these years .. he ususally follows instruction very well..)

Not to worry the one ladder is looking rather nice ..

I am slowly finding nice bits and bobs to grace its rungs .. a few little plantpots .. and the odd interesting pebble ... it will evolve over time..

The sunshine is bringing all the flowers out to play ...

just look at this wonderful .. almost black tulip.

And in the depths of the foliage these little ferns were enfolding .. like creatures from another world.

Lots of baby plants .. all wanting a share in the sunshine..

The beginning of the week we decided we just had to make time to do some urgent repairs o the house ... 

Some things we have put off and put off .. but really .. things are getting desperate..

Our large porch .. we rather grandly call it our conservatory .. has done us proud for many years .. but badly needs attention ... a lot of it is rotten and needs replacing.

So .. Monday morning in true Hubby P style .. 

he goes outside .. 

and rips the side off .. 

takes a look at what wood he will need ...

and goes to the wood yard ..

Comes back .. and starts building...

Now the planks of brown wood we already had ...

with this 'cladding' in mind. 

The wood is pitch pine from an old Welsh chapel ....

 it will weather well ...

 going a soft silver grey colour in a couple of years ....

 and gets harder as it weathers ... 

so it should last .. and look good.

It will take us a while to get these jobs done .. as and when we can find the time .. but at least we have made a start.

I'm just hoping the weather stays warm and dry.

So that's been us really ... and work of course ... if you like to read about the work stuff you can see more over at the Graig Trading facebook page.

But for now I will say bye ...

.. and leave you with a handful of lilacs ...

can you smell their delightful scent ..

 it sweetens the night air as I tuck up the chickens for bed...

xx

And Knickers To You ...!

Hello there...

Hope you are all having a good week...

Busy as always here .. getting new stock ready for Easter Weekend trading.

These pretty blankets should make a nice splash of colour on the stall.

Ideal for summer picnic's .. or just snuggling on the sofa ... I sell a lot of blankets.

 

I really do like this colourful crocheted blanket ...

I am sorely tempted .. but really ...

how many blankets does a Girl need!

And speaking of Girls .. and all things feminine ...

 hows about these for a pair of knickers ... 

bit draughty what..!?

Yes indeedy ... Victorian 'Gutters' ...

 or crotchless knickers ... 

once upon a time ladies didn't wear panties or knickers or anything much .. 

then the Victorians came along with their discreet attitude to everything ..

 and everything had to be covered for modesty's sake.

The problem being that when you are wearing a crinoline hoop and yards and yards of fabric .. you cant lift the whole thing up to ... well get yer knickers down basically.

So these were the answer and when you wanted to 'go' .. you simply 'straddled a gutter' .. (roadside drain etc) and piddled.. or whatever the ladylike Victorian word would be.

Thus .. they were known as Gutters..

  

Think I would feel a mite undressed in these flimsy things.

Now these are really chunky and fit for purpose ...

I just loved the whole chunky .. warm .. sturdiness of these 

shooting socks .. 

and the colours are just fab ...

just the thing to go with your plus fours.

Another era altogether .. and a splash of colour ...

curtains for a retro look .. a Francis Price  design called Overtures.

I never ceases to amaze me what comes in ..

Hubby P has just this minute bought home a wonderful horse hair settee (sofa) with little bun feet .. and a Victorian oak crib... and whole lot of other bits and bobs..

He's been so busy this week .. mostly trying to get this finished for a client.

This lovely old wardrobe has been with the family a long time .. it came to us in pieces a bit the worse for wear after being stored in an outhouse for a while. Our client had bought a huge chest of drawers from us ... finished .. as this is now in this french grey.

She asked for restoration of the wardrobe and this finish .. so the pair could furnish her daughters new bedroom.

I am pleased to say she is very happy with her wardrobe .. so its on to the next project for us.

 

At least the weather is fine .. and its a pleasure to work outside.

I noticed today the first of the seeds are showing .. and the trees are leafing up ...

'how does your garden grow?'

I hope you lot over the water are seeing signs of the snow going .. its seems an awfully long winter for you.

Bye for now x

A Pretty Jam Jar ... Its Enough To Make A Girls Heart Sing!

Hello there ..
Well .. bit of sunshine here today ... lovely..

Just a few quick pic's to share with you today .. this old steam powered PC of Hubby P's is is temperamental .. so its more a case of what you get uploaded .. rather than what you would like.

So how do you like my big ol' chunky jam jar ...
 found at the boot for just £1...

I just love it ... its got all tiny bubbles trapped in its glass ... just think ... little bubbles .. little snippets of time...

Now what to keep in this glorious little treasure .. or maybe just keep for a few simple flowers..

 

As I was snapping away to get a good pic of the jam jar .. I spotted this ... my latest little beauty..

I don't think I have shown you a pic of this one.

She's a little hand operated Jones sewing machine .. and what a splendid colour!

She has spent a deal of her life on a sunny windowsill .. her paint is faded to  most lovely 'shabby' hue....

and she makes a most satisfying .. gently paced... hum when she is stitching.

Talking of stitching .. and all things related .. I had a rummage in my stash for some bits to put on Ebay ..this money thing you know..!
Just look what I found .. I'd forgotten all about it .. saved it ...
no doubt for a 'special' project .. as you do....

Its a big long length of wonderfully 'shabby' printed cotton ...
all windmills .. coffee pots .. and young lovers !....now whats all that about?

Here they are in all their glory .... and some sheep..?
No doubt it tells some kind of moral tale ... or its just a wonderful romp through the countryside ...But why the coffee pots?

No matter .. its a lovely bit of stuff .. someone somewhere will have an idea what to do with it.

So that's been me ... 
although I must just say how nice it is to meet some of you .. I've had a few readers/followers of this little blog .. come and say hello.... we are getting lots of visitors to the island now .. so its nice when a few of you get blown my way..

Bye for now .... x

Nice To See The Sunshine .. It Makes A Girl Happy!

Hello there....

what a lovely day we are having here .. 

the sun is shining and the birds are singing...

how lucky we are..

The sky is as blue as blue and we've been watching the birds way up high .. 

gliding around just enjoying the day..

The buds on the lilac bush are growing daily .. won't be long before they burst forth with all their wonderful scent... 

and early too I should think.

The Honesty is already 'doing its thing' .. what a wonderful colour .. so very pretty.

Hubby P ... almost as bright and dazzling in his ultra orange boiler suit ... although it looks like he needs a good ol'wash.

He too is doing 'his thing' in the garden .. this sunshiny weather is great for painting jobs.

Hubby P spotted some of these .. well similar to this sort of thing .. in one of those Shabby Chic shops...

So I had a bit of a go .. its all a pretty montage of vintage papers and a few vintage buttons.

Something a little different .... cant decide whether I like them or not ..

Now these are something I do like .... I have lots of them .. they are useful and pretty .. and 'fit for purpose' ... they hold the clothes in place well .. the fabric helps grip the clothes.

I cover the wooden hangers with vintage retro fabric .. often bark cloth ... they are popular and sell well .. I have one lady who likes to collect them.. she has one of each fabric I use ..

I think they are just a little bit of prettiness for a girl to use daily..

Its even a small enough project to do sat in the garden admiring the flowers and watching the antics of the birds.

 

So that's us this last few days .. just pootling along..

I will leave you with a pretty pic of the Bleeding Heart .. this is one of the little plants I chose to sit atop the resting place of our dear little Fly .. its flowering away and looking pretty ...

We think of our little dogs .. Fly and Uncas a lot .. its nice we have good strong memories of them ..

'God gave us Memories 

that we might have

Roses in December...'

Bye for now ....x

Spring Went Walkabout This Morning.....

 Hello there .. well what a day ..

We've been working .. trading as usual at the Mona Car Boot Sale.

.. ..a good day despite the Spring going walkabout ...

Boy did it rain .. and rain ..and rain some more...

And last week we had some super sunshiny days ... just look at this pretty Hellebore ...

 pinking its little socks off..

This is a Three Cornered Leek .. 

another pretty .. dainty little allium .. 

these pop up everywhere in my garden .. love um ...

And the Bluebells ... how early are these ..

have you got your Bluebells showing yet?

Some years its as late as June before we have the Bluebells ... maybe its because we've had a mild winter.. its been wet but we've had no real frosty cold spell.

Not that I am complaining they look a treat.

So .. what have we been up to ...?

Well its been all go here .. not all so easy for 'some' of us..

I've had to take Hubby P 'in hand' somewhat .. and brave entry into his workshop...

I promised myself I wouldn't do this... I wouldn't want him interfering with my sewing stash ... but to be honest ... poor man..

he has been a bit overwhelmed with work ...

and the workshop ... well frankly .. a tip.

It needed a firm hand .. iron resolve .. and a lot of bin bags...

and there we are ... room to work .. 

We spent a few days re-vamping some good old furniture.

This 1950's Windsor chair looks fresher.. clean and homely after its makeover.

 

This delightful set of mini steps was sold as soon as Hubby P took it out of the van ... to grace a shop window and help display bits and bobs ...

I enjoyed giving these a bit of a new life .. a new identity..

As 1940's Utility furniture .. they are stamped 1948 .. they were a good shape and sturdily made .. but tired looking .. well they had lived through some pretty tough years.

I searched my fabric stash for something a bit unusual .. something striking ... and this 'asian-y' style print 'spoke' to me..

 

A bit different than your more usual floral .. thought I.

I had a rummage through Hubby P's paint stash ... now we could get to it .. and found a pretty soft green that complimented the fabric .. and away I went.

I was pleased with the result ... maybe a bit wobbly as to ..

 'was it a bit too unusual .. do people prefer the usual floral's..

 are  floral's easier to mix in with other furniture etc' ..

But a lady just loved them .. and they sold the first time out ..

so lesson to me .. just trust my first .. my crafty instinct.

I even found a little time to do what I love ... bit of sewing.

This little cushion is made from a length of deckchair fabric I saved from a dead chair .. nothing goes to waste.

And after a good old wash it looked as fresh as ever and made a lovely jaunty .. sailboat-y cushion ... 

very summer-y!

Just a thought ..if you like follow what we do as work ....

 what we find .. 

what we revamp ... up cycle or whatever 

we do have a Facebook page.

We are called  Graig Trading ...

you can get to it from my Facebook link at the top of this page 

(I think)....I know some of you have similar interests to ours .. the Facebook site is just about work... whereas here I just like to waffle on about my ramshackle life .. and just .. well stuff..

and show you flowers ... I love flowers ... 

who doesn't like flowers ..

So here we are .. a few tulips for you...

take care .. bye for now x

Just Me Again .. Like Buses ...

Hello there ...

I know .. I know .... just like buses .. none for ages then two come together..

Sandie's Patch asked to see a bit more of the slate planter .. thingy.

Hubby P made some of these for me years ago .. I think we saw it done on Gardeners World ...

Its fairy simple .. just bits of slate .. bottom and sides .. drilled and fastened together with copper wire... just like putting together a box.

 This one is a more adventurous with a pointy bit and five sides .. they are made from old roofing slates.

I had them planted up for many years .. with herbs and the like ... you have to line them with hessian .. or in my case old pillowcases .. its all I had at the time. Otherwise of course the soil/compost falls through the rather large gaps at the corners.

 They look really nice planted up .. just thought I would have a change and I like the contrast of the terracotta with the slate.

So what of today ...?

Its amazing what a Girl finds when she decides to clear out under the sink ....

Now when and where I bought these potatoes I cannot remember ... and why did I put them under the sink?

It must be an age thing ...

Anyway there they were .. happily sprouting away ...

So ...in the spirit of 'Waste Not Want Not' .. I found an old feed sack .. poked some drainage holes in the bottom and planted some of the potatoes in it.

I had an old tin bath ready for planting so some went in there too ... don't know how they will do ... but they have two chances ..  hopefully I will get a few 'freebie'

  spuds from them.

And of course we worked today ....

We managed to buy some nice stock ... thought you might want to have a peek ... its amazing what is still found in old attics .. this lot was from a lady clearing her Aunts house .. and an old garage of all places.

A whole lot of beautifully had knit jumpers and cardigans .. the 'Vintage-y' young women like to wear these over their Tea Dresses and floral blouses (and jeans) .. some nice skirts and things too.

They have been through the washer and are drying nicely in the afternoon sun.

Perhaps not quite the right time of year .. but they will keep ....

a collection of  faux fur coats .. one is real fur ... not everyone's taste I know.

 

And just look at this lovely brooch .... sparkling away doing its thing!

And to top it all ... 

a nice Bowler Hat .. in great condition ...

Pity about the model .. looking a bit worse for wear these days ...

still I do believe its very fashionable to do/take? a 'selfie'

isn't it ...

Hubby P has gone out on another job this afternoon ... so its a long day today ... I think we can treat ourselves to a Chinese takeaway for supper.

So that's us ... what have you been up to?

 .. the sun is shining here ..

all is good. 

Bye for now x