Make Do and Mend On A Dreary Day ..

  

Hello there .....

bit of a damp dreary day here ... and its so dark .. 

I'm missing the sunshine already!

Do you like the pine box in the pic above ....

 its one of Hubby P's restoration projects... 

out for sale this week. 

We sell a lot of chests/boxes like this .. they are popular .. good looking storage solutions!

Well .. what to do on a dreary day ..

 there is always 'work' .. and 'more work' ..

 but that gets a bit tiresome ... 

I need to pick up a needle and thread ... you know what I mean...?

So ... first to feed the chickens ... the Girls look forward to their breakfast. 

They always have layers pellets to browse ..

but they are a bit a boring .. or so they tell me ....

 a girl need a little something tasty to temp her into laying nice wholesome eggs.

Today's offering .. an old loaf of bread ..

 a gift from the neighbours .. 

not that exciting really but a change for them and the wild birds can have a bit too.

And as always a nice jug of fresh water.

Richard collected some oyster shells from the beach ... I give them a good wash then bash them up and mix them into the chicken feed.

 It helps give them grit and allsorts of nice minerals ..

 you can of course buy this at the feed place ..

but how free and organic is this.

They are looking well and happy at the moment.

 

Just as I used the last of the bucket of apples .. and I was thinking 'well if I want an apple crumble I shall have to buy some apples' .. heaven forbid!

A friend turned up with a bag of windfalls ... how nice is that.

I gladly refilled my bucket. 

They look like a kind of Russet apple ...

 I feel a crumble coming on.

As for the Needle and Thread urge ...

Hubby P brought home a box of these hangers .. 

thinking they would be useful .. us selling a lot of vintage clothes and what not. 

And they are .. but some were a bit .. well ... kinda grubby ..

 not a good look when selling nice clothes. 

So I put them aside to recover at some time.

This week I bought a bag of vintage scarves ...

 nice pretty wool ones ..

 unfortunately a couple had been nibbled by moths ...

 rather than throw them away ... such lovely fabric...

I used them to cover the padded hangers.

... and finished them off with a pretty little button or two

They may not be perfect .. a bit homemade-y looking ...

 but they are useful .. clean and ...

made from materials that would otherwise be thrown in the bin.

And they have got to be better than plastic hangers .... 

plastic hangers to sell vintage clothes .. 

it just doesn't look right.

Anyway .. enough ...

 off now to scrabble in the back of the van .. 

to take a look at what Hubby P has brought home today .. Edwardian chairs and a Gothic bedstead amongst other things ...

Bye for now x

A Little Toadstool Lampshade ... Cute ... !

Hello there ... well ..

thank you  for all your nice comments .. 

it seems most of us are thrifty barterers ...

 to me its just a way of life ... just continuing on the life lessons of my family.

I so like Annie's quote .. her mother use to say ..'one hand washing the other'. 

I will remember that .. and think of you Annie when I use it ... 

Talking of Bartering does anyone still have a LETS scheme?

 I was wondering with this new age of Fb and all manner of selling sites if some kind of local LETS type bartering page could be set up ... 

or maybe there would be too many complications..

Perhaps the 'real world' isn't ready for homely bodies like us foisting the notion of Barter on to them!

Its been a nice day today ... Hubby P donned his outdoor clothes and had a good saw up of firewood and a general tidy up ....

 the chickens enjoyed the fallen leaves thrown in their run ..

I got stuck into painting the conservatory ... yes we are STILL on with repairing/revamping the conservatory.

Hubby p has re clad the inside with wood .. 

so we are on with painting .. show you some pics another day.

Just wanted to share this find with you .. my lovely 'new to me' lampshade.

I just thought it was so pretty ... bit like a fairy toadstool.

I found it at the Car Boot ...of course .. do I shop anywhere else?

The lady selling it had made it ... quite a simple idea .. but so effective ...

I was glad to give it a home.

The 'petals' of fabric were overlaid in rows around an old lampshade .. stitched in place... I suppose any shape could be used.... and maybe they could be glued in place.

The lady said she had put a red bulb under the shade ...

 that would certainly add to its pinkness.. 

but I have just a normal one here.

Not yet having 'found' any exotic coloured bulbs at the Car Boot!

Off to cook gammon egg and chips for tea .. I think Hubby P deserves it ... the garden is looking so tidy.

Bye for now x

I Do Love A Good Thrifty Trade ...

Hello there ...
Do hope you have escaped the worst of the wind and gales ....
 if you are in this part of the world. 
Its been a tad breezy here ..

It was rather damp and dreary today .. so an ideal day to tackle the Thrifty Trading work....

Earlier in the week a neighbour gave me these lovely duck eggs (there were half a dozen .. I remembered to take a pic halfway through!).

Ideal .. useful ..lots of possibilities for trade ..

Now another lot of lovely .. likely lads .. save me the waste wood from their workplace ....

Just look at this lovely lot .... just what a girl needs to keep her warm through the winter ...

So the very thing to keep the likely lads happy at work .... 
what every man enjoys with his cuppa ...

(please remember I am old enough to be their Mother!)

Scrummy Yummy cake ... made from .. you guessed it ....
 the gifted duck eggs.
So eggs turn into stacks of firewood....
and of course the 'duck egg neighbour' gets some cake too ...
a win win situation.

As you can see ...
Health and Safety is a major concern here ....
 and all is rigorously tested ....
in the form of Hubby P and his taste buds!

Whilst I was working in the kitchen I did a good old stock take and listed on the board all I needed next shopping day ...

I always feel I have got to be well stocked up for the winter ...
I think its years of growing up in the wilds of Lancashire ..
and as often as not getting snowed in and living off our stores.

I will add to this list as the week goes on .. it makes shopping so much easier ..
 I have the memory of a sieve.
I seem to have lists for everything ... is a woman thing?

As for work ... its been hard work in the windy weather ... 
but we are doing our best ... 
seeking out the treasures...

I managed to source more vintage hand knit woollens ... 
so pretty ..

I am busy laundering them ready for sale ....
the place looks like a chinese laundry again ... 

But hopefully they will turn us a penny.

Anyway its late and I've rambled on enough ... 
just had to share the Trading thing with you. 

So do you trade goods ?   what is good to trade ?
any tips are welcome.....

 Bye for now x

   

Hello there ... yes ... I'm here again .. 

not quite dropped off the face of the earth!

 Its been a frantic summer work wise .. but hopefully it has quietened off a bit ...

yes we have reached that mellow time of the year .. we are all beginning to prepare for the darker months here .. lots of firewood .. extra tins of beans .. and all that kind of thing.

As you can see the cat takes it all very seriously .. 

and is practising the 'hunkering down' like mad.

We found this little guy when we were chopping wood ... well he's not so little really... any ideas what he might be/become? 

We tucked him back amongst the wood pile.

The Girls are doing really well ... Hubby P has built them a nice little scratching run attached to their deep litter shed .. 

so they have been enjoying playing out all summer.

Now the leaves are falling I have been collecting them from the paths and tipping them in the chicken run .. the girls just love having a good old scratch amongst the leaves... there must be all sorts of insects and goodies amongst the litter .. keeps them amused for hours.

And of course ..

 all those delectable goodies they find scratching about  in their run ... go to make delectable ... yummy eggs for us.

Simple yet sooo delicious ..!

The garden ... as has everyone's I should think .. 

 has done wonderfully well ... 

all that sunshine!

Can you see in this pic ... my Cardoom has sprouted again for a second time. 

Hubby P has made a kind of cage ... from some old metal gates ....

 for the plant to grow up and through next year.

The plant grows so big and top heavy that the flower heads always collapse under their own weight .. so hopefully this cage will help support it next summer.

I wanted the cage made from nice old gates so that in winter the structure will not look too ugly .. hopefully it will add a bit of height and interest to the bleak garden.

I've planted my Galvanised' garden .. 

the galvanised tin baths and buckets outside the door ... 

with herbs ..

hopefully they will give a bit of interest over the winter months.

And as for work ...

Well ... Hubby P found these the other day .... a box full of wartime/rationing sugar bags ...

goodness knows what we will do with them .

We have given some away to schoolchildren ... lots of schools are doing work about wartime etc ...

just interesting!

 

And how about these for warm winter vintage handknits ... 

rather jolly what!

We have been finding lots of vintage clothes ...

 and they seem to be selling well ...

 which is good ...

its just all the washing and ironing .. guess who gets that job!

So that's been us for the last few weeks ....

hope you are all okay ... 

I've missed you ... 

do drop me a line and say hello!

xxx