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

Here We Go Again ....Make Do And Mend .. Use It Up ... Wear It Out ...

Hello there ...

Yes indeed a cold .. windy.. wet.. and dark sort of day to welcome in 2014.

A day to sit by the fire and start seriously thinking of the 'ways and means' of making it through this year.

 

 More .. Make Do and Mending ... Thrifty Snippity Ways .. 

Use It Up....Wear It Out ...

We will all have to help one another ... share our experiences and useful thrifty tips.

 One of my most useful tips .... I asked Hubby P to put rails over the wood burner .. I then use wooden coat hangers to hang my washing to dry.

Not the prettiest thing to look at but it saves a fortune .. I use to have a tumble dryer when the children were young .. cost a bomb to run.

We are lucky and have an inglenook (in which our wood burner sits).. but just say one or two hooks in the ceiling could hold hangers .. that would catch the rising heat and dry some clothes (especially school shirts and the like ... I never seemed to have enough to keep up).

Our Grandparents did this with racks on pulley's that they could stack with wet washing and pull up to the ceiling out of the way ... nothing is ever a new way.

 Of course it all looks very cottage-y .. very cosy ...

 with all the pretty logs stacked ... but to be honest .. 

those pretty logs are pretty expensive!

You see the rough cut random stuff at the front .. that is what we  mostly try to burn ... free wood ... old furniture Hubby P has cut up in between the showers.

And today's Use it Up ... 

well of course it had to be Duck soup.

 All the left overs from yesterdays dinner piled into the soup pan and 'souped'.

And very nice it was too on this cold wet day.....

very Duck-yyyy!

So .. have you anything to share? ... where will you make your savings? ... do share...

xxx

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