Bit Of 'Chuck It All In' Cooking .. Garden .. And General Stuff...

Hello there ... 

well after dreadful rain last night and early morning (rain stopped play .. no trading today).. the sun came out this afternoon ..

 and it was lovely.

I spent the day getting vintage clothes ready for sale .. washing ironing .. and mending

 (the odd missing button .. hems that need attention .. that sort of thing).

Look at this pretty little 60's number having an airing in the apple tree.

  I got a whole stack of aprons last week ..

 I picked out these two .. 

they are so bright and cheerful I thought I would try them on eBay.

  Hubby P .. busy as ever ..

He is making a worktop .. 

from Victorian pitch pine .. for a customer.. client? .. Client ..does that sound a bit pretentious?

Anyway this lady has a beach hut 

(down south somewhere) 

and would like something nice to finish the top of a cupboard or unit or something. 

She gave Hubby P a sketch and dimensions .. 

and he set to with his trusty tools.

It should look nice ... do hope she likes it.

 The garden is looking very lush after all the rain ... and the flowers are coming into their own.

 His and Hers bluebells .. so pretty .. almost magical.

 And the herbs are positively zinging with freshness..

And for the cooking thing ...

I know  .. like me ..

 you like to see the cooking stuff ..

 I love getting ideas for quick easy meals .. 

cooking is not my favourite pastime ..

 sometimes I resent the time I have to spend in the kitchen when I could be amongst my flowers.

So today ... 

I had defrosted a portion of mince (ground beef).. but what to do with it?

I turned it into a bowl and forked it through ... 

I opened the fridge door and added..

 (to the mince) a bit of what came to hand ..

a squeeze of garlic puree, squeeze of tomato puree ... half a grated carrot.. half a grated red pepper ..

then a dash of pepper .. an oxo ..

 oxo's are a must for me .. when it doubt add an oxo!

I added a couple of handfuls of porridge oats and stirred it all up.

  The oats soak up all the juices and bind things together ..

 I always have a large jar of porridge oats handy.

As you can see here .. 

I have all kinds of dried stuffs .. 

just handy .. so I can add a handful to any dish .. or scoop a bit of rice into a pan.

 It keeps things easy .. I'm all for easy!

 Anyway back to the mince stuff.. 

I scooped it out in handfuls and using more oats ..I fashioned them into little patties and slipped them into a lightly oiled frying pan.

I have grilled these before .. 

and I imagine if you used very lean meat .. 

maybe turkey mince .. and grilled them they would be very healthy and low fat.

 Hubby P opted for his on buns .. he says he's a bun sorta guy.

I hid the salad underneath the patties ...

I opted for a little rice and salad with mine .. 

and very tasty it was too.

And quick ..

 I think I literally threw it together in ten minutes .. my kinda cooking.

Don't you just love summer ... 

salad is so quick and easy!

Enough of me .. early to bed tonight .. hopefully we can trade tomorrow!

Bye for now x

New Van Today .. Toys For Boys an All That ..

   

Hello there ...

All change today as Hubby P got his new van .. well .. not new exactly .. a 'nothing fancy .. but a sturdy workhorse' sorta van.

 Sad to say the old one went to the great scrapheap in the sky ..

 I think Hubby P had worked it into the ground and it would cost just too much money to get it through the next MOT. 

To me it looks exactly like the old one .. but a touch better in that I do now have a passenger side window that opens! 

Pure luxury ..! Hubby P knows how to treat a Girl!

Here he is loading it ..

 its amazing watching him .. 

its a bit like that game Tetris whereby everything is fitted together like a jigsaw .. its incredible how much he packs into the back of the van.

On the downside ... for me .. is the height of the darn thing ..

 I have to have a step to get in and out .. I feel a bit like the Queen waiting for her flunky to 

 'asist her to alight' ..

 either that or I end up falling on my behind!

 We are hoping for at least a couple of fine days over the Bank Holiday weekend so we can trade..

 I have been sorting stock .. 

and have packed a lot of nice white linen.

Hopefully I will get some ladies who appreciate such fine needlework and want to take some home with them.

 I do sell a lot to ladies from abroad .. 

I suppose it is harder to come by overseas...

 and its a nice ..

 'little bit of English Afternoon Tea ..

or Downton Abbey style stuff  .. to take home'.

 Just thought I would show you this ..

 who remembers having one of these on their children's Christening cake ?

Isn't it sweet.

Tradition was .. to save the top tier of your (fruit) Wedding Cake ...

 I wrapped mine well and put it in the freezer .. and use it as a Christening cake for your first born.

You could buy these pretty little storks and whatnot and stick them on top of the cake with a bit of icing.

As I remember the cake was just fine.

Nowadays people have sponge type wedding cakes and whatnot .. 

so I suppose the tradition has died out .

Can't say as I ever hear of saving top tiers .. 

gosh it makes me feel old!

 Nice sunny afternoon .. so I nipped outside with the camera..

 How pretty these Coltsfoot flowers look 

I know ..

spreading seed far and wide ..

But I love their cheerful brightness early in the year.

And these fluffy pompoms are an added bonus .. 

something to make me smile as I look out of the kitchen window.

 The Bluebells are here .. 

and adding their hearty blueness to the many shades of green ..

so pretty.

We will soon have the lovely scent of the Lilac .. everyday the buds are getting fatter .. ready to burst into loveliness...

 This is difficult to see ..

but its Will's apple tree (grown from a pip) .. 

we planted it near Fly's resting place .. and its doing so well.

Its only small but its bursting with blossom.

It will be interesting to see if it fruits .. just grown from a pip I doubt it will come true .. but we will see.

It looks very pretty.

Well .. enough of me .. have a nice Bank Holiday Weekend x

Blousey.. Fading Matrons .. and A Pretty New Little Girl...

 Hello there .. hope all is well with you.

Spring is into its stride now .. pushing toward summer 

.. and we've had some nice sunshiny days.

The strong bright red tulips have turned into blousey matrons .. 
fading their way away into summer ... 
the garden has come alive and is rioting away ..

fresh and green .. 
with that wonderful smell .. umm...

 Its so nice to see a bit of colour and watch the busy bees.

Its the first time I've planted Wallflowers .. are they perennial? .. do I just leave them where they are?

They have done very well ..
 and were/are such a nice burst of colour.

Cheered a Girl up no end...!

Hubby P .. well he's up to his usual tricks .. 
buying big heavy stuff ..

Now he's crawling around with a bad back.

Do you like his Victorian barrow?

It was used in the cattle holding pens near the docks in Holyhead. 

The cattle were held/housed there whilst waiting to be loaded onto ships for Ireland .. the barrow was used to cart straw and feed for the animals.

But of course its big bulky .. and heavy to lift in and out of the van.

Me .. well .. I've been listing a few bits on eBay.

Hubby P was laughing at me because when I get a sale or two I say ' well .. that will pay the Council Tax .. or Tesco .. or BT .. or whatever!

Is a woman thing do you think .. to earmark certain funds for certain bills?

To me money is just a way to move forward .. an exchange for goods .. I don't really get a lot out of hoarding the stuff .. money for the sake of money.

And sorting buttons ... do you like my high tech button sorting equipment..!

 A Girl can never have enough buttons ..

this lot will keep my sewing girls happy for a while.

 Now this little Girl showed up in a dusty old box in the back of Hubby P's van ... 
goodness knows where from.

She has lost her frame and any any indication of who she might be along the way 

... poor little orphan!

These little lost souls rarely find new homes .. 
so they come to live with us..

I wonder who she is ...

what's her story..?

Clearly she was much loved .. someone has lovingly painted her likeness ...

and she looks happy.

I call her Iris ... I think its the blue in her dress .. 
do you think she looks like an Iris.?

Anyway enough of me ..I'm off to fill hotwaterbottles and tend to Hubby P..!

Bye for now x

Just A Little Busy With Work ... Hey Ho'

Hello there ...

Hope you are all well .. its been a while since my last post ..

I've just been a bit busy with work ..

Hope you all had a nice Easter .

As I say ..its been all work .. work .. and more work ..

so I am afraid all I have to show you are work pic's today.

We've had a day of sorting stock ready for trading this week ... and sorting through all the odd boxes that get stored away (for another day) and then get promptly forgotten about.

 We changed all the stock about and freshened things up ... 

here we have a nice little collection of boxes and baskets .. everyone loves a nice box to keep their treasures safe.

 I managed to persuade Hubby P to pull all the boxes of books out from under the tables and sort through them ..

 its so hard not to stand there reading them .. 

a good way to lose time ..

anyway they are out and easily 'pick upable' if you know what I mean .. 

I think everyone love a nice book..

This is an interesting lot .. 

I have just unpacked it from a rather tatty and grubby box .. 

from someones loft I think.

It is a whole heap of unused photograph mounts .. 

you know the kind that were used to hold wedding photographs ..

 lovely card .. 

they look and feel .. 'if you know what I mean'  ... so pretty..

Look at this one with the pretty embossed windmill ..

I don't know what they could be used for ..

 other than vintage-y style photo's of course ..

but someone will have an idea ..

lots of lovely card for crafty projects.

There is also a fab 1950/60's .. unused wedding photo album .. 

ideal for someone having a vintage style wedding.

I know I am always saying it .. but it is truly amazing what turns up.

This doesn't look very sexy .. 

a load of tatty old leather.. harnesses and whatnot.

But we are always asked for this kind of thing .. people have all sorts of projects going on.

We have a number of re-enactment groups locally .. Napoleonic Hussars .. Sailors .. Pirates .. Native Americans and the odd Knight in Shining Armour .. 

So original .. used .. worn and aged leather is much sort after.

Hubby found us a goodly bag full.

And for the gardeners .. a few chimney pots ..

these always look good planted up.

Just always a bit heavy and clunky to move around.

Anyway .. that's all for now folks ... 

I'm off to have my tea.

Sorry its a bit short and sweet .. 

hopefully I can get some nice pic's of the garden soon .. 

its coming along nicely with this sunshine.

Take care ... bye for now x

Blue Tits In The Box .. All Is Well In The Garden World...

Hello there .. 

hope Spring is springing in your part of the world .. or Autumn .. is it autumn down under?

All is well in the garden here .. 

the little Blue Tits have returned to the nest box that Will made for us some years ago  ..

 doesn't it fill you with hope to see (hopefully) the beginnings of new life.

They are so busy flitting back and forth.

This pic isn't the best ..

I took it out of the kitchen window .. 

and I had to 'zoom' a lot ..

 .. and 

.. well ... perhaps I should clean the windows!

 All is blooming ... just lovely!

 I don't know if you remember these

 Bleeding Hearts .. 

but they were planted on Fly's resting place

 (Fly .. our old dog .. bless her).

Well they are pushing up through the earth ..

 and unfurling .. 

reaching for the sunshine .. 

they even have a flower or two. 

I do hope we don't get a late frost.

Such pretty colours.

 Whilst I was out and about the garden ..

 filling the bird tables with tasty seed and tit bits for our busy little birds ..

 I gathered some green stuff for the Girls.

They enjoy a good mix of grass .. 

young Borage leaves .. Goose grass ..and any other 'weeds' I can find.

Not that its hard to find weeds .. 

the garden is full of them ..

 but I don't mind ..

10 minutes weeding and its a feed for the chickens.

Good bit of greenery .. 

lots of iron and whatnot to enrich the eggs ... make those yolks nice and sunshiny yellow.

   

What else this week ... well ..

 a few little Easter treats for the 'children' .. 

think the eldest is 33yrs now .. 

but still they like an Easter egg!

I usually make some of these chocolate bunnies .. I have had the same mould for a few years. 

I find its cheaper than paying for Eggs .. 

I can buy a few bars of chocolate over the weeks from Christmas to Easter then I don't notice the expense.

 And these little bunny lollipops are easier to post.

Not a lot really .. just a little something .. 

little sweet treat to say Happy Easter

 .. and we're thinking of you.

An odd Thrifty day too.

I had a bit of a wind fall with a 20% discount on my catalogue .. I think its because I just pay anything off as soon as possible .. so they want to encourage me to keep buying.

Well I don't mind .. 

I keep an eye on their sale department .. 

only really buy .. On Sale

... clothes are so expensive. 

Anyway .. I needed some new nighties and my dressing gown was rather shabby

 .. you know how it is .. you think .. 

my Goodness

 .. if ever I have to go into hospital 'what a shabby mess I would look' .. lol!

So I got a couple of new nighties and a new dressing gown .. posh or what!

Now these came packed up to the hilt .. 

lots of tissue paper and plastic bags.

So .. not to waste anything (of course!) ..

I got a pile of tissue for wrapping ..

 plastic bags for bagging up knitting wool for selling on the stall.

A pile of good soft rags from the old 'past it' nighties .. 

so useful for Hubby P .. painting and polishing and whatnot.

A few buttons off the old nighties and dressing gown. 

And the old dressing gown .. 

well it still had some useful fabric in it .. 

it was the sleeve/cuffs that were really grim

 .. so the nice fleecy fabric made some new cuddly hot water bottle covers.

Just a quick functional simple bag shape .. quick and easy .. and no waste.

So that's been my week so far ... 

been listing more vintage goodies on the dreaded eBay today ...

 Gosh its boring .. but it buys the tins of beans .. an all that!

What have you been up too .. 

anything Thrifty to share?

xx

Just 'Garden ' Really .. Pretty Pic's ...

 Hello there folks ..

All quiet and peaceful here .. just as we like it.

Not a lot to tell you .. but here are some garden pic's .. lots of loveliness springing from the earth.

Just look at these Hellebore's .. I have just the one clump .. 

but what a show this year .. 

and they have been flowering since mid January.

 They are just so pretty ... an amazing shade of pink.

 And these creamy coloured ones are forming seed pods ... 

anyone know if they are easy to grow from seed?

 Hubby P managed to find me some garden chairs .. 

not new (of course) ... 

but with a touch of the Hubby P treatment they will be just great .. now all we need is some nice sun to sit in.

I was looking at new garden furniture on line ..

 Gosh what a price !

Sometimes I get quite a shock when I venture into the 'real' world and see just how much things cost.

 In our simple world ..  it is one of working with cash money .. only buying what you have enough cash to buy .. 

mostly secondhand/locally sourced .. 

but good old fashioned face to face trading .. 

buying locally ..

 keeping the money circulating within our community.

I don't know that I would fair very well in 'the real world'.

 My big pot of Tulips are on their way up ..

 And the Forsythia is flowering .. pretty .. pretty.. sunshiny yellow.

I've done a bit of reclaiming vintage fabrics .. 

its so nice to wash .. iron.. and stand the maiden outside in the sunshine to dry off.

 This is a nice bit of Jonelle fabric .. 

curtains that had seen better days as curtains .

But lots of good fabric still.

All 'come up lovely' as they say .. after a good wash.

I've tried a bit on eBay .. but I will probably sell most of it to my my crafty ladies at the boot sale.

I just love the blue colour.

Sweet little terracotta pots in the sunshine ..

 just gearing up to flower their little socks off all summer.

That's all for now folks .. take care ..

Bye for now xx