JUST A QUICK THANKYOU - I HAVE BEEN A LAZY BLOGGER!

Just a quick little Thank you ~ well a what I mean is a BIG Thank you, but short, late night Blog!

Some of you Girls have been so kind as to give me these Awards. I know I am so lazy about doing anything with them (still not too confident with the old cut/paste or whatever!).

Anyway, it seems most of the people I 'follow' would qualify for these awards, I am always amazed at the interesting things they post. How could I choose between you you all, to pass them on!

So Big Big Thanks to :-

Tracy - Craftyscraps for this delightful Pink creation of an Award!

And Many many thanks to Elaine - Bloomin' Myrtle

There are a few nice words that go with this, but I still can't manage to transfer them over to here! - hopeless! I know, I need some more lessons!
But you could just pop along to Elaine's blog - a nice gentle read, from a dear gentle woman. One I considerto be a dear friend, although we haven't met - blogging is such a wonderful way of making friendships - a way of reaching out!

Getting ready for some sleep now - catch you all later!
xx

PRETTY, PRETTY SNOWDROPS!

Look what greeted me this morning!

Pretty, pretty snowdrops!

Last Autumn I had lots of unidentifiable loose bulbs, that I had dug up whilst moving plants around, and generally messing around with the planting.

So I potted them all up, in various spare pots, and stood them down by the side of the shed. All the little shoots are showing now, soon I will move the pots to the side of the path and around the door. Some nice fresh Spring flowers to brighten our days!

I do so love, snowdrops. My bridesmaids carried them, and I had snowdrops on my Wedding dress fabric - this was the first time around, when I had the whole shee-bang! Big white Wedding an all, sadly it didn't last, but I have two wonderful boys from the marriage, and sad as it was, I still think kindly of my ex-husband!

As you all know, I now have the wonderful/solid as a rock/too good to me to be true - Hubby P.

We get on great - so all turned out well in the end, and now I have 4 sons!

Think I am all maudlin because its around this time I was first married and snowdrops, well they just remind me!

Back to jollier things!!!!
Look what we have - some new little souls to join the Allsorts Household!




Not all got names yet, although the white one with back eyes is called Dusty (Dusty Springfield!), we will watch and their names will come to us!

These little pictures I found in the Charity shop on Saturday, the weather was so bad, all we did was have a mooch around the Charity shops. I do hope we have an early Spring!



I like their sweet innocence!

And here' s one of our Girls - a striking pose!

A Chicken for Gary - hope you are feeling better! Lots a love xxx

Got to go - steak for Tea (Yellow label, from the reduced shelf at Somerfields!!!)

Ta ta for now xx

An Afternoon with Engelbert Humperdink!

Just got in from the Car Boot Sale ~ Wow! lots of goodies today ~ just had to share this with you!

I am having an Afternoon of Engelbert and the Stylistics (the best of!)~ only 50p each!

Ooh --- do you remember Engelbert? He had his own show on TV ~ and what he did to my heart as a young girl!

I thought he was Sooooo wonderful!

The perfect lover ~ truth is he was probably a total Rat! Real lounge Lizard material!

Don't know that my choice in men changed much for a good while ~ until I met Hubby P ~ he's more grisly Joe Cocker than Engelbert! (not that he can sing -shame!)

And I found the stylistics - wonderful!

On the 20p table - something to read!

EVERY WOMAN'S ENQUIRE WITHIN

Its very old and battered, but full of wonderful 'Advice' on all subjects, a 'must' for all young Women wanting to be a success in all things!

I can just see me doing this! ~ don't thing I even have the right sort of frock!







This is more me ~ housework and more housework!






The photo's and illustrations are just wonderful!






'Every Woman's Home'?
How things have changed ~ it could well be on a different planet, its so different from the average home today.
Although I would kill to have a go in that kitchen!

Anyway that's all for now ~ back to Eng' and this fascinating book!

Bye for now xxx

Is Spring Around The Corner!!

Isn't this a cheery sight!

One of my baby Orchids bravely putting out a perfect little flower.

And looking a little closer down by the side of the shed, my pots are beginning to shoot - dare we

hope Spring is around the corner!

One of the best Presents ever, this Christmas!

Take a load of this ---





Give it a good old soaking in water for a couple of days ---

Fill this little machine-y thing with the paper pulp -----






And - hay presto! - you get one of these paper logs/briquettes to burn on the fire!
How cool is that!





Obviously they have to dry out first - here I have them on top of the wood burner drying out. I suppose summer would be the best time to make them, and dry them off in the greenhouse.
Its a great evening activity - whilst watching T.V. - sit shredding old newspapers and all those nasty bills that come through the letter box! Hubby P is thrilled !? another activity to keep him busy! - after all we don't want him to be bored!?!!

Have you got February's Country Living? loads of loveliness as usual, and Marmalade! It all sounds so scrummy, I just had to make some - I have just done the chopping up bit, I will leave it to soak overnight and boil it up tomorrow - Yummy, I just love Marmalade!
Too much Paddington Bear when I was a child!




Take care x Ta ta for now xxx

JUST CATCHING UP!

Hi there ~ sorry its been so long! I bet you thought I'd fallen off the edge of the Blog world!

Hope you all had a good Christmas/New Year/ Holiday and what not ~ seems a long time ago now.

Just a short post, sort of random ~ Hubby p has uploaded my photos I had for you, and goodness only knows where he has put them ~ I have searched this computer!

So here's a sunny one! ~ remember that Sunshine stuff! And the garden all lush and green.

Did Santa bring some nice goodies? This was one of my rather nice gifts ~ fancy Hubby P knowing I needed a Hatpin stand and Hatpins! This is a Vintage one from Woolworths, a double whammy ~ Vintage and Woolworths , poor Woolies been and gone, but it makes my Hatstand that extra bit special. Indeed, poor Woolies, I think we all have fond memories of spending our pocket money in Woolies on a Saturday!

We went to the Household and Collectables Auction yesterday, great excitement as usual! There was lots of lovely things, unfortunately the Vintage clothes I was interested in went far above the pennies in my pocket. I bought a nice box full of Vintage sherry glasses ( I could just not get a good photo of these) and whatnot, and as usual the Lot included a whole load of Table linen ~ just take a look at this!

It simply screams 1960/70s! with its bright pink geometric pattern! Its even brighter pink than on the photo. Its a tablecloth but would make a great hanging.
I have put this and some others on Ebay ~ to re-home. I am determined not to hoard stuff this year, looking through my cupboards earlier this week, I found stuff that I hadn't looked at for months! That and get my Credit cards paid right down - and fingers crossed paid off! So the not hording, selling on Ebay and reduction of Credit cards goes hand in hand. Wish me luck ~ its so hard not buying all those lovely linens and bits and bobs, just to 'have' them.

Found these too, stashed among the linen, ~ do you remember your Mum buying Scotchbright? It was the most innovative thing in the kitchen - no dishwashers then!

That's all for now time for Tea! Ta Ta for now xxx

HOW ABOUT SOME JUDY FOR CHRISTMAS?

It was Auction Day Again!

What are We like!! There were just so many wonderful Vintage things, all with their own stories to tell - I wanted to bring lots home, but I was restrained, besides, the huge 7 foot four poster bed with swags of vintage fabric wouldn't fit in my tiny bedroom - I did take the tape measure to it to check! ( I carry a tape in my bag - you never know what you may come accross!)

Anyway we were having a good day - we had looked at everything and noted in the catalogue, Lots we were interested in. I had had the little discussion with Hubby P about us 'Just Not having the room at home for any more furniture'! Yes Yes! I said.

He had bid and won some boxes with books and things in, one of the boxes had these old records in - shame I thought, someones collection the will never again be played - a collection which has been compiled over the years and treasured. There were handwritten (in beautiful copperplate) notes on the record sleeves.

One of the records was -

Judy Garland - a live recording Oct 16 1951 at the Palace, Broadway! How wonderful. This is truley a piece of social history captured on this little black disc.

Shortly after the boxes were sold HubbyP went outside for a constitutional - Well what was I to do - this next Lot was next - a wonderful 1950s Radiogram! I had loved it when I viewed it, but dismissed the idea (We had had the 'disscussion' about No furniture!) - But it would have been a sin - No one wanted it - I got it for a fiver! Yes! Just £5

Hubby p's face was a picture, but he was secretly delighted - I could tell! - And the deed was done!

This is what it looks like, rather smart piece of furniture - I just need to sort out some nice 50,s photo frames to stand on it. In this photo its just sort of been plonked down.

When the doors are open you can see the radio and record player , and you know what the record player worked straight away! And we had records to play!

What fun we had listening to all the old records - Judy Garland, Gracie Fields, Gene Kelly, Dean Martin, and host of others!

It transported me to another time, another era, it was like all those old black and white films playing in my mind - I could 'see' the fashions the hair, the clothes - hats lipstick! What a nice evening we had. So of course we are on the look out for interesting old vinyl now!

Hubby P treated himself to this - something for him to tinker with, far easier on the eye than some of this modern plastic and metal stero stuff.

I found these chair back covers in one of the boxes - on top of the records I think.

This larger one has some damage that someone has darned in the past - what happened there do you think? Did the Lady of the house spend time and effort embroidering these pretty things, and then the cat clawed at them, did her little terrier drag them on the floor and have a chew? We will never know - but they have a safe home now. That industrious little Lady will live on in her handiwork!

Ta ta for now xx

CHRISTMAS HAS COME - SORT OF! TO THE ALLSORTS!

I thought I had better get myself organised, and get a bit Festive - make some sort of effort! You all put me to shame with your lovely Christmas trees and whatnot.

Now I have a 'thing' about Christmas trees - I do like to have a real tree, if I am to have one ( I think its a childhood hang up - must be a real one, although because we lived in a caravan - a very small one!) However I can't bring myself to buy one that's been cut down - a dead/dying one! So I used to get one rooted - alive in a pot, when the children were small.

The last few years I have resorted to what Hubby P refers to as - ' dragging in an ol' bush and throwin' a few baubles on it'!

I like to think its a bit more artistic, holistic and eco friendly than that.

I like to think I am bringing in my 'friends' - shrubs and small trees I have grown and nurtured, to share our festivities!

No tree was harmed during the making of our Christmas!

So this year we have Mr Bay tree - stands in a pot quite happily by our front door, grown from a cutting given to me from my Mum a few years ago!

With the minimum of fuss (I don't like tinsel either - it somewhat offends my eye! - I know 'Funny Woman'!) Mr Bay is dressed with small hand painted Vintage baubles and a few other bits.

Can you see Twiggys little Christmas bauble peeping out!

Twiggy is such a love, she sent me a lovely little Christmas package - no batteries for the camera on the day of course. Needless to say it was full of pretty things, the handcrafted bauble above, the lovely blue china set, one of her crafted cards and other goodies.

I have my blue set just handy - I use it to hold my vintage lipsticks and hat pins, and other jewelry and bits and bobs that I use daily. Its near where I stand in front of the mirror and put on my make up - Yes! I am one of those who wears it every day - feel naked without it! Is it a Generation thing - do you think? Do many younger women wear make up every day - even in the house ? Or maybe its just me!

Talking about me - I've been on Ebay again - that bit where you click on Vintage Accessories!

(I have banned myself for the next few weeks - won't even 'just look' - I have spent Soooo much!)

Anyway there was this delicious Vintage purple felt hat, a bit of a beret type - needless to say I had to have it - its on its way from France - how posh is that!

So - on Sunday (at the Car Boot sale) I saw these - the very thing! to go with my hat!

Now I know the stall holder - he's a regular at the Car Boots, and I think its perfectly acceptable in the pursuit of Vintage bargains to be - well - a bit familiar and friendly, and even perhaps a bit of mild flirtation is necessary. You know what a lot of men are like, their egos are easily massaged with a flutter of the eyelashes and a nice smile!

(Goodness what with this and the daily make up - feminists will give me up as a lost cause!)

Still it bagged me this little lot!

Just as I was saying to the stall holder (ever so sweetly - like you do!) I think I would like the purple gloves - hoping he would say £1-2 , He swept the whole lot - gloves, pretty silk scarves, hand stitched handkerchief's, and my purple gloves, into a bag and said ' seeing as its you, and I know you will use them, have them all for £1'! Such a nice man!

Hubby P was with me and he said ' can't believe he just said that'!

Well - I just thanked him ever-so sweetly, like you do!

Ta ta for now! xxxxx going to wash and sort my bag of gloves and whatnot!