Wednesday 30 June 2010

The £4.99 Arch

This is the arch bluebell and myself had a fun afternoon putting together about 6weeks ago . It now looks as if it has been there forever , the roses climbingquite happily .

Tuesday 29 June 2010

Tonight I,m on Sentry duty


Last night I sat in my conservatory doors wide open , complacently thinking all was well with my world , when suddenly , a cheeky little mouse was strolling on my patio as if it owned the joint .
I shall be looking out for it tonight ,but , if it turns up there is nothing I can do . I can hardly chase it with the brush . I fervantly hope it will find somewhere else to play . It is so nice to sit with the doors open .
More planting done in my garden this morning . Two tubs planted with white flowers . Last Saturday bluebell and myself went to Mkt Bosworth it,s two villages away . They were having their annual open day , I bought a white lace cap hydrangea ,it is now turning a blush pink , lots of flowers, I shall keep it in the pot till later in the year then transplant it in the garden . I shall then have six in my back garden and one in my front . They are such beautiful plants ,they give a good show over a long period .
Bluebell has just popped round with some cuttings and small plants so tomorrow a bit more potting . Now it,s almost nine o,clock , I shall have coffee and a mars bar to fortify myself for the mouse vigil . I,m desperately hoping it has a date somewhere else .

Monday 28 June 2010

I Haven,t got fleas, Honest


It,s a beautiful cool evening after a blistering hot day
I thought a poke around the garden would be lovely BUT ! I,m scratching my head scratching my legs , ears , arms , I have green fly settling on me , I itch , the wretched things seem to stick , if I feel like this how do the plants feel?. I have light coloured hair , it seems to attract beetles .
they seem to be flying about in the breeze

Sunday 27 June 2010

THE PAINTED DRESSER

I have today finished painting the kitchen dresser, I just have to put the knobs back on the top doors . I used Rose and Crown paint from B& Q , It has a chalky finish and the shade is tapestry green . To say I,m pleased is an understatement , I,m thrilled .

David and Alison didn,t want it , the auction house didn,t want it . It was meant to stay with me .

I,m going to have the rest of the week lazy . It was a big task , I wasn,t sure if it would look O,k . That is a reflection of the kitchen window in the door .
Posted by Picasa

Friday 25 June 2010

Order, Order


As you can see the area of the fish pond is now all cleaned up and smart again after the blog post 'there,s a hole in my bucket'
I have 10 goldfish ,they survived a very frozen pond during the winter , They are now a year old , they don,t swim sedately they seem to be training for olympic water sports , little characters each and everyone .

There,s a hole in my bucket

I decided to empty the fish pond and clean it . The water suddenly turned to pea soup . A trip to the fish man at the garden centre was in order . He said I needed a new uv light in the pump . Bluebell listened very intently and decided she was the girl for the job . She loves work experience .

We bucketed all the water out , cleaned the pump and the sides of the pond . Of course we never get a job done without a lot of hilarity .

This is bluebell on discovering there,s a hole in her bucket .

Now job accomplished
Posted by Picasa

Wednesday 23 June 2010

New News , old news ,nothing changes

It,s a bit too hot and sticky to sew . I,ve been delving in my magazine stash . today I pulled out April 1996 Country Living , It,s referring to the oil spill from the Sea Empress that landed on the beaches between the bays of St Brides and Carmarthan . Are lessons ever learned .

The magazine stash competes with the fabric stash

Monday 21 June 2010

Well prepared


I was up really early today , the sun is shining and although the weather forcast is cloudy it is beautiful . That early morning smell of earth and flowers .
I made porridge for my breakfast today , a bit thicker than usual . bluebell is back from her holiday , I need the stamina of a hearty bowl of porridge . She rang last night for a gossip and to enquire how work on the dresser is going . She talked of rubbing down and waxing . I can feel she will be round with that big bag .
I sat reading two Country living mags,. circa June 1991 and july 1991 . These are out of my archives . Wow! those orange walls that were the in thing that went under the name of terracotta , and tapestry furniture , and the recipes that must be nightmares to heart surgeons today .
The blog today is red because it,s a red letter day . Bluebells back .

Sunday 20 June 2010

Re,furbishing

I,ve had a bright aura of happiness around me this week, it,s the summer solstice and we are supposed to be re,energised at this time . It,s working for me .

Last week I had new vynil laid on the kitchen floor , for the vynil to be laid all the furniture had to be removed . Bluebell and I dismantled the pine dresser and with much huffing , puffing and ouch my toes , tipping it on it,s end , lifting it and putting it down we managed to get it into the garage .

I must back track a bit . Thurs,. 4th June bluebell came . Just a cup of coffee and a suggestive biscuit . Bluebell suggested "what this kitchen needs is ------- , !!! I said " I think I need some new stuff on my kitchen floor " Mmm , we mulled it over , bluebell said "lets go " , so we went two villages away to look see what Mr Potter had at his emporium . After much cogitating . I chose and paid for the stuff . "Could you do it this afternoon " I ask . "Ooooh no " he said , but yes , Friday morning , "you will have to get all the furniture out . O.k no problem . The real problem was enough pots and pans to fill a kitchenalia dept,. store . They were put in the garage , the sitting room , the conservatory , anywhere there was a spare bit of floor .

That sorted bluebell said "what are you going to do about the dresser ? are you having it back in " ? . Well David and Alison gave me the dresser , it,s Ducal pine ,they didn,t want it back , do what you like with it . The auction place didn,t want it . "No call for brown furniture these days .

I said to bluebell " I,ll paint it". So we called at B&Q , I bought the best paint available 'Crown and Rose' shsde tapestry green . Over the course of the week I have been giving the bottom half 3 undercoats and up to now 2 topcoats of paint . Yesterday my neighbour and his son put the bottom half of the dresser back in the kitchen for me . It,s looking good so far . I have just seen similar in the Country living magazine for £3,000 plus . I,m happy , I,m on a roll . Now I shall be on the hunt for pots that are decorated with roses . The family will be saying "more junk" , who cares ? not me .

Thurs,. 4th June started as an ordinary day. Beware your friend coming for coffee .Once when she came we ended up stripping my lovely toille de jouy wallpaper off the bedroom wall . "you can do so much more with plain white walls "said she . Another time the sitting room had a makeover from Greek classic to an ecletic mix of shabby chic with some of the old stuff mixed in . I,m going to start calling at her house for morning coffee .

Can you imagine , bluebell always carries a copious shopping bag . (a latter day Mary Poppins) . I have never looked in it but it is heavy . I think it contains paint scrapers, screw drivers etc,.

The next project will be a search for pots decorated with roses .
Posted by Picasa

Friday 18 June 2010

JASMINE


Yesterday I showed violet toiletriesbecause I wanted to show the very pretty label about violets .
Today I,m showing a label about Jasmine with my Jasmine scents . I love flower perfumes
Karen at http://thegraphicsfairy.com invites you to take her labels

Thursday 17 June 2010

Sweet violets

I was reading the blog of http://thegrahicsfairy.com she is inviting you to take the pretty label you can see displayed with my violet toiletries . It is so beautiful , I shall frame my copy and also place it round a bottle or jar with lace and ribbon, thankyou Karen ,many times over .

The pillow in the picture I made yesterday. Enlarge the picture you will see it better .

I,m having such a lazy day today so blogging has been lovely . I don,t feel guilty , I,ve had a busy week . My daughter in law Alison reads my blog ,I can just hear her saying , "David your mum,s creating more junk " I have no junk only beautiful treasures .
Posted by Picasa

Wednesday 16 June 2010

Go there, read that

I,ve just been reading the blog of Rattlebox , you will find her on my sidebar , If you go there, go back two or three blogs and read a blog about a wedding party .

Its been a lovely day here in England.

Monday 14 June 2010

Back on the treadmill

I thought it time to get the sewing machine out again . Over the last week this is my creation .

A cot quilt for a delightful little girl who will be 2 next month



Monday 7 June 2010

Square peg in a round hole

Just an occasional query or two , I might then be a square peg in a square hole

1, Exhuberant Colour whose blog I really enjoy ask me to go to profile and leave my email address there, I,ll try to get that sorted .

2 I have some one who reads my blog, I cannot decipher chinese writing , I cannot get into the blog either , and I would like to be fair and leave comments there . If you read my blog and can get into the one with the chinese writing please tell me how .

If the person who leaves the comments on my blog can make her blog open to me that would be great , I cherish your communication .

Sunday 6 June 2010

Best laid plans

I,m sure for 2 weeks I have been brain dead , the heat ,! the garden ! yesterday was so hot I was useless , 3 lots of visitors , lovely , but at the end of the afternoon I was exhausted .

As I went for my stroll in the garden last night it was so humid I could feel the damp air settling on my body . I intended to do some blogging when I came in ,I just had time to email Silver Sewer and it started thundering so I switched off and went to bed to read instead . The rain was so welcome , it cooled everywhere down .

I think I have the garden sorted now , it will just need weeding once a week . Bluebell came to my rescue once again . I had a montana clematis in a large pot , this year it was obvious it wasn,t happy , I suspected ants in the pot . I dug a hole to plant it in the ground , bluebell enlarged the hole and between us we lifted the plant out of the pot , cor !!! there were ants and eggs galore , we cleaned the roots and I put boiling water to kill the nest , I know it was cruel but where are the birds when you have a banquet for them , I cannot bear ants .

Our village shop is next to useless . All this hot weather and about 6 small pots of ice cream in their fridge , but the day was saved , my son sent an ice cream machine to me as a present . The vanilla ice cream I made is mmm, mmm, I,m going to experiment with other flavours , the shop can keep it,s full of additive own brand small pots. Thank you Peter and Sue .