Happy New Year

Afternoon All,

Did you have a good Christmas? We did, it was a lovely relaxing family day (surprisingly with 2 Grand Daughters under 6 years old!) I cooked the beef and we took it with us to our Daughters and she cooked the turkey breast. A little later on my Son and Daughter in Law came over to us and we all played on the Konnect game - bowling was my best one, Sons and Son in law were obviously football and boxing (Men!) it was just a lovely lovely day made of special memories.

We spent Christmas Eve at 2 different hospitals for the problems with my Hubby's eye - we couldn't complain with regard to the treatment he received, he even saw an eye specialist at 6pm on Christmas Eve. Since then the  eye drops that he was given have seen off the infection and he is nearly back to normal now.

What did you think of the Christmas T.V.? I was so pleased that Louis won on 'Strictly' - those judges had been so biased towards Denise all the way through, but the public showed them who was really the best dancer and voted for him and I really do think that it's time Brucie went and Anton took over.

Mrs Bowns Boy.... so naughty but so funny!  Call the Midwife was good - it takes me back to when I was a child, I can remember wearing those wooly tightes and little furry boots with the turn down sides and they do everything in Church halls don't they? that's just how it was... there was no community centres or fancy health surgeries in those days and I thought Downton was so sad... finaly the Carols from Kings were beautiful.

(But Saturday night this week was dire without Strictly to watch!)

Since the festivities finished on Boxing Day I've been putting my house in order (literally) the accounts are done for the year (I always check bank statements against what I know should be going out of my hard earned wages!) I've wrote out the calendars and my desk diary for the birthdays and anniversaries and I've also put a folder together with a plastic wallet for each month with the birthdays and anniversaries written on a little slip stuck to the wallet.

On Friday I went and fetched all the Birthday and Anniversary cards for the year  and I've slipped them into the plastic wallets, for the relevant month  - each month I will draw some money and slip it into the cards ready for the events and present buying - Are you impressed - really organised aren't I?!!

Another thing I have done is set up an account with the National Lottery.....so no more having to stop at a shop and buy the tickets each week on my way home. (I intend to stay out of the shops as much as possible this year!) As Dale Winton says "you've got to be in it to win it" can't dream can you if you haven't got a ticket. I only do the Thunderball with my Nan's old numbers of which No 13 is the Thunderball number and when I win it is more often that No 13 has been drawn.

We've taken all the decorations down today and the cleaned the house through, beds have been changed and all the washing and ironing has been done and put away, so we start the New Year all spick and span.  We always stay up and see the New Year in and to fuss and calm our Tillie (Jack Russell) who hates the fireworks (beats me where people have got the money from to buy the damn things - don't they know there's a recession on!).

My Hubby will let the old year out of the back door and we'll welcome the New Year in through  the front door and then Hubby and Floss (black Cocker Spaniel) will do the first footing - Floss will come through the door first as now Hubby's going grey (don't say I mentioned that!) Floss is the darkest in the house ( My Nan always said that the first footer should be dark haired?)

Then I'll wait for my phone calls from my Son and Daughter and then we'll go on up - normally I'm wary of the New Year and what it will bring but this year I'm going to be positive about it because it's 2013 and 13 was my Nan's lucky number so it's going to be an ok type of year. (she says hopefully!).

2012 wasn't a bad year for us - it was full of hard work - but that never killed anybody - we got the house done, we're still all here and we're ok - You can't ask for much more can you? 2013 will be my Hubby's last full year at work as he retires March 2014, so this year will be about saving and preparing for when there will be only one full time wage coming into the house. We also would like to have a couple of weekends away if the pennies allow - certainly won't be a week away - I looked for a holiday cottage the other day and the prices are just plain silly so a couple of weekends away will do us - I think one will probably be a 'Sun' holiday but what the heck it'll be a break!

So I'll see you all in 2013 - Happy New Year everyone xxxxx

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone

Are you already for the big day? I am now, pretty much, despite having had the flu recently, which meant that I finished work a day earlier than I'd planned - it also meant that I missed seeing my Grand Daughter be Angel Gabriel in the Christmas nativity but there was no way I could have gone - it was a really nasty bug that knocked me off my feet. My poor hubby is suffering now and it has infected his left eye which has swollen up terribly. We spent yesterday morning at the NHS drop in centre obtaining anti-biotics for him.

I don't know whether it's because we've both felt so rough but there seems to be a real distinct lack of Christmas spirit everywhere - I haven't heard many Xmas records in the supermarkets, or seen any Xmas films this year. It felt more Christmassy around the end of November, beginning of December.

We spent a lovely Saturday morning at Weston Park at the beginning of the month at their Christmas Fair, it was good last year, but even better this year and was well worth the £1 entrance fee to walk round. The gardens were beautiful even at this time of the year

We are lucky having this on our door step -  just a shame that they have to hold the dreaded V Festival here every year.

I finally found the white Christmas tree that I was after for the lounge

The fireplace has been decorated with a white feather boa and white china angels - My daughter in law brought me the glass baubles

 

 

 

I hope everyone has a very Happy Peaceful Christmas - we are off to spend Christmas Day with my 3 year old and 6 year old Grand Daughters so it will be very special for us

Merry Christmas xxxxx

 

York



 Afternoon All

Hope you are all well, it was our 6th Wedding Anniversary yesterday and my Birthday today  (as my Dad said this morning I'm now a Heinz Variety......57!) so on Saturday we decided to treat ourselves - we were out for 6am and made our way to the beautiful city of York. It's the first day out that we've had this year apart from our little trips to Church Stretton and Welshpool.

York is a beautiful city and there was a time when we could afford to go up and stay overnight in a B and B a few years ago, but it would grieve me now to pay what they're asking, so it was all fitted into one day instead.



It's been a few years since we last went and although although there were no empty shops - some of the really nice expensive shops have gone (you know the ones where you peruse the shop window but wouldn't dream of stepping in the door!) York had lost a little of it's sparkle - when we used to go on this weekend in the past,  the Xmas decorations would be up and it would add to the atmosphere, as you were walking round the city - but there weren't Xmas decs up at all, this year - I suppose even the government cut backs have hit there too.



Plus we always used to go into the Minster and light a candle for our relatives who are no longer with us and then just sit and listen to the choir, we always left a donation for this hour of peace and tranquillity but that's gone now - the Minister fat cats now make a charge, which is a shame - it's our  heritage after all, but there you go.

Whilst we there I spent some time in Waterstones and I succumbed and spent some of my birthday money on those books that I wanted

So that's me set up with plenty to read over the next few months and then I was let loose in the Cath Kidston shop

Phew......... it took ages to look round then I decided that blow it! I would treat myself so I brought new bag, key ring, teaspoons, and storage tins for my baking ingredients.

 

 

 

There were so many pretty items in there - but they are pricey too - mind the price didn't seem to bother the ladies of York -  the queue was all the way down the shop and the money that was going through those tills (including some of mine) was an awful lot.

 

 

 

We also went to a household shop called Bennets where I got a new pallet knife, timer and piping bag and nozzles for when I do any baking and also a new desk lamp so that I can now see what I am doing when I am typing on this computer - I couldn't see the letters on the key board that well with the light we'd got..

 

 

 

 

We took some sandwiches with us - but stopped on the afternoon before we headed back to have a breather and rest my aching feet - 2 pots of tea for 2 people and 2 slices of buttered toast for 2 people came to the grand sum of £9.50............that was an expensive breather!

 

Oh well it's back on the tread mill tomorrow - back to work - hope you all have a good week

 

Byee xxx



Wishing!

Afternoon All,

Just dropping by to say Hello, not much happening here to report on really. We are still waiting at work to find out what management intend to do with their precious review and who will be for the chop and heading down the road, who will be demoted and will really have to do the same job on less money and who will be safe. Well there are 4 of them who will be safe that's for sure - the very 4 who have sat and planned out this review!

Loyalty and hard work counts for nothing these days - my Dad worked for the same company for nearly 40 years - 27 of those years were working nights and he says you're nothing but a number to them - he was never late, never had a day off sick and he says he wasn't any better thought off for his loyalty and devotion.

My Mom used to work in Boots on the pet food counter and she used haul big boxes of tinned dog and cat food out onto the shop floor (this was back in the 70's in the days before health and safety and manual handling were ever thought off) and now at the age of 76, her spine is just shattered and she suffers terrible pain every waking minute and I do most firmly blame Boots and how hard she worked there, but again was there any thanks.....No.

I suppose the 'Armani Suits' (at work) would say that you get a wage at the end of the month, what are you moaning about? But a little thought and consideration would go a long long way. i.e. Just tell us who's going to loose their jobs now and not either just before Xmas (don't management just love to do that to the working masses) or just after Xmas!

What's started my rant and moan, well I do a 50 mile round commute every working day up and down the motorways and I know that I should really be thinking of purchasing a new car (not new, new, but new to me at least) but I am worried about going for a new car if I'm going to be made redundant! We made the mistake of going and just having a little look today and I said to my hubby that we shouldn't have gone - but we did and it's always the same isn't it? You can always find something when you can't afford to buy it?!!

 

(Flossie)

I did go out a few weeks ago and I brought myself a new Kenwood Mixer - it is brilliant! so far I have made cupcakes, fruit cake, coconut and lemon cake, pastry and my own bread in it. I find the bread comes out far better than making it in the bread maker - going to have a go at doing a Bakewell tart in it tomorrow.

Since we did all the work in the house, it's really really, nice to walk into after work, it's clean and tidy and looks lovely - in fact for us it's perfect and there's nothing now that I would change or alter and for once, there is just nothing to be done on the house  -  but I feel a little lost.......for so many months it was a case of either searching for the best price on everything, or going out looking for things or actually doing the work. So now I feel like I've lost my target or my goal for what needs to be achieved next. Does anyone else ever feel like that especially when a big project comes to an end?

I've even managed to find time to read a book this week, it was Fern Brittons new one, called Hidden Treasures - it was ok, bit lightweight but better than I expected and it was set in Cornwall, which was nice and helped with imagining the characters and surroundings  - Judy Finnigan has one out called  Elouise which I quite fancy reading but have got to wait for it to come out on paperback before I buy that one, another book I am hoping to be given is Alan Titchmarsh's new one about his new garden - that should be good. I also like Kate Moreton and again she has a new one out but only in hardback so that's another one that I'm waiting for. She also links her settings to Cornwall

We both love Cornwall, especially St Ives and the Sloop Inn, the Sloop was were my Nan always liked to go in and my Dad would buy her a Whisky, which she really used to enjoy..... whenever we are down there we always have a drink in there for my Nan......... we've had quite a few happy holidays in St Ives, we like to book one of the little fisherman's  cottages, right in the town - it's a place with a brilliant atmosphere. We always, always stop at Jamaica Inn, on the way down too.......just for me to soak up the Daphne Du Maurier atmosphere, you can almost see the spirits of long a go pirates, dodging around and in and out of it's thick walls. Just brilliant!!!

I am wishing my life away aren't I? wishing they would tell us at work, wishing I could afford a new car and wishing I was in St Ives......... my Hubby would say that patience has never been my strong point!!

Oh well, the log burner's lit, Strictly's on tonight so I'm going to get warm by the fire -  at least wishing's free and doesn't cost anything!!

Speak again soon

Byeee xxx

Mixing things up!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello Everyone

Can I ask a question of all the cooks out there?

I've noticed that every time I bake a cake by the rubbing in method - I suffer for it - for a few days afterwards and can hardly bend my fingers with the arthritis. So I thought I'll have a look round at the mixers.

Well this is where I have come unstuck - really I need a mixer that will not only make cakes by the creaming method but by the rubbing in method and pastry too. So what type of mixer do I need? or what types of attachment do I need?

I've looked at the Kenwood Chef Titanium but at nearly £500 it is a no no (it does have the food processor and the liquidiser with it) but at that price it should be gold plated!

So if you have a Kenwood or other make of mixer and can recommend it - can you tell me please (and preferably one I can get for a lot less that the one above!)

Thanks - have a good weekend

Byeee

Warm knees!

Hello again

Aldi have a brilliant offer on this week - it's a heated throw and well worth the money if you feel the cold - I do and it doesn't help the arthritis at all, to get cold, so I treated myself to one of these throws last Sunday and it is really good - just plug it in and you can either put in on your chair and then sit on it or put it over you, it just gives off just enough warmth to stop my poor old knees from seizing up with pain

Last instalment of DIY photo's - as soon as the kitchen was finished and we had moved back in and had got straight, we set to with the front lounge - as we'd started the kitchen, we'd gone out to look at some 3 piece suites, and we had only gone with the intention of looking but saw a nice suite and half an hour later had brought it!

Until then we'd had just a couple of easy chairs in the lounge and my big old welsh dresser but I'd wanted some where for us to go and sit in the winter especially on the winter nights when we get in from work  and my hubby doesn't  feel like lighting the wood burner and of course there are those stillness nights when the log burner just doesn't want to  'draw' and it doesn't matter what you do it will just not roar into life.

 Also when family come in the winter, you don't always want to use the conservatory and the kitchen only has 2 easy chairs, so it made sense to make this lounge into some where comfy to retire and relax to.

The shop said that they'd keep it for us for 2 months so we had to crack on with getting the kitchen finished so that we could have the suite delivered. Then we found out that the front door had started to rot, so we also had to have a new door at the same time.

When this house was built in 1857 people must have been so much smaller in height in those days - standard doors are 78 inches high our door way is 70 inches high! So we had to have the door altered to fit the gap.

I sold the dresser on Ebay and it now lives down in Wiltshire in a little 17th centuary cottage - the gentleman came to collect it and said 'Oh dear - I hope it's going to fit in when I get it home'!

We painted the room in Farrow  & Ball's  'Pointing' and 'Rectory Red' - the Rectory Red looked a little 'pinky' when we opened the can but dried to a lovely warm red. (I've got to say the delivery service from Farrow and Ball has been brilliant  -order on a Monday evening and it's with you by Wednesday morning - brilliant!)

Again I'm sorry I'm not good with a camera but here goes, my little 'snug'

You can just see the new front door - I made the curtains some years ago (Sanderson's Rose and Peony fabric)  and in the winter they go over the front door and keep it nice and warm

The aspidistra was my Nan's - it must be at least 25 years old now.....at least! The pictures are ones that we picked up in St Ives, Cornwall. The angel sits there all year long (watching over us, I hope!)

I've got to get some little pygmy bulbs for the new lamp these candle bulbs are a touch too long

The old front door

The new front door painted in F & B's  'Litchen'

So that's it - I was asked for photo's and I promise that there won't be any more for a while - I just don't want to see another paint brush for some time to come! But it's so nice now to walk in from work and it's all clean and tidy  and it was a pleasure to spend some time in my kitchen just pottering last weekend.

We just have the garden to 'put to bed' this weekend and then it's a case of starting for Xmas because I haven't done anything yet towards it.

Hope you have a good weekend

Byeee xxx

Hello Everyone

Are you having a good week? Mine's been ok, busy as usual - here's some more photo's of the DIY we've done this summer

After the conservatory we decided to bite the bullet and finish it all off and do the kitchen and little lounge. The problem with not doing 'miminalist' is where do you put all the stuff you've collected - some of it went down the cellar, some of it in the summer house and the rest in the front lounge - well for 2 weeks that's where the fridge and freezer lived.

The kitchen units are hand made solid wood (circa 1980's I think) and it would have been sacrilege to have taken them out to put some mdf type in, because they are so solid and well made  - but there's only so much pine you can live with -  so after many weeks of painting pieces of cardboard and sticking them onto the different kitchen cupboards, we settled on Farrow and Balls  'Blackened' took a deep breath and started painting. We're glad we did it now - it's not quite a light grey and it's not quite a light blue, it's different colours in different lights

The floor in the kitchen was laminate that we put down 6 years ago so we decided to get a floor tiler in and get ceramic tiles laid - Well Chris the tiler turned up, took one look at the floor and made a sort of groan and proclaimed it goes up and down a bit doesn't it? but after they'd taken up the 2 old floors  (one on top of the other),levelled it, and laid the tiles, it looks brilliant and is so much easier with having the 3 dogs. But this was the worst time of all, we were in so much mess!

We've always had a range cooker in this house and one Wednesday night we decided that we'd change the cooker as well, I'm not keen on cooking with electric, so went on line had a look at Comet Electrical, we liked the Belling all gas cooker, phoned them to check that it was all gas and got the most politest young American gentleman who assured me it was, I paid over the phone and the cooker was sitting in the front lounge by the Saturday morning - absolutely brilliant customer service

Then we moved onto the kitchen worktops - as we put more coats of the 'Blackened' on - it became apparent that the wood effect work tops weren't going to match - so it was off to Wickes with a piece of the painted cardboard in Blackened, a floor tile and one of my Cornish Blue salt cellars (I knew the kitchen tiles which we weren't going to change matched the Cornish blue exactly) and after what seemed like hours of deliberation we settled on shiny black worktops.

Getting a carpenter to turn up to fit them was the next battle - carpenters have 2 excuses for not turning up - it's either the van's broken down or they've just come out of hospital! the 3rd carpenter turned out to be the most reliable!

After that it was a case of painting the walls (F & B Pointing again) re staining the doors changing the sockets, switches and light fittings to cool black and then moving every thing back into position.

I've taken some photo's but took them when I was doing some cooking so  please excuse the mess!


This is the bottom end of the kitchen which leads out to the conservatory

 

 

 

I sourced the new kitchen unit  handles from off Ebay and spent 3 days making the curtains - the same Laura Ashley material that I used in the bathroom but in a great shade of blue which matches the Cornish blue wear  beautifully,  again we changed the curtain tracks too and the taps and the sink top (again I nearly had heart failure at the cost of the taps!)

 

 

I'd seen a dining room set in Laura Ashley which had the legs and the base of the table painted white the seats and the table top were left pine, so out the paint brush came again and I spent a whole weekend painting my old set plus a base of a standard lamp - I think it's come up well and looks just as good as one from Laura Ashley's would have done!

This is the other side of the kitchen - sorry about the cooking!

New cooker - with lots of burners and 2 ovens........ brilliant!

Top end of kitchen

Ours is a 'live in' kitchen and sitting in front of the log burner is the best place in the winter months

So that was it - sorry the photo's are not that good - I'm no photographer - little lounge next

Have a good Friday (Sorry I'm rushing off...........tea's ready now!!)

Byeee xxxx



 

 

Evening All

Well what a week that was! I walked into work on Monday morning to be told that one of our blocks of flats had sustained a fire in the early hours of Monday morning - as the morning progressed and colleagues from my team were allowed to get a little closer to be able to send back photo's, we learnt how bad a fire it had been - one elderly gentleman had died, others had sustained injuries jumping from 2nd floor windows - it was terrible - the communal areas - the one area, that is the residents only escape route was completely wiped out by the fire. The gentleman who had died lived on the bottom floor right next to where a local youth had decided to set fire to half a dozen wheely bins, we think that there had been an accelerant used to make sure that they really went with a bang.

Once the local youth had set that fire going - he then went onto another property - a house this time and did exactly the same thing - put the whelly bin up against the door and set it alight - luckily the residents managed to escape. The block of flats have been a crime scene for most of the week and the police arrested the youth and have now charged him with murder, attempted murder and arson.

Throughout the course of my career, nearly 23 years, I've found dead bodies were residents have passed away naturally, I've had houses blow up and once a house that was literally splitting into two halves with heave - but never a fire and never a death in this way - it's been a really horrible week - it must have been horrendous for the elderly gentleman and for the other residents trying to escape - My Nan and Grandad lived in a flat and I've thought, what if someone had done the same to them - we all just feel for the residents - 9 families have been made homeless by this young man's actions. Terrible......

Moving on, I said I would post pictures of the conservatory next -

This is looking down into the bottom half of the conservatory - we painted it in some magnolia paint  that had been brought some time back and hadn't been used, all the beams were oiled and then all the doors and skirting boards re stained in mid oak stain. The floor used to be laminate but in the winter your body would be warm but your feet would  like blocks of ice! so I saved up through the spring and we had the carpet fitted - we have 3 little dogs, so that is why the rugs are there, as this is the route through to the rear garden.

I then decided that we would change the curtain tracks in here (we have curtains to keep the room warm in the winter, the nets are because we have an extremely nosey neighbour, next door but one, on that side and because she is higher than us can look straight in and does if given half a chance!) so it was off to Argos again for those - then I decided to buy new curtains - I brought these curtains from Dunhealm and they cost £300.00 - now to me that is a lot of money, I suppose in this day and age 5 pairs of curtains for £300 is a reasonable price to pay - pity the quality wasn't! they must have been made in a little sweat shop some where in India, where some poor soul barely got paid anything for making them - there isn't one proper mitred corner amongst them and  I had to sew some of them  my self because the hems were up and down like a dogs hind leg!! - Note to self - never buy curtains from there again!!



The TV was the one from the front lounge and the nest of tables came from Church Stretton antiques market. The plates were from my Mom and Dad and are Royal Albert and I even have the certificates for them!

I picked up the dresser second hand and I spent a few days sanding, waxing and painting it, the plates and tea set all came from Church Stretton again and the plates on the wall round it, did live previously in the kitchen

I like wind chimes  and I've had these for about 10 years now - they make just the right tone when the breeze blows through

Then we move back up into the top part of the conservatory now - the curtain above closes over the side door which leads out to the log store - the clock came from Morrisons and only cost me £4.00! and it's got a lovely deep tick to it.

We brought the oak desk from a little antiques barn just outside Montgomery - it's like the teachers desk when I was at school in the early 60's  and has the shelf which pulls out above the drawers which your book had to sit on when you read to the teacher (those were the days when teachers listened to the children read!) I saw the oak filing cabinet at the same time that we brought the desk and the lady told me that they had come from the same old house - they're not matching but seem to sit well together and it is so handy for keeping all the household paperwork, tidy and in one place.

To the side of the desk is where my washer sits and the ironing basket - we all have hidey holes like this don't we????

So that's the conservatory - we did the passage way next but that's too boring to post pictures off - after that it was the kitchen - more pics to follow

Have a good Friday evening - best night of the week isn't it?

Byeeee

Back again!

Hello All,

Sorry I've been away for so long - it's been a very long hard summer and even having time to read any blogs has been really difficult let alone time to write one.

So what's been happening, well if you can remember we had done a lot of work on the garden with painting the decking and clearing a lot of the overgrown plants away and we had always planned to decorate the conservatory whilst we were on holiday from work in August but decided that we would make a start before that with the bathroom.

Well that was it really, we decorated the bathroom then the conservatory and then the hall and then the kitchen and finally the little front lounge and we finally finished on Sunday with the fitting of a new front door. (we don't do things by half - as they say round here!)

I will post some pictures, all I will say is never again! when I was younger I used to be able to paint a room in a day - now by 4.30pm we'd both be cream crackered! with hardly anything done - or that's what it felt like!

Anyway - the bathroom -  that's been painted in Farrow and Ball's Lamp Room Grey and Pointing paint and I made pink gingham curtains with fabric from Laura Ashley

 

 

The bathroom mirror came from a lovely little  shabby chic shop that's situated in a garden centre just outside Bridgenorth, I love the little roses around the top of the mirror - we picked those plates up from the antiques market in Church Stretton. I did want new curtain tracks in black cast iron but couldn't afford them at over £100 each so settled for some from Argos - they look the part but don't have quite the same sound effect when you shut the curtains.

 

 

Not the best of pictures - but we painted the old corner cupboard in Pointing paint - the jug and bowl belonged to my Nan - all the other little bits and pieces were in the house except for the 2 vases on the bottom shelf and we again picked those up in Church Stretton - both Royal Albert pieces and very pretty. The plates on the other wall are all Royal Albert and are based on the Queen Mothers favourite flowers, again from Church Stretton - Do you like the silk petals overflowing from the little soap dish? I got those from Ikea and they are so effective





 

 

 Sorry you've got to crick your neck to see this one - But when you do - do you like the towels - I have coveted this particular towel range in Laura Ashley all year - they are so country cottage shabby chic.......and then Laura Ashley had a sale!!! and I thought it's now or never!!....so I got them - they are so soft and (sorry to use this word again!) pretty!

This soap dish came from the same antiques centre because it matched the earlier plates with the same type of edging

 

Some of the Queen Mother plates

 

I got the enamelled white waste bin from Ikea - it should be a plant pot but I thought it would just be perfect as a waste bin

And finally - I thought I would have to apply for another mortgage all over again for these little beauties

 

 

When did taps become so expensive???........... we've had the lever ones as I suffer with arthritis in my fingers, but blimey they cost a fortune!!

 

So that's the bathroom - cost a lot for us but for the first time ever, I've been able to have what I've wanted and been able to pay cash for it all too - I work hard so why not - Have you noticed too that I don't do minimal and I love country cottage style - I'll post some pictures of the conservatory next and then you'll see why I haven't been around for a while

 

Till then Byee