Tidy desk - tidy mind?

So after my last post, my poor desk/study looked very much in disarray. Large amounts of paper, card, glue sticks, die cuts, stickers, scissors and off cuts to name but a few made up the disorganised mess I'd created. There were boxes of all kinds of papery paraphernalia as well as rubber stamps and stamp pads, paper clips, string, washi tape and loads more besides.

It didn't help the fact that I'm working on another journal 

alongside my kitchen one

It needed tidying that's for sure. But where did I begin. I walked in and then did a turn around several times. It was daunting, trying to find the right place for so many bits of journal stuff bearing in mind I'll want to get it all out again in the next few days.

Today was the turning point

It had to be done

Mind you this is only one corner - you don't need to see the rest!!!

Back soon. P x

Batch cooking

Thank you for all your lovely comments on my recent post  and for welcoming me back into the 'blogging fold' again

I spent yesterday afternoon doing a bit of batch cooking. I do this once or twice a week and love that I can just dip into my freezer at any time and pull something out at a moments notice and heat it up within minutes. 

Chilli con Carne

Sliced potato topped fish bake

Lasagne - enough for six (friends round for supper soon)

We don't buy ready meals so this suits us when arriving home late or I simply don't feel like cooking!! Now that the weather has turned pretty cold here in the UK, these'll warm the cockles of your heart!

Bye for now, Px

The wanderer.......

....has returned.

I've missed my blogging friends over the last six weeks or so and hope this finds you all well.  I can't wait to start catching up with all your news and musings. It has been pretty hectic and messy around here I can tell you, so much so I haven't managed to put pen to paper (or fingers on keys even) but I've written a little ditty to put you in the picture.

Oh for a bit of peace!

Just ten minutes to escape the mess

The banging the crashing the sawing the drilling

The comings and goings of men

Sparkies and chippies, plasterers and painters

Deliveries, and parking and skips full of rubbish

there's no end

Walls are knocked through and ceilings renewed as are the window and door 

The kitchen ripped out and tiling removed and also a brand new floor

The hammering, the knocking, the chiselling, the dust

The dust - oh the dust -  in the wake of the work

Finds its way to places unseen

in crevices in corners on ledges and sofas

On curtains and carpets and more

The dusting and polishing, the sweeping and Hoovering

Makes no difference it never looks clean.

Sniffing and sneezing, coughing and wheezing

That darn dust gets everywhere 

No doubt about it I've definitely felt it

But knock it?  - no  - I'll not dare!

We've "lived" in our living room for five weeks or more

With two rooms  of furniture and  boxes to store

kitchen paraphernalia in all shapes and sizes 

Where the crockpot and microwave came into their own 

and meals were produced In various guises.

The kettle's worn out with the endless brews 

Made for the builders who've invaded our home

 I'm starting to see that proverbial light

At the end of the tunnel - yes please

The beginning of the end is almost in sight

But not without problems it seems.

Why oh why at the warehouse 

when those boxes are packed 

Do they not check that all is there 

Saving us time in sending it back 

So, my kitchen/diner is almost complete,  just

A few finishing touches to make

I can't wait to move back into my new abode

And enjoy the PEACE 

Make tea

And Eat cake!

I'll be back again very soon.

xx

The Christmas gift

Not long to go now. I really love the build-up to Christmas which normally starts around 1st December with all the preparations, shopping, wrapping, let alone the school Nativities and Carol concerts to attend as well as a bit of socialising thrown in for good measure!. Do you like these candle glasses that I covered with manuscript paper?  I found them here and am really pleased that such a simple idea could look so effective. They look really pretty sitting on my piano.   The jar I filled with some Christmassy bits and holly etc and was quite pleased with the effect.

I had fun with this cloche too - I couldn't resist these lovely Nativity pieces when I spotted them.  You might remember my Jubilee/Olympic themed cloche that I put together during the summer which you can see here 

I got this idea for gift toppers from a magazine a few weeks ago. The gift tags I made using stiff card that I photo-copied some paper onto and then cut with a craft punch. Such a simple idea but very effective.

These little chappies go back to when the children were toddlers and they've stood on the fireplace ever since. I could never bring myself to light them.

The tree is up, the decs are done the pressies wrapped and under the tree.

 

There is one Christmas gift however that comes out year after year which hangs in pride of place on my tree. It's only tiny and was given to me by my late mum about ten years ago. I keep it permanently in my bedside drawer and bring it out at Christmas.

 

It's just a small red box, tied up with ribbon and on the back of the gift card it  reads:

 

 

"This is a very special gift

that you can never see,

The reason it's so special is

it's just for you from me.

Whenever you are feeling lonely

or even feeling blue,

You only have to hold this gift

and know I think of you.

You never should unwrap it

please leave the ribbon tied

Hold the box close to your heart

It's filled with love inside"

 

Mum's been gone these past six years now but special Christmas gift lives on.

 

 

 Enjoy your week

 

 

Ribbons and Bobbins

Firstly thank you so much for all your lovely comments on my last post. I can't believe that my little collection of pottery and china would bring forth so much response from you all.

On another collection note, I love buying ribbons and braiding and have accumulated quite a stash over the last six months or so, meaning to use them for wrapping gifts, sewing onto projects etc. But have I? - No. The collection is mounting but I just love the look of them and keep them in this lovely old apothecary jar.

 I have also been on the look out for some of those vintage wooden bobbins and have been scouring the internet and vintage shops. It's taken a while but I now have a little collection of those too.

Aren't they gorgeous? These came with the ribbons already on them.

 

 

These arrived yesterday which I'd ordered on the internet and wrapped some

of my existing tape around them

 

 

 

So now I have several methods of storing them

 

 

 

But then, I remembered something that was hidden away in our loft - Yes another trip for Hubby - but he was going up there anyway to get the Christmas decorations down

 

 

A bit battered but it is at least 70 years old and belonged to my late father-in-law

 

 

But - an idea was festering and after lining it with some Cath Kidston

fat quarters, turned my vintage case into yet another storage solution and am really

pleased with the effect

 

 

Well I did have another photo to show you but I've just had a pop-up message from Blogger to say OOPS YOU'VE JUST RUN OUT OF PHOTO STORAGE SPACE.

Grrrrrr  ....How frustrating is that!!!

 

Anyway once it's sorted there is something else I want to show you that came down

from the dreaded loft and all being well, I'll write a post this week.

 

Have a good week everyone

 

 

Falling behind

Hi everyone - I've been out of the loop for a while and missing all my blogging friends. I've tried catching up with some of your posts and left a few comments but hopefully I'm now back with avengence.  An incredibly busy couple of weeks has left me falling behind with no time for relaxing or posting.

Thank you for all your lovely comments on the birth of our darling grand-daughter W. She is adorable and has now regained her birth weight of 6lbs 2ozs. She had been poorly with an infection after her birth, having to remain in hospital for a few days and returning every 12 hours for antibiotics to be administered in the canula they put in her arm. Thankfully she is now better and settling down to life with her family.I don't as a rule put photos of the grand-children here without their parents' consent so for the moment there are none. She has a mop of jet black hair, dark blue eyes and a lovely dimple on her cheek. Both her siblings started life with black hair and are now both blonde so who knows?

The pram blanket did get finished and I must admit I was pretty chuffed with the end result, never having attempted anything like it before. I can't believe that joining all the squares and then putting a border around it took so long. Anyway it's now taken pride of place on the pram.

 

 

 

 

My Uni course is absolutely great, Renaissance Art History, and I'm loving it. BUT - it is very time consuming as there is an awful lot of reading, much more than I've ever had, so consequently things are falling behind. Hopefully, if I pass, this will be my last year which ends in May with a 4,500 word dissertation.

It does have its good side though. As you know I love visiting London and so I have a very good excuse to visit many of the galleries in the coming months - such as The National Gallery, The Courtald Gallery in Somerset House as well as the Victoria and Albert Museum. I've just booked to visit the Queen's Gallery in Buckingham Palace with a friend in a few weeks time to view their Northern Renaissance Art collection.

On another note, the recent winds have meant the remaining leaves have finally fallen and I was so surprised yesterday to find they had somehow blown into something similar to this. I just neatened it and put the hole in the middle and ran indoors for my camera before the wind wooshed it away again!!

 

I'm now off to Norfolk for three days. My daughter and her family are on a boat on the Broads and John and I are staying at a hotel in Wroxham, where they'll be moored outside for a few days. Can't wait.

A big welcome to my two new followers, Cathi and Janys. I can't see a link to your blogs so if you leave a comment hopefully I should be able to link back to you.

 

Have a good week and I'll see you soon.

Patricia 

Moment in Time

I'd like to say welcome to my new follower Paula - nice to have you on board.

I've just found this divine little second-hand shop called 'Moment in Time', or more to the point my sister B found it and steered me in the right direction. We both have the same tastes in home furnishings and decor etc and this really fits the bill for both of us - loving anything vintage or shabby chic. B found an old chalk board for her kitchen last week and told me about a few bits that I might like so I found myself winging my way over there today in light of the awful damp and miserable weather.

 Due to personal reasons, the couple who own the shop Jo and Brian turned their hobby of collecting and doing up pieces of furniture into a small business. They've only been open for two weeks and are a real find. I even had a cup of coffee made for me - it's those little touches that add to the charm.

The photos aren't great as I only had my phone camera to rely on

and apologies for this blurred picture

It's one of those shops where your eyes are everywhere - a bit like a child in a sweet shop - you don't know what to look at first.

This is what I bought - to fill a small corner in my guest room

And I couldn't resist these sweet bone china tea cups and saucers

Tempus Fugit

The weather is awful today - cold, wet and windy and not pleasant to go out in. So much so that I'm going to indulge in a few of my favourite things - baking  as there is a large amount of bread waiting to be turned into a bread pudding and sewing - a re-vamp of some bunting I made for my kitchen which unthinkingly I made from the same fabric instead of using random designs. And of course reading all your lovely posts.

I looked at Lavender Attic earlier and loved her collection of mirrors that she had been collecting from thrift shops and car boot sales. This inspired me to think about my passion for clocks. Not antique or vintage but just ordinary clocks that I have picked up on various occasions, some of which bring back a wealth of memories.

This was a gift to myself from a little legacy from my late father who passed away 25 years ago in March 1987. I had always wanted a grandfather clock and this reproduction ticked all the boxes. It stood in my hallway for 25 years in the same place, chiming hourly, although we eventually turned the chimes off. However, recent decorating of our hallway and a need for a new look the clock has been relegated to our garage awaiting a decision on what to do with it. Such a shame but tastes do change over the years.

This clock we bought on a family trip to Dublin to celebrate my son J's 18th birthday - nineteen years ago. We had a wonderful time and were accompanied by my daughter E and her then husband R, our good friends J and G together with their son R. The eight of us had so many laughs throughout the weekend all aided by the the obligatory Guiness (not a favourite of mine but you have to go with the flow). The Dubliners made us so welcome and methinks another trip is in order!

This we bought in the Cotswolds about ten years ago - another weekend away with friends staying in Moreton on the Marsh. Such a lovely part of the country and so much to see.

LOVE Cath Kidston and couldn't resist this for my kitchen

This one hangs in my summerhouse - can't wait for summer so I can get back out there!

My husband was given a gift of a Harrods voucher by his company to celebrate the Millennium and this is what we used it for. It does chime quarterly, half-hourly and on the hour but again we turned it off as too noisy. We have to wind it up every five days and it takes pride of place on our sitting room mantelpiece.

We have a lovely shop which I mentioned a few posts ago "Mad dogs and Englishmen" where I bought this. We like anything French or Italian and had to have this for our landing.

A fairly new addition which sits in my guest room.

~~~~~~~

Time is too slow for those who wait,

Too swift for those who fear,

Too long for those who grieve,

Too short for those who rejoice,

But for those who love, time is Eternity.

Henry van Dyke (1852-1933)

~~~~~~

Incidentally take a look at Stand and Stare where Jan has a great Springtime giveaway.

Collecting and reflecting

Welcome to my new follower BeautifulDees 

and a big thankyou for all your lovely comments recently.

We have promised ourselves that during the summer months we are going to attack our loft hoping to dispose of the many items of household 'rubbish' that have been stored away and been forgotten in the depths of time. To my knowledge there is a large collection of our children's toys (they are now 38 and 36 years old) and clothes (why?).  Old vinyl singles, EPs and LPs (which will never be played again) as well as numerous table lamps (dated), suitcases (full of toot) and no end of boxes of stuff that we 'just couldn't throw away' including old dinner sets, saucepans, cassette players etc - you name it, we have stored it.  But no more - enough is enough and it's all going - either to the tip, the charity shop or a boot sale.

That being so, I recently came across a selection of Coronation mugs that I'd been collecting over the years and simply would never throw out. They were hidden away in a box in our garage of all places. Anyway with the Queen's forthcoming Diamond Jubilee celebrations I couldn't resist sharing them with you.

Firstly Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee mug - it does look a bit sorry for itself

but it is 115 years old after all. Victoria was crowned on 28 June 1838

I love the 'all round' depiction of Victoria's reign as both Queen and Empress

Unfortunately I don't have a mug of Edward Vll's Coronation - (yet!)

Next came the Coronation of  King George V and his Queen Mary of Teck

who were crowned on 22 June 1911

Then came the 'King that never was' Edward Vlll

whose Coronation should have been in May 1937,  but of course his abdication

 meant that he was never crowned and he subsequently married Wallis Simpson.

Edward's brother George Vl stepped in and was crowned on 12 May 1937

alongside his Queen - Elizabeth Bowes Lyon

Finally, last but not least our own Queen Elizabeth

who came to the throne 60 years ago and whose

 Coronation took place on 2nd June 1953

(This was my mug given to me as a VERY young child!!)

 

We are planning to go to London to see the Jubilee Flotilla on the Thames and then indulge in a few family barbecues over that weekend. What will you be doing to celebrate?

My new guest room

Well my guest room is now finished, other than finding some suitable pictures for the wall. I'm so pleased with the look, especially the distressed finish to the furniture. The day bed we bought from Next about five years ago and it's been so useful as there is another roll-out bed underneath which turns it into a large double bed.

The curtains I found in Ikea and because they were about 9ft long I was able to make some cushions for the day bed, with still loads left to play around with.

The other cushion I made using some fabric from a layer cake to make the different sized hearts and sewed them on to the plain cushion.

The shop we bought the furniture from is called Mad Dogs and Englishmen where they sell bespoke hand made furniture, lighting and all kinds of vintage and shabby chic furnishings and goods. They also do 'afternoon tea' in their 1930s style Parlour Tea Room where they serve an abundance of home made cakes, crumpets, dainty sandwiches and lots of frivolous fancies, as well as a selection of tea and freshly ground coffee and where typically 1930s music is played in the background. Very refined and a lovely treat.

I feel another visit coming on, but it won't all stop at tea methinks! There is a bookshelf I have my eye on.....

Incidentally, I've just entered my name for Alix's fabulous giveaway at Used to Bees  pop over and take a look.