Making Good Use

Weird and Wonderful Weather

 
Well, this unseasonably hot weather is certainly a nice change but it does seem odd to have the leaves falling from the trees whilst it is 27 degrees during the day.  The sleeveless tops and skirts have been resurrected from the wardrobe and we're making the most of these balmy evenings by eating al fresco by candlelight.

 
The tea lights in glass jars awaiting recycling have been brought out again and yesterday evening we had a barbecue - only the second this year.  It was unusual and quite lovely to be toasting marshmallows over the barbie when it was totally dark in the garden and the bats were flying around to keep us company.

I could take this sort of weather right up 'til Christmas - although without wishing to be too picky, a few degrees cooler would suit me too - and wouldn't that make a marvellous savings with the energy bills this winter.

A-Z of Me

This A-Z meme seems to be doing the rounds of a lot of blogs at the moment so I thought I'd join in too.

A - Age 51 (still feel like I'm only 21 inside though, it's the exterior that lets me down!!)

B - Bed Size - Double, wish it was a king-size but there's no room large enough in this house to fit one.

C- Chore You Hate - The bl**dy washing-up.  I seem to spend my life either cooking (which I quite like) or washing-up these days.  Roll on being somewhere with a kitchen large enough for a dishwasher.

D - Dogs - I'm much more of a cat person but would dearly love to have a black Scottie dog one day.

E - Essential Start to Your Day - A large mug of Earl Grey and a couple of slices of toast and marmalade.

F - Favourite Colour - I would have said red until recently but these days I'm very partial to that sort of pea-green colour which I think is poshly called 'chartreuse.'

G - Gold or Silver - Definitely gold, preferably with a large diamond in it!!  Still rocking my engagement ring (no, we never got round to actually getting married) which we bought in the jewellery quarter in Birmingham 16 years ago.  It's gold with five fantastic diamonds in it and is still the nicest engagement ring I've ever seen.

H - Height - Fairly Amazonian.  I always claimed to be 5 foot 10 inches but think I've probably shrunk a bit and am now about 5' 9".  Love being tall and it comes in very handy at jumble sales to reach over the heads of other people.

I - Instruments You Play - Had three years of piano lessons as a child and only got as far as Grade 1 - nuff said, I think.

J - Job Title - PA to my other half, P.  Ebay Entrepreneur (I wish!)

K - Kids - Absolutely not in a million years - I might have ended up with a child that was as rude, disobedient and downright difficult as I was when I was little.  Love my eight-year-old nephew to absolute pieces though.

L - Live - SE Essex - classic stomping ground of the archetypal Essex Girl.  Love it here, even though I'm an incomer from the West Country.

M - Mother's Name - Erna.  It's a German name which her Dad chose - he was Ernest - and poor old Mum has spent her whole life being mistaken for an Enid, Edna, Ena etc etc.  I rather like it though and can't imagine my Mum being called anything else.

N - Nickname - Bibs or Bibby.  My Dad especially used to call me this, though Mum sometimes does too.

O - Overnight Hospital Stays - Just the one night about 25 years ago when one of my ankles swelled up suddenly.  They obviously thought it was a blood clot in the leg but after some horrible tests never found anything.  Turns out it was just the start of my oedema problem (a family trait from my Dad's side.)  Both my ankles are now permanently swollen - oh the joys of getting older!!

P - Pet Peeves - Apart from the motorbike git who is STILL running a business from the garage right by our front door!!!! I hate litter dropping, gum chewing and lying - I really really hate lies being told.  About anything, by anyone.

Q - Quote From a Film - Going to have to cheat a bit here and give my favourite quote from a TV programme.  'Get on with it, c*ckend' (to be said with a Glaswegian accent.)  From the fabulous, the inimitable, the-soon-to-be-returning-for-a-second-series (hurrah) 'Mongrels.'  I often find this phrase floating through my mind and it seem's to work for a lot of situations.

R - Right or Left-Handed - Right

S - Siblings - One sister, Sarah, who is 2 years and 9 months my junior.

T - Time You Wake Up - Usually around 8.00 am.

Underwear - Yes, unless it's really really hot and I'm at home and then I don't bother.

V - Vegetables You Hate - Celery (yuk, yuk, yuk,) Spinach, Asparagus.

What Makes You Run Late - Nothing, I'm a bit OCD when it comes to being early for things.

X - X-Rays You've Had - Um, teeth - numerous times.  Right hip x-rayed recently, too scared to go to the doctor's to get the results!!

Y - Yummy Food That You Make - Chicken Mexicana, Beef Stew, Salmon Fish Cakes.

Z - Zoo Animal - Not very keen on zoos but think I'd probably choose either penguins (they have that wonderful 1930s enclosure at London Zoo) or meerkats - they're just uber cute.

 

Rozzers and Reality TV

Our local Sunday boot sale seems to get more bizarre by the week.  Yesterday, not only were there A LOT of police officers in high-vis jackets and full uniform strolling around (obviously getting a bit bored in their compound whilst waiting for the Dale Farm eviction to finally get started,) but they were also filming for 'The Only Way is Essex.'  I don't know what the particular muppet's name is who was being filmed but he's the one whose conversation seems to consist mainly of 'Shuuuuuut Up.'  I have watched a few bits of TOWIE (but only when really desperate for something to watch) and it is truly appalling viewing.  Why anyone would want to watch such a bunch of brain-dead morons is beyond me but the filming was certainly attracting a huge crowd - mainly, it must be said, of pre-pubescent girls.

Despite all the weirdness going on, or maybe because of it, I didn't find an awful lot that took my fancy this week even though there were a huge amount of sellers.

 
I was rather pleased to find this matryoshka / Russian doll printed pencil case / make-up bag for 50p.  Russian dolls and oilcloth, definitely a winning combination in my book.

 
Two spotty enamelled tin mugs - 10p the pair.

 
A few more vintage wooden Sylko reels - £2.00 for the lot.

 
And from the same seller some pure wool yarn - 50p per hank. 

 
I can never resist pure wool yarn if it is cheap enough and this label particularly caught my eye.

 
And. finally, a Hornsea Pottery Fauna jug with wistful-looking doefor £1.00.  It does have a bit of a crack but I thought it was quite sweet for that money.

Linking up with Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday.

Every Cloud

I really don't like this time of year.  I know many people think autumn is the best season of the year, but for me it's just the harbinger of cold, wet, grey miserable weather, dark mornings and even darker evenings, frost, snow, fog, damp and decay in the garden and - worst of all - the demise of the car boot season.  I find absolutely no pleasure in having to wear socks and shoes again, to have to put on a hat, scarf, gloves, coat etc just to pop to the high street and I certainly find no pleasure at all when it's dark at 4.00 pm and remains so until 8.00 am the following morning.  No, really, I fail to see the pleasure in autumn or winter at all.  (And I'm not even going to mention the fast-approaching festering season - I've already spotted Christmas cards, Christmas puddings and tins of Quality Street for sale in the shops and it's only just autumn for goodness sake!)

Still, as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining and for me the fast-encroaching colder weather will be ever so slightly enlivened this year by being able to wear the Icelandic cardi P very generously bought me as a birthday present when we were in Reykjavik in June.

 
On a couple of recent cooler days I have thought about wearing it but, nah, it's still too mild for that.  This cardi is stupendously warm and cosy and might even mean I can get away without having to buy a new coat this winter (my old coat is now ridiculously too large on me) if we don't have really fierce weather.  I may even take to wearing it about the house if it means we can keep the central heating off for longer.  Seriously, don't get me started on the 'joys' of having to put the heating on and the scandalous cost of gas and electricity these days as that's just a whole other subject I could whinge and moan about. 

Taking it to the Maxi

If it hadn't have been for the wonderful Vix at Vintage Vixen and her totally amazing sense of style, I'm not sure I'd have looked twice at the archetypal Seventies maxi outfits that I found at this week's boot sale.  All the items had been handmade by the still stunningly slim and upright older lady who was selling them.  She told me that her husband used to be in the Diplomatic Service and that she had a lot of occasions where she had to look really smart - and that it didn't do to wear the same outfit twice.  She must have looked amazing in these stunning beauties, not to mention the fact that she must have been a very talented seamstress with a great eye for colour and fabric.

 

A wrap-around maxi dress made from a quite heavy-weight crimplene fabric.  It was the print on this dress that first caught my eye when I came across her stall.

 

A rather Biba-esque purple maxi dress with panels of purple peacock feather type patterns.  (Apologies for the lousy photo - barely daylight here today!)

 
 
Two pairs of maxi culotte-skirts.  The red and navy floral fabric just shouts 1970s to me.

 

And this amazing halter-neck catsuit in navy with yellow polka-dots and a bright yellow collar. 

All the clothes are beautifully made and must have looked stunning on the lady I bought them from.  Sadly for me, they're all made to fit someone who is not only as tall as I am but is also a size 10 - 12 - which I most certainly am not. 

Cor, That Turned Out to be a Brilliant Boot Sale

Yesterday's boot sale was a rather odd affair.  The site where the boot sale is normally held has been taken over by the Police who have built a very sinister looking compound ringed with a high steel fence with a large tented area in the middle.  It's been built in preparation for the eviction of Dale Farm (due to begin sometime today) and if I was any of the activists or travellers on Dale Farm I really really wouldn't want to mess with what looks like it will be massed ranks of police if their 'compound' is anything to go by.  (There's a photo of what's behind the steel fences on the BBC news website here - last picture in the sequence.)

Despite the view of the compound and police vans out of the corner of my eye the whole time, yesterday's boot sale proved to be flippin' brilliant.  It was much smaller than usual and in a somewhat different part of Barleylands but, luckily for me, I came across a few people selling some really choice vintage items.

 
First up, and probably not all that vintage, is a painted Swedish Dala horse figure.  I've been wanting one of these for ages and was more than happy to part with £2.00 for this beauty which still has its original 'Nils Olsson Made in Sweden' label on its belly.

 
I found a bird pie funnel for myself too.  I never seem to come across these anywhere and I really wanted to have one for decorative purposes if nothing else.  He cost me 50p.

 
A Swedish-style placemat / napkin - 10p (goes rather well with the horse.)  A dinky little Welsh tapestry coin purse - 50p and two 1950s Ladybird books complete with their original unclipped dust jackets - 1op each.

 
Two brightly-coloured tea cosies and an unused psychedelic-covered address book - 20p each.

 
And from the same seller I got this vintage apron with fabulous 'Mad Men' style Adam and Eve figures on it.  It did have a stain across the front but a good soak in biological washing powder with added Vanish bleach seems to have fetched that out a treat. 

 
 
And not one but two vintage wrap-around pinnies too.  I remember my Grandma wearing one just like these.  The apron and pinnies were 20p each.

I also found someone selling the most amazing 1970s cat-suits, maxi culottes and an evening dress but tempus fugit and all that so I'll have to post the photos for those tomorrow. 

Tatty Pinny Patchwork

 
I've had a pile of vintage pinnys and tablecloths in my ironing basket for a couple of months now.  They are all tatty in one way or another and no good for using as they are so I thought - eventually - I'd have a go at turning them into something patchwork, probably a cushion cover or maybe a table runner.  I don't really know why I'm even thinking about it at the moment as I have quite a few other projects already on the go - one of which has been lurking about for over a year!! - plus I need to get cracking on some homemade Christmas presents. 

I did get the sewing machine out this afternoon for the first time in weeks, and discovered that the little foot bit you lower over the material has got a bit 'gummy' in the lever, probably due to lack of use.  I'll have to look at it later and maybe get my little can of multi-purpose oil out and give it a good greasing.  I swear that can of oil will last me for the rest of my life.  I've already had it nearly 30 years (yes, seriously) and I seem to have barely used any of the oil.  That was 27 and a half p very well spent in Woolworths in Bath all those years ago.

On a different note, we had a fabulous time at the Cliffs Pavilion on Wednesday evening.  What a stunning position to have built a theatre with amazing views out over the estuary to Kent.  Plus, what a fabulous venue - spacious comfortable seats, helpful staff, plenty of loos, few stairs to climb and you can take your drinks in with you.  What a difference to The Bristol Hippodrome where the seats are so cramped I can't get my legs in, you need to dress for the tropics even though they claim to have air conditioning, three toilets only in the Ladies (you can imagine the ginormouse queue that forms) and woebetide anyone who suffers from vertigo if they sit any higher than the stalls.   Stephen Merchant was HILARIOUS and I can highly recommend going to see him if he's playing at a theatre near you (the full list of his tour dates is here,) though please be warned, he can be just a leeetle rude at times.

Supporting a Fellow East Bristolian

Tonight will be a couple of 'firsts' for P and I.  After living in Essex for seven-and-a-half years, we're off to the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend for the first time, and we're going to see a live stand-up comedian for the first time too. 

When I heard that Stephen Merchant would be visiting Southend as part of his 'Hello Ladies' tour, I knew that I wanted to go and see him in action.  I'm really looking forward to an evening of listening to the familiar accent of somebody who is also from east Bristol.  You may have heard his dulcet tones on telly as he is the voice behind the Barclays Bank adverts.   He is also, of course, the co-creator and co-writer (along with Ricky Gervais) of both 'The Office' and 'Extras'. 

I don't know of any other famous people from east Bristol - with the exception perhaps of FA Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore, who I went to school with.  I saw him interviewed on some football programme a couple of weeks ago and could still hear faint traces of his east Bristol accent too.  I think it's the sort of accent you never lose no matter how many years you live away from there.

I Knew it Would Come in Handy One Day

 
I bought this little camping kettle a couple of years ago.  I found it in one of the local charity shops and paid one whole English pound for it.  I liked its dinkiness, the cherry red colour and the lovely rounded shape and somewhere in the back of my mind I just knew it would come in handy one day.  It's been lurking in the back of the wardrobe ever since then but on Saturday morning, when the electric kettle boiled its last, I was so pleased I had it.

I'm not sure how long we'd had the electric kettle - some years that's for sure - and it has had to do A LOT of water boiling, particularly in the summer months when it's our only source of hot water.  The vagaries of the tres ancient heating system in this house include the rather annoying trait of heating all the upstairs radiators if you have it on hot water only.  We found this out the first summer we were here and ever since we've made do with boiling the kettle when we need hot water.  Luckily, we do have an electric shower so at least there is hot water to order in the bathroom.

A couple of days of heating the water for washing up in saucepans on the stove were more than enough for me.  The little red camping kettle was just the ticket for making cups of tea as it holds enough for two half-pint mugs, but it wasn't up to boiling enough water for the twice-daily washing up marathon.   So yesterday, we bought a fancy-pants all singing, all dancing brand-new kettle which had the scandalous price of £50.  Fifty pounds!!!!  Who on earth would pay that much for a kettle - no matter that it lights up blue when it's switched on?  More sensibly we found it at half price - though we were both shocked that kettles cost more than a tenner these days.  I'm sure if we'd had the luxury of time we'd have shopped around to find a better price but two days of being sans electric kettle  - and thereby sans easily-achieved hot water - were more than enough for me.  Still, I'm quite sad to be packing the little camping kettle away again.

How Much is That Doggy ....

 
.... the one with the corkscrew for a tail?  Answer, 50p.  Cute little art deco brass terrier corkscrew found in amongst a box of kitchen untensils in a local charity shop this morning.  I'm VERY pleased to have found this as I have quite a collection of vintage Scottie dog / terrier items and this little pup will fit in just nicely.