Making Good Use

Hedge Fund

Mum's front garden is surrounded by lush thick hedges.  They give her garden wonderful privacy and they are a joy to look out at when they have been nicely trimmed.  Dad used to cut their hedges and the hedges of the ladies who live either side.  These were all done with the most wonderful military precision and although the road slopes a little, Dad's hedges were always as straight as a dye.  Dad would spend quite a lot of time out with the electric hedge trimmer, and would wield it with such gay abandon that slicing through the cord was a regular occurence and there was even a near miss with the tips of his fingers once!! He would always tuck in stray bits of branches he saw sticking out, and God help any passing child who pulled on the hedge as he / she went past!!  In short, the hedges were Dad's pride and joy.

After Dad died Mum had a local chap who 'does gardens' to cut the hedges.  Now he always made a very nice job, but last time charged Mum £40 (and cut through the hedge cutter's cord)!!  We both felt that this was so outrageous that I've girded my loins (so to speak) and got to grips with the vicious electric hedge cutter.

These were the hedges this morning.

Somewhat shaggy and wild, and a total disgrace as far as Dad would have been concerned.

 

This was the result after half an hour's wielding of the hedge cutter - something that Dad would have been vaguely pleased with. 

I must say that although I find the hedge cutter rather heavy and cumbersome, there is something amazingly satisfying about seeing these before and after pictures.  And even more satisfying is knowing it didn't cost Mum anything more than the price of the electricity used.

Here's A Few I Made Earlier

I'm staying a few days with my Mum in Bristol and, oddly enough, there seems to be a lot more of my handiwork here than there is in my own house.  Some of it I made many years ago.

Like this enormous patchwork cushion I made for Mum one Christmas about 20 years ago.  All the fabric is vintage Laura Ashley and the cushion measures about 27 x 27 inches.  Really it is the size of a floor cushion but Mum uses it to sit up in bed when she can't sleep.  I made use of it myself when she was in hospital last year and have to admit that it is incredibly comfortable.  What amazes me is that everything was sewn by hand - and at that time I had just bought my own house and was working full-time - where did I find the energy to embark on a project like this.

There are a couple of newer hand-made items which were originally made for DN but now live permanently at Grandma's house.

This rabbit glove puppet which I made for Easter last year and who now keeps Grandma's pot of copper coins safe.

And a little mouse softie.  Both of these were made using some very psychadelic thrifted fleece fabric.

Finally, because I've got the most beautiful Maine Coon as a photographic model, here are a couple of gratuitously 'cute' cat pictures.

'You've just disturbed my beauty sleep photographing me.'

'You mean you want me to smile too.'

All Is Safely Gathered In 'Ere the Winter Storms Begin*

The weather was so beautiful yesterday afternoon that I decided it was time to get out in the garden and to collect in as many apples as possible before we get hit with either a frost or high winds.  So far this autumn the weather has been wonderful - warm, although not always sunny, days with light winds and mild frost-free nights.  It feels like mother nature is making up a bit for the wash-out summer we had this year.

I thought I'd try and store some of the apples, it's a bit of an experiment as I'm not sure how well they will keep, but we've had so many this season it would seem a wicked waste not to give it a go. 

I picked in as many of the apples as I could sensibly reach on the tree (this photo is about a third of them), wiped them all over with a clean damp cloth, wrapped them individually in newspaper and stored them in an old cardboard banana box.  There were about three layers altogether when I'd finished.

Some of the apples had suspicious holes in them so they went into the compost bin (don't wish to encounter a maggot when I cut the apples up - yuk!), and there are still a few left on the tree, but this little lot should see us nicely through the next couple of months - provided they store OK and I'm keeping my fingers firmly crossed for that.  I put the box in the shed which is cool and dark and, hopefully, a good environment for the apples.

On Saturday the local scout group had a second-hand book sale which proved to be very good and I came away well pleased with what I'd managed to find.  There were boxes and boxes of books for sale - most of them fiction, but there was a reasonable selection of non-fiction too.  I had mainly attended to look for books to resell but I couldn't resist picking up this one for myself.

It's not a book I've ever come across before (it dates from 1977) but there seem to be some nice recipes in it which are not only economical but a bit 'different' too.  I'm always on the lookout for something new to cook, I find that's half the battle with cooking - trying to decide what to eat.  I'm hoping to give some of the recipes a 'whirl' soon and I'll let you know how I get on.

*I love that line from 'Come, Ye Thankful People, Come', and I like the idea of having lots of supplies put away before the worst of the weather arrives, echoes of being a primitive hunter/gatherer I suppose.

Sunset and Spider

Yesterday evening there were two amazing sights to be seen from the comfort of my own home, and at no cost whatsoever.

The first was the most beautiful sunset - light clouds coloured a deep coral-pink by the setting sun, and laid delicately on the violet-blue of the sky.

Absolutely beautiful and so transient - within five minutes it had all faded away into an ordinary dusk.

Another breathtaking, although by no means as pretty, sight was this ABSOLUTELY HUGE spider which I found creeping around the top of the front door.

Good job I don't suffer from arachnaphobia!! (And what terrible paint streaks there are on the door - thankfully nothing to do with either P or me!!!!)

Same Old, Same Old

Yup, still making knitted beanies.  Here is the latest one posing next to the Virginia creeper which is just beginning to turn the most amazing shades of red.

The colour of this wool is so right for autumn, shades of ripe pumpkins and falling leaves.  Sadly, as I only had one 50g ball of wool, I could only knit a small hat so this one will probably only fit a young girl or an adult with a much smaller head than me (not too difficult as I have a whopping sized bonce-piece!!)

And, yup, still making Matryoshka appliques.  Here is the latest offering, made using some of the lovely apple-green wool material which Gill sent me recently.

Buttons for Buttons

To celebrate feeling much better, I went over to Billericay this morning to peruse the charity shops and pick up a few tasty treats in Waitrose (love that shop but their prices are astronomical!!).

I didn't have a lot of success in the charity shops, a couple of books for re-sale but no new shirts for P, clothes for DN, fabric, wool, clothes for me etc etc.  However, I did manage to find some very nice buttons in one of the shops.

A set of 10 mottled grey / ice blue large-ish buttons.

A set of 9 green wooden buttons that remind me of snake skin.

And these two whoppers.  It's hard to tell in the photo but each of these monsters measures 2 1/2 inches across, they are buttons to make a serious statement with!  They are a very subtle mottled navy blue and are a lot nicer in the flesh than they seem in this picture. I was very pleased with my haul of buttons, and they only cost me 75p in total. 

One of the other charity shops had obviously undergone a refit in the past couple of weeks as the whole place smelt very strongly of new paint, the layout had been completely changed, and all the clothes were hanging on really posh wooden hangers.  Naturally all the prices had gone up accordingly and they were asking £5.00 for a very ordinary New Look t-shirt.  Admittedly it was in a 'plus' size but I seriously doubt whether it cost much more than a fiver to buy it new.  I don't know why charity shops want to look like really upmarket boutiques.  Surely if you want to buy second-hand clothes you are quite happy to do it in somewhat less 'elegant' surroundings as long as the prices are good.  And if you want to buy your clothes from somewhere that uses expensive wooden hangers then you probably don't want to buy second-hand anyway.  I also feel quite strongly that these charities should be using their profits to actually benefit the charity involved, not having expensive shop re-fits and trying to be something they are not, ie upmarket boutiques!!

Back in the Land of the Living

Although I'm still feeling a little like this spider's web outside our front door - very fragile - today, for the first time in five days, I've managed to heave myself out of bed at a reasonable hour, get dressed, and even walk to the High Street.  It's been a long time since I've had a germ which has made me feel so tired and washed-out.  I've spent hours and hours dozing and lying about in bed reading trashy magazines, days-old newspapers and re-reading several of my favourite Ruth Rendell / Barbara Vine novels.  I hate being ill, I always fear that I'll never feel well again, or that my energy levels will never fully recover.  All total rubbish of course as I always bounce back eventually.  This charming germ headed straight for my chest and has left me with a cough worthy of a 60-a-day smoker.  Mum says that germs have always pitched straight on my chest as I have a very short neck - which is true.  Poor DN is also rather short in the neck area, and sure enough he has also caught this latest lurgy and it's headed straight for his chest too - that child sure is a chip off the old block.

P very kindly drove me to the High Street on Saturday afternoon so that we could stock up on a few essentials.  We thought the place would be empty as everybody would be at home watching the England / Australia rugby match.  Sadly, we were mistaken.  Everywhere was really busy and I had to queue for three-quarters of an hour in the Post Office in order to 'post' some Amazon sales.  I use the word 'post' lightly as, of course, nothing will leave the Post Office until Wednesday due to the Royal Mail strike.  It was just as well that I did persevere in the queue as after Saturday my local Post Office were going to be refusing to take in any more parcels as they had run out of space to store them.  So much for the advice given by Royal Mail to post all items in a post office and not in a letter box!!

Today, feeling much brighter, I braved the rain and headed for WH Smith as I had a voucher for £5 off when you spend £12 on stationery.  I spend a lot on stationery in order to post out my Amazon / Ebay sales so I was really pleased to be able to get what amounts to 40% off.  The High Street was really quiet because of the rain, and it was great, for once, to not be encumbered with my shopping trolley and to just have a nice mooch around WH Smith and a couple of charity shops.

I knew I was on the mend when I felt like doing a bit of knitting yesterday evening.  In fact I managed to complete one of these dishcloths in no time at all.

I really enjoy knitting these and I'm trying to get a reasonable stock up together as I've plans to perhaps 'do' a craft fair in the run-up to Christmas. 

Poorly Person

I seem to have succumbed to the latest lurgy that is doing the rounds.  I should have heard the warning bells a bit louder when P announced on Sunday evening that he had a sore throat, and subsequently developed a full-blown cold.  Obviously I didn't keep enough distance from him as today I've got a suspiciously rattly chesty cough developing, and my energy levels have plummeted to zero.  It's particularly annoying to have this developing today as I was supposed to be off to Bristol to see my family - that has had to be postponed until early next week, and my trip with them all on Thomas the Tank Engine on Sunday has definitely bitten the dust.

It's just as well that I still felt alright yesterday as it meant that I could spend a very useful, and pleasant, afternoon attacking the wilderness that had been a flower border in the front garden.  Much hacking and weeding has resulted in three full garden waste sacks to go out next rubbish collection day, and a much better view of what is going on in the road from my living room window - goodness knows what I've been missing whilst that old rose bush was blocking my view.

Sadly, these delicious looking blackberries were not to be found in my front garden, but in the garden of one of the bungalows I frequently walk past on the way to the High Street.

Sorted for Supplies

As the weather was so dank and dreary again this morning I decided to take myself out and about.  I had a little trip over to Rayleigh which made a nice change, and whilst there I found this great pastel-coloured blanket in the Salvation Army charity shop.  This was just what I had in mind for making some winter-weight bags so I was very happy to find this for the princely sum of £2.

I love the range of colours in it, and the squares should make cutting-out the bags super easy.  I'm just hoping my sewing maching will be able to cope with the thickness of the fabric.

I was happier still when I got home and found that Claire at Pinky and Boo had very kindly sent me a box full of zips and a fabulous summery postcard.

These zips should keep me going for ages and ages.  Claire also included some vintage embroidery transfers.

I'm particularly taken with the Mexican-themed transfers, especially the cacti, as these seem to be quite an unusual subject for embroidery.  And I do like the look of the Mexican lady in all her finery - she seems quite the saucy minx!  Thank you so much Claire, it was really really kind of you.

Plus / Minus

On the minus side this dreary weather is not good.  I know it's officially autumn now but, really, does it have to be so dark and depressing so early in the season. 

This was the view from the landing window this morning - rain, rain, and yet more rain.  All driven in on a northerly wind which is so direct from the arctic I swear I can smell the polar bears.

This early cold snap has also meant that we're certainly not going to be able to get a zero gas bill this quarter.  After weeks and weeks of trying, and of having no hot water on tap (except for the shower), we've twice had to give in these last few evenings and have the central heating on.  The plus side of this - apart from being nice and toasty - is that it has been utter bliss to turn on the tap and actually get HOT WATER.  It's been so long I'd forgotten how nice it is.

Also on the plus side, whilst rummaging around in drawers, sorting out some warmer clothes, I came across a nice little stash of wool that I'd totally forgotten about.

I've already cast on with the burnt orange ball to make another beanie hat - it seems such an appropriate colour for autumn.