Making Good Use

Rosie Tablecloth

I found this rather pretty rose-bordered linen damask tablecloth in the charity shop yesterday.  Having been caught several times before with badly stained vintage tablecloths I gave this one a good once-over before buying it.  Sadly, I failed to spot the light but fairly extensive stain on one portion of it.  Which is a bit of a pain as I'd bought it to resell on ebay.  Never mind, it was only £1.00. 

It's already been washed in the machine with a dose of Ace bleach (that stuff always sounds so promising but I find it never really does shift stains that well,) and the stain just won't come out so I shall have to have a rethink about what I can do with it.  Somewhere in the back of my mind I'm thinking the two-tone pink rose border would look quite nice on the bottom of an apron / pinny - you know, the sort of long-length aprons that waiters wear in posh restaurants.  Meanwhile, if anyone has a good tip for shifting stains from vintage linens I'd be most grateful (the stain looks like tea or coffee to me.)

Winter Draws On - Again!

Well, that lovely spring-like interlude didn't last beyond Saturday - sadly!  Today it's bl**dy freezing again and snowing on and off (although not 'pitching' as we'd say in Bristol, or 'settling' as everyone else seems to say.)  In 'celebration' (just a smidgeon of sarcasm there) of the swift return to winter, I've started knitting another hot-water bottle cover of the same type as I made a year or so ago.  That style has stood the test of time so I thought I'd have a rifle through ye olde thrifted wool stash and see what I could find to knit one similar for the second hot-water bottle we've had to invest in to try and keep warm this winter. 

I unearthed some Irish Bainin wool and a very cheery red Jaeger for a single band of colour.  As before, it's all knitted in my favourite knit 2, purl 2 rib - nice and stretchy to keep the cover snuggly wrapped around the hottie, even if it looks a bit small at the moment it'll easily stretch to fit - finger's crossed.

Spring-Like

Yesterday we had the first spring-like day of this winter and it was oh so very welcome - especially as the weather forecast had predicted heavy rain!!  Really, the Met Office goes from bad to worser with their forecasts.  Not only can they no longer forecast what is going to happen a day or two in the future, they can't even acurately forecast what is happening at that moment either. 

Anyway, it was truly wonderful to see the sun and to feel just a tiny bit of warmth in the air.  That briefest of warm(ish) weather prompted me to set about sewing a couple more pillowcase totes and to go all Dottie Angel and decorate them with a couple of vintage crochet pieces.  (I'm probably very late to the party re: discovering Dottie Angel's blog - that woman is a genius with finding and upcycling thrifted items.  If you haven't read her blog before do go and check it out, it's fabulous.)

I've had this pair of mauve and white striped vintage pillowcases knocking around for a-g-e-s.  In fact one of them has been cut out and ready to sew since last summer but it's taken me this long to actually get down to doing anything useful with them.  They're lovely large pillowcases and have ended up as really roomy, useful totes.  Sadly, perhaps the colours are a tad too spring-like for immediate use but come the warmer days I'll be listing them on ebay with the hope that someone else might like them too.
 
  

Perhaps It Was Meant To Be

I went over to Billericay again this morning, primarily to buy a few tasty treats from Waitrose but whilst I was there I had a good perusal of the charity shops too.  Billericay is very well blessed with charity shops - seven - although quite a few of them are rather expensive.  Compared with Wickford where we're now down to two, and one of those primarily sells furniture these days, Billericay is quite a bonanza for ye olde charity shop bargain hunting.

Several of the shops had sale prices on their books and after a good old rummage I managed to find a couple that were really good for re-selling on Amazon.  If I just sell one of them I'll be delighted, I haven't come across such excellent books for many a long day now.

Last time I was in Billericay, three weeks ago, I spotted a lovely pair of children's shoes which I thought might have been ideal for my nephew.  I didn't buy them then as they were £5.99 and as he has very awkward feet (takes after his auntie with that problem) I wasn't sure they'd fit.   They were really good quality German shoes which had never been worn and I've been kicking myself that I didn't buy them ever since but, lo and behold, they were still there this morning.  This time I didn't hesitate.

I'm really hoping they'll fit and / or he'll deign to wear them.  Otherwise, they'll be listed on ebay sometime in the near future!!  (S, let me know what you think.  If you think they'll be any good I can always post them down to you.)

Fruit Fools

P and I recently had a small Sunday morning trip out to the local farm shop.  When the car boot season is in full swing we often combine a visit to the car boot with a quick foray around the farm shop opposite but this time of year we have to make a special journey.  I love that farm shop as even though it is ALWAYS absolutely heaving with customers, is grotty as hell, is stacked to the rafters with both fresh and packet produce, and you have to start queueing for the tills about halfway round the shop, it is as cheap as chips and the stuff they sell is first rate.

So, amongst other goodies - both fresh and wholesome, and packet and not-quite-as-health-conscious items - I bought a humungous bag of pears for £1.00.  Now, I do love me a nice pear but despite the fact that I was eating them two at a time - they are quite small - I was barely making a dent on the amount of pears still left in the bag.  So yesterday I had a sort of 'ah ha' moment and decided to stew up half a dozen or so and make a fruit fool.

I made some pear fruit fool back in the autumn when I was using up the 'I'm gonna sit in your fruit bowl until I go rotten but I will not ripen ever' pears that I'd picked in from the tree in the garden.  Despite that fool being a roaring success I'd pretty much forgotten about making it until yesterday. 

I'd no sooner skinned, chopped and put the pears on the stove when I spied a large Kilner jar full of plums that I'd preserved in port last September.  'B*ggeration,' thought I, 'I could've used some of those plums instead.'  So, as the pear fool was again highly appreciated last night, today I've stewed up some of those preserved plums, whizzed them to a pulp with my hand blender, added whipped cream (a newly discovered and much appreciated delight for me) and the rest of the carton of ready-made custard and voila! tonight's dessert is plum fruit fool with a hint of port.  I've just had a small taster - for quality control purposes only you understand - and it's damn delicious too, though I says it myself. 

Hmm, wonder if I could make an apple fruit fool too - there are still an awful lot of last autumn's apples in a box in the kitchen!

I'm Really Glad It's Not Just Me

I was so pleased to read your comments yesterday - I do feel quite relieved that it's not just me who is finding this winter so darn trying.  I'm always a bit worried that these things are just winding me up disproportionately and I'm constantly trying to keep myself in check re: unnecessary moaning and whinging as I have a bit of a fear of turning into the dreaded 'miserable middle-aged woman.'   

I've had to work with a few of these types in the past and, oh dearie me, they can be a trial to be with - the constant 'oh woe is me' whinging, the 'don't mind me I'm just the office martyr' moaning and the 'you wait 'til you're my age and then you'll know what I'm talking about' comments!!  It always drove me mad and I'm trying really really hard not to turn into one myself.  Seeing as I'll be celebrating the big half-a-century birthday in June I'm keeping an even stricter eye on myself now - please do let me know if you spot any obvious whinging, moaning, generally feeling sorry for myself or other such age-related flim flam on this 'ere blog, and I'll give myself a very strict talking to forthwith, if not sooner!!

Swiftly moving on, I discovered that Basildon Council have got a rather snazzy little video on YouTube which explains exactly what happens to all the recycling they collect - paper, plastics, tins, newspapers, cardboard etc.  I found the video rather interesting and I'm sure this is what happens to most council's recycling collections too.  At least I hope it is, there are still those horror stories (mainly peddled by the Daily Mail) that all mixed recycling just gets shipped to landfill in India or China.  I hope Basildon Councils shiny, happy video is more like what actually occurs.  It's here if you'd like to check it out yourself. 

C.O.L.D.

WARNING: This post contains moderate / severe amounts of whinging, moaning and general gnashing of teeth about this seemingly-never-ending flippin' cold weather.

There seem to be a lot of posts around in the blogosphere remarking on how it's February already, and how has January disappeared so quickly.  I have to say I too am amazed it's February - surely we've been freezing our bums off in Blighty for the past six months at least.  Surely it must be mid-March already, or even better mid-April.  But no, alas, it is only February 1st - which means we could, potentially, be stuck with this freezing cold winter for another two months or so.  Really,  I don't think I could physically take another two months of this.

I don't know what it is about this winter in particular that I've found so very difficult.  I've lived through some freezing cold winters before - the winter of 1979 is one (which had the added complication of practically the whole country being on strike as well), and the winter of 1981 / 82 when it was so bitter one night that the shampoo froze solid in the bath room.  And through both those winters we didn't have the luxury of central heating.  I vividly remember icy mornings when I was a child and having to peel the net curtains away from the windows where they had frosted up on the inside. 

I was around in the big freeze of 1962 / 63 but I don't remember it, and this winter certainly has nothing on the ferocious snows of 1947.  My Mum remembers both those winters but even she says she's had quite enough of this winter now.  Even P, who hails from Alpine Switzerland, is bemoaning the constant battle with being cold this year.  Saturday evening we settled down to watch a film and I was wearing three layers of clothes and was wrapped in my knitted blanket, P was also wearing three layers - one with a hood which he had up - and he was wrapped in a fleece blanket with a shawl across his chest for added warmth.  And we were still cold, and that was with the central heating going full blast.  Although probably watching 'The Day After Tomorrow' was not the best viewing choice given how cold we were.

I really dread to think what our gas bill is going to be.  How on earth do people in the snowy parts of Europe or North America ever afford to keep warm when every winter is at least as cold as this - and probably much colder?  Seriously, I'd love to know if anyone can enlighten me.

Anyways, I will STOP MOANING NOW.  At least the sun is out today which means I can get the washing dried outdoors for a change.  And, and, and surely, pretty please, this cold weather will b*gger off soon.

The Siren Call of the Charity Shop

I only went to the High Street to nip into the Post Office but whilst I was there I thought I might as well venture a bit further down the road and have a quick wander around the 99p shop, just to see what they had on offer.  It seemed a good opportunity to really assess what this shop sells now that the pre-Christmas crowds have died down.  It's not a shop I'd venture into all that often but they did have some excellent deals on padded envelopes - a pack of six medium sized ones for 99p, a pack of eight smaller ones also at 99p and a pack of four rolls of sellotape for, you've guessed it, 99p.  They were beginning to put their gardening stock out on the shelves too and that looked quite promising - maybe I'll pop back in in a month or so's time.

So, whilst I was down that end of the High Street, I couldn't resist the siren call of the charity shop, especially as I was passing their door anyway.

I came away with a huge pure-wool vintage Witney cellular blanket for £2.00.  That'll probably be destined for ebay at some point but in the meantime it's been washed and is blowing furiously on the line amidst intermittent snow showers.  There was another vintage blanket in the same box but that had obviously been a smorgasbord of a feast for many generations of moths - I swear it was more holey than whole.

Also coming home with me this morning was this rather spiffy 1960's oven glove for 50p.  I'm very pleased with finding that as the oven gloves I'm using at the moment are probably a health hazard.  And a blue and white stripey cotton pillowcase - destined to be a pillowcase tote for the summer - 50p.

Humdrum

Please excuse the rather boring post today but it's all very humdrum around these parts at the moment.  My days seem to consist entirely of washing-up, cooking, washing, ironing, cleaning, hoovering - you know, the day to day household jobs that can seem like painting the Forth Road Bridge.  No sooner do you finish one thing than something else needs doing.  Sometimes these things are enlivened by a trip to the High Street and / or Post Office - high living indeed!

As it's Thursday today, I shall spend most of the afternoon listing items on ebay.  I rather like doing that as I get a nice sense of achievement when I've photographed (rather tricky when the days are as dark and dank as they are at the moment) and listed everything.  And there's always a small soupcon of excitement to see if any bids are put on items quickly - usually the sign of an item that will sell well.  I did decide to list the two pieces of vintage fabric that I found last week and one of them has been bid up to £10.50 - with three days still to run on the auction and 25 people watching it.  Looks like I made the right decision to list those.  And the Ruby and Millie Kabuki Make-up Brush also has one bid and a lot of watchers - so I'm hopeful that will do well too. 

Sadly, the Country Diary wallpaper that I had such high hopes for failed to sell.  Never mind, I'll hold onto it for a week or two and try listing it again.  If an item doesn't sell first time round I always give it a second go on ebay - sometimes with surprisingly good results.  I suppose it just depends who's looking for a particular item at any given time.  

Anyway, nothing else to talk about really due to my recent humdrum existence - personally, I'm blaming this infernal cold weather and dark grey days for the lack of excitement in my life.  Really, anyone would think it was the middle of winter!! 

What's Hot / What's Not

A very slow news day around here today so I thought I'd do a quick 'What's Hot / What's Not' post instead.

Whats Hot:  Finally a day of strong winds and even some sunshine which means at long last the washing can actually go out on the line to, at least partially, dry in the open air.  I'm getting really fed up of the house being festooned with wet / damp washing all the time.

Still on the subject of drying washing indoors, I'm so pleased that I decided to keep hold of my very ancient three-fold wooden clothes airer.  I got it out of the shed in the autumn and seriously thought of selling it on ebay as they seem to fetch quite reasonable sums.  For some reason I decided just to clean it up and keep hold of it - and blooming good job I did as it's proved invaluable these past couple of months as extra indoor drying space.  I remember buying it years ago in a charity shop when we lived in Nottingham and over the years it's been used not only as a clothes airer but also as a towel rail.  I don't think it'll be ending up on ebay any time soon.

It's Tuesday which means 'Ice Road Truckers' is on telly this evening.  Both P and I love watching that programme and even though nothing bad ever does happen to the featured drivers it's fascinating to watch them haul these huge loads up and down the Dalton Highway in Alaska.  I love watching P's face whilst he's watching the programme too, he sits there like a little boy just entranced by it all - and I'm not surprised, it is truly 'Boy's Own' stuff.

Finding a few new blogs to really enjoy:  Frugal Queen, Jennifer (who always leaves such nice comments) over at The Prairie Girl and The Cottage Smallholder.

The fact that it is definitely getting just a little bit lighter each morning and each evening.  It's not a huge difference as yet but it's definitely moving in the right direction - thank goodness!!

What's Not:  The flipping weather - again.  Although the sun is out it is absolutely freezing here today - top temperature was forecast to be 3 degrees.  The wind is coming from the north and is so strong and cold it cuts right through you.  And there's talk of more snow for the end of the week!  This does seem to have been a very long, cold and energy-sapping winter.