Kitchen in action

And what's taking place in this picture?

What about this one?

Now you've had your guesses, let me tell you. There's always plenty going on throughout the day. I don't know about Fly Lady but my sink never stays still long enough to show off its shine. 

First picture working backwards.

Top of stepladder which is needed for people of small stature to reach the top cupboards.

Cotton bag holding the homemade bread.

Food in Eye Key Ah containers, handy for breakfasts and suppers.

Red candle on its way to be put away in the dresser drawer.

Bread proving on the worktop covered by a tea towel.

Toaster

Flour still out.

Books brought home from the LWL outing. (Ladies Who Lunch). We tend to take and swap items as well as natter away.

Bananas hanging out of the way of the other fruit.

Fairy lights still out to light up January.

Cat on floor deciding what to eat. As usual 2 plates to choose from as she tends to turn up her nose at some offerings.

Plates out on the grill door to warm up when the grill is on for the chop that is under there. 

Second picture

Cat still deciding which plate to eat. 

Veggies ready to chop for a stir fry.

Dishcloth hanging about.

Karcher at the ready for the steamed up windows.

Mixer bowl full of soapy water in the sink soaking away and catching anything to wash.

I think that's all. Did you get everything?

xx

From my seat

Straight ahead of me are shelves in need of some organising. The baskets contain some presents and some items from the CS. Can you see the crocheted Christmas tree? I'll show a closer look sometime. My Christmas zig zag granny blanket (click on the label for more info) is out on the bed but no cats on it at the moment. They've found a warmer place.

On my computer bed table is my Filofax and some Classic FM cd's (bought from the Tip Shop!)

By my side is the biggest ball of wool in the house. I may use it to edge my Autumn blanket.

On the floor are two very unusual Christmas garlands and some fluffy baubles from the CS. Their colours are much more vivid than in the picture.

This bedside table definitely needs seeing to, doesn't it. A quick tidy is what's needed.

Nah! This is a working bedside table. CDs to listen to or perhaps the radio; yarn to crochet into this year's Christmas garland; crochet hooks at the ready; nail files if needed - can't catch on the yarn, can we? Music paper for my origami stars; a basket of colourful pens for writing in my diary; ear phones so I don't disturb anyone and a small clock to make sure I don't crochet for too long! There's also a large bedside lamp.

Shame about there being not enough room for the telephone. It's hanging on for grim death.

Perhaps a tidy is needed - of all the room.

xx

Guided Tour ...

... (as requested by Jo), of the personal organiser. My goodness, there are a host of people out there who rave over these organisers and even put videos on Youtube to show you how they use theirs! (I have not done a video and this is only an overview of what I've got and how I've used it so far.)

Being a 'saver of the earth' my organiser is new to me and came from the CS. It's a microfile wallet with filofax inserts.

Hey, hey, handy zipped wallet.

Hey, hey again - handy calculator. I don't know what I'll keep in the little pockets. Advice welcome.

First off are pages of months so I have used these to note down birthdays.

Following these are diary pages. If you look closely the year starts with 19__,  and there are no dates so I've had to go through and write them in. I've shown you the pages I've labelled correctly!

There are some timetable pages and I've used these to put in dates for dancing, jollies and gym.

There's a section for notes ...

and some handy little post-it notes.

The next sections are different ruled papers - white lined,

squared,

pink lined

and blue lined. On these lined papers I have notes about freezer contents, the money I've spent, the Christmas card list and cards I have to make.

I don't think I'll put addresses in as I have these elsewhere.

I like this Action section and I can have the joy of crossing out tasks achieved (if I achieve any).

At the end of the organiser is another book of notes which I may use for shopping lists.

There's my tour. Hope I've not bored you to tears and if anybody out there has other uses for the pages please share. My NYR is to keep organised and I want this to help not hinder me.

xx

Edit : After watching a few Ytube videos I've now personalised my organiser and brightened it up a bit with colour coded felt tips - e.g. green dots for no spend days, purple for birthdays. I've made some month at a glance inserts and added some colourful address cards. I've also made better dividers so I can find each section easily and I've crocheted a dangly page marker in sparkly wool.

Oh dear!

xx

Round and round the garden ...

... off I go once more

One step, two step

Delights by my back door.

The clematis has started flowering and is climbing over the pergola.

Poppies self seed in the garden.

We're eating the beetroot now, working our way down the row. I eat the leaves of the small ones.

The runner beans have started to climb up the wigwam.

The grapes are getting bigger day by day but not quite ready yet.

Tomatoes and cucumbers share the greenhouse space.

Plugs of small annuals were given to us by a friend. They are flowering profusely.

We're eating the Swiss chard now - leaves and stems.

No courgettes ready yet.

The corn is not quite as high as an elephant's eye. More up to his knee I would say. The mange tout are going over but we're still eating them - just have to string them first.

The broccoli grows larger but no sign of middle bit yet.

Here's a view of carrots, red onions, spring onions, leeks, spinach, corn and mange tout.

Bay leaves are my pick of the day for the flower bowl on the table.

xx

PS Joy, have you sent the Bloggy Blanket to Peg yet?

Round and round the garden ...

... went little old me.

One step, two step

And another one makes three.

I just walked around the front garden and snapped away. There's plenty in flower at the moment and plenty more to come.

Here are the edible plants - blackcurrant,

leek and rhubarb (behind the ferns).

I weeded this lot today. Isn't it hot!

xx

Welcome to my new follower. I hope you enjoy your visits here.

Kitchen Window - March 2013

Not much has changed from last month except for a new bunch of daffodils and an Easter egg cup. Happy Easter. The plant is still up on its cookie cutter plinth because the window sill collects water. Whoops, I see I've not taken my compost bag (old bread flour bag filled with peelings) out to the compost. Tut, tut.

I promised Jill from Land of the Big Sky (put your glasses on now) that I'd take her on a tour round my artificial/dead flowers. At least you'll see some blooms.

I always keep the statice

from bunches of flowers. I can just see a poppy head there as well. Happy Easter.

These roses just get moved around from room to room and vase to vase.

This vase holds an assortment of items - wooden sticks that florists like to put in bunches of flowers, dead seed heads of flowers from the front garden - dead roses and the odd artificial flower.

You've seen these tissue paper chrysanthemums before. 

Here's another seed head this time from an allium plus a vase of wooden, papery roses.

More artificial flowers here plus a little bit more statice.  (It turns up all over the place.) Can you see more dead rose heads?

They are surrounding another allium head.

The 'odd' bunch brighten up the downstairs toilet!

The latest dead roses are the bunch DD received on Valentine's day 'displayed' in the Buddha bottle. The odds and sods are put in the loft room (my office, sewing room, crochet chamber, reading room, Lego centre, knitting den, music studio, dance studio!) with me.

The garden glass flower

Odd blooms and the plastic leaves
that puss cat likes to chew

Christmas blooms

DD's sweetie wrapper blooms

Note to self - please tidy up the table by the bed.

I'll show the live plants another day.

xx

Welcome to my new follower. Hope you enjoyed the tour.