Such excitement ...

… over my booty from a car boot sale this morning.

* a pile of homes magazines

* slug barrier kit

*a J.O. recipe book

*a sweeping brush for brushing the path

I certainly know how to live life to the full.

xx

PS A very warm welcome to my new follower. I hope I won't bore you too much!

:)

The cat ...

… won't leave me alone and I'm trying to photograph my crocheted dishcloth. I had lots of different coloured cottons in my stash and so I've crocheted dishcloths and also ...

cotton string bags. Most of the bags I've given away and the current finished one is this.

Oh phooey, the cat got in the way again. Let's have another go. Ah ha, only a glimpse of puss and much more of the dishcloth which is just UK trebles with a doubles border finished off with reverse doubles.

More about the pattern of the string bags and better pictures of what one looks like, can be found here.

That's better, he's settled down now, thank goodness.

xx

Dung pongs well

To be sung to the tune of Ding Dong Bell.

Dung pongs well,

Breathe in deep and smell.

What on earth's it for

Right outside the door?

Where're yer gonna put

All that load of muck?

We'll spread it all around the plot

To grow more veg - an awful lot.

We worked so very hard

To nourish all the soil in our edible back yard.

xx

The Very Large, Very Heavy Glass Cylindrical Dish - 5 minute make-over

I used what I saw.

Some asparagus fern,

courgette flowers,

runner bean runner with red flowers,

fir cones and dried rose heads with no water. It won't last long but it's a colourful start.

xx

PS A very warm welcome to my new followers.

Processing

Number 1 - The eating apples from our friends. To process these - just eat!

Number 2 - The large bunch of flowers from DD. To process these - chuck out the dead and wilting then cut down and plonk into smaller vases (I used some vases that I haven't used for a while).

Number 3 - The corn (which was as high as an elephant's eye). To process these - pick and fill a very large container.

Peel off the outer layers.

Marvel at the detailing of the cobs.

Chop off any yukky bits, put in bags and freeze.

Number 4 - The dried seed pods of the mange-tout. To process these - let them linger about in a basket in the sunny conservatory and pick out the dried peas when the fancy takes. Store the dried peas in a container in a drawer ready to plant for next year.

Number 5 - A rather tasty part of our friend's tomato. To process this - do not eat all the tomato, even though it is delicious. Leave the remaining part to rot (We will rot you,  rot you, rot you!) in a jam jar. It will go all yukky (good word) and horrible looking. Do not worry. When you find it lingering about the kitchen, thoroughly rotted, separate out the seeds, make sure they are dry and store in kitchen roll tissue,  in a drawers, ready to plant for next year.

Number 6 - Excess veg. To process these - chop up into little pieces and put into the hot-pot, made with stewing steak, onions, potatoes, carrots and stock. Stew for a couple of hours and then put a crust on top and bake for half an hour in the oven. Eat with brown sauce and pickled red cabbage.

Number 7 - The Very Large, Very Heavy, Glass, Cylindrical Dish (which I'd been admiring for weeks. It was sitting in the CS with my name on it but was rather pricey. Nobody else bought it so I took that to mean that I should rescue it.) To process this - put it on the dining room table and give it a good looking at. Make a mental note of all its possibilities - storage for fruit, vase, receptacle for floating candles … Then leave it on the dining room table until inspiration strikes.

xx

Making good use

DD's pusscat is making good use of one of my crochet creations.

This is his night time's sleeping place next to the bed.

Ahh!

xx

PS My 'do things differently' activity today is visiting friends instead of going dancing.

Opposite the Kitchen Window - August 2014

We made good use of our friends' windfalls - plums and apples.

17 apple crumbles and 17 plum crumbles ready for the freezer. The kitchen looks like a bomb's hit it!

I think next on my 'do something differently' list will be to show this side of the kitchen instead of the kitchen window each month.

Don't I lead a daring and interesting life!!!

xx

Home

… to welcoming flowers from DD.

She had also made us a welcome home meal,

bought DH his favourite chocolate and bought me my favourite mag.

Home … to a greenhouse full of bunches of grapes. I've picked out the bad ones and have eaten or frozen as much as I can. There are still quite a few bunches to go.

Home … to a pile of washing and ironing. Hey ho! Back to routine - but no! I've decided to do a few things differently - such as ironing in the conservatory rather than the kitchen today.

I don't wear adornments usually but I put on my bracelet to continue the holiday feeling.

Our holiday was great but it's always good to be home. Now what shall I do differently tomorrow?

xx

It's a sunny day

I had difficulty finding a vase for these beautiful blooms that DD brought round when she came for tea the other day.

In the end I had to cut back the stems a little ...

… so they weren't sticking out of the vase too far.

They certainly brighten up the day.

xx

PS Matt loves these blooms too.

Unbelievable

It's been sitting on the dresser for 2 Christmases waiting to be read. I've finally got round to completing it, reading the 2 separate stories off and on.

Much better than the last book even though it's escapism chick lit.

xx

PS Now what shall I read for Christmas this year?

Unbelievable

I did what I said I wouldn't do anymore and carried on to the bitter end.

Unbelievable is the only word I could come up with. I won't read any other books by this author.

xx