Running on the smell of an oily rag!

 Well, I am quite amazed I am still standing.  I do not know HOW I managed today, truly!  I was too hot in bed last night, and although I went to bed at 9, setting my alarm for 4.30., I was STILL AWAKE at 3 a.m. and going doolally. I reset the alarm for 5 a.m.  I must have drifted off to the cats purring on the other side of the bed, but at 4.20 - I woke for the loo. That was it for the night.  I did try to get five more minutes sleep, but no.  I was on the road for 5.35, but when I got to Erwood (10 miles away) my tummy did NOT feel good.  I also couldn't spot my bum bag.  Blardy thing!  I thought I must have left it on the table, so turned round and came home (just as well, with the tummy event that followed).  Bum bag NOT on table.  Checked car and it had fallen down the side of the seat onto the step . . .  Put Spotify on and listened to Dan Snow's history podcasts on the way to Malvern.  I made good time, but then the blardy British Camp route into Malvern was STILL shut (this has to be about 8 months now) as there had been another landslip just after they finally fixed the first. So it was the long way round to the Fleamarket via the Eastnor Castle road and across the commons.

 A miscellany of mostly modern quilts with a dealer friend of mine.

I loved this, but it was £100+.

A really lovely old quilt, but at £150 it wasn't coming home with me.

Little half-square triangles set off with the red at the cross-overs.

A lovely old William Morris style Sussex chair in need of a lot of tlc.  

My goodness though, but it was HOT.  Something like 33 deg.  FAR too hot for me - I normally hide inside when it's a heatwave - but I had to work, and so dragged my rather heavy full-of-wooden-things trolley round behind me.  The grass gives it drag and it's a PITA.  I found some unusual - hopefully sellable - things.  

Wasn't this a sweet embroidery?  On a stand, so rather like a fire screen to stop the heat of the fire drying your complexion!

Oh, I had an interesting business proposition too.  One which I think I shall at least try.  A good friend of mine, putting business my way, bless him.

Oh, and the brain being slightly lacking today, I left the interesting bit of my ham rolls at home in the fridge (slices of tomato, and some coleslaw).  But then, I wasn't the least bit hungry.  Didn't have an evening meal last night (but had too many strawberries instead).  I've eaten since I got home, a proper meal.  Just finished a cold Hazy Jane IPA too.

Back in the morning, as I know I am going to be going to bed early tonight.

My house-trained bat . . .

 This appeared in the litter tray this afternoon.  I can only assume it's escaped from under the roof - as they do when it gets very hot.  I have given it its liberty in the cool of a bush outside and saw it flying around a few minutes later.

I have been Very Good today, and ventured out to the Stables to start having a sort out.  I have gone through one big pine box which I shall use with a cover on in the Unit.  I've listed a few things on Marketplace, and when Tam is here tomorrow, will list the wheelchair and Mobility scooter on Fleabay.  I plan to sell the lovely late Victorian tub chair in my bedroom too.  I don't need it, but could do with the cash.  

These are just the two end stalls.  Tbere are two more with barrels of Keith's "useful bits of chair parts".  I shall try giving these away on Marketplace, otherwise they are off to the Tip.

I sat down after breakfast with my stitch-ripper and then neatly edged the bottom strip of the little chair cushion, so it doesn't run off, as that was annoying me.  I can't WAIT to get started on the daily stitching project.  TONIGHT I hope!  I have bought down a little square of the linen I plan to use to see how it sews up with a design.

Now - Marketplace or the Unit?  I fell in love with this because of the beautiful carved wooden edging, BUT I can do without it.  It's a lovely bedroom chair, professionally reupholstered.

Hot here now, after a cooler grey start to the day.  I am quite tempted to go out for ice cream, now I have gotten a meal out from the freezer . . .

Blardy hell - I never expected THAT!!!

 

Isn't this absolutely gorgeous?   Such fine stitchwork too.  I took a photo to share with Tam, and then tried Lens on it, where it came up straight away.  Jacobean "Tree of Life" pattern, usually stitched as crewel work.  Found it in a (probably up market!) antique shop with a price tag of £150!!!  It will be less when it appears at my next little Fair.  I think it came from Malvern (or possibly many years ago at Carmarthen Fleamarket) and has been with a pile of my personal lovely textiles since - out of sight, out of mind.

Beautifully embroidered, perhaps around the 1920s/30s?

Meanwhile, I have been labouring (and mucking up, unpicking had to be done!) the little patchwork cushion for the stool I painted.  FINALLY finished this afternoon, with the shaped bit needing hand-sewing (and bodging!  Shhhh!!)  Fortunately a strategically-placed teddy will hide a multitude of sins!

Yes, the bottom edge got messed up either side but do I care?  Clearly NOT!  The colours are actually much brighter and prettier than they appear.  I may just straighten that bottom edge as it's hand-sewn.

Charity shop bear to dress it and show it's a teddy or dolly chair and not a child's one.

I changed my library books today.  I think the library is the only place to carry on getting Kate Ellis books as they just don't seem to turn up in charity shops round here.

Photographed in Tesco - a teensy Quiche, which looked as if it had as much flavour as cardboard!  When I make mine they would feet an Olympic team and rise like Souffles!  These are £4 each!  

I forgot to mention that I was out late last evening, listening to the screaming of the Swifts as they flew overhead, feeding.  Accompanied by my Swallows and the House Martins who are sitting on eggs in one nest, and others building a 2nd nest.  There are Spotted Flycatchers nesting under the eves on the cottage next door, in the same spot as they were in when Keith was so ill and I would watch them daily as I sat with him.  On my walk yesterday, Merlin recorded some Pied Flycatchers in the woods on my walk along the valley - well I say valley, but it's along the side of the hill really.

This won't do.  Not sure if I can face my mince/veg/rice throw together for a 3rd night in a row.  Time to peek in the freezer methinks.

Motivated and inspired by Daily Stitching

 

I got busy yesterday.  This little chair had been a rash buy and painted green and then "aged" - it just looked dirty.  A quick paint job was essential.  This morning I shall make up the little cushion in patchwork to set it off.

This is the old - solid oak - table I mentioned to help dress my Unit.  It was filthy (been in the stables for 25 years or so) so had to have a good scrub down and a paint job.

I glued the crinoline stretcher back into place and you can now SIT on this chair again!  I shall polish it to perfection later.

Then I got totally wowed by a Daily Stitching Design project I'd seen on Instagram (k.j.turner - stitching for life).  This is her wonderful project - I was so excited about this last night I thought about it every time I woke up!!  I ordered Volume two - Circles - and printed it off just before I went to bed, which was not a good plan for a quiet night's sleep :)

The individual designs are up to you, and I was tempted by the floral designs, but think I can do those myself, and am already planning a little wall hanging with the Uffington White horse as a central motif.  I have no end of embroidery threads and others . . . went searching for those before bed too!

I have masses of embroidery floss but I wanted this thread to do the separating bars between the designs.  I had quite forgotten the burr-wood needle holder.

I also found a bag with these threads in, bought years ago when there was a long-established craft shop in King Street in Carmarthen.  Covid did for them.

Plus some coloured tops for spinning practice.

Poor photo of the work that k.j.turner has shared on Instagram.  So I won't be doing all just circles.  Kate at the Last Homely House is doing this too, but will have probably bought all the design sketches.  I just blew £7 on one.  I have gone in my sewing cupboard and found one of the long lengths of linen an American penpal sent to me back in the 1990s! and has been put aside waiting for its turn to shine. I can't wait to get started!

This won't do.  Time to get cracking.

P.S.  With all this firing me up, I forgot to mention that Tam has a date for Rosie's injection, under general anaethstetic, at Cardiff hospital - next Tuesday.  I hope it all goes smoothly, and works.  Worrying all the same . . .

A new challenge, and a castle

 Well, that was a journey and a half yesterday.  I went to check the Unit out, but took the "quicker" x-country route, which of course wasn't really quicker as through villages and changes of speed from 50 to 20, and the 50 section was always where it wasn't safe to actually DO 50!  I knew it wasn't ideal, position wise, but it is so difficult to get a Unit these days - I have been trying for 2 years now.  I had a choice of two, as it happened, but opted for the smaller one, which was slightly cheaper.  I will give it 6 months and sdee how it pans out.  Now I have to try and sort out some permanent pieces of furniture for display purposes.  I have a good bookcase in the stables, and there's a shabby pine boxwhich looks like it might do, plus a painted-white-in-the-60's table which needs a lick of paint.  A job for a dry day (this weekend is looking good).  I came home via the longer main road, and got myself a new wheelbarrow, as the old one has holes in the bottom and a puncture. This one has a solid tyre.    I couldn't run to the two wheels type I liked the look of that RewildingJude has.  This was expensive enough!

I had a wander round Carmarthen, mainly to check out a house that Danny wants to buy.  I love it and hope it all goes through ok for him.

I took a few photos of Carmarthen castle as I was passing.  Sadly the Council built their council offices right in the middle of it . . .  I have yet to hear of any Council with a true sense of history  . . .

The imposing gatehouse.  Below, you can see the portcullis areas and murder holes.

The central part of the castle originally had a small gaol, which became extended in the late 1700s. 

A filled in window and two substantial fireplaces.

There were arrow-slits in each direction in this tower.

Many thanks to medievalheritage.eu from whom I copied these pictures of how the castle used to look.

If you go to the Wikipedia page, you will find the history.

Right, this won't do.  TIme to get the grime of ages off the table to paint . . .  I don't get into the unit until 1st July.  

Listen to your body . . .

 I have to say, the 3 day weekend was pretty full on.  I babysat Rosie on Friday - away out of the house by 7, and not back until gone 8 p.m. and then Rosie was still awake at 10 as she had slept in the car coming here from Aber.  I had no chance of "down time".

A rare Llandod picture.  This is now the pharmacy, and the road immediately by it leads down to the Lake.

Saturday we went to Llandod, and then Rosie was pretty full on back at home, and same on Sunday, though the day was broken up going to Brecon, and walking around the mostly empty town.  The Militaria Fair that Keith and I used to do was on in the Market building, so I popped in to say hello to some friends, had BIG hugs with them, and then joined Tam in the Cat Shelter charity shop.  All thoughts of going for a walk were off as it was threatening to rain on and off all day.

One of the huge Victorian houses in the town (which is 95% Victorian architecture, built in a short period to make the most of the Spa wells in the town). I loved the attic window design.

Tam and Jon had bought a huge, nay ENORMOUS tent from Vinted.  She put it (having been checked) in the back of my car, and we needed to get it out for the base to be totally dried off before it went back into the bag.  We managed it, between showers, but gosh, it's not easy to pack!  It's so big you could have a Festival in it!  Fortunately the rain held off long enough.

This was probably once a hotel.

Tam helped me with various jobs I had on my list.  The best thing she did was to change my Smarty phone plan which she had originally set up for 2G because I didn't use my phone much.  However, listening to (many) hours of Podcasts has decreed that I needed more and she upgraded it to 8G for the same money.  That put a smile on my face.  I am late to Podcasts but enjoy them SO MUCH.  Three Ravens is my favourite, and Dan's Snow's History Hit, Medieval Murders, Ramblings, The Poisoners' Cabinet.  Must look for Archaeology ones too.  OMG - just checked and don't know where to start!  Anyway, we sorted out banking too, Vistaprint for my business cards and got a sack (have 3) of FYM up to the top of the paddock for the Winter Squashes whichTam and Rosie sowed yesterday.  Didn't get around to bleeding the radiators, and I didn't sort out my small camera and charging/changing batteries until this morning.  Nearly there though, and Ed and friend carried up the other two sacks of FYM for me.

I felt really tired after lunch, and went for a nap and slept for over 2 hours, so that was the entire afternoon gone (was going to garden).  Tomorrow is another day.  Having Rosie here is exhausting.

I watched the final episode of Outlander last night - on tenterhooks tbh.  It was well done.  I won't spoil it for you in case you haven't watched it, but I do feel absolutely lost without it now.  Will have to buy her last book in case she writes a totally different ending.  We have all been reading the books/watching the series so many years, the characters seem almost like family now.  

Sunday Baking - Banana and Strawberry Loaf Cake

 

If you click on the recipe, it will enlarge and you can read it more easily.

From the latest  Landscape magazine.  I shall make this again.  Started it off at 7.30, and it takes an hour and a half in a mild oven (160 deg.)  Guess what we are eating for breakfast, still warm!  I had a bag of large frozen strawberries in the freezer - had to freeze them because I thought T&R were coming one weekend and got a BIG tray of them. Of course, once frozen they just go to mush and can only be cooked with.  Didn't want them to waste when they couldn't make it, so they came into their own this morning.  I cut down on the sugar content of this as there is natural sugar from the bananas.  

Enjoy!