Testing, Testing

 Have my last two posts come up?  I am wondering if Blogger is having a melt down, or am I just too boring???

At Clyro yesterday.

What came home with me?

 

Two French nodding dogs.  1930s I think.  The one on the right nods better, but they are SO cute.

This just yelled BUY ME!  I love the way it is totally made from scratch, and the maker has found yet another use for binder twine . . .

Antique primitive French ship's pulley.  This spoke to me too.  Needs a little wax polish to bring out the wood grain.

My favourite piece.  We used to deal in furniture mainly, but then had to side-step to Militaria as it was difficult to carry much small furniture in the Doblo - we could manage a small Windsor chair or two, but it's difficult to pack round them.  Anyway, I feel I am on home territory buying small bits like this as I still remember buying and selling them before.  I need to get the bloomin' varnish off this one though.  Vinegar was supposed to do it, but I think it will have to be white spirit and 0000 grade wire wool - in the shade, as white spirit somewhat flammable.  It's a long time since I last saw a pudding basin stool and this is quite a nice chunky one.

Beautiful hand painted glass case.  Probably French but need to do some more research.

A lovely Turkish dough board.

I don't know why this is on its side as I thought I took it upright!  Charlie Chaplain bottle stopper.

Somewhat dwarfed by its linen dress, a little wooden clown? face peeps out.  Tamzin: "WHY did you buy this thing, it's hideous/scarey".  I will blame the heat . . .

Anyway, I need to keep busy as Tam, Jon and Rosie are on their way to Cardiff Hospital for Rosie's injection.  Not sure if it will be done as she's got a bit of a runny nose (yet another cold).  As it's a steroid injection, it is going to be painful for a few days, bless her.

You'll soon be home, gorgeous girl.  

This was taken at Llysdinam house open day on Saturday.  We met up with a school friend of Tam's, and her family, who were staying just up the road from us.  We had a lovely wander in the grounds with the girls, and I only bought one plant.

Oh and I may be doing a two day Fair next weekend.  Waiting to hear back to see if I have my booking confirmed.

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.