A brief domestic interlude (and dupdate)

The first new-to-me dresser, acquired in a dealer-swop last week for four kitchen chairs.  It was looking a bit unloved when we picked it up - it had never been polished and the wood was dry and sun-faded, and a couple of the boards were loose on the back as it had been STAPLED together, rather than nailed.  Obviously the cheapo end of the market when first sold.  Now it is glowing and looking a lot happier decorated with the (bathroom! - it didn't get far!) "Yuan" china.  The cream scales were one of the first things I ever bought at auction, That would have been 1985.  They came from the one at Blandford Corn Exchange and cost the grand sum of £3.  They were in regular use until recently, when I got a rather smart singing and dancing set of modern scales with a good sized bowl on top which is now my go-to set, even for pounds and ounces weighing.  The basket (with Hydrangeas) on top is one that my dear departed friend Annie made.

I fell in love with this battered old pine cupboard at auction last week.  Someone has replaced the original top with huge slabs of pine, and it works!  It is going to take a bit of configuring about where it will go in the room, and there is much head-shaking from the man in my life, but hey, if I can live with it sticking out a bit somewhere, then so can he!  The old brass dairy bowl (used for apples) came from Malvern, and has been patched and mended, but that adds to its character.  The red French enamel pan is my dye pan.

This is the other pine unit which came from auction.  I took the black handles off before painting it with a couple of coats of Annie Sloane chalk paint in Antique White.  It's a very thick paint and it took me all afternoon to paint this, but looks much brighter already.  I have ordered a job lot of ceramic handles in a jadey green (Fleabay again) and will replace all the knobs on the kitchen cupboard fronts with them.  This is to hold my kitchen aids - mixer, breadmaker and electric pressure/slow cooker, which are bulky and took up room on the worktops prior to buying this.  I need to repaint all the cupboard doors too (same colour though, as it's easy on the eye).  Excuse mess and muddle in the kitchen - it looks like a bomb has hit it right now.  Oh, and I bought a pretty copper effect drainer to replace that horrid plastic thing.  It's all change here at the moment.

Update.  It didn't look right in white, so I got out the original apple/mint green I had on the other cupboards and repainted it in that, and am now freshening up the other cupboards too.  One more to do before I decide whether to also do the window frames in that colourway as well (presently cream).  They will look even better when I have the new ceramic knobs on them.

I went looking for the right table lamp for the kitchen today.  There was nothing I saw that seemed right - most were too tall or too modern or cheap-looking or  just not very nice.  Then I saw this which is to take a night light, and it was perfect - I loved the Paisley shape, and the mirror-back and it is even greeny-brass and looks old like it has slight Verdigris.  It hangs on the wall too, but I shall just have it sat on the counter I think.  I went looking for LED lights and these little ones are just perfect - a coil of wire with tiny bubbles of light in them. 

We bought several punnets of reduced strawberries, ate some fresh (with ice cream) and dried the rest.  I have to say, I don't think I shall bother again as they seem to be All Pips!

Cheesey Grins - bread muffins with a stuffing of grated Cheddar.  Eat when still hot.  Oh My!

A hasty fat Pizza made at the same time.  (Cheating and using the Dough setting on the Panny).

Gay's Key Lime Pie.

The other pair of Fleabay curtains. These are vintage Laura Ashley from the 1980s and are perfect for "best" in the sitting room.  These will only go up for viewings.  The morning light from the East is very strong in the summer and fades curtains, so I have the sacrificial dark terracotta/russet ones up for everyday use.

On Monday morning Keith went to Brecon to collect the furniture we had bought at auction.  He got the best of the weather as when Gay and I finally set off, it commenced to pour - and I mean, POUR!  We got soaked to the skin!!  We drove to Newcastle Emlyn as I wanted to go to Crosspatch, the lovely Patchwork shop there.  I had allotted myself some spending money and this is what I bought.  The Birdie Inn Bag pattern which is keeping me more than busy at the moment as I mindlessly sew small hexi's in the evening.  This calls for 1/2" hexi's but mine are bigger so I will need less of them.  I am looking forward to starting on the embroidery.

Slightly more of an indulgence was this beautiful table topper set, complete with materials and pattern.  I saw it made up in the shop and the design was so unusual I just fell for it.  I think I will need to sit down and REALLY concentrate when cutting it out etc, but I am sure I can do it!  The colourway I chose is a sort of warm autumn tints with pale terracotta, so it can be used to dress the sitting room when we have guests.

Now Gay has gone home, and I am left with memories of a happy holiday - we have been friends for 45 years (we started off as penpals).  We just pick up where we left off last time when we meet/talk on the phone and have long ago reached that stage of a companionable silence between friends when we have exhausted the conversation around our interests. 

I am back in my routines, and working through the long "to do" list which got thought through and written down after all the sleepless nights of the past 3 weeks.  It is a relief not to be wired for speed any more - I actually got 7 hours' sleep last night, which is a vast improvement of the 4 hours maximum I have been managing on lately.

I'm getting rid of the filing cabinet in here so the next job is to go through and chuck out 98% of the contents . . .  I may get in here and start the wallpapering and painting tomorrow if I'm not terracotta-ing the sitting room instead . . .

Eldest daughter Tam is at the Green Man Festival this weekend and we pick her up on Monday, so there's lots to look forward to, especially as I want to get Gabby and Danny back to visit whilst Tam's here.  It will be full house again for the first time since Christmas.