Sunday 7 March 2021

UNCLEAN!!

 This week I had a bit of a poorly chest - my peak flow went down and my breathing worsened.  I had made the mistake last week of opening a bag of compost (without a mask) and finding it mouldy.  I did exactly the same this week (there's no fool like an old fool) and must have inhaled some mould spores as it began to feel like I was getting a chest infection.  I spoke to the Dr who advised my taking the anti-biotics I had in-house for just this event (though haven't needed for a couple of years now).  Then she said, "You'll need to take a Covid Test and Isolate straight away."  Well, I wasn't expecting THAT!  I had a choice of 3 drive-through test centres - ones obviously short on customers - as I decided on the nearest, Rhayader, and could have a choice of every single appointment that day!  It was almost like an afternoon out, as lovely scenery on the way, but at the test place it was very difficult to hear what the chap was saying, as he obviously had a mask on and with them insisting that the windows be totally shut, I struggled to hear what he was saying.  Anyway, I soon got myself swabbed as per instructions, though it does make you gag to touch your tonsils.  Fortunately the results came through by email yesterday morning, first thing, and I tested negative, which is what I expected. All the same, it put the wind up me for a few hours!



View of the kitchen windowsill, looking towards the bird feeders and below, my white dresser with its slightly changed display of my favourite china.  The gap on the top is due to me using the Doulton vase with the castle on it for the Daffodils (above). The cookery books are Tam's, so she didn't have to go searching for them when she was cooking.



The top three shelves house some of my Torquay and Devon potteries collection.  The ones with the most words and the more ochre colouring are the oldest.  I hardened my heart over some pieces and they are in boxes in the attic, awaiting us doing a Fair again (if that ever happens).



You can't see it very clearly, but behind the dried Hydrangeas is a European spoon rack with horses' heads either end.  The candle holder is one we bought in York for Keith a few years back - repurposed out of an old oak post.  The bluebirds piece is Tam's and the loving cup on the bottom one of mine.



This has made itself very handy indeed.  On the right are the crotal bells on an old leather collar used on a French bellwether sheep (in the Pyranees probably).  It rings a lovely tone.



This cupboard is set in the chimney breast (no longer in use) and has a wee window at the back which lights the interior of my jams/chutneys and pickles/oils and vinegar cupboard.

    I can't remember if I shared these photos with you before - but anyway, here they are today as I've not been out for a walk this week due to being off-colour.

    Today I had a short potter in the garden and planted two of the baby Clematis from Morrisons in the side garden and my Bathsheba rose.  That had to be moved from its original intended spot because we came upon a pipe . . .  Yesterday we planted the small Patio rose Peachy on the far side of the pond, in the middle of another big area of demolished bits of house, and had to move that rose back too because we found a polythene pipe carrying the electricity cable to the Summerhouse . . . We will have to dig very carefully here.

    I have gotten back to my family history whilst resting up and found my Great Aunt Nell - from a throwaway comment made by my mum many years ago now when we were discussing the family.  Aunt Nell moved to Oxford, she told me, and indeed she did . . .  Now I am trying to find my g.g.g. grandfather's birth details in Buckinghamshire.  He's a lot more elusive.

26 comments:

  1. The COVID test isn’t at all pleasant. I’m glad it wasn’t that. At least you had the anti biotics handy. Hope you are soon back to health. You have some very pretty and interesting things on your shelves.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi janipi - I was VERY glad it wasn't that. Have what appears to be a cold instead! Thank you for your kind comments about my "stuff"!!

      Delete
  2. Oooh what a lovely home you have. Thank you for all the beautiful pictures. I need a pot rack like the one you have your strainers on, but I need mine for pots. ~Andrea xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. We love it here and it suits us very well. The pot rack is a great thing. Hope you can find one.

      Delete
  3. Loved the photographs BB You really do look to be well settled in.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The pink bedroom is still a bit of a disaster area - waiting for Eldest Daughter to unpack HER stuff and tidy it away, but I can't be seen to be nagging!

      Delete
  4. I had to have a test before my surgery, I found the nose thing tickled..... Negative here as well.

    Lovely home, and now you have given me an idea for the hydrangeas when they dry next year.

    God bless.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The nose bit I could cope with, but I have an efficient gagging reflex . . . Glad you were negative too.

      The kitchen units will be out - hopefully sometime this year - and replaced with better and a new cooker - current one TINY and cooks VERY hot. I can't wait to get that done, and then we will redecorate in here too.

      Delete
  5. You've got settled in so quickly! and I'm glad the test was negative.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The first couple of weeks were hard going, and we still have Boxes (Tam's) in the pink bedroom. We're OK until I have to FIND something (paperwork especially!)

      Delete
  6. Settling in nicely.
    Sad you had a reaction to mould..myself and offspring all react badly to that too,it isn't a nice feeling atall

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One extra room would have made a big difference as we have a few too many bits of furniture but hey-ho, we're more than happy with the house. I have reactions to quite a few things (smoke too, sulphites really badly, cat dander, hay, straw, dust, but mostly dust mites.) Oh and I don't go into places like Lush either!!

      Delete
  7. Glad to hear test was negative and hope your asthma improves soon. Lovely photos of your new home.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I seem to be breathing normally (for me) again now RR. I am looking forward to when the improvements are done here although, heck, I am getting used to neutral colours - even mushroom - that will never do!

      Delete
  8. Sorry that you had to deal with two unpleasant things--moldy compost/chest infection and then a Covid test on top of it all. Not fun! Hope you are feeling stronger soon.

    Your pot rack must save a great deal of cupboard space with all those awkward utensils of various shapes and sizes. When I did a kitchen reno some years ago, I found the best addition was having low-edged roll out drawers installed in several of the larger, two door cupboards. No more tumbledown of pots, pans and lids as things became easily accessible. A fitted lid rack helped enormously, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. At least I didn't have to go on steroids (they have me pacing the floor at night) and the Covid worry was over and done with within 24 hours.

      The pot rack has saved a lot of cupboard space - I used to moan about not much storage space in our old house but it turns out that the units here fall short of that. I have hung some decorative bits on it too (hearts and the crotal bells) and love the look. No room for my hanging rack with my Le Creuset pans on so those have had to go in the bottom of the dresser.

      Delete
  9. Thrilled the test was negative but sorry to read your are not well, hope you recover very quickly. You are blessed with a beautiful home.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a huge relief but my son thought my chances of having caught Covid here were extremely low. Long may that continue. Usually I am the only customer in a shop (or there is One Other) and levels are very low here.

      We love our new home. We didn't fall in love with it, but it suited and now we are here we DO love it.

      Delete
  10. Dear Jennie,

    Well, the COVID test must have come as something as a shock but so good that it turned out negative. However, these things are very unsettling, so it will be nice to be back in a calmer routine once you are rested and feeling better.

    Planting the Clematis and Rose must have been therapeutic. It is such a wonderful part of gardening to plan new areas of the garden and then wait and see what happens. Occasionally there are disappointments but in the main, it is so delightful to see things growing and flowering.

    Your shelves are filled with interesting things. And so many items that one has lived with for years turn out to be collectible. Check them out, you might be lucky.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Jane and Lance, Just having to be tested was, as you say, unsettling. It was good to hear it was negative so quickly. I think I was their only customer that day - I could have chosen ANY slot!

      Planting is always therapeutic but the planning is having to have alterations due to the discovery of pipes where we weren't expecting them, and having it confirmed that the entire garden sits on house rubble from a house and stable demolition over 100 years ago! No good archaeology yet though . . . so veg will have to be grown in raised beds and a long herbaceous border will now be a long central bed.

      I have been collecting many years and as we trade in antiques and collectables in normal times, know the value of most of them!

      Delete
  11. Glad you are negative. I love seeing your potters and I have a great-aunt Nell too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too hart. Saturday morning was a "Y.E.S.!!!" day here. I expect many people have a great-aunt Nell. I'll raise you a 3 x g. grandmother called Benedicta!!

      Delete
  12. it is very satisfying to have favorite things unpacked and placed around, usually in new arrangements than in the former house. I am leery of putting breakables on open shelving--it was a short time ago that dear Nellie-cat pulled a favorite pitcher off the shelf and smashed it.
    Even though the kitchen remodel is sometime in the future the house is taking on a distinctive character.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Here it is Theo who clambers up the white dresser shelves in the night (little wretch!) and I have come down to some, rearrangements, in the morning. He's only done it once here so far, when some little pine cones were tossed onto the floor to play with.

      The house is feeling more like "us" now, though the combination of furniture and decorative "odds" in the living room were all separated in different rooms at our old home, but come together really well in there. As we see things we need that will suit, they are bought. Yesterday it was a lovely lampshade for a special studio pottery base, and Tam found and bought a lovely small battery-run lamp to go behind and light up a Japanese parasol in her room (and it changes colour if you alter the setting). Looking forward to deciding which new bathroom and tiles and then which new kichen and tiles.

      Delete
  13. I love your pot rack. It is a work of art.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't it lovely? It needs a lick of paint ideally, but will probably stay like it is!

      Delete