At last

I've been looking for one of these for ages! Well since last week really, in a home magazine. I saw a hurricane lamp in a photo and just wanted one really badly. The one in the magazine was £60 which was obviously way out of my price range. After a bit of research online I found a couple I liked for £30, getting better but still too much for me to pay.

I trekked all over town looking for one but....nothing, except today, in a shop I hardly ever go in, maybe twice a year. Its one of those catalogue bargain shops and today I thought I'd just check it out.

There on the shelf was my hurricane lamp priced at £15, brilliant. Turned it round and there was another sticker on for £8 and after VAT I paid the fantastic sum of £6.80! I walked out of the shop with the biggest smile on my face and carefully bought my bargain of the day home where it sits on my dining table, for now. It looks small in this photo but it's pretty big, the candle alone is 8 inches and the lamp is 17 inches.

I wasn't going to leave this one all alone the in the shop for anything but there are plenty of times when I go home to consider something, decide I'll buy it, go back and its gone.

I saw this little sign somewhere that would be just perfect for me....


'Should've bought it when I saw it'.

Projects

With my new found love for spray paint I've been searching charity shops for little things for me to paint and makeover.

Here's my latest, I wish I'd have done a before photo but forgot. It cost £1.49 and was a little pine box, all varnished and orangey. It had a little glass window with a butterfly picture behind the glass. I undercoated it to avoid having to sand it and get this....painted it with a brush and proper paint from a tin! No spray paint on this little baby! Threw away the glass in the front and painted the wood behind it in black.

I knew I wanted a little handle on it but searched for ages because they are so expensive and I didn't really want to spend too much considering I'd only paid £1.49 for the box. I found the perfect little handle for £1.98 in B&Q and hey presto a cute little box which matches my kitchen and cost less than £3.50.

Here's some of my current projects on my 'craft desk' ........

Fantastic craft desk that, an upturned tray on top of the unused exercise bike lol! Black candlesticks no more, yellow glass vase no more. The round box is a work in progress.

Empty nester

That's me....and empty nester, my home is an empty nest. My fledglings have flown and hubby and I are all alone. My baby girl, gone almost a year, my son seven months. They call with excitement in their voices sharing with us snippets of their new lives, their new friends and their new adventures. Its hard, but it gets easier.

So, I don't know if its an empty nest thing or not but I'm decorating, well revamping on a budget, my nest and in doing so, I've found a new love, spray paint! In my case ivory spray paint. This little can of ivory wonder can change your old much loved.....ummm.......old green .......thing, into something that doesn't hurt your eyes, and is no longer a crime from the 90's.

My kitchen was full of green things, a green cooker (it broke, thank goodness!)green tea and coffee containers and other green ugly things.

Some of those ugly things have gone in the bin and some of those ugly things are no longer ugly, they are a beautiful calming, creamy white. One of the ugly things that I used to love, my little chicken drawers, I blogged about it here is now a plain, fresh, spray painted ivory colour. My sweet little green blind that you can see in a photo here was replaced yesterday with white wood blinds like these...



Almost, but not quite, my kitchen will be a calm oasis, well not really but much better than it used to be. No longer a daily assault on the eyes, no longer a kitchen with pictures of chickens and cows (what was I thinking!) just calmer, but still with the old kitchen units from the 90's because don't forget this is on a budget, and with the budget blown on the new cooker a can of ivory spray paint is my new best friend.

Spring

Hello blog!


I decided to pay a visit to this poor old blog because I wanted to leave someone a comment. I just spent ages reading through old posts and its a bit like a diary, lovely to read again but some bits are a bit cringy, especially some self portrait photos, so with the magic of the delete button they've gone.


I don't know if I'll start again, what will I blog about.


Today was so beautiful, the sun was shining and warm and it just smelt like spring was coming. I went for a walk and it was beautiful to see trees and plants waking up after their long sleep. Back home I threw the windows open and refreshed the whole house, I even stopped to take photos of my pretty little tulips.



Maybe I'll visit tomorrow.

okay.....

So typing how hard you're finding it to keep up your blog actually clears that little block. And now, while looking through my hard drive trying to find a photo for grain, because I didn't take one today, I found this one, taken about a week ago (phew, that was a long sentence :-D).

Please excuse the fact that Davids bike is in the shot and that the wind had blown the cover half off and the fact that this was before we picked up the leaves. I was looking through and liked this because you can actually see the suns rays. It was early in the morning I think. If I could be bothered I would find out what time, but its late and I can't. Be bothered that is. Sorry.

Oh oh

I'm in danger of losing it again. I'm finding it a struggle to maintain this blogging business.

Apart from yesterday's alley picture I haven't even spent any quality time with my camera.

I started another blog, a private family that I thought could be like a diary and guess what? I can't be bothered with it after only 3 days. Oh oh!

And my photo blog? I don't know, I might just combine it with this one. Can I? Can I do that?

Can I be bothered..................

I'm moving

Well, not 'moving' moving, just moving all my photos over to here.

I'm keeping this blog for my incredibly random thoughts because I've noticed that just lately I've begun to witter on a bit. I don't want to bore you all with my ramblings, so I'll try to keep up with the her space my space word prompts and post them on a nice tidy blog.

See you over there :-)

Tagged

Been tagged by Jen, thanks Jen :-)

1. My favourite colour at the moment is green. Nothing delicate or subtle, I'm not a delicate or subtle kind of girl, but quite a bright apple-y, kiwi-ish sort of green. I never used to have a favourite colour before. Well, I would always go for bright colours like yellow or orange but not one favourite colour. For some reason, (obviously my age) this green seems to be creeping into my house more and more. For christmas my mum is getting me a green crockery set. Yes! You read it right, green -and I can't wait. I'm also looking to buy these for my bathroom.

Mmm........green.

2. I wish I could keep these random facts nice and short. But sometimes I start typing and all this randomness just spills out. Complete and utter randomness. I am obviously bored. Or boring, one or the other. I mean did you really want to know about my green towels and green crockery? Of course not! See what I mean about the randomness, what's that all about.

3. I wish I was drawn to one style in the home instead of loads. I have magazine clippings for all sorts of things I like, none of them matching or elegant, just too many favourites rushing around in my head.

4. I hate ironing!

5. I love winter. I love spring too. In fact I love all of our seasons!

6. I was in the RAF and so was my husband, now both of my children are going in the forces next year. My daughter says its in their genes.

7. I'm not at all prepared for the empty nest I will soon have. I don't want it thanks very much, take it back, let them live at home until they are 50. I might be better prepared then.

I'm not tagging anyone back because I tagged just recently and everyone I know has done it already.

Sad

Love today's word 'sad' from her space:my space.

Try hard not to use the human face for this word, it said.

I had so many ideas for this word, but this photo completely sums up sad for me today.....



Sarah and I went to take some nice leafy autumny pics and Sarah was to have her first lesson with the 'big' camera today. We sat on the bench for half an hour with me explaining the in's and out's of the SLR and the two lenses we had with us.

First part of the lesson over, we decided to go walking to put into practise what she had just learnt, and the rain started :-(

Today's word is totally Sarah's idea. (Thanks my clever girl, love you!)

Sos

A trip to my favourite place, peaceful and quiet with beautiful grounds.

SPS

Oh I'm so good today. After sleeping for 9 hours straight, I'm wide awake, have cleaned, put washing in, done some photo work for my sister and even done my self portrait for today!



I've been tagged too by Bobs.

These are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

1. I love christmas and have already starting singing christmas songs, much to the amusement of my family! Not only that I sometimes play this all year round christmas radio channel when I'm on here, in fact its on now! (well it does say weird in the rules lol!)

2. I have curly hair. Not pretty curly, but weird curly. Ringlets in some places and just weird sticking out bits in others. Ringlets might look cute on Shirley Temple but not on someone who's 43!

3. I straighten my hair. I couldn't cope without straighteners, honestly. I've straightened it since I was a teenager and figured out I could do it with curling tongs, long before straighteners were ever invented.

4. I can't stand egg whites! Urgh! Just thinking of them makes me cringe!

5. I'm starting to have some sort of panic attacks when I think of both of my children leaving home early next year. Within 5 months they will both be leaving home and the thought of it makes me feel like I can't breathe. I adore them!

6. I have a fear of hairdressers (sorry to all you hairdressers out there). This is definitely linked to having weirdly curly hair. I am the only person who knows how to handle each and every curl and wave and sticky out bit.

7. I was dancing at a disco once about 16 years ago and my skirt fell down! To my ankles! I laughed it off, as you do but was mortified!

Okay now I'm tagging
The other Angela
Jolanda
Sue
AmandaMagpie
Bambi
Hazel
Gems

Things I know

I know that for some reason my 'can't be arsed-itus' is well and truly over, so much so that all I want to do is blog, blog, blog!

I know that I feel the need to share trivia on here right now. Well isn't that what blogs are for? To record our thoughts and things.

I know that I've learnt to put links in comments and italics in comments too! Oh, I'm so impressed with that bit! Does that make me a computer genius yet?

I know that I love saying 'minging'. For some reason it just cracks me up every time I say it.
Minging, minging, minging!! See, I'm laughing right now.

I know that I hate the bit when you get back from the supermarket and have to find homes for all the food in already stuffed cupboards! I really should go and find homes for all the stuff I bought 6 hours ago!

I know that I really should be making tea but the thought of standing in the kitchen for an hour or so preparing and cooking isn't doing anything for me right now. Hmm, my stomach is rumbling a bit though!

I know that I should have had chinese tonight instead of last night, then I wouldn't have to stand in the kitchen for an hour or so preparing and cooking!

I know that over the road from my house the trees are beautifully yellowy and browny, such a difference from 2 months ago, look.........



And 2 months ago we had a single leaf on the deck and I took a photo of it because I was so fascinated with the colours.......

Such a difference from this mornings 'garden' picture.

I know that I'm off to stand in the kitchen for an hour or so preparing and cooking!

Because Suzy said so

Would I jump of a bridge if Suzy told me to? No.

Would I eat a chocolate covered choux bun filled with cream because Suzy told me to?

Too right I would!!


Mmmmm..........

Garden

This is the view I have from my kitchen window.
I love the garden like this, dry with autumn leaves sprinkled everywhere. The trees behind my fence are tall and mostly yellow which filters the light in the most beautiful way. I love autumn.

Update:

The picture I really wanted this morning was not the one above, thats the lazy shot lol!
I actually couldn't be bothered to get down on the floor and get the shot I really wanted, so I stood up and nabbed a quick shot in my pj's before coming in for coffee.

Now all dressed and full of coffee I feel guilty for cheating myself and so I'm posting something more like the shot I really wanted. It's not really a better photo or anything, just a different angle.

There. Now I've been good do I deserve to get myself a cream cake when I go shopping ?

I think so, lol!

Drawers

Todays word over at her space:my space is drawer.

Do I have a favourite drawer? Umm.....................no.

I figured you wouldn't want to see drawers like my lightbulb drawer.........

Or my magazine drawer.......

So instead I thought I'd show you my little kitchen drawers (which I've probably blogged before.) I know they are not modern or cute, but as I'm not modern nor cute, they suit me fine :-D

Why?

Why, when I carefully organise my paragraphs does blogger decide to space them how it wants and not how I want?


I go back and edit, with patience, and space nicely and guess what? Now its different again!

I try it one more time, with a little less patience, and its the same, or different, or whatever blogger decides at that moment.


Aargh! What's the point of having paragraphs blogger, who's writing this, you or me?


Aha, as I thought. A little test and blogger failed it! I didn't put those big spaces between those paragraphs, just a neat little space was what I wanted, but nooooo......blogger wanted it his way!

Clever cat

Firstly, please excuse the rubbish pic, it was such a quick snap, and also the junk in this picture. Apart from the box of apple juice cartons that has no home because there are so many of them, the other junk is going to the charity shop (as soon as I remember to put in in the car!)

I fed the cat just before rushing out and couldn't find the plastic lid for the tin of cat food, so I left on top of the apple juice cartons thinking she would never get it.

When I got home a couple of hours later, my mum and I were having coffee and we could see the cat trying to get at the open tin, obviously the smell was just too much to resist for her.

I still couldn't find the lid so my mum wedged the can between the two boxes as a temporary measure but lo and behold, a while later, there she was, happy as Larry, helping herself. She had eaten the half a tin that was left! She had a lovely afternoon and slept like a baby with a very full stomach from the extra meal.

Cheeky flamin' cat!

Oh, what a beautiful mornin'.......

(This was meant for yesterday when it really was a beautiful morning, but forgot to post it again! Lets just pretend this morning is a beautiful morning, which is isn't, but lets humour me!)

Oh, what a beautiful day,

Ive got a beautiful feelin',

everythings goin' my way

Even my fuschia is enjoying the sun and still flowering.

See what the sun does to me? Makes me want to make cakes!

Take this......

Do this......

Put here....

Forgot to photograph the oven and the icing steps, whoops!

Lets pretend you've already seen the oven the icing steps then.

Eat these.......

Catching up....again!

So there goes another week without posting. So much for getting back into the swing of things. I've been looking at the 'word' and even taking some photos but not got round to actually blogging.

Catching up with these then....

My kitchen isn't this dark its just that the sun was streaming through it this morning and I couldn't capture it all without blowing the outside completely. I love this little window, especially on days like today. The sun is filtering through the leaves on the trees behind my garden creating the most gorgeous display. I also love my little blind with the triangle bottoms that I cut and wonderwebbed myself.

Its been so dark just recently that photographing anything in my narrow hallway has been a nightmare. This is my favourite thing in my hallway.

Lounge.......umm..ok. Well, I'm having a bit of a funny moment with my lounge. Basically I hate it all right now! Is it the time of year or something? I look around and don't know what to do with it, I've just gone off everything. Everthing looks cluttered and mismatching and its driving me mad. This is all I could find in my lounge that I actually like!

Bathroom. There isn't a whole lot to love in my bathroom either lol! It's in the process of being refitted, and a very long slow process that is! The new bath, sink, loo and floor are in. Nothing special, just a whole lot nicer than the 1970's suite that was here before. We have no walls though. Well we have walls, just no tiles, just very chipped plaster and bare breeze block. Its pretty horrific right now and this cheap and cheerful (99p from asda) little toothbrush holder is the nicest thing in there.

Feeling sorry for me? So you should, it's not a pretty sight. Look away if you are easily shocked.......

I'll post a photo of it when its finished. Expect that next year sometime then, lol!

Pink

So we are on the last colour of the rainbow, violet, but Kirsty said we can do pink though, so pink it is.

So handy that my mum gave me this just last night. Its a scarf and I love it! I love its cheerfulness, thanks mum!

I'm posting this early because it's David's birthday today, he's 19. We've got a full day lined up so I'm up bright and early this morning. What would he like for his birthday we asked him. Nothing, he said. No presents anyway, he doesn't need anything. He'd like a fun family day out, thats all.

So easy to please my boy, so grateful he still wants to spend time with us all, family time.

We've got a busy day then, ice skating followed by bowling, a wander round the shops, the cinema and a meal out to finish. A perfect day, perfect family time, all of us together and I'm cherishing every single moment because next year..... they will both be gone.

Indigo

Hmm.....well......not really sure this is indigo, but this was tough. I'm looked all over and clearly I'm not a purpley kind of girl. Now give me green and I'm spoilt for choice but indigo, well this was the best I could do.

Looking forward to seeing what Kirsty has up her sleeve once the colours of the rainbow are done.

Self portrait saturday

During my spell of 'can't-be-arsed-itus' I actually did take some photos, just never got round to posting them.

One of them was a self portrait for saturday, 29th sep.

So, as I'm going away this weekend, I'll cheat and leave you with this pic. Disguised with a brick effect because it was blurry but I just couldn't be bothered to do it again.

B is for ....

Blue!

I know that now, because we're doing rainbow colours. So why on earth would I think b was for brown! I got so excited with all the autumn colours that I just naturally saw 'b' and put this and this pic together.

Having figured out how stupid I am, and why on earth would brown be one of the colours in the rainbow, I had to find something blue quick. We're off to the mother in laws tonight and I should be packing and clearing out the fridge, instead I'm having to walk around trying to find something blue in a very un blue house.

So this is my blue, my jeans.

I apologise for this rubbish pic and complete lack of imagination folks.

Have you ever.....

Done what I've just done? I went to my blog through the front page or profile or whatever you call it and noticed my age in MASSIVE numbers on it (okay, maybe not massive but they might have well as been massive the way they jumped out at me!)

43 Nooooo, that's not right, surely!

It flipping is right :-(

Sad how you forget how old you are once you turn 40, a sign of old age that I even forget, lol!

By the way, got me a nice new keyboard. And they'll be no eating near this keyboard. Ever! Not that I ever ate toast here. Never!

Green

Went for a drive to the lake today. The lake is beautiful, it's up in the hills. It was so lovely there, the water was still with not a bit of breeze to be had. The colours of autumn were reflected in the lake and it was just perfect, still and quiet, with just two or three fishermen there. The farmer was rounding up the sheep on his quad bike and apart from annoyed sheep, (and did you know that sheep are particularly noisy when they're annoyed?) that was the only sound.

Saw some amazing toadstools, the size of side plates....

It was truly soul replenishing stuff, the silence and the beautiful surroundings.

Back then to main roads and busy traffic through town, barking dogs, more traffic, mobile's ringing and beeping, tv and general everyday noises.

Having given myself a kick up the backside and dusted off the poor neglected camera I am completly over my 'can't-be-arsed-itus' and ready to start with my daily photos again. Apart from the weekend that is, a visit to the mother law is long overdue.

Back for business on monday.

Washing keyboards is not a good idea!

Yesterday morning I decided to wash the keyboard.

Yes I know now thats not a good idea, especially as I'm typing on my laptop now instead of my big computer.

It was just so horrible with crumbs stuck between most keys. Turning it upside down and giving it a good whack, (the usual method of cleaning) was doing nothing. So I spent hours taking it apart, taking off every key, photographing the keyboard so I knew where each key went, washing each key and the rubber mat beneath it. I let it dry for hours, then blasted it all with a hairdryer and carefully put each key back in place and.......nothing! A bit fat nothing!

I took each key off again, checked it all over to make sure I'd put it back together properly and put each key back once more. This time half the keyboard works and thats how it is now, the left hand side working and the right hand side works if you stab the hell out of the keys. You can't make a mistake because the backspace key doesn't work at all and you have to stuff a screwdriver down the hole to backspace.

Anyway, thanks to my uncomplicated laptop, I can type it up and save this post then go on my other computer to post the photos.

So over at her space my space we're on the colours of the rainbow. Here's the first 3 colours....

Red...

Orange...

Yellow...

Whoops, blogger won't let me upload my photos right now and I accidently hit publish post. I will be back later to put the photos on.

Boo hoo, I still can't put them on, silly blogger. Is it because its had a shock to see me back, lol!

Me and blogger are going to fall out if it keeps this up.
Is it just me having a problem uploading photos?

Sorry blogger, I love you!

At last, here's red, taken last week at the park. Look at those colours in the background, oranges, pink, yellows reds, just beautiful. I think I'll go every week till the leaves go.

And here's orange... poop! Its gone again!

Back in business, here's orange, the inside of my lovely, no gorgeous camera bag.....

And finally, here's yellow.....

Well why should it work hey? So I just sit around looking at stuff and missing corrie while I wait for blogger to get over its hissy fit and let me upload my last photo.

Lets try again, here's yellow?....... Nope, no yellow for now.

Off to watch rubbish on the tele, back to try in the adverts :-)

Whoo hoo! Here's yellow....

Still suffering from 'can't-be-arsed-itus'

I shall visit the doctor, surely he can fix it.

Back soon (hopefully!)

Sponge

My favourite sponge, all the way from Zakynthos! I love it, its so soft!

dog

Here she is, you've all seen her before. Tammy.

She had to go to the vet on Saturday, she was limping and just generally down. She had an infection in her pad, and after an injection and only just a couple of days antibiotics she is back to her crazy puppyish self. She's nearly 11 this little dog, but still the happiest sweetest little dog ever.

Folders

I mentioned in my Saturday post that I was going to cover some a5 folders, well I did and here is the result. One for me and one for my mum. I love mine especially. (apart from the stupid letters going down the spine, don't like that at all, but can't get them off and can't be bothered to replace it now)

The christmas planner is mine, and the orangey one is left blank for my mum because I don't know what she is going to put in hers. (Oops, you can see where I haven't finished inside the back cover yet)

Yes...I know its only september and I'm thinking about christmas already, but hey, you gotta be organised and since visiting Organised Christmas, I plan to have the most organised christmas ever. For the last 3 years we've been on holiday in december, 2 years for christmas day and last year we got home 2 days before christmas, so this year we are home for christmas, properly.

I've got christmas menu's planned already, and I've just done an 8 week menu planner, no more pondering what to eat for tea, just nice varied meals. We're actually on week three and so far so good, although I did have to swap tonight's beef curry for Wednesday's fish because I started the curry way to late and no one wanted to eat at 9pm. Its great because I have a proper shopping list and I've managed to cut down on the amount I've been spending too, not so many impulse buys and everything gets used up, and now I cook a meal for us and a meal for the freezer therefore cutting down on the time spent in the kitchen.

They have a load of printable pages to help with your planner which I still need to organise properly but I'm getting there. No last minute frantic present buying for me this year, I'll hopefully have it all under control. I've already got one diy present started for family and friends, can't tell you though in case my mum ever reads this.

Our new bath goes in on wednesday or thursday, and the tiles next week. Just can't wait! Finally after years of a horrible bathroom it will be nice or even lovely. We've got wood cladding all around the bath and sink, it was lovely when we did it, about 14 years ago. I'm ashamed to say it but it was green, a forest green wash for wood so the grain showed through. Worse still we had a green carpet, YUCK!

Last year when I decided I just couldn't live with it anymore but we didn't have the money to replace the bathroom, I painted all the wood a creamy white. It was nice, even ok, but the carpet got ripped up and that is how our bathroom has been for months, bare floorboards and white-ish wood panelling.

Now, the new floor is in, the new sink and the new loo. It's already a massive improvement on what we had. I'll post a picture of it, the smallest bathroom in the world, when it's finished.

Show off Sunday

Today is show off Sunday or SOS. These are my favourites from this week.

Firstly, a late comer in my garden. Because my garden had a massive (and I mean massive, really stripped out) make-over this year we are completely devoid of all living things out there, apart from the grass of course. Next year we will plant and it will be pretty again. However, we do have two pots, one with my sweet little tree in it which I posted here, its such a little thing, can't be more than a foot and a half tall, and a almost dead rose in a pot. The almost dead rose decided to surprise me and began to sprout the tiniest little leaves and look what finally opened up on Monday, a tiny little rose. Must be about an an inch and a half, that's all, here it is....

Next are two favourites from last Saturday when my sister came up for a couple of days with her two little ones. This is my little nephew, three on Saturday. Funny, kind, sensitive, a really sweetie......

and this is my niece. She's nearly two but don't let the cuteness fool you, tough as old boots this adorable little girl. Will fall, laugh, and get straight back up to do it again. Has a almost permanent smile on her face and is the happiest little girl I've seen. Just look at that cheeky face...