Saturday 30 September 2017

Blouse project

I have been going through the blouses I made for summer wear.  Most worked well but there were one or two aspects I could improve for next year's batch.

Square neckline pull over top - With a couple of extra inches on length so they did not ride up when gardening they fitted well. But the shoulders kept falling off. Or as my husband says I looked like I had one of Carole K's (Gardeners World) cardigan's!

Button through top - great fit except the neckline may plunge a little too much for gardening.

Yoke top - higher neckline, cap sleeves keep the top of the arms safely covered.  But if you need to put on a cardigan the yoke puffs out the front uncomfortably.  Also too short in the body.

I am adapting this classic pattern into a blouse. I like the rise around the back of the neck, and that makes it a nice warm autumn blouse.  I am smoothing out the pointy bit.  I have had 3 goes making the pattern with spare material so far (too short, too tight round the bust, more swing needed in the back) - working up to this lovely bright fabric I treated myself to!  The prototypes will go into the gardening blouse draw and will get some wear next year.

I saw on Bobo Run's blog that she had found a pattern for bibbed overall's - now that is a pattern I would like to try for gardening!

Friday 29 September 2017

Saving some money on the mobile?

I have long criticized my husband's choice of mobile phone provider and contracts mostly as we never  use the minutes or texts all up and we NEVER use the data allowance for a mobile device.  If we are out we are out to see the scenery, enjoy being with other people and explore for ourselves - not use Google or constantly check the virtual world.   So finally after yet another change in contract charges and another bill error they can't explain or put right, he has given up with contracts and listened to me and our eldest's advice.

Image result for mobile phones

We have a cheap phone (very old fashioned) and now a £10 PAYG sim card deal.  One from a supermarket where you get club card points  and access to a real person standing in the local store that can sort problems there and then (like unlocking).  I have a bet we will not use £10 in a month so it will be cheaper than the provider's last ditch offer  to keep us on their list. I shall win this bet - its been 6 days and we have not made a call or a text yet.



Thursday 28 September 2017

Opps in the decorating

We are very experienced in home decorating yet we managed to trip ourselves up today.  We were revamping the existing varnished shelves by adding some new wood and re jigging the old shelves around - so we had to prime all the surfaces. We grabbed some primer at the store the other day without really looking and it turned out to be oil based paint.  It was terribly smelly but did the job: then we used some oil based undercoat from our shed which was equally smelly but did give a good finish.

That over, next day we planned to use some water based gloss paint to finish it all off. But it did not take and the paint went a bit weird.  If I was making a cake it would be that point when the mix "curdles" and "separates". Apparently you have to wait a week to let the "solvents" mature and dissipate in the oil based paints.  That has never happened to us before.

Ah well. lesson learnt.

New plan to move the room forward and return the "stuff" so that the second bedroom can be cleaned up and we can get at the wardrobe for a change of clothes!

Wednesday 27 September 2017

Ripening pears

Despite our early spring fears about our tree fruit the Bramleys and pears have produced some fruit. We were unsure how to tell when pears were ripened. Apparently you pick them when a gentle pull detaches them from the tree and put them in with bananas -  this worked well for the comice pears.  But these conference pears have been in the bowl for a good week.
 Fresher bananas on today's shopping list. 
Any ideas? Or just cook with them to soften?


Tuesday 26 September 2017

Decorating


Image result for exhausted decorator

The decorating of the third bedroom is proving to be a chore. My husband decided painting over the embossed paper would not do and we took it all off.  Revealed cracks; so lots of poly-filler needed.  Painting the wooden shelves white has involved smelly primer and  undercoat in vast quantities.

The house is a mess, stuff everywhere, evening meals have been a strange, dis-organised mixture.

I am exhausted and my husband's arthritis is throbbing.  Be glad to finish this project.

Been lovely weather which the local army airborne division are taking advantage of - we have been buzzed by pairs of army helicopters for the last two days.  What is that all about?



Saving my winter waterproof coat

We are planning an autumn trip to Scotland which prompted me to suggest to the better half that I might need a new coat.  I brought current one in a sale in GO about 5 years ago for £20; it was cheap mostly because its bright red and partly it was mislabeled size 20.  Its actually barely a size 16. The red is only a disadvantage when hiking if you need to pop behind a bush!

My only worry is the coat is grubby on the sleeves and I am not sure its totally waterproof on the seams.  We stopped in a a well known outdoor store the other day to do a recce and I found a good quality one. Then hurriedly let go, and told my husband to step well back - "don't touch" I hissed looking round for any shop assistants.  "Why?"  "Its £199.95!!"  "Well, your not having that one.  This one is £80 but I think you old one is better quality." he replied.  "I'm just not sure its as waterproof as it was" I was explaining when a nearby customer suggested re-proofing like her friend did. She was called over the friend and gave us some hints about doing it.

We brought some half price waterproofing on the way out. Next sunny period in the weather I will have a go.  It was £7.  So could be a lot cheaper that a new coat.

Has anyone tried to do this?

Wednesday 20 September 2017

Hares

My husband seems to have adopted a baby hare.  Or it has adopted him!

It pops out of the raspberry bed, or the beetroot row or from behind a fence post just a few feet in front of his ride on mower.  After several  near misses/near heart attacks he has taken to walking around making a noise before starting out to mow the field areas.

Not too much damage being done. He chased it out of the poly tunnel one afternoon where it was hiding in the strawberries and snacking on lettuce. He has recorded  midnight snacking on the pea row on his wildlife camera - no wonder our pea crop has been hopeless.  When husband has got it to move it bolts for our neighbours cabbage patch.

To remind him to check the field first I have painted him a hare picture for the conservatory.

Grandson thinks its hilarious. His favourite videos and books are about Peter Rabbit sneaking around Mr McGregor's garden.

Welcome to my new followers - thank you for visiting.




Sunday 17 September 2017

Renovating 3rd bedroom

We had our 2 older grand daughters and their mother for a few days in August and the elder one begged us for a separate room from her sister and mother because they snored so much. She wanted to sleep on the settees but as these are rapidly deteriorating (saggy seats) we were reluctant. Our third bedroom is used as s study/computer room and literally we just dumped stuff in there 3 years ago and have not moved a thing since.  Quick clean up and we put the camp bed in there for her.  

Having done that, we realized it was quite a big room and the built in shelves may have suited a previous owner were not helping our storage needs.  As it was forecast to rain most of this week we made a deal which was - as long as the wall paper  (embossed with glossy vinyl beige paint - yuk) was not damaged and could just have a coat of emulsion over and no money was spent on wood my husband could renovate as he uses this room far more than me.  I would assist as much as possible. We can probably find £25 for this updating - not much money to spare as our dentist wants about £80 to re-do some of our fillings and we need to think about winter fuel soon.


Once the shelves were carefully deconstructed, the husband puzzled out a plan reusing the wood and some bits from his store.  

There are also existing shelves running round the room.  These too may be re-purposed.; probably without the large metal "struts". 

As you can just see the main painting problem will be the brown stencil pattern running round the room.  We have a small amount of white emulsion left over which I think I will use up "killing" that off before we find some money for fresh paint.  I mistakenly encouraged him to join me watching "Celebrity Money for Nothing" the other rainy afternoon and he is channeling his inner Jay Blade now and suggesting line green walls and highlights of primary colours.   I suppose its beats the dull, dingy beige.

Hope the kids are not thinking of coming here for half term as I can't see this project being completed all that quickly as traipsing up and down stairs and right through house and down the garden to the shed for tools and sawing wood adds to the job. 



Saturday 16 September 2017

Hedge sparrow population

I think we have been too generous with feeding routine in our front garden and the hedge sparrows have had a very successful breeding season. There are about 10 on the feeder.

At the same time there are about 16 underneath picking up the spilled seed.

The great tits and blue tits wait till late afternoon and the sparrows have gone off to turn up to tackle the peanuts.  There are definitely 3 or 4 pairs of these now.  
Have your bird populations increased this year?


Friday 15 September 2017

Stressful Friday

8.30 am
Husband: Tube attack. South west London.
Me:         Which line. Which station?  Where's the mobile phone?
Husband: District.Wimbledon way. Not much info only just happened.
Me: Phew. Don't think either of them would be over there  Should be on school run now - probably Penge/Dulwich way ??
Husband: I'll text.

 8.45 am
Land line is ringing.

I apologies to random sales man flogging some national scheme for new boilers.  I really, really don't want one and that was a very bad moment to ring!!!!

10.00 am Text: we are home having coffee; safe and sound.

Me?  I'm adding sugar to the latest batch of blackberry wine.  I need more alcohol in my life.


Monday 4 September 2017

Them kids and their devices

Their gone. Summer holidays are over.

With it our monthly data allowance.  Sorry no blog posts or blog reading until the next accounting period and I shall have so much to catch up on.