29 November 2013

PAINTED WHITE PICTURE FRAMES

They're up at last.........



the painted white picture frames......



and proudly hanging in the hall on the landing to the spare room!!!!



These were the frames back in April of this year, waiting patiently for a little restoration, small repair and a new lease of life .  Having bought two of them in France at a brocante and the other two from a souk in Marrakech, I had plans for new glass, paint and some thing to put in them.

  

(above) These are the frames laid out on newspaper on the dining room table. Matt white paint was used, the same as on the walls.  I felt this was important, so that the frames 'melt into the walls' making the image more prominent. The detail on the frames won't be missed by being in white.

What to put in the frames? - well that was easy. My children have hinted that we don't have any photos of them around the house, so the wall in the hall will become a gallery of photos of them over the years.  We will need to buy (or find) some more old frames to complete the whole wall but excited to follow it's progress.  

20 November 2013

CHUTNEY AND JAM MAKINGS

It seems a bit 'after the event' (seeing we made them back in early October) but I promised this post a while ago and hate to break a promise, so here are our chutney and jam making endeavours.

Because we had so much wonderful fruit growing in the orchard this year, we needed an outlet for it.......
we decided both Spicy Apple Chutney and Victoria Plum Jam were the answer. 

 
(above) various spices and peeled apples

  (above) chopped garlic 

  (above) fresh lemons for the spicy chutney


(above)  large cooking pot, thermometer, Victoria plums and sugar


 (above) testing the jam to see if it's thick enough


 ( above) jam jars filled and grease proof paper added.

Ta...da.......


Labels and white lids added.  Stored in the pantry ready for eating.  



14 November 2013

FROM AROUND THE HOUSE

There seems a recurring theme running through our house - white and natural.....  

 






5 November 2013

POTTERY MAN

We have a little pottery man in our garden that I found at the bottom of the compost heap under years and years of rubble and soil.


This is him front on. I believe he must have been made many years ago by one of the four children who lived in our house previous to us. They are all grown-up now with children of their own. I think he was thrown away and has been covered for a very long time.



This is him from the side.  There is something lovely about him.  He has a chubby tummy, big ears, dark bushy eyebrows and very short arms!! Not the best looking of pottery pieces but I kind of like him in a nostalgic way.


He now sits on one of the posts near the raspberry bushes next to the compost bins where he was found.  Here he can see us come and go through the orchard. This is his view....