Danger. Men at Work!

J and K have been hard at work on the tree house since 8.00 am - a glorious morning.

Full English served at 10.30 to keep up moral.

The roof is on, some fixtures and fittings and a pulley system for the ladder.

Of course, the sun went in as soon as I went out.

Sleeping bags next week?

The elixir of life!

Having spent all of Easter in bed with a chest infection, Coleshill Surgery closed for 3 days and not enough energy to go the 12 miles to a drop in centre, I took "Broncho Stop".

By Tuesday when I saw a doctor, my chest was clear.

I still have a cough but have lost over half a stone, so not all bed.

Mini has had a wash and will be leaving tomorrow after having won a lot of hearts.

Washing dried well and mostly in by tea time.

A new treasure with someone's name already on it - Lipcombe, I think, Temple Bar.

Little Toby jug is on his way to Canada, having sold very well.

Happy Birthday!

Well, this was a challenge, but I'm quite pleased with the result and well aware that it won't look like that for long.

I did have to test a bit of the off cuts.

Scrummy!

Party frock on soon.

I guess that Hammerite is edible?

Border biscuits

These are allowed even when dieting as they are the best chocolate ginger biscuits in the world and you can get away with just eating one!

I just ate the last one, but.......

there was another packet in the "goody cupboard".

B's bouquet from Mothering Sunday, still going strong, apart from the roses.

Beautiful colours.

Right Your Majesty, where would you like it?

I am hoping that the dustmen will take it all away this morning - two bags in the bin and four not in.

This morning we did the Griffin corner before cleaning the church and mowing part of the graveyard.

The Sanctuary got short shrift.

Now for coffee and off to Solihull to collect J & Th from school.

After cooking their tea and playing football with Th I may have time to peruse my mail and e bay.

After.

On loan, sadly, stained after living in a farmyard.

You have to smile at a winter pansy.

Another puncture!

Today I got a puncture, the third in as many weeks.

The first was in Wales, in a deep pothole, in the dark.

The new tyre was punctured within the week in Maxstoke, the wall slit in a very deep pothole.

Today, whilst driving carefully to avoid my newly valeted car getting dirty and to avoid potholes, I got another puncture.

The only good news was that the tyre was worn.

£300 on tyres in 3 weeks .

What on earth is our road tax spent on if not on making the roads fit to drive on?

I shall write to N Warks.

Having been into B'ham in the sunshine, after sorting out the tyre, we now have the roofing for the tree house (green Coroline, made from recycled tyres) and my bedroom dressing stool is at the upholsterers to be recovered in perple velvet.

I spent a couple of hours sorting things for the yard sale.

I rebound the following little gems in a box of China.

This one is W H Goss and is just 4cm high.

This one is Royal Doulton, a massive 7cm high, "the Falconer".

This clown has no marks, but looks interesting.

Anyone know what he is?

Clean for the Queen.

This afternoon we collected 4 large bags of litter, a floor standing fan, a tyre and a sack from Castle Lane.
We are expecting the Queen any day now and would hate her to see the locality not at it's best.
Maxstoke cleaned their lanes last week.
The litter is mounting up again already from the passing traffic and those who stop to have lunch in a gateway, then leave their rubbish behind, having enjoyed the countryside.
A gateway along the road has the cannabis bags left by the youngsters who park up there, the ditches and gateways have the bags of compost from cannabis plants.
The compost is no problem once you've split and emptied the bags and removed them.

Could we have an island somewhere far off where these anti social folk can all be sent to live together.
Just a thought.

Opposite of a manicure?

Polishing copper/brass/silver.
This cost me two nails and smelly hands, but......
It did start life as a silver plated tea service but has been laboriously polished back to the copper by someone in the past.
I love it.
The cake plare is Royal Winton, another star.

Charles Horner has a new home.

I rarely buy on e bay.

This was an exception, a dear little Charles Horner brooch with nice CH on the reverse.

I shall never forget the sale as having left a bid the previous day, I remembered the auction just in time, whilst sitting with the family, on Saturday evening.

B was sitting next to me and spotted that I had left a bid of £24,500!!!!

Decimal place, misplaced!

I must admit to palpitations as the sale ended, being aware that I would no doubt, be "the winner".

It did end as a good buy and I love it.

Happy Mothering Sunday.

OK, so it coincides with "Mother'Day", but "Mothering Sunday" came first - 16th Century!

After painting with egg white, B grilled the top for me - not a job for me as I'm easily distracted.

The sinner cake went down well after church, only one piece remaining, to take for an absentee.

11 or 12 marzipan balls/apostles on the top?

My problem was solved as K came in the kitchen whilst I was decorating the cake and ate one of the balls - farewell Judas!

Home for a lazy afternoon, after the ironing is done, to sit by the fire and. Her on Andy.

Lightning McQueen's little brother or what?

(This photo should be at the end.
It refuses to move so please use your imagination)

This is the latest family member, fostered not adopted I fear.

Lightning McQueens little brother or what!

After 14 years in a garage he started first time and purrs along, gently, as the brakes are.........

Some TLC including some bodywork on the rear wings and he may just have to stay.

This would have some knock on benefits; I have just sat in, roof off (this works independently of the rear screen).

Getting in, not too bad.

Getting out, horrific, not helped by rain and leather soled shoes, but the diet would have to work!

With the roof on I think that it would be a case of crawling.

Actually, I'm writing tomorrow's sermon, or rewriting, as it is at this stage, making it more accessible, fun and interesting than the first draft.

That's the theory, anyway.

Adding a few anecdotes about my mother to paint a picture - not a lot like Mary, apart from the love.

Perhaps Mary would have mistaken a scrap yard piled high with cars for a car park - "They're piling them in that Car Park" if she'd lived in the 20th century.

Perhaps she would have locked herself out of the house and gained entry by breaking a kitchen window, on a regular basis and always spent the last 15 min of any journey looking for her house keys, if they had needed to lock their doors in the year dot!

Sim bel cake made days ago, just needing the decoration, marzipan and 10 or 11 balls of marzipan to represent the apostles.

Should Judas be there or not?

Should we really be keeping it for Easter?

I think that it will go down really well with coffee at the end of the service, as usual.

(Why can't I write after the last photo?)

Does life get any better than this?

Yesterday my new shoes/semi boots from Ecco arrived - half price in the sale - I love them

Demara, or something like that:

I recommend their sale - they might have something you like left.

Today, the post brought the cake forks that I bought on e bay - I seem to have a bit of a problem with buying cake forks at the moment!

They match the cake slice that I bought at Malvern Flea Market as part of an armful of mixed treasures, for £5

Sorry, just gone into e bay mode.

These are not for sale anyway, keep or a gift.

We went into Birmingham on the train to have lunch at "Edmunds" in Brindley Place - an 8 course taster menu bought on Travelzoo as a gift that hadn't worked, so we used it.

It was magnificent, service, food and presentation from the carrot and ginger soup with ginger croutons with a drop of hazelnut oil infused with Moroccan spices to the chocolate mousse in a chocolate box with pistachio ice cream with pistachio crumbs then 5 amazing cheeses.

The best chocolate mousse ever!

The chef came out to chat and sent a dish of petit fours with our coffee.

Started at 1.30, left at 3.45pm, back to Grand Central aka New Street Station, and home, to collapse by a log fire.

Time for bed.

Guess who.

Yes.

It was Orville farting in the bath!

Bet you haven't seen that before.

Hi is devalued due to a chip on the back of his head.

A new day.....

and it's raining!
Listening to Womans' Hour yesterday, I decided that I should update my blog to be like "Zoella".
I'm sure that everyone else had heard of her blog, upbeat guidance for girls on make-up, hair etc.
I then realised that I had no guidance to offer as my make-up is pretty staid and only bought when needed rather than on a whim to change my look, and my hair is decided by Brian, my hairdresser, on my infrequent visits, made out of necessity when feeling like a sheepdog, or for the, now rare, important outing.
That was far too long a sentence!

So, what can I blog about?
Yesterday was a good e bay day, 4 parcels posted and another 3 packed and sent for posting today, with K.
Yesterday, a cashmere gillet, merino wool cardigan, Wedgwood jasperware tea ware trio and a large Spode golfing tankard.
Today, a pair of Carlton ware butter/ pin dishes, an electric blue Wallis dress and a Crew pink gingham shirt.
All really attractive and sure to be well received.
To balance this, I bought tissue paper and 150 Jiffy bags, in 3 sizes, having all but run out,
I would like to buy some thin polythene bags as clothing slips into a Jiffy bag much more easily if bagged.

I have just bought a pair of shoes (look more like boots to me, low cut, luxury desert boots as they once were) in the Ecco on line sale.
A bargain and just what I want.
They arrive tomorrow

I have loads to do as the kitchen is still full of goods inwards, some still to be assessed, and I didn't really do much housework last week as I wasn't here much.