a few quid, some wonga or extra spondulies # 1

In case all this is just gibberish to you, what I'm trying to tell you is that I'm feeling a bit flush !
I have a few extra quid (pounds) in my pocket and it feels good.

When you've got some extra wonga the best thing to do is go spend it !

Definitely don't go and get yourself some new winter boots because both your pairs have holes in them !

Don't go get yourself some badly needed under garments (because let's face it, in my case there's no-one to see them anyway !).

Don't save it all for a rainy day because that day may never come !

DO go spend some because - RETAIL THERAPY IS GOOD FOR YOU !!!

The first thing I spent my spondulies on, was a load of plants, but more on that another day. Then I went straight down to the largest charity shop I know.

It's a massive warehouse that once housed an environmental project, hence the backgrounds painted with green rolling hills !

The small items are arranged in colour co-ordinated sections, red, green and blue although it's a bit unnecessary when one needs to look at everything !

 

But it not very cheap, so I left behind the two plates below, even though they are the willow pattern with gold detail, and I do love a bit of blue and gold. One is priced at £5 and one at £7 - YIKES !!

 

I also love these old scales, but I have some and these are extortionately priced at £25 (about $40) - super YIKES !

 

 

There were two of these gorgeous chairs at £35 each but again, I think that's too much, and I don't have the space anyway.

 

I nearly came home with the candle sconce sitting on the chair, but I wasn't loving the shape.

 

So what did I buy - well I got these two lovely Wedgewood soup plates, that I don't really need, but hey they are in perfect condition and only cost £2.50 for the two.

 

 

This cute little dutch dish, that cleaned up really well and is now a spoon rest for when I cook.

 

This metal planter, because I can't resist 'feet' and handles. The plastic flowers got thrown out and I think it'll get a makeover, although I quite like the little hand painted detail.

 

So what do you think, I didn't go too crazy did I, but the best is yet to come !

Yes the spending didn't stop there. More on that next time.

 

And the reason why I'm feeling flush, well I had a bit of a promotion.

I didn't particularly want the responsibility or the extra work load, but I seriously needed a pay rise.

Basically the head chef left and I was offered his job, so I took it.

I don't have his chef-ing skills, because I'm not a professional but I'm trying to keep up his standard.

It also means that I don't have his wage, but my wage has gone up enough to make a difference, so it's so nice to have a few extra sheckles to spend.

 

I've also been doing, and been paid for, a lot of overtime, so the retail therapy takes the edge off my aching limbs !

 

mini local tour

Moving back to my own house took me away from the sea, but to a much prettier part of the town. Although I am surrounded by streets full of very similar terraced houses, I actually like the bay windows and wooden porches and not very far away there are some wonderfully old period properties.

a few of the terraced streets

 

Like many English towns, there is a cricket green here. A triangular grassed area for the singular purpose of providing a place to play cricket, in the summer months. Traditionally, a cricket match would have been followed by a proper afternoon tea with cucumber sandwiches, cakes and scones, served at the cricket pavilion.

 

I live near Broadwater cricket green. It's not the prettiest green but it's a nice place to walk the dog, and if the pavilion is in use, they leave water bowls out for all of us canine lovers.

 

The rather plain cricket pavilion is on the right.

On the south side of the green (and too near the road for me) is this really pretty cottage. The road runs by the right hand side, and unfortunately it's overlooked by those ghastly looking block of flats, but isn't it pretty with the wisteria and roses over the porch.

 

 

Walking away from the cricket green past the very uninteresting local shops, you come to Broadwater Street East, which is the oldest street in the neighbourhood.

 

 

I found this old picture on the internet and although there is no date, I think it is early 1900's, the view is almost the same, just a wider shot.

 

 

And that last little house is for sale ! You can view the details here. It had been used as a shop with maisonette above, but it's teeny weeny inside, and I don't think I'd like to live...............

 

 

by the graveyard ! Would you want to spend £109, 950 on this ? that's about $165,000 or 1250,000 Euros !

 

 

 

On the opposite side of the road from the Churchyard, are my favourite houses, I'd love to take a sneak peak inside.

 

The first one has a lovely shade of grey/green on the doors and window frames, off set by the bright white (though I'd have to pull up all those weeds).

 

The next one is much smaller, though it has a beautiful arch over the door, that in my opinion desperately needs a climbing rose !

 

The third one is just gorgeous. Again it's set back from the street and I love the pretty porch, the wisteria and rhododendron.

 

Past this little row of houses are two much larger properties with high walled gardens.

 

The first would be the ideal property for me, because

 

if you go around the back

you'll find a double garage with an artists studio over the top !

Well that's what I've decided it is ! Wouldn't it be perfect though, the staircase leads up from behind the walled garden, to an extension that could be used as a green house, and inside there would be a little kitchen, and maybe even a bathroom..................................

The other house I have admired many times is on the opposite side of this road and could be used in a period drama (if you took away the signs, road markings, tv aerial etc.). It's a beautiful Regency property, with the original sash windows.

Can you see the rose arbour over the path. I'd love to look in that garden, let alone the house. At the back is another large walled garden where I've spied the top of a gorgeous looking conservatory.

 

They both have views over the church, and if the sea were 5 minutes in any direction, I'd happily have either of them !!!

 

And maybe you're thinking that I took these pictures on a rare sunny day in the UK, but actually we've been having a heat wave over here and the poor cricket green, no longer looks so green !

 

 

I think that's enough spying for one day, have a great weekend,

Fiona xx

 

 

 

 

my fairy Godmother

Holly, over at Full Circle Creations has a 'free stuff fairy' in the form of her Aunt Barb, who brings her great stuff to turn into greater stuff.

Well I have a Fairy Godmother in the form of Pandy's mother. If you have been here before, you will know that Pandy and her mother are always giving me things. It's pretty constant and I know I am very lucky.
I think I'll call Pandy - the Fairy Princess, because she's into bling (way too much) she's into pink (way too much) and she's into perfection (definitely way too much for me !).

Luckily the Fairy Princess is in Spain at the moment, so she won't be reading this !

Anyway, I digress.

About three weeks ago my fairy Godmother gave me possibly the biggest present you could give someone, aside from a house, or a boat.

Yes, she gave me a car !!!

This lovely silver Ford Fiesta Ghia with leather upholstery in almost perfect condition.

 

Everyone in the family upgraded, so they had a spare car, and very generously, they decided that I needed one, because I was driving round in a very old, rusty and beaten up Vauxhall Corsa.

 

 

My poor little car was on it's last legs. I was told in January that it would only last about a year, so she went for scrap !

 

 

I am definitely very lucky and very grateful and LOVE LOVE LOVE my new car !

 

Thank you FAIRY GODMOTHER xx

 

 

 

 

 

for Bliss

If a friend has a party, you really wanna go, right !

Then you realise it's a Christmas party in July !

HUH !

You can't be thinking about Christmas, it's an unbelievably hot summer in the South of England, and Christmas is way off, like about 6 months lol !

But it's a friend, a special friend who many know and love, so you TRY to think of something.......................

Then you have lightbulb moment and you give it a go.
Giving it a go lasts all of one minute and you decide you can't be bothered, coz IT'S SUMMER and pottering in the garden seems like loads more fun.

Then stupidly you mention to the party host - the one that you know (coz there are actually three party hosts), that you had a little idea but probably won't get round to !

Then you know that you have made a true friend, a friend that you would love to meet someday (and so would many others, so you'd have to get in the queue) because she starts bossing you around !

She starts telling you what to do and how to do it, and just come to the party anyway.

So, how can you let a friend down, especially a bossy one !

Then you do something that all good friends do, you completely ignore her and go back to your original idea.

Last Christmas I created some no cost decs for the beach café where I work ..............................

 

so I had a little idea to start on this years decorations, using the vegetable crates that I keep bringing home.

 

Carefully take one apart with some pliers. Rip it coz you don't have the patience to do anything else.

 

Hot glue gun six pieces together, stamp Merry Christmas on it in different languages, add some little stars.

 

Then photograph it all over your house to make it look like you've made loads.

 

Feel happy that you made it to the party and didn't let your friend down and ALSO that you made a start on Christmas 2013, because actually it turned out ok, and what's more, it was completely FREE.

 

(Apologies Bliss, I tried to make a driftwood reindeer as you suggested, but it didn't look nearly as good as your log reindeer, in fact it was rubbish. Do I get an A* for effort ???).

my front garden

This was the front of my house, when I bought it more than ten years ago.

 

There was a lovely Canadian maple growing over the front of the house, but it grew from a neighbours house, and unfortunately they cut it down.

(Sorry about the poor quality of the photos, I don't have a scanner, so they are photos of photos !).

 

I didn't like the ugly black box hiding the gas metre, or the grass, or the non-evergreen plants, that I knew nothing about.

Up till then I hadn't even owned a house plant !

 

So we (me and the previous old  geezer) changed it

to this -

 

A pretty patio, with lots of blue plants, delphiniums, clematis, lobelia, felicia, and some Mediterranean style plants, a parlour palm and cordyline. I also painted the gas box to match the bricks !

 

And we changed the door to this -

 

I drew up the design and we knew someone who did stained glass, but it was the previous old geezer's very

good idea, to have all the door furniture chromed.

 

As my lovely blogger friends know, when I moved back here recently, I took a picture of my little old house.

 

 

But I couldn't wait to fill up my window boxes, and put some pot plants out.

 

The gas box has faded somewhat, so I need to paint it again; and the plants have grown somewhat !

 

 

And I had great fun, cleaning up the patio with a jet spray last week (a present from the usual place).

 

Before

Jet spray fun

After

After

 I would love to buy a whole lot more plants, and I have an old dustbin I'd like to use, but all in good time.

I also love the view of my garden from the living room.

 

 

And I'm really enjoying going to garden centres again, learning about plants again, and remembering all their names.

And nothing much is happening inside, because I'm working on the back garden now.

 

At least for once, here in the UK, the weather is great !

 

Before and after - almost the same view !

 

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