Hovel cake

T'hubby surprised me on my recent birthday with a cake of The Hovel. How fantastic is this.

I must admit I'm thinking that posts from my phone only work when they're small and you're happy with just one photo at the bottom.

Thanks for dropping by and please feel free to leave me a comment. It would be lovely to hear from folks again.

Wendy xx

Antwerp

A quick trial of blogging from my phone. I'm bound to dislike the font but hey ho.

For now I'll just share a few shots of a recent trip to Antwerp.

Thanks for dropping by

Wendy xx

Hello Monday

Well hello to another week and the realisation that I’ve not posted since the last Hello Monday – I must get better at that.

• Hello to a temporary working girl, Tattyhead is doing work experience this week in our nearest Debenhams store and went off to work this morning looking very grown up.
• Hello to Grumpy’s new job, her words not mine – Her bid for head girl was successful and she’s off with the rest of the newly formed team (deputies and ambassadors) going through a lively ‘storming’ phase that I listen very dutifully to her account of each day.
• Hello to visitors later in the week, one night here then we’re off to The Hovel with them for a weekend of eating drinking and chatting – lovely.
• Hello to ordering sun cream, insect repellent and Euros, yay bring it on.
• Hello to the ‘Next sale’ parcels arriving bit by bit. Of course the things I want for our hols won’t arrive before we go but hey ho.
• Hello to having a go at making a skirt from a sundress later in the week.
• Hello to this view, well soon anyway, I just cannot wait can you tell?

That’s pretty much my week ahead, what’s planned for your?

Thanks for dropping by and please feel free to leave me a comment, its lovely to hear from you.

Wendy xx

Hello Monday

Completely and utterly inspired by Alison’s post here (she also links back to her inspiration too) these are the things I'm saying Hello to this week.

• Hello 17 – Grumpy has her birthday on Wednesday and yay, she’s at home for the day so that will be nice.
• Hello panic stations – Grumpy again, interview for Head Girl and ever the drama queen has gone into overdrive.
• Hello holiday packing – don’t really need to do it just yet but yay yay yay, three weeks time we’ll be in warm sunshine, what a change that will make.
• Hello to the orthodontist, again – seems like we’ve making this trip for ever, first with Grumpy and now on-going with Tattyhead.
• Hello to The Old Vic, London – Thursday night theatre trip with dinner at The Bangalore Express. A lastminute.com cheapie – I’ll report back.
• Hello to the V&A and Hyde Park – two things I intend to do whilst in London Thursday/Friday
• Hello to MaMere – very kindly dog sitting.
• Hello to the odd photo – just because I can (and also because I have this hang up about posting without one lol)

Thanks for dropping by and please feel free to leave me a comment.

Wendy xx

Instagram 365 (tennis spoiler at the bottom)

Somehow it had passed me by for a little while but no longer, I have discovered Instagram – yay.  I thought I might try it out by focussing upon a 365 theme with the hope that I can turn it into a piece of art for the wall next year.  I’ve started on the 30th June, odd you may think, but that's when I downloaded Instagram and, because of the topic on that June day, I didn’t want to leave it out.  Now I love capturing the day to day in photographic form but sometimes I need more than just photos to encompass my day so I thought I’d share here on my blog too where I can add words to my hearts content. Perhaps, just perhaps its a Blurb book in the making as well as wall art.

The Olympic flame was due to pass by not far from home and given that this was as close as we were ever likely to get to it, we decided to pop along and have a look.  I was expecting an anti climax but it turned out to be quite a pleasant little outing. I understand that The Wanted were in one of the coaches that passed us by but if they were I didn’t spot them. Its great to have the photo above, we don't have many of all the girlies (with the exception of one cousin) but this entry wouldn’t be complete without the flame itself would it.

I don’t know the name of the lady that carried it at this point but I’m sure she won’t mind being included here given the number of photos that were probably taken of her.

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The weather this summer has been atrocious apart from a few days back in May. None the less Maisy still gets to be taken for walkies by Tattyhead and The Footballer (Tattyheads boyfriend). Can you spot T’hubbys new (old) car in the background.

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Sometimes you just forget to take a photo until its bedtime lol. Given a little twist by using the Paper Camera app. I wonder how many more of my bedroom will feature?

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Lunch with an old friend Tracey who flatly refused to have her photo taken. The teapot doesn’t tell the full story of course, we’d chatted, eaten, chatted some more, partaken of a little alcohol and were onto the tea and coffee when this was taken.

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Quarter finals day at Wimbledon. Andy Murray, fantastic match. Murray played very well indeed and went on to win against David Ferrer, who gave a fabulous account of himself too. I love the selective blurring of this app.

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A busy day at home, early evening awards ceremony where Grumpy received a much deserved excellence award. A quick curry and then a dash to The Hovel, arriving after 11pm. Electric blanket on (and its July!!) car unloaded, hot drink made and off to bed with it.

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Semi finals day at Wimbledon. We have no TV at The Hovel and so the radio is stood in the window in order to get the best signal possible. Federer went through in fine form against Djokovik to make his record 8th final appearance, and then onto Murray versus Jo Wilfred Tsonga. Gosh he (Murray) was like a steam train and took the first two sets very quickly indeed. Tsonga suddenly starting playing like only he can in the third set – game on and the third set to Tsonga. In the background another Brit Johnny Marray is through to the Mens Doubles final with partner Nielson. Gosh, if Murray makes it he’ll be the first Brit into the Mens Singles final for 74 years! Fourth set and Murray breaks Tsongas serve in the 4th game. Tsonga desperately tries to break back immediately – and he does it. Tsongas serve and they’re all level again.

4 games to 3 Murray,Tsonga to serve   ... ... ...   0:15  ...  0:30   ...  15:30   ...  15:40  ...   2 break points for Murray ... 30:40 ... Deuce  ...  Advantage Tsonga  ...  Game Tsonga.

4 games all and Murrays serve – he loses the first point, takes the second and loses the third ... ...  15:40. First break point saved, second break point saved. Advantage Murray  ...  Game Murray.

5 games to 4 Murray, Tsonga to serve  ...  ...  ...  15:0  ...  30:0  ...  40:0  ...  40:15  ...  Tsonga wins

5 games all Murray to serve  ...  ...  ...  15:0  ...  15:15 after a double fault Murray  ...  15:30  ...  30 all  ...   40:30  ...  Game Murray

6 games to 5 for Murray, Tsonga to serve  ...  ...  ...  0:15  ...  0:30  ...  15:30  ...  15:40  ...  2 match points for Murray  ...  Hawk eye is needed but its in

Murray wins, he's through to the final

Phew, I need to go lie down now, I’m not even a tennis fan lol

Wendy xx

Crate expectations

Over on Pinterest I have a wonderful little collection of ideas for recycling pallets and crates, at one point I think it was becoming an obsession! Until recently that's all its been, an obsession - oops I mean a collection of ideas. And then I found Matey in Welshpool. You must forgive me, they all get called Matey by t'hubby and it can be rather confusing but that's off topic - Matey in Welshpool is a wood craftsman who has just made us some new windows for The Hovel but who also has a shed load of crates, quite literally. Ta da, oh how I drooled when I spotted them, oh the ideas that flew around my mind tumbling over each other in their haste to land uppermost. Somehow I managed to convince t'hubby that buying three was a good idea, my intention being to create some wall storage in the kitchen. Two were to be hung on the wall and the third would provide the wood needed for shelves inside the other two.  At £15 for the three of them I was well pleased. These were no ordinary crates, they're  bigger than your usual fruit crates and I did secretly suspect that they'd be too big for their stated purpose. I wasn't worried about that though, I knew I had a mountain of ideas.

Back at The Hovel they were indeed too large to be hung on the wall, they were actually rather heavy, but they were also the perfect height to act as benches around the kitchen table. Voila it would seem. Whilst moving around, giving them a quick spruce up etc, I had them stacked for a little while and of course I remembered that they looked fantastic as bookcases too. Sucker. In all I made two further trips and bought four more crates. I used two in the bedroom in my little corner to create a bookcase/display stand and the rest make up the new kitchen benches. I'm not intending to paint them, I may later on make some cushion pads for them but for now they're actually quite comfortable as they are (we did have to remove a few nails first).

I am so very pleased that I have finally acted upon at least one of these ideas that whizz around my head. And the downside? Oh dear, I did have to buy a new table as the old round one didn't quite cut it but hey, at least my benches were cheap!

Thanks for dropping by and please feel free to leave me a comment.

PS, breaking news, I’ve spotted yet another fab idea and will be buying one more crate next visit, I’m on a roll see.

Wendy xx

Story telling Sunday – Chatterbox and Giggles

Today I have a little story to tell,  its bought to you as part of Sian’s Story Telling Sunday. This is the first time I’ve managed to join in but plenty of others play each month and so there are lots of tales out there just waiting to be read, please take a look at the others which you can find links to from here.

When The Boy B was still very little, we’re talking in excess of twenty years ago, I myself was still only a strip of a thing. I’d always been thin, yes I’d managed to put weight on whilst pregnant but it had disappeared again as soon as I was back on my feet. I’d always hated being thin and had endured some horrible name calling in my time but post pregnancy I guess I was now ok with it.

Ok with it? Actually looking at this photo now I think I should have just got on and ‘enjoyed’ it.

At the same point in time, The Boy B was a prolific talker and would happily chatter away as we went about our daily business. There were a few hairy moments when he used words that he couldn’t quite say right and it sounded for all the world like he was saying very bad swear words but I’d smile sweetly and explain that he couldn’t say his ‘l’s’ right as he pointed to something that had caught his eye and tried to say “look,look”. His chattering continued as his speech refined and his lovely clear voice could be heard for some distance as we meandered along.

One day The Boy B and I were shopping in town. I spotted something I liked in BHS and duly went into the changing rooms to try it on. Although a lot of the cubicles were occupied, it was quiet as we went in and, for once, The Boy B was also quiet as he sat there watching me undress – then he decided to speak – loudly and clearly he uttered these unforgettable words:

“Mommy, why haven’t you got very big boobies like all the others ladies”

My mouth dropped open as I looked at him and then I heard the giggles from the other cubicles. For long seconds there was silence in our cubicle as The Boy B and I stared at each other, and then I sniggered, and then he giggled and pretty soon we were laughing our socks off. Of course the downside of the decision to laugh with him rather than find a hole to swallow me was the fact that he thought it was great fun to repeat the exercise!

Do you know, to this day, I have no idea what I took in to try on, but I didn’t buy it. We walked out with our heads held high with the cubicle curtains twitching as we passed.

Thanks for taking the time to read my little story, don’t forget to pop over to the others too.

Wendy xx