Old Lloyd Loom furniture makes lovely new with spray paint

How to upgrade an old Lloyd Loom chair.

I was given this chair so that cost me nothing and spray painted with primer first in grey from Plastikote.

























Laid on plastic sheet and base sprayed first.


When dry painted the topside.

Gold hanging baskets

My old hanging baskets were looking a bit rusty so I decided to spruce them up a bit.

How to paint wrought iron?

Simply hang them from the washing line by a piece of string and spray paint. 

I used Hammerite and the finish was superb.

Up on the roof

UP ON THE ROOF IN LINCOLNSHIRE

Whilst out on a journey across country - well Lincolnshire certainly has lots of space, we came across a thatcher working on an old building.

Stopping to admire his work I thought it would be wonderful to photograph this as it is a sight rarely seen.  In fact I felt quite honoured to see this.  We spoke to him about his work and I asked how long he would be working on the building.  He said he would be there for several weeks so I thought it would be a marvellous opportunity to return and take some once in a life time photographs.

The building he was working on was a former village listed Post Office building. 

Watching him at work was amazing.  Using the great big "pins" to hold the thatch in place whilst he was putting it into place, certainly takes use of pins and dressmaking to a new level.

I have yet to return and photograph the completed building - I must take an opportunity of going back some time as the building was on the market for sale and no doubt has been sold and is occupied now. 

Here are some of the wonderful scenes of Lincolnshire's only master thatcher!

http://contest.constructionmaterialsonline.co.uk/shuttercon/

My little greenhouse

It doesn't cost much for a small plastic greenhouse which is great to start seeds off in the early Spring 

A small plastic greenhouse is really useful to start of seedlings and also to overwinter non tender plants. 

For about £15 you can buy one like t his, which has extra strong webbed plastic.
I shall start planting my vegetable and flower seeds in the next days as we are now seeing slightly warmer weather.  Growing indoors on window sills is not as successful as the light is not strong enough and you will get etiolated, long leggy weak seedlings. 

It's amazing what things you could throw away can be useful

I have always been a magpie, or thrifty...... or perhaps just mean?

I was brought up to respect things, as we were not that rich and therefore anything we bought I always took care of.

This philosophy has continued into my later life and now some might say that I am a "hoarder".  Maybe so, but why throw things away when supposedly their usefulness has come to an end... you can maybe find an alternative use before it is time to finally bin it.

When I bought my house, which was brand new, the builders for some reason only known to them decided to install a "granite like" sink in a pale colour which is a nightmare to keep clean.

Using cloths and cleaning materials to get into the nooks and crannies around the tap etc. has always been fiddly and we also have the hardest water in Britain, and limescale, but I have found a solution.

A couple of years ago I went to New York and bought a battery operated toothbrush which I made use of during my stay.  When I came home I used it until such time as the brush was really not hygienic enough for my teeth and I was going to bin it.

However, I soaked the brush in bleach and hot water and decided it would be just the thing to clean around the tap and the sink.  It is much less hard work and is being put to good use until such time as the battery runs out.... 

Grow your own potatoes in a bag... you don't need a huge garden

There is nothing like fresh vegetables from the garden unlike those you buy from the supermarket which are supposed to be fresh, but have been stored in chilled warehouses sometimes for weeks

You don't need a huge garden or allotment to grow some nice fresh vegetables.  You can grow them in containers, boxes, raised beds or even bags...

I grow potatoes in bags.  But first of all you have to "chit" them which allows the potatoes to sprout to assist them in growing and rooting in the containers.

Put them in old egg cartons, or egg trays one in each segment and leave on a light sunny window until they sprout and it is warm enough to plant them outside.

I buy garden waste sacks - the sturdy ones and these will be perfect to grow them in.

You will not get a huge supply but even a couple of weeks of your own freshly grown potatoes... you will surely notice the difference.

Once they are ready to sow in a few weeks' time I will update you with what to do next. 

Sunday lunch at home and a fab chocolate pudding

Sunday Roast Lunch Beef, Yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings at home today followed by a quick but fabulous chocolate pot pudding

So easy to make and tastes wonderful

6oz dark chocolate good quality
3 large eggs separated
Capful of Cointreau or other liqueur
Double or whipping cream to serve
Fresh raspberries to decorate

Melt some good quality plain chocolate I used Lindt or Green and Black's plain 70% dark chocolate, in a bowl over hot water but don't let the chocolate get overheated... just about melting point as when you add the eggs  you will scramble them and it will split.  Add 3 egg yolks and beat.

Whisk the egg whites to a soft peak stiffness and then fold into the chocolate egg mixture and then put into individual containers and chill for a couple of hours.

I then drizzled some Cointreau over the top then a little double cream and decorated with a raspberry and served with additional raspberries on the side, as it is a very rich.