Tuesday 29 September 2015

Time Lapse 3

It's that time already and once again it's a miserable grey morning, must be a Tuesday thing as on the whole we've been having a beautiful fall.  So down to business, here's this weeks photo.


I've moved around a bit so the orangey trees to the left are visible.  Not very impressive yet is it.

I took another couple of picks on my way home, this is looking down from the last photo.


And this is walking through the woods at the back of the house.


Sunday 27 September 2015

Grand Unveiling

After many hours of painting I am proud to announce the grand opening of the 'Rose and Mummy Teacups and Fancy Things' store in the ex cold room in our basement.


We had hours of fun this afternoon unwrapping and arranging all the pretty things that won't fit in the kitchen.  Rose is trying to indicate that her favourite things are Grandma's wedding shower teacups and my cake stand.  Not sure what mine are, it's a long time since the Port Merion coffee set saw the light of day.

I also seem to have acquired a good collection of preserving jars over the past couple of years, perhaps I'd better preserve something in them.


A future post perhaps? calling all good chutney/jam/pickle recipes please.  I wonder how long it will take me to fill up all those jars with preserved things?

Tom implies that it is not normal to paint your cold room a delicate shade of green and turn it into a private curio emporium but I maintain that it is better to have all the lovely stuff on show instead of packed in boxes gathering dust.  This way I might even use it, Rose is angling for a tea party so maybe that will be another post soon.

Friday 25 September 2015

Anywhere but there

Today has been a crazy day of busy-ness and I'm pooped.  I'm not sure how this happened but I somehow agreed to drop Jacob off at his Burlington friend Ian's house for a sleepover and birthday party this evening. The rational had something to do with having to go to Burlington for a dentist appointment on Saturday so I'd be able to pick him up.  At 4.30 as I sat becalmed in rush hour roadworks on the highway for almost 45 minutes I wondered if it had been a good idea. At home after an almost 3 hour round trip (with a mild headache and slight shakes) I wonder if I have entirely lost my marbles.

But I'm blogging anyway and you can't expect anything rational after that.

So, today was another amazing fall day, the kids and I walked over the middle school playing field on the way home and I took this photo just in case the trees in my chosen time lapse venue stay green for ever.


Tuesday 22 September 2015

Time lapse 2

Not a lot of change visible here then except for the weather which was pretty dismal this morning.  So much for fall definitely being here.


For a little more interesting fall colour here's Rose doing something new romantic with some leaves.


Monday 21 September 2015

Soup

Seasons of mist and mellow soup-fullness... Fall is definitely here now, I spotted it at Sobeys.


I should have got closer but was a bit embarrassed to be photographing the grocery store.

Nothing says fall to me better than a bowl of hot homemade soup. I love making soup as it is very easy to impress people with something a gazillion times more fabulous than the shop bought versions, even the posh soups that come in fancy jars can't stand up to the most basic homemade one.  Also you can make it in advance then appear very domestic godess-like when you just heat it up and ladle it out.

I've been making the same 3 soups over and over again recently so to ring in some changes I tried a new one yesterday.  May I present Tomato and Peanut soup with Sweet Potato and Chickpeas from the Soup Sisters and Broth Brothers Cookbook.


It may not be very photogenic (my version isn't anyway) but was delicious, Gary had 3 bowls at lunch yesterday.  The cookbook is produced by a charity who provide soup to women and youth in crisis so I will only pass on the recipe if you make a donation somewhere.  It will be worth your while if you do.

Friday 18 September 2015

Renovations

What sort of idiot renovates the cold room in the basement before any other room in the house?  Me, let me explain.

I've spent the last few days trying to unpack some of the masses of stuff in the basement.  This has been hampered somewhat by the large number of boxes marked "superfluous kitchen stuff".  Some of these were packed in January and are full of really useful items eg various sizes of cake tins (used maybe once a year and some of them never if I'm honest), candle sticks, vases, a large selection of jugs, 17 2inch ramekins(???), about a hundred preserving jars and lots of other stuff that I don't really use but can't bare to get rid of.

I don't want to clutter up my not massive kitchen with all this rubbish and I also don't want to have a load of unpacked boxes in the basement for the next 15 years so my answer is to renovate the cold room which is fitted out with lots of handy shelving.

Here it is in its current slightly mildewed state.


Ugh!

While out buying paint I found this rather handy paint and brush holding contraption.  I am hoping it will make cleaning up easier with the pull out, recyclable inner and it will be a result if I can open the paint tin in the future because I haven't gummed it up repeatedly wiping my paintbrush on the side.


Jacob enjoyed modelling it but I can absolutely guarantee that he would only take part in any painting if he could define the edges of the area, click the little 'fill' icon then go and do something else.


Tuesday 15 September 2015

The Return of Time Lapse Tuesday

It's starting to feel a little like fall here.  This time last week temperatures were up around 28 degrees and we are forecast the same again for the end of this week although right now it's about 15 with a nice fresh breeze.

Signs of the changing season are creeping up on us, Rose wore a scarf to school today and there has been a proliferation of pumpkin flavoured desserts and hot drinks all over the place.  As you can see the trees are getting confused and are hedging their bets (hedging, trees, get it!) on turning.


I went time lapse venue hunting on the way back from school this morning and the pond in the wood behind our house seems like a good bet.


It will be a neat place to keep an eye on, there are fish, a gazillion dragonflies and a resident heron, I'm even told that a beaver has been spotted there.  Now that's cool, shame there's no chance of a moose.

Monday 14 September 2015

Glossing Over That

Yesterday I was 43, ouch.  Coincidentally it was also grandparents day over here, enough said I think!  Thanks to everyone who sent greetings, had a nice but uneventful day and shall think of something exciting to do next year.

So Jacob says his favourite thing about the new place is his bedroom, specifically because the laptop that he bought himself for his birthday is in it.  Here he is demonstrating...


Notice the re-re-reuse of the curtains from his bedroom in Arnside, perhaps I'll switch them out for something a bit more grown up soon.

I'll also bring your attention to the big creeper that he made at art camp this summer.


It's the only picture I've managed to hang since we moved in so I'd best go and sort out some more.

Saturday 12 September 2015

Goddess in the Garden

I've not got around to photographing the kids with their favourite things yet but to keep the momentum going here's another one of mine.


We were left a bunch of rather fabulous garden statuary, some of it does cartwheels.

So back to the last post's little quiz, I think I may have cheated a bit.  The house was built in 1977 but the kitchen cupboards are probably lined with old wall paper from the owners previous home.  Sorry, but it's ok Lisa, you still win because you were the only person to put in a guess.

Wednesday 9 September 2015

The First Blog of Our New House

Well would you look at that, we moved house.  Now we live here...


We moved in last Wednesday and I don't know how it is but there seems to be more coming out of the packing boxes than I put in and less places to put it all.  Some kind of complicated physics going on I think, maybe it's linked to how the universe is constantly expanding and I packed some dark matter or something by mistake.  Whatever the explanation it will be next year (at least) before I'm organized.

For my next post I'll grill the kids on their favourite things about the new place.  For now here is one of mine...

These exquisite wallpapers were lining the top shelves in the kitchen cabinets, I think they may be original features.  Based on the designs can you guess what year the house was built in?  Answers on a postcard to me and I'll mail them to whoever is closest.