A SWAP! A GIVEAWAY! and My bargain flowers!

Has Summer arrived..........not sure they say its gonna rain again........... We love the Great British weather, and I think we love the Great British Seaside too! That is my idea for a swap, well not really I had a lovely swap gift from Tracy. She sent me some lovely goodies appertaining to the Seaside, so I have to admit that is what gave me the idea for this swap!

There are not many rules:~

1) You have to be a follower of my blog

2) Five items

3) The theme is the SEASIDE

If you would like to join in leave a comment below, start the comment with Swap#. I will make the drawer on the closing date which will be Friday 15th July and all parcels to be received by 1st August.

Now for the Givaway!

My friend Jane gave me this book for my birthday. Whilst visiting my dad, I was rooting around the charity shops in Tavistock and came across another copy in brand new condition.


If anybody would like a copy of this book please leave a comment below, start the comment with Giveaway#. One rule you have to be a follower of my blog. If you would like to join in in both please leave two comments.

Cheapie Flowers...........

Our monthly trip to Tescos, and I bought these two bunches

This bunch of pretty Tulips

And these Gladioli - yep! 30p

They were £1.79

Then £1.50

This were they on Tuesday afternoon

The Tulips - the camera didn't do them justice they are a delicate shade of mauve

Today!

Thought I would show you our vintage kitchen table. We inherited it. Well I say we it was actually Alex's mothers. His parents bought the table just after they moved into their first home in about 1960. The flaps fold down to the size of about 12" (30 centimetres)! The table has seen everything from doing the wallpapering the loads of Christmas Dinners to being a dumping ground! We suffer from "Flat Surface Syndrome"

Kitchen #1

Sunday - hot sunshine, I wasn't feeling well, I felt dizzy and nauseous not all the time but if I exerted myself I had to sit down shortly afterwards. I put it down to the weather, it was rather heavy and stormy and I felt like it the next morning too, but as soon as it started raining I was fine! Anyway enough of me! I thank Alex he did most of the work! Seven years ago, and things move very slowly in our house :~P we had a new kitchen, it is pale yellow, we chose yellow because we have an east - west house built in the very late fifties, so the sun is in the front in the early morning and at the back most of the day. Due to the lack of funds things came to a halt...........
Bare floorboards! They even had a wide black line painted around the edge of the floor so that lino or a rug is placed centrally in the room! At this point I have to say we swapped rooms the kitchen was built in the large dining room and the old kitchen which only held the sink and a cooker, fridge and couple of cupboards. I got a bit fed up with the floorboards, they just got filthier and grimy. I have even been known to get down on my hands and knees and scrub the floor, but getting a bit old for that now LOL! Alex found the yard broom and scrubbed the floor ready for Monday.

Two nice young men came and laid down some hardboard, didn't take them more that an hour and off they went saying see you tomorrow!

Today the two nice young men returned, I now have lino and metaphorically speaking I can eat my dinner off the floor :~)) You won't believe how happy I am! Now I just need Matthew to return to put the bases on the cupboards and it will be nearly finished! I say nearly finished! You remember I said it was an east-west, well the sun shines in the large window so I need a blind up the window, I have to time preparing the evening meals to coincide with the sun moving round at the moment, no excuse, the blind has been standing in the downstairs loo for about seven years!

The Roses in My Garden!

White Roses

Red Roses

We have three of these Red Standard Roses

This Red Rose, in the paint box the colour is Vermilion!

I actually know the name of this Rose. It is called Silver Jubilee. Our friends David and Jane bought us this Rose for our Silver Wedding Anniversary six years ago, it is late flowering this year it normally flowers the week of our anniversary!

The day between!

I was going to make this cake yesterday the day between our 31st Wedding Anniversary and my husband Alex's birthday today.

I was short of one vital ingredient which you cannot get very far without EGGS!

I needed a break!

Sorry its been so long I just couldn't put one little grey cell in front of another! My poor little brain just couldn't do what I wanted it to do. I even went off crafting which it quite unusual for me! I did take photographs and on a couple of occasions I did try to write this post, but my body just walked straight past the computer!
Alex and I went to stay with my dad in Okehampton for a couple of very busy days, and came home more tired than when we went, we now need another break to get over that one. I did take some knitting with me to start something but didn't get very far with that either. Now I have had a break perhaps I can now create things. Trouble is I have been reading too many crafting books so now my brain has gone into overdrive again as it works faster than my fingers!

Before I go any further I would like to thank Tracy for my lovely Summer Swap gift. It arrived just before we went away. The name of my blog is a play on words, my surname in fact, but like Tracy our house also resembles the name, or perhaps more like Steptoes Yard in our case but some how I don't think I would have been able to get away with calling my blog that!!! I would love to see what Tracy does with the buttons! Please feel free Tracy to knock on my door when you are next this way...........

On Thursday we packed a few things and travelled to Okehampton to stay with my dad. If you know Okehampton you will know it is a small town on Dartmoor always damp (every time we visit it rains!) and not much there, but I saw these three little piggies. Back in Medieval times pigs were allowed to roam and scavenge the street during daylight hours.

Also on the end of some Terrace Houses is this relief picture.

Thursday dad wanted to visit mums memorial.

Mum died too soon.

On Saturday Alex and I travelled to Tavistock just thirty minutes from Dads.

I read on Sal's blog

about a Vintage Fair at Tavistock town hall.

We left quite early just really to get a parking space as the car park gets full quite early.

After we looked round the Pannier Market, we went for a hot chocolate, well it was a very damp morning for middle of June! Then we mooched around the town a bit, and went t0 the Vintage Fair and then back for a last look in the market.

I found the Craft shop and made a purchase which I will tell you about another day!

Yesterday.............

Yesterday afternoon was delightful! It was spent with Dee . Sometime ago I joined a button swap. When I read the list of partners I couldn't have been more pleased. Dee only lives three quarters of an hour away in Taunton. We were due to meet Saturday, but it was postponed so a few emails later we arranged to meet yesterday. Alex and I enjoyed a lovely lunch and natter about 'retro' and years gone by, we all seem to have the same interests.

Except I had an embarrassing moment, but I didn't realise this until I got ready for bed. I had left some of her gifts behind, there they were on the bed where I had left them staring back at me! Have you ever looked at something and you know there is something wrong but you cannot put your finger on it...........well.............so please Dee please forgive me.

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Despite all my recent moaning about blogger. I have started a new blog! I had been thinking of starting one for a while so here it is!

Just pottering!

Haven’t done much recently - been a bit put off by Blogger! I can’t leave messages on blogs that have ‘select profile’. So if you have this sort of comment box and I normally leave a comment please please don’t think me rude. I can leave comments if the owner approves the comment first and I can leave a message in a comment box like mine.

Saturday evening meal was Paella. The recipe is the Wartime Housewife's and very nice it was too although I did not have any Turmeric.
Out of three dozen scones I made on Sunday I had one nearly perfect one which was eaten while still warm from the oven! Oh....they weren't for us! My boss Janet asked me if I would make some for the Cat Protection Cream Tea. I said I didn't mind doing it as long as someone picked them up. Think they made over £300 Sunday afternoon.

Finishing off the Button Swap I joined. My partner Delia lives near me so hopefully we are meeting up on Saturday.

And making a Rag Doll for a certain little person's second birthday in August