Snippets from my Week

Greetings dear friends & readers

We have had some lovely sunshiney days this past week .... just little snippets to let us know that spring is hopefully just around the corner.

My Vintage Car Club Group last weekend went well & the rain held off for a few hours while the ladies visited the Cottage

They are such a friendly bunch & I always enjoy seeing them dressed up in their finery to drive their vintage cars for the day, whilst leaving the menfolk at home

I think after me, they were heading on somewhere to have a High Tea.

A couple of days prior to the groups visit, my blogging friend Sue decided to pop over my way for a visit

This was timely as I had had a baking day just the day before.

I dont often have baking days now ... as these are usually followed by "eating days" -  such is my willpower 
(or lack of !!!)

No-bake Muesli Slice                                                                                          Louise Cake

I had made Louise Cake (the Mr's favourite) & a delicious no-bake muesli slice (this recipe came out of the Tempo magazine)

Sue informed me that she had gathered lots of crafty bits & bobs to bring over to me . . . & I was certainly not disappointed

There was a treasure trove of goodies in the large carrier bag along with seeds from her garden, magazines, patterns & these cane trays below which Sue was happy to pass on to me

It was lovely to sit & have a catch-up again with Sue ... I was surprised Madam Pippi did not make an appearance - only to discover when Sue had left that she had been accidently shut in the sleepout !!!!  Poor wee thing was quite miffed she missed Sues visit.

Sue thank you so very much for all the goodies you gifted me - I have been diving into the bag lots of times in the past couple of days, & it still feels like christmas!!

Our winter vege garden has been a great source of pleasure & joy to me.

I seem to prefer to grow all my brassica's now during these colder months when the white butterfly isn't making a pest of itself.

We are currently eating broccoli daily & have caulis & cabbages ready along with silverbeet & spinach which I now grow all year round

It is exciting to see my garlic coming through as well as the curly kale that I planted last month thriving away
So when I knew Sue was coming, I quickly put together a "produce box" for her & tossed in a magazine & some of the muesli slice I had just made

As I forgot to take a photo myself, I have pinched borrowed Sues photo from her blog - you can read her post about our visit here
Once again, thanks Sue for a lovely visit - next time I promise to come with you to do the Opshops   :-) 

And the trays which Sue gifted me got a wax & 3 coats of paint this week . . . then a light sanding to give them the chippy look that I adore

The woven cane bases really soaked the paint in but I think this has made them quite wipeable now.


This past week, while hunting in the very back of the woodshed I found these two old aluminium kettles under some sacks of pinecones

I gave them both a good scrub & a light sand - I went through a phase once of painting everything with blackboard paint as I liked the matt black effect it gave - the black one is a cast-off from this phase

Now of all the people that enter my funny little home, 9 out of 10 of them will comment on the "doiley-fied" kettle sitting on my green stool which I have planted with babys tears

It just seems to fascinate them & draw their attention.
So I decided to do this to one of the aluminium kettles to pop for sale in the Cottage
I chose the plain one but I lightly sanded it & painted it with my Amulet green shade of paint ... the reason I painted it was because the aluminium was very pitted & I felt the paint would help to hide this

Which it did indeed !!
I was really pleased how it came out - I masked the lower handle first so I didn't get green on this.

The little plastic pots that your salad comes in at the supermarket fitted perfectly in the round opening of the kettle .  .  .

.  .  .  so this got planted with some baby's tears .  .  .

.  .  .  & then the "doiley-fying" just finished it off nicely .  .  . 

.  .  .  along with a rustic key tied to the handle. 
Next post I shall hopefully be able to show you what I did with the other (black) kettle 

Miss Pippi Longstocking is certainly feeling so much better now after recovering from her surgery - I notice she is not protective & guarding her tummy area anymore & tucks herself up with Fat Black now quite happily

Above is their sleeping positions at night, & during the days when I am painting outside on the deck table, they like to supervise & take a wee nap while watching the paint dry !!

Thank you all so much for visiting today & staying with me through my lengthy ramble.
I hope the coming weekend brings good (& creative) things to you all
with much love & friendship,
Julie, Fat Blackie & Pippi Longstocking
x0x0x0