Part two of the catch up.

Hello folks!  

Thank you all for your lovely comments, you ARE a super bunch :o)

As promised I'm back with more catching up.  I have of course been out and about bargain hunting, here's a few of the things I found.  (Photo heavy post)

This delightful little Masons Cathay trinket box caught my eye amidst a shelf-full of boxes.  It stood out as quality and cost £6.  It seems to be a modern piece.

Then I found this linen Autumnal doily, around 5" square.  I loved the sweet acorns and oak leaves.

Can you believe it was only 20p?

A stoneware 'Dripping' lidded jar.

Made by Moira Pottery, who were established in 1922 and sadly closed in 1972.  £1.50.
I've only 'discovered' how much I like Stoneware fairly recently and have found it to be very useful in the kitchen.

The colour of this Royal Norfolk jug is a beautiful cobalt blue, sadly the light was not very good today and it looks almost black.  I think it will hold around 2 pints and its cost?  £1.75.

I spotted the next up last week.

This beautiful crystal handled cake knife and server, obviously made for the happy couple to cut the wedding cake was on offer for £3.  I just cannot imagine why you'd want to get rid of them after the wedding...maybe it didn't work out as happy ever after?

Then I found these two pieces of Arcadian crested ware for £1 each

If this had of been made by Goss it would have bee SO much dearer...

I have a few pieces of crested ware I will share with you another time.

I have finally found and affordable cloche, that I have got a bit carried away with!  So here are some photos of some Autumnal vignettes I've had a play with.  Most of the items I already had stashed away  Oh, the cloche is a bell shape and cost £12.

First a close up of my cloche.  Approx 9" high.

I got the cast iron squirrel on the same day for £6, oh and the single antler at the front £5.

(I just love the oak and acorn plate.)

There's always plenty of spiders about ;o)

Then I had another play around.

We had a dear friend visiting last weekend, who very kindly bought me the gorgeous Spode Chinese Rose platter as a gift :o)

Thank you Reg x  A very beautiful and thoughtful gift.

Conkers (horse chestnuts) oak leaves and another new addition, a cast iron hedgehog :o)

£3.50

A cheese dome with Mom and children hedgehogs (All made by Wade)

The Autumn leaves were kindly donated by my dinky little peach tree.

An Irish Bog Oak cauldron that was always a fascination for me as a child.

And the last arrangement I made.

A bit spooky for Halloween.  Tiny pumpkins, a spooky black cat, and the antler that looks like a magic wand!

And finally, you just knew there's be news on hedgehogs.

As you know I rescued Octavia, who is now happily putting on weight at West Midland Hedgehog rescue.  I thought that she was the last visiting hedgehog, but how wrong I was...

please meet Olivia :o) another juvenile

Found in my garden on the 25th October.  Here, I've just met up with Joan on the vets car park to pass her on to WMHR.

Sooo cute.  She too is well underweight to survive the Winter hibernation.

Then, would you believe on the 27th October I found...

Otto, a very sweet, friendly young man seen here perching on my (gloved) hand at the rescue centre.

(Just in case you're wondering all names beginning with 'O' as it's October.)

It appears that these three sweethearts are all from the same litter, as they are all around the same size.  All three have been quite friendly, opening up from their curled (VERY spiky) balls quickly on my hand.

I've had long discussions with Joan about the little dears and we are both convinced that they open up easily as my gloves smell of other hedgehogs.  Once they're relaxed they seem to enjoy being stroked immensely, once the spines flatten down they feel lovely and smooth and don't hurt your bare hand at all.

 I'm a sucker for their beautiful, moist noses.  Who couldn't fall in love with a face like that?

Thank you all for putting up with such a long post.  Hope you see something you like - please leave a comment and let me know.

Happy Halloween Everyone.

GIVEAWAY!

Hello folks, hope all are well and warm.

As promised now I'm up to 100 followers I have a little give away to celebrate :o)

So here it is...

As this is Jubilee year I thought this handsome (Lakeland) Jubilee apron  was appropriate- I LOVE all those stately crowns :o)

with this really useful blue pocket.

A beautifully worked white vintage crotched table centre 22.5" x 13"

with lovely raised centres to the flowers.

I just HAD to put in a cute little cuddly Hedgehog!

And a tiny friend too :o)

I'll also add a little 'something from my own collection....

There is only one prize.

To qualify for the draw you must be a follower, and leave a comment on this post - if you are a 'no reply' blogger you MUST leave an email address for me to contact you if you are picked..

I will leave the draw open for comments until noon on Monday 24th September, then I'll make the draw and notify the winner.   I will also post the winners name on the same day - GOOD LUCK!

I found a few more bits 'n bobs.  

This gorgeous Autumnal table runner for £2.50

These two plates/chargers have been in the charity shop for some weeks priced at £2.50 each, I hesitated to buy them as storage space is getting VERY limited at home!  But when they were put in the 40p box there was no contest and home they came!

I really like the shape.

I then found this pretty china Edwardian 'Hairpin' lidded dish, with it's pretty lustre glaze and 'pie crust' edge on the lid, in absolutely perfect condition for £2.50.

It reads 'Lucky White Heather from Harrogate'

The side view with the beautiful enamelled lettering.

(The lid is enamelled too)

It measures 1.75" wide x 4" long x 1.5" deep, and has found a home on my dressing table :o)

Then I spotted another Wedgwood beauty, a spill vase 6.5" tall x 2.5" wide.  It was filthy!  But after a scrub and a soak in a mild solution of washing up liquid came up as good as new - £4

Lastly, as you know I'm a bit of a cat fan ;o) so when I spotted a set of six placemats for £2 did you really think I could resist?

Three of each design.

Here's the news/updates since my last post..

The pond has settled down well and the fish are happy.  The dear frogs have made a welcome return too.

A bit of sad news on the hedgehog front though.  Now Autumn is approaching we must keep an open eye out for 'late juvenilles' babies born in the last few months that stand no chance of making enough weight to over Winter.  I've had one visiting for a few weeks now, and have been keeping a good eye on it.  I knew that the time was coming to catch him and get him to the rescue centre to be over-Wintered safely.  The other (cold and windy) morning I was in the garden when one of the dog walkers who pass our house regularly told me that there was a little hog in the middle of someone's lawn further up the road.  I went up with her to investigate, it was the little one that had been visiting my garden.  It was asleep in a ball, in the open in daylight.  I picked it up and it seemed very cold to the touch, so I bought him home and put him in the 'rescue' box on a hot water bottle covered in paper and made him a nest with shredded paper before ringing Joan at the rescue centre.

(You can see from  the size of my thumb (top left) that he is only around 4.5" long.)

I 'phoned Joan and arranged to meet her at our local vet's (without whose help Joan wouldn't be able to run the rescue centre)  as she had to take to badly infected hogs there. The little mite never moved off the warmth, and I very much suspect he was hypothermic by the time I'd got him.  Craig (the vet) had to give him a whiff of anaesthetic to get him to uncurl.  Craig checked him over (yes, it was a male) and said it appeared to be okay with no obvious injuries, so Joan took him back home with her.  Sadly he never really came around and died in the night, even though Joan had him safely on a heat-pad.  I'm still wondering if it had eaten a slug that had eaten slug-pellets?   Not a good day for the hedgehogs, as the other two had to be put to sleep too.

Craig was so upset, and said sorry to the poor hogs as he gently administered the injections.

I still have healthy adults though, and continue to feed and watch them each night.  (And happily Joan has a lot more success stories than sad endings. )

Now news on the photo's I didn't manage to take :o(

The one when I spotted a field mouse taking a long drink from the pond - and the next day when it was back again... Soon though - soon!.

The two tiny baby field mice that I disturbed in the dry-stone wall :o(  Put safely back in their nest though.

Last Saturday in Nottingham city centre.  It was my birthday and I went shopping with dear daughter - and didn't take one photo of the most beautiful buildings - doh!  Though I did have a lovely day :o) with lunch in The Pit & The Pendulum The BEST Goth pub!  (Kim, if you haven't been it's a must ;o))  and with two lunches for £8 a bargain.

This week Hubs and I are planning a day on a beach somewhere, anywhere in fact!  I just NEED a breath of fresh sea air.

Don't forget to leave a comment for the draw.  'See' you all on Monday 24th.

Best wishes

Life kinda catches up.

Finally, a post!  (I should warn you at this point, this is a LONG post).
The last week and a bit seems to have flown by.  Autumn has officially started (my favourite season)  I've had good luck, I found out earlier this evening that I've won the talented Lemonade Kitty's givaway for a knitted pumpkin, I will have to 'add' the face.  I will post more when it arrives and I've 'made a face' :o)  I've been busy (what's new?) jam making - more later, and Hubby and I finally got around to making a hedgehog house for the garden..
But first, thank you for your good wishes for my birthday - yes, I know I'd been quiet about it but George the Lad (the rascal) let the cat out of the bag!  So to update you, dear Hubby got me my lovely Panasonic Lumix camera and gorgeous red roses :o)  With some of the money I received I have booked and started evening classes to 'Improve my digital photography' and I also bought a new copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements 8, so hopefully there should be an improvement in my photos over the coming weeks!  (WHEN I learn what to do with Photoshop of course.)   And I purchased the wood for the hoggy house project. 

I found a couple of Autumnal bargain for 75p

Approx 6" diameter and 5" high

A scary wooden cat 15" high £3.  I really like it.

I've kinda thrown together a quick Autumn table vignette....

I intend to add a little 'something' to put in the pumpkin.

The leaf dishes were found earlier this year for a song, as was the 'acorn' plate at the far end of the table.

The table runner was made and embroidered entirely by my Nan, I can remember it well throughout my childhood.

Such lovely Autumnal colours.

The centrepiece was my Aunt's.  It's made by Capo di Monte, I can remember her having it - and it was such a treasure to her, it has since grown on me.  At the time I just couldn't bear the thought of it going to a charity shop when she died, and so re-homed it.

Close up the fruit is so realistic.

o - o - o

Now, the hoggy house.  Each evening I have three and sometimes four little prickly visitors to my garden, they come for all the free food they can eat!  With Autumn here, the little fellows will be thinking about finding somewhere to bed down for their Winter hibernation.  With this in mind I wanted to offer them a nice warm cosy home.  We looked at different plans that are available and decided to 'go our own way' a little, but use the basic principals.  I don't have progress photos, but I do have photos of the finished article.  I have often used and in fact own my own power tools, but the delights of the compressed air nail gun was a first for me on this project!

The dimensions are 24" wide x 20" deep x  12" high (front) 10" high (back).

The rear view showing the air vent cover.

Internal view.  The internal tunnel is to prevent dogs, foxes or cats from reaching the sleeping hoggy.  The 'bedroom' area is base lined with cardboard and newspaper, then I have half filled it with nice fresh hay.  I will collect a couple of carrier bags of fallen leaves to pile nearby so that if I get a resident they can complete the nest to their own design :o)  The roof is covered firstly with a layer of bubble wrap for a little extra insulation and then totally with pond liner for a waterproof finish.  I then reinforced the corners with black duct tape.   As you can see it is completely removable so that I can clean it out twice a year.
It is made from untreated pine, and the outside only is painted with a water based, pet friendly wood preservative.  I have positioned it on bricks to raise it off the soil at the back of the greenhouse, so that the left hand side (North) is protected by a fence and a small log pile - that I had to disturb and rebuilt, along with it's resident frog who hopped off safely behind the greenhouse.  The back of the hoggy house is to the East, and again the greenhouse will protect it from the cold Easterly winds.

The 'house' in position.  As you can see I have split up and re-built the log piles.  To the left I added a large broken terracotta plant pot so that the frog still has a safe home.  I also intend to add to the log pile and maybe cover the roof with some more for added protection against the cold weather. Here's the view from the path edge.

I then 'baited' the pathway to the house with dried mealworms, a hoggy favourite, and a few sunflower hearts with crushed peanuts to encourage investigation by my visitors.  At this point my little helper Sid came along to investigate too and add her seal of approval!

I also added a couple of thin sticks in front of the doorway to confirm it has been entered.

At the time of writing this post (1.10am) I am happy to confirm there has been a visitor who has entered the house to investigate!  Let's just hope they like what they see.

The total cost of this sturdy hoggy house was £15.  I'm delighted by this, as they cost anything from £30 to a maximum of £59.  I now have it in mind to make another slightly smaller one....

o - o - o

And finally (you'll be pleased to hear!)

I love fresh figs, and as they are only available seasonally I cherish each one!  I found some beauties on offer the other day, so sweet and delicious that I decided to make some Fig Jam.  After browsing my cookery books and checking on Google I found a recipe here I thought looked very tasty.

So I purchased a full tray of them and proceeded (with a few tweaks) as follows.

Recipe for Fig Jam

1 lb of  fresh figs

3/4 cup of preserving sugar

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Pinch of salt

1/8 cup of red wine

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Chop the figs and add all the ingredients into a preserving pan, stir and leave to macerate for 1/2 an hour.

Then heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until 'jam temperature*' is reached.

Once the mixture has started to simmer, heat your clean jam jars at 110 deg. C to sterilised them.  Just before you are ready to 'jar' the mixture place the clean metal lids into a container of boiling water for a few minutes. 

When your mixture has reached temperature, turn off the heat and carefully using a stick blender break down the fig mixture to required consistency (please don't be tempted to blend before the mixture is ready, I found out on my second lot that the mixture turns into a boiling, spurting nightmare!)

Carefully add the mixture to the pre-heated jam jars.  Remove the lids from the water, dry with a clean cloth and seal the jars immediately.

The jam has a wonderful depth of flavour, and the ground cloves add a delicious warmth.

From the two and a half pounds of figs that found their way into the pan (well, I mean you have to test them don't you?) I made three and a half pounds of delicious jam :o)

*(From Wikipedia) When the mixture reaches a temperature of 104 °C (219 °F),^{[citation needed]} the acid and the pectin in the fruit react with the sugar, and the jam will set on cooling. However, most cooks work by trial and error, bringing the mixture to a "fast rolling boil", watching to see if the seething mass changes texture, and dropping small samples on a plate to see if they run or set.^[16]

Thank you for sticking with such a LONG post.  Hope you all have a great week - try the jam, you won't be disappointed ;o)

Best wishes