The Things You See on The Way to Work

It’s not every day that you see a steam train on the back of a truck.

I had to stop and take a photo.  This is a rather significant steam train.  It was driven by our local lad Ben Chifley before he became Prime Minister.

When I was a kid it lived under a shelter shed in front of the railway station.  In the mid 80s there was a grand plan to have it restored to running order and used again.  There was a big appeal with many local residents making donations towards the restoration and purchase of additional carriages.

Well, to cut a long story short, the train went off to be restored and it didn’t happen.  People started asking questions and now, over 20 years later it is being returned to its original position in front of the railway station, albeit looking a bit better, but still only to be a static display.

Now it is in position there will be a shelter built around it.  It is good to see it back home where it belongs.

Tuesday Treasures – Fridge Magnet

When we bought our first home, not long after we met, our selection was based on the cheapest old house that wasn’t falling down.  We had no money but plenty of enthusiasm.

It was a 20s workers cottage that had been “done up” in the 70s - very badly and had also been a rental property for some time. It did, however have a beautiful leadlight front door and bedroom window.  Never mind that there was no sink in the kitchen and the bathroom was disgusting.   As you can see it was a bit rough around the edges when we moved in.  I daren’t show you the inside.

We worked on the things that needed more elbow grease than money while saving all the time for the bigger projects.  We wanted a recycled oregon kitchen, which were all the go back then, but didn’t come cheap.

One day I was looking at the bank balance and discovered that we nearly had enough saved to pay out the mortgage. (Remember this was back in the days when you had to come up with 25% deposit and houses didn’t cost a great deal.) We decided very quickly that the kitchen could just wait a bit longer.  Before long we had the loan paid out.   We ended up with about $20.00 in the bank, but figured we were both going to get paid again next week.

The big day just happened to be right before my birthday and Mick was quite concerned that he had no money to buy me a birthday present.  Hey, we now OWN our house.  That is the best birthday present.

He is a bit of a schemer though, and popped into a little gift shop and found this little fridge magnet.  A house for my birthday.

I was thrilled.  How thoughtful.  But I had to turn it over.  Mick was quite insistent.  Can you see the writing?  “Hope Cottage”.  So?, you ask.  Well, we named our cottage “Hope Cottage”.  It is just perfect and I think my most treasured birthday present.

 

We eventually sold our little house in the mid 90s.  It looked quite different by then, even having won the local “House of the Day” award a couple of times.  Unfortunately I don’t have a good front on photo. You can just see our “Hope Cottage” sign next to the front door. 

 

I drive past our little house each morning on the way to work.  The cottage garden we planted is all gone, although the picket fence is still there.  We planted a claret ash street tree, as there was a gap in the avenue when we moved in.  It is now as big as the rest of the trees and you wouldn’t know it is many years younger than the rest.  I wonder what the back yard looks like now?

Our “Hope Cottage” sign came with us and now hangs above the mantle piece in the lounge room.

Pop over to Clare’s to see what other treasures are on show.  Next week will be our last, so I’ll have to look for something special.

Repurpose Thursday - Sewing Drawers

I had a bit of a look around for something that had been repurposed and thought my little sewing drawers would fit the bill.

We found these filing drawers at an auction probably about ten years ago.  Unfortunately I don’t have a “before” photo.  When you pulled the drawers out they had a base but no sides or backs.  They were in fact lever arch files.

We bought them on the basis that we “JUST” had to add sides and backs and they would be a handy little set of drawers.  Well, as you can guess, it didn’t happen and they were just a dust collector for many years.

Then, a couple of years ago I gave them to Dad and requested that he do the job for my upcoming birthday present.  You see, he loves pottering around in his workshop.  He is the local spinning wheel “Mr Fixit” and for some reason loves making little boxes.

He did a lovely job and now I have the most practical set of drawers.  See how he even made little box dividers for some of the drawers which means that my threads stay tidy(ish).

The other three drawers are full of sewing tools and notions. They live in our living room behind the table I sew at, so are always handy.

I might even get around to labelling the drawers one day, but that would be getting a bit too organised.

The sewing machine drawers on top came from a garage sale a few years ago.  They are a bit tight in the frame so are just a dust collector.  I might have to send them over to Dad and request he fix them up for my next birthday present .

Pop over to Fee’s to see what other repurposed items are on show this week.

Tuesday Treasures – Melbourne Cup

Just a quick treasure today as I have to leave for work early so I can prepare for our Melbourne Cup Lunch – yes the race that stops a nation nearly stops our work.

On Melbourne Cup day I like to wear a lucky charm.  I have two.

Both of these have been given to me by Mick’s mum.  She used to work voluntarily at a charity shop for many years and they came from there.  Most of the jewellery she came across was found in pockets.  I think that is where these were found.  Unfortunately, the catch on the wishbone is damaged, so I will just be wearing the horseshoe tie pin.

Good luck to every one with their sweeps.

Pop over to Clare’s to see what other treasures are on show today.

Open Gardens and a Small Finish

I had a lovely day out today with my friend Lisa.  We have our annual outing together to see the local open gardens.

The day started showery, so we thought we would have a damp day.  However, it soon cleared and we didn’t need our brollies at all.

We started out with the gardens in town.  “Blair Athol” is stunning, having won a National Garden award a few years ago.

We visit every year and it is maturing beautifully.

Our next stop was “Bishop Court”, which is a boutique B & B.  The garden is beautiful, but a special feature is the old chapel which is now a delightful dining venue.  We have been lucky enough to attend a dinner there a few years ago.

Here are some random photos of some of the other gardens.

I don’t know what this flower was, but it was stunning.

 

The Koi Carp in this delightful pond were huge.

This little gecko was sweet on his rock.

Such a simple thing can look so good.

My favourite garden is “Hillendale” at Yetholme.  It is a mature cool climate country garden.  This area is about 1100m above sea level and quite often receives snow.

 

It was so good to see it in a good season, as the little stream running through the garden was trickling down the hill to the dam.

The dam was brim full.  Such a lovely change from the last couple of years.

The Rhododendrons are something to behold.  This was by no means one of the large ones.

Just look at the size of these peonies.

Even the vege garden looks stylish.

 

Some of the borders were only just starting to bloom as it is so much cooler up there.

 

After such a lovely day out I realised that I hadn’t completed anything for OPAM.  I can’t have that.  So, I finished off my Secret Santa Christmas Decoration while sitting in the sun on the back verandah.  This is as much as I will reveal. Phew, at least something is finished.

I have been doing a bit of Secret Santa sewing, but unfortunately nothing else. 

Repurpose Thursday

I decided to play along with Fee’s Repurpose Thursday this week. 

Unfortunately, I don’t have a very good “before” picture of my little project.  This is part of my booty from the church fete I told you about a couple of weeks ago.

See the little tea lamp doo dad with purple beads.  Well, I bought it with a purpose – well actually to repurpose.

This is what it looks like now.

I’ve been wanting a beaded fob for my little embroidery scissors but am not into doing my own beading.  I hope it isn’t too big. If it is I’ll just repurpose it again into a Christmas tree decoration.

Pop over to Fee’s to see who else is playing.

Lovely Gifts

A little while ago Toni from Red Boot Quilt Company celebrated a milestone with her blog and she was the one giving the gifts.  I was lucky enough to receive a special copy of her pattern and what party is complete without a party bag.

This is what was in it.  How good is that.  The buttons are really cute.  It was a lovely surprise.

Thanks so much Toni.

Tuesday Treasures – Grandma’s Radio

Just next to my treasured pantry/loo door is this little collection of treasures.  The shelf is actually attached to the side of the pantry. They might look familiar from my banner.

I was just going to tell you about the radio, but I might as well tell you about it all.

The radio was Grandma’s.  It is a 1942 model Phillips.  The date is quite clear in Mum’s memory, as it was purchased in anticipation of the electricity being connected to the farm.  I found it covered in dust and cobwebs in the back of the shed at Uncle Chris’ and was lucky enough to bring it home and clean it up.  A friend who is into radios gave it a service and it worked.  However, it gave up the ghost again.  I think it needs new valves.  It is a lovely thing to have sitting  in the kitchen.

The other items are also little treasures, especially the apple box label.  This is from Uncle Chris’ orchard.  Granddad died in 1953 and Grandma and Uncle Chris carried on with the farm until Grandma died in the mid 70s. Uncle Chris is still there, although there isn’t much of the orchard left. I can remember when I was little, the apples being packed into wooden cases, the label stapled to the end and then being taken into town to be sent away by rail.  How things have changed. 

Hartley was a very well known apple area in the early 1900s and always put on a big display at the Royal Easter Show in Sydney.  There is a great photo of the orchardists, dressed in their best suits, in front of a big pyramid of apples.  I wish I had a copy to share.

There were also competitions for the best apples and in 1928 Granddad won.  His case of apples was shipped back to England and presented to the King.  It was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald, Melbourne Age and Canberra Times on the same day that Uncle Chris was born. It must have been a very exciting day for him.

But I digress….

The shelf is an Ashelford’s soft drink case.  They were our local company when I was a kid and there are actually a few Ashelford’s bottles on the top shelf.

The kerosene lamps are not only decorative.  They get pressed into service if we get a blackout, which is more common out here than in town.  The one at the back is quite elegant.  I can’t remember where we found it.  Mick’s Mum found the one at the front at Vinnies some years ago.  The base is actually a Bushels coffee jar.  It works really well.  However, Mick was cleaning and refilling them recently and the jar cracked.  He was devastated.  Not to worry, I just called Mum and did the cadge.  I swapped a Moccona coffee jar for her string jar – yes she has a jar that she keeps saved string in that just happened to be a Bushels coffee jar.  The lamp is now fixed.  Thanks to Mum.

Pop over to Clare’s to see what other treasures are on show this week.

Domestic Diva – Not

I’m definitely no Domestic Diva.  I consider there are much more fun and interesting things to be doing than housework and ironing.

However, when Mick complained on Friday that he couldn’t find an old T-shirt to wear for mowing the grass, I thought I’d better do something about it. (The fact that there were several old T-shirts on a shelf in the wardrobe is by the by.)

I have a bad habit of folding and putting away clothes that don’t need ironing and just ironing things as required.  So yesterday, as apart from ducking down to the school to vote in a local council by-election I didn’t have to go anywhere, I tackled the piles.  My clothes can wait, as it is only me that can complain. 

I ironed a heap of household linen, a big pile of hankies, 13 pairs of jeans, 4 pairs of shorts, 20 T-shirts and 13 shirts.  How embarrassing is that! 

Then I had to tackle Mick’s work clothes.  He is rather hard on his work trousers, putting holes in the knees, tearing them on something or getting paint or concrete all over them.  I have a bad habit of just dumping them on the couch in the office (otherwise known as the “Orifice” or “Black Hole of Calcutta”) when they need mending, or if they are beyond it, also dumping them to cut the good bits out to use as patches.

So I started sorting – 7 pairs just needing ironing,  8 pairs of faded, 10 pairs worth mending and 7 pairs beyond it. So, the ironing was quickly done.  Next the faded ones.  A few years ago both major companies that make work trousers in Australia started using a different fabric.

It was stronger, but didn’t hold its dye and very quickly faded, so before long couldn’t be worn to work.  I was going to chuck them all out, but only 2 had holes in the knees, so out they went.  Remember, the fabric is stronger – darn. The others are now for working at home and I’ve just folded them – no ironing.  At least he can just grab a pair as they don’t have holes.

Then, with the ones that were beyond it, I cut out the backs of the legs and bottoms of the fronts of legs to use as patches and removed the buttons.  I thought the zippers would be handy for zipper purses, but after persevering to remove one, decided that if I want a zip I can go and buy one.  At least they are well constructed. I ended up with a nice little pile of patches.

That was enough for one day, so this morning I tackled the patching. It was back to winter here today, wet, dreary and only reaching about 12 degrees C, so a good day to be in the warm sewing. 

I normally (on the very rare occurrence this happens) do my patching on my little Elna Stella. Actually, I probably haven’t done any since I’ve had the Janome – oops! Anyway, the Janome has no free arm and Stella’s free arm is really wide, so not very easy to manoeuvre with. So I got to thinking that we could make this patching process a bit of fun.

I decided that the best way to go was to use this little baby.

I’ve had my little Singer Featherweight 222K for about 3 years now.  I found her at the local swap meet.  I was over the moon, although she wasn’t a bargain. When I bought her I checked that she worked, bought some more bobbins and a quarter inch foot and put her back in her case.  Last time I had my machines serviced I sent her up too and was assured she is a great little machine – and left her in her case.

This is actually the first time I have used her.  She has a nice, narrow little free arm. Perfect for trouser legs.

First up I had to work out how to thread her, put in the bobbin and drive her.  She is so lovely and quiet and the light is excellent. Every time I look at her I marvel at how tiny she is.

Then we got stuck into it.

By this afternoon, and with only one cotton lock, Mick had 10 extra pairs of trousers.  It was as good as going shopping. It feels so good to have that all done.

I still have to tackle the pile of work shirts.  There will be no mending.  They will be ironed of thrown out.  I think I will be ruthless.

I did give myself a break and made a yummy Banana Parkin for afternoon tea, so it wasn’t all mending.

Flea Market (Church Fete) Finds

I found some great bits and bobs at the Church Fete yesterday.

I have coveted a set of those green canisters for many years, but they are nigh on impossible to find, and if you do, cost a bomb, so I was absolutely thrilled to find one.  They look so very deco.

The rabbit jelly mould is another wonderful treasure to find. The little plate matches another I have at home and thought was pretty. The bread board is identical to one that Mum and Dad have.  This one is very worn, but I have another old silver one which is missing its board.  I’ll see if this one fits. The long covered dish is really old Meakin and I’m guessing that the xylonite brush that was hiding inside is a clothes brush??? And finally, I think the little dish is for eggs, as the cavities have a curved base, so wouldn’t be for a cruet set.  Anyway, as no one wanted to buy it by the end of the day I brought it home, rather than it get chucked out.

I’ve been wanting a little table ironing board for a while and when I went for a wander late in the morning I found this one in perfect condition on the “Bargains for Blokes” stall.  I can’t imagine it would be on the shopping list for too many “blokes”, but it was a bargain for me. 

There were several little bags of gold buttons with shanks, so I replenished my jar after making my bangle.  Now I’ll be able to make another.

I have plans to repurpose the purple beads on the tea light holder soon.  We’ll see how I go.

I only noticed the bell knitting needle gauge on the white elephant stall at the very end of the day.  How could I have missed that?

There was a jewellery stall and I found several cute brooches to add to my brooch cushion, including a quilt block one and a crafting one.

And finally, I’ve seen mug trees used to hang scissors etc, so I thought this cutlery hanger would do the same thing.  If I don’t like it, I’ll just donate it back next time.  the flour bags were being thrown out at the end of the day, so I grabbed them.  The stationery and old frame will just be handy to have.

Now for the usual problem of finding a home for everything.

Pop over here to see what other wonderful Flea Market Finds there are this week.

What Happened to Spring?

Earlier in the week it was nice to see the second wave of spring blossoms start to appear with the apple trees.

I do love apple blossom.  The pink is just so soft.

Then, on Wednesday the weather changed…….it started to get a bit cloudy again.  On my way to work there was a break in the cloud and the view was just stunning looking down over our local water supply, which is nice and full.

Mick and a mate headed off to Phillip Island for the Moto GP on Wednesday, and encountered torrential rain all the way down.  They are camping and  it hasn’t exactly been ideal weather.  It has been really windy and rained all day on Friday, so no racing, although it is a bit better today.

It turned rather feral here yesterday, wet and windy, although it wasn’t too cold…………until another change came through last night……and today we have had this………

Yes, that is snow – real snow with flakes – right in Bathurst, which is only 600m above sea level!!  There was next to no snow in the area all winter and there hasn’t been snow in town for years.  There were flurries right up until lunch time, which is unprecedented.

Why is the church in the background?  Because today was the Spring Fair!!!  Fortunately, most of it was held in the church hall, as the temperature only got up to about 5 degrees C.

This is my favourite church fete that I have mentioned here, here and here.  Normally I’m just a customer.  However, this time, at Mum’s request, I was also a helper, as many of the usual workers were either ill or away.  I haven’t helped for many years, but from when I was about 10 I used to help on the craft or book stalls.  This time I was on the White Elephant stall, which was lots of fun.

Of course, I made some purchases. What amazed me, was that even though I was at the stall all morning, I still found interesting things that I had missed, right up till the end. I’ll share photos tomorrow.

The weather has started to clear now, but it is still bitterly cold, so the fire has been relit.  Hopefully tomorrow is a bit better as it is Mum’s birthday and they are coming out here for afternoon tea.  I’d best go and do some cooking.

Tuesday Treasures – Old Loo Door

Our old door may seem to be a bit of an odd thing to have as a “Treasure”.

We found this door at an auction at Oberon in the late 80s.  It was a ratty looking old dunny door.  The paint was faded green and all crazed but attached to the back was an original cast iron “Victoria Toilet Fixture” loo roll holder.  Reproduction brass versions of this were all the rage at the time with heritage decorating.

I was quite excited to find an original and for $10 the old door was ours.  It also had a nice old brass lock.  When we got home, the hardware was removed, the loo roll holder cleaned up and installed in the house and the door put up in the woodshed to be thought no more of.

At this stage we were renovating an old 1920s workers cottage in town so the door  became a handy painting plank over the bathtub when we were doing up the bathroom  and then returned to the woodshed.

When we got to the kitchen, Mick made all recycled oregon cabinets and built a corner pantry.  We wanted a door with character, but couldn’t find one.  Then I remembered the dunny door up the back. It was the right size.

We gave it a good wash and the faded green brightened up.  The back was a whitewash, and when stripped back revealed lovely old pine. A coat of estapol brought it up beautifully.   Mick then hunted out the old handle we had removed and reinstated it and put the hinges on the outside.  It was just the look we were after. This, according to the back of the photos was in 1992.

I made the calico angel to finish it off. The kitchen wasn’t nearly as pink as it appears in this scanned old photo. The small window is my one and only foray into leadlight and I was sad to leave it behind when we moved.

The back of the door came up really well too and Dad provided an old hook which he had found at the tip and cleaned up.  It suits the door perfectly.  I’ve never seen another like it.  It reminds me of shaker pegs.

The old crock was painted orange when we bought it from the deceased estate auction of one of Mum’s old friends and then Mick made the oregon lid to suit.

The old shopping list board features a Lucy Mabel Attwell picture  and is identical to one that was always at Grandma’s when we were little.  We found this one in an op shop in Maryborough in Queensland in the late 80s. 

We eventually sold our little cottage, once we had made it just right for us, and started again in a bare paddock.

This time Mick built a cream timber kitchen with a corner pantry. Of course we couldn’t find a door we liked, so the old dunny door came with us.  It cost a bomb to buy oregon to make a replica to leave at the old house, but it was worth it.  I love our old door.

Of course, the old loo roll holder came with us too.

Pop over to Clare’s to see what other treasures are on show this week.