Category: Family life
Hell-oween!
I did my bit for Halloween this year, complete with extra eyeballs and hairy, eyelash lips..
The house is still a building site..which could’ve made the ideal location for a spooky party, except the potential scenarios for genuine disaster and really putting the hell in halloween..so we all dressed up, my niece included and relied on others to provide the fun..
Although we did make some eyeball ice cubes..grapes with blueberries and a bit of raisen.
Or the savoury option..radish and olive.
Is it OK to say the kids looked lovely??!
Friend Jenny’s fab pumpkin..
It’s an evening the kids love..maybe because it rebels against every parental rule in the book..
Mwhaha-haaaaaaa!
Laters, Kate x
Circle of Life x
Do you believe in serendipity? The digging out of our basement has been put on hold as we’ve taken the expensive decision to expand the works slightly. It was going to be L-shaped with this bit of the ‘L’ being the boiler room, but now the front wall’s been taken down to make way for the steels, it’s easy to see it would be possible to square the room off and gain an extra 2 metres in depth. Except this means more money..and going through Party Wall again as we’ve moved the goal posts. No pain, no gain. But..
Guess what the builders found?
A bag of Smallholder And Home Gardener newspapers, dated from WW2..which although interesting, wouldn’t be gold to the average person on the Clapham omnibus..
Except Mrs Smallholder, who wrote for the paper was a relative! Well, I say relative..Auntie Ethel (Mrs Samllholder) was the wife of Uncle George, who was the brother of one of the two midwives that adopted my Grandmother, Beryl Archer when she was born, and became her father-figure. The story of my Grandmother’s adoption has always been a family mystery. After her death, I found an article she’d written for a magazine about Norfolk, it read: ‘Beryl Maccafrey Archer was the fourth child of a hospital matron and an administrator. As a baby she was ‘adopted’ by two middle-aged nurses during the First World War, though to this day she has no idea why ‘I can only assume it was for safe-keeping during the east coast bombardment,’ she says now. Later she came to know her two older sisters and a brother, who all continued to live at home with their parents in Devon whilst she continued living with her ‘Aunts’ in Great Yarmouth. Effectively Mopsie (her family nickname) was brought up independently by 4 loving, caring adults who never had children of their own and adored her – she always said she had a far better life with them then her siblings ever did at ‘home’. I still have all the evocative, timeless stories Mopsie wrote about her childhood, written with love, clarity and humour about a time now long gone…before my children came along I started putting them together to turn them into a book..maybe it’s a project I’ll have to return to..serendipity…
Laters, Kate x
Cavorting in Kent x
There’s a touch of magic to a windswept English beach caught in the throes of autumn.
The lack of sunshine made no difference to the kids.
Big or small.
These were taken on Camber Sands on Bella’s ninth birthday.
How time flies.
We were lucky to spend the week with another lovely family which meant rounders was a serious option.
Not that the weather was all bad.
Visiting the glorious Walmer Castle..
With it’s doorbell of lust.
And views across the sea.
It has my personal favourite combination of grand but homely.
(I’ve charged my two with the task of becoming the Warden of the Cinq ports so I can live here in my dotage. I think it’s a small thing for a mother to ask for..)
We cycled, ate, drank, swam and geocached our days away. (If you’ve not experienced geocaching it’s an app that using GPS, shows where little pots of treasures are hidden. Addictive.)
There’s the hunt, the journey..
And the success..this was a plastic fish swapped for some acorn shells. Hmmmmmmm.
What none of us had ever seen before was the amount of mushrooms growing on the beach..
All different types, like something out of a Tintin book..
Shame our only knowledge of mushrooms was those with plastic cling wrap..but then we are urbanites, very happy to enjoy the delights of the countryside and re-charge the batteries with good friends, before heading back to the big smoke, building works..and the run down to Christmas. Help.
Laters, Kate x
Light up my Life x
Ah! The potent joys of a holiday to Kent, where each time we visit I think I’ve cracked the lack of internet, only to fail miserably again and again..until the only option is to (with natural great regret) down tools entirely and embrace the holiday spirit and a world without computers. Needless to say, it was a walk along the path to bliss! But more on Kent another day..both pre and post trip I’ve been obsessed with the light for our new dining room. Much to my own surprise, having looked at various 1950’s and 70’s lights with their cool drama, I went for this classic flemish brass number. It was the cost shape that made it stand out..over a metre tall and two tiered, like a Christmas tree (imagine decorating with ivy, fir and baubles. Sigh) but it was in a pretty sorry state and covered in a dark varnish much loved in the 1940’s that now just detracted, like a bad fitting nun’s habit from it’s simple lines and austerity appeal.
But how to clean it? Pinterest proved to be a wealth of info and basically there were two options – making a paste with vinegar and baking powder or soaking it in nail varnish remover. Not being sure how much nail varnish remover would be required to fill the bath and dubious about the effect of remover on electric wiring, I opted for the first choice.
The vinegar and baking soda bubbled up beautifully when mixed together and had the additional benefit of the evocative scent of a down town chippie.
It was slathered on and left to simmer gently.
The result? A huge, stinking, smelly mess…and no noticeable change.
Undeterred, Plan B went into action: Cotton wool pads soaked in nail varnish remover and wrapped around the light like a mummy.
It definitely made a difference, but didn’t shift the deeper stains which even elbow grease couldn’t budge.
Returned to instructions…and to give them their due, they did say to use very fine steel wool with the nail varnish remover.
And when I finally got hold of some (slack..always make sure you have required tools before you start) it was like magic..the black literally evaporated away. From this..
To this.
Like Cinders from the ashes, she’s turned into a real beaut! Now I just need to source some of those vintage, edison-like-filament bulbs that have been popping up everywhere..pray they do them in this size…but knowing my luck…they’ll cost more than the light!
Laters, Kate x
Stockwell Green No.203
The building works are coming on, although there’s still a great deal to go (she says as she looses electricity and internet again), but we’re far enough down the line I’ve started to allow myself the infinite pleasure of looking at paint charts and buying sample pots, because paint has that magical ability to turn an ordinary room into the stuff of dreams.
And there are some interesting brands to choose from – take Mylands – the oldest British paint manufacturers still owned (four generations and counting) and managed by it’s founding family who remain the only paint manufacturer still producing paint in London.
The joy of their colours comes from their attached history, and the fact that unlike many other manufacturers, they still use earth pigments in their paints.
Recognise this place? It’s the kitchen from Downton Abbey..with a paint colour I’ve lusted over many a Sunday night.
Empire grey and Amber grey by Mylands no less.
Well, if it’s good enough for Mrs Patmore…
Laters, Kate x
Parent’s Graffiti..
Kitten to cat,
Puppy to dog,
Foal to horse
Child to…
Laters, Kate x
Art Open Evening x
So this is the thing…my lovely weekly Art Class are having two Open Evening studio nights this week on Friday 9th October and Saturday 10th October from 6.00 pm till 8.00 pm at the hut on Wandsworth Common next to the Sky Lark cafe.
And all are welcome! You can come for a wander and a gander at all the work on display..there’s lots.
Or you can even get stuck in and do some drawing like Bella, Charlie and Lily did at our first open evening last week..
(If the ganets let you, there might even be the odd cheesy puff..)
So if you’re in the area and you’ve been meaning to brush up your artistic skills, but keep putting it off…
Come on down..you can even join our weekly class on a Monday from 9.30 am to 11.00 or 11.00 to 12.30..or if the inclination takes you, do the double. It’s seriously one of life’s great joys.
Amanda, our tutor and mentor is amazing and believes anyone can draw.
And despite taking on arts waifs and strays, the quality of the work she inspires is exceptional.
So come in for a browse..or some fancy pencil work..the choice is yours!
Laters, Kate x
Go England!
Charlie supporting England as only Charlie knows how..in a world cup rugby top and a matching earring..
‘Just the one Mummy, Just the one!’
So Celine it’s scary…
Laters, Kate x
Creative Coffee x
Despite the official Creative Coffee classes finishing, the joy it created has continued – I’m now (for my sins) a class rep for Charlie’s class with my awesome rep partner, Jenny. Last Friday was our first coffee morning of the year. So we thought, why not add more ingredients to the coffee beans and milk? Borrowing extra equipment from my lovely art teacher, Amanda we set up simple lino cut card station using just pencils and foam plates (the rollers make all the difference for a professional finish).
Yay!
We had another station to make nail varnish marbled luggage labels.
Fun, different and brain calming but the brucie bonus? We raised £160 for Macmillan in donations!
Laters, Kate x
It’s a Dirty Job x
For this clip, which I adore, homage and respect must go to Mel Lewis for her recommendation – thank you! It perfectly sums up my life right now.
As a return gift, I give you Michael McIntyre with loft and man drawer explaining the invasive power of stuff which means that George Carlin will be forever relevant…and we can never escape!
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 