Tarting up tatt!

Hi everyone,

I'll let you into a little of the frugal home decor and release some of my inner Barbara Cartland over the next few days. The tiny side table started life in a reclamation yard at the back of Union street in Plymouth (best known for slappers and kebabs) and was bought originally for £20 as my daughter's school desk for her bedroom. It now makes an ideal lamp stand. The lamps in my sitting room were red clearance labels from TK Max. But the real bargain in the corner is the car boot vase for a couple of pounds filled with flowers bought a few at a time at car boots, jumbles, charity shops and Trago. Tat? but I love them!

 At last week's car boot sale, I bought the two piccies of two different Cornish harbours. Cadwith and Portloe. The stall holder wanted £5 for the pair and I got them for £4, but I still think that was expensive.

I just sanded the frames and painted them with white egg shell and now they are hung in my porch and yes, they are linked together with old paper clips.

 My other purchase last week was a side table, often called a butler tray. It's made of teak and meant for the garden. It has taken several coats of egg shell to cover it, but DB got there in the end (come on! you don't think I do it?)

Here it is, in my sitting room. Next to my £1.20 ebay arm chair and my very old and many times repaired sofa. I paid £5 for the butler tray and thought it was worth that.

No car boot saling today, but I thought I would show you my afternoon walk yesterday. Watergate Bay on the north coast. Beware, be very ware! If you go before 2pm the car park charges £5.60 and due to the one car wide roads to get there, you can not park anywhere else. It's a stunning place, the play ground of millionaires, with the tiniest holiday apartment costing half a million quid! Also, check the tides, at high tide, there is no beach. We get mussels from the North coast, the sea is rougher and the water quality is of the highest standard. They are still a bit small, but have less dense 'beards' when they are young. Rock grown mussels have more flavour than the rope grown type you get in the shops. You can also just help yourself, no one cares and very few people eat them here. I do, and they are worth the trip over to the north coast. Enjoy the views.

 Yours' truly and the headland in the background.

 Measuring the mussels - they cover every rock for as far as the eye can see.

 Still a bit small.

 Crystal clear water, and five hours since high tide.

 Newquay in the background.

 View to the left. Click to enlarge.

 View to the right.

Kite surfers; playing.

Until tomorrow,

Froogs xxxx