Nearly there

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for dropping by!

Today, my son fitted the utility room. It used to have simple shelves with everything hanging off them, the washing machine and the dishwasher just stood in the room. Now the dishwasher is in the kitchen, next to the kitchen sink, where it should be and the washing machine is encased in fitted units, in the utility room, where it should be. He has re-routed plumbing and electrics, built and installed the units and installed a sink as there never was one in there.

I've had my first day at home and I've dried all of the laundry in the sun, ironed it all and it's all hung away. I've stripped and remade the bed and I have another pile of washing to do tomorrow if the sun is shining. And didn't the sun shine today! It was 32 degrees on the north side of my home where it never gets full sun! Boy-O was certainly hot today, but as is true to him, he didn't stop all day. Tomorrow, is the finishing off then he's back home to Plymouth for a few days before coming back next Monday for the next stage of the 'renovate the house to sell it'. Here's the photos of today's work. The units and sink and all plumbing supplies are from a newly opened builder's merchant who gave my son a massive discount for opening a trade account. Like all utility rooms....it's nothing fancy. I started on my first holiday craft project and I'll show you the results tomorrow.

The old shelving from the utility room, perfectly good enough for me, but I don't think it would tempt the buyers!

 Work in process. It might look a small room but I've had kitchens this size in other houses. I'm sure this will be a selling point.

All the work and noise drove me out of the house, I spent most of the day here, in the shade of a huge beech tree reading Stephen Fry's 'Moab is my washpot'

 I am just about to have hundreds of tomatoes. The vines went crazy before I had time to trim them or cut of the lower branches so I've just left them get on with it.

 The heat is causing the squashes to swell. They have climbed all over the poly tunnel and, in true triffid like fashion, are threatening to over power it.

Here there are making a bid for freedom and after growing vertially are growing laterally too!

 The sweetcorn is also growing and swelling. It's the first time I've ever grown this and I'm growing it in a plastic pot.

 If you wonder why I leave the lawn to be a mess of weeds, it's because it's full of clover and alive with honey bees. The bees also love the fuchsia buses that I leave untrimmed and wild all over the garden. Tomorrow will be the end of it and my poor boy can have a few days off.

Until tomorrow,

Froogs xxxxx

We all need a little chaos every now and then.

I ate my dinner in the garden tonight. Wearing a coat and sitting on the garden steps. It wasn't warm but it was the least chaotic bit of my home. Sink out, plumbing out, tiles off, new worktops cut and down. Wiring re-routed. Dishwasher ready to be moved. Son dusty and tired and working for free. I can't complain as I'm not paying for the labour and everything has been bought at trade minus negotiated 20% discount due to son opening a new trade account and being given 90 days to pay. All very good and a lot cheaper than if I'd gone to the cheapest DIY superstore.

Tonight, I washed up in the sink in the downstairs loo! It'll be all worth it when it's done, flashy and remodelled and ready for sale and I can downsize and live in a smaller, more sustainable and affordable home. Something like this - http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-34174508.html and live in a little row of cottages that looks something like this http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-34174508.html

Until tomorrow,

Froogs xxxx

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