new furniture

When I was a bit awol from this blog, over the Easter holidays, I wasn't busy doing nothing.  We spent a few days having a sort out and move around of furniture, which left us with nowhere to put the hamster cage in the living room.  Ikea was suggested for a unit of some sort - but I decided to keep my eyes open for something secondhand. 

Within just a couple of days I spied a pine chest of drawers outside a local charity shop.  It was no good, a liitle bit small, and with a big chunk out of the top.  But inside the shop I found another much more suitable, but very dark chest of drawers. 

A day spent sanding and re-painting, and Poppy the hamster has a lovely new place to reside...

And I have somewhere to store my crochet, knittting and hand-sewing stuff, as well as my "good" stationery - you know what I mean, not the functional, stuff - the pretty stuff.  And I prettied up the inside of the drawers with wallpaper samples, from the diy store where I bought the paint.

Oh, and I also gave the coffee table in the conservatory a face-lift.  It's a good shape, and very sturdy.  But had turned that orange that laquered pine goes. 

 

Now, what else can I paint?

been a-thrifting

Earlier this week, Luu and I did our weekly food shop, and then popped into a couple of local charity shops.  There were lots of treasures, but only three for us.  This suitcase, which has been on the thrifting wish-list for a liitle while, although we did ponder, should we? do we really want it? But for the princely sum of just £2.00 and with some '80s Snoopy stickers it had to be.  Luu is going to use it in her room for storage.

She also bought this linen top, which she will wear as a dress, destined for those hot days, which are on the way back...

 

And the third item?  A 1990s road atlas for 40p, destined to be chopped up as backgrounds for some more of my pictures.  I've a couple I'm working on at the moment, I should be back with them later in the week...

a running update

I've just found this post, that I actually wrote on the 12th April - and then left it floundering, as I had no photo to go with it.  So, I thought I'll let you have this, and then I'll update you a little more...

I haven't told you about my running lately, have I?  To remind you, I'm training to do a half-marathon later in the year - gulp...

At the moment I'm following these podcasts, and they're really, really good.  I'm just about to start week seven.  Which means that I start with a 5 minute brisk walk - followed by 25 minutes of running and then another 5 minute walk to cool down.  I did the same session on Sunday, with Mark and Phoebe along with me - on their bikes, and I did it!  I amazed myself when Laura, who talks you through the podcasts, said at 24 minutes - you've got a minute left, if you can, why not run a bit faster... and I did.  From my quite ploddy jog, I upped the speed - and ran.

So, with Laura's help - I should be able to do 5km in another couple of weeks, at the moment I'm doing about 4.2km.

Anyway, since then, I've been building on my time and distance, and last week completed my first 5km, in about 40 minutes.  I was SO pleased.  To be fair, I did it along our local cycle path and canal, so it was fairly flat.  But I wanted to achieve that milestone. I'm now back on the footpaths, so that means some hills are involved, and I'm working my way back up to 5km, and beyond...

Since I've started running, at least two people I know have started running, using these podcasts.  Because, if I can do this, anyone can.

April stuff

Sorry I’ve been gone for a while.  Here’s a brief round up of some of what I’ve been up to…
We’ve had this little one for a year

I turned another year older.  And so did Mark.
We went away to Cornwall for 5 days, just before Easter, and enjoyed the fabulous British weather, and had a great break.
We went to St Ives…

To Porthcurno beach…

To Mousehole..

And to Geevor tin mine museum

There’s plenty more, but I don’t want to get you too excited with too much in one post…