Thursday 24 December 2015

Mozart Balls and Strudel



Happy Christmas Eve.  We went to Vienna, Austria earlier this month.  We did lots of sights and museums.

Lots of Christmas Markets, I am afraid to say they werent as good as German Christmas markets that we have been to before...  Cologne is a personal favourite.  But here are some pictures for you,..




There were horses and carriages, where you could pretend you were a Princess.  It stank to high heaven there.  But to stop the po op from going on to the road they had some from of po op shoots at behind them that had a bucket at the bottom.  We didnt go in one as I am afraid of horses...


The Cathedral had a market around its base.  Arent the roof tiles amazing.  Chevrons before they became hip in America.



This building was behind the one we stayed in.


I love all of the details on the buildings.  Such grandeur that we can no longer be bothered to include in to buildings.  Money is now King and cheap buildings are flung up, where as these were more labours of love that showed the owner had cash and style, dont you think?




The buildings opposite the hotel we stayed in.  This one had a roof terrace.



This building was also opposite our hotel room and was empty.  You wouldnt see that in say Picadilly Circus.  This was central Vienna...?  Madness, how beautiful, but empty.



Another part of the Cathedral, with the bird crest.







I think this one was my favourite building all the paintings on the sides and the turret.  But as it is in the centre of Vienna, it is blotted by the McDonalds sign. 



More pictures to come later.  But if someone was to ask would be go again.  The answer would be no.  There are too many other places in the World to see.

Are you all ready for tomorrow?

P.S. {Morzart Balls} are chocolate with a soft centre.

Wednesday 23 December 2015

Charity Begins at Home.


You may remember this from a previous post.  This is Carlisle Cathedral.  Beautiful isnt it.


Sadly Carlisle is being battered by weather at present.  Some areas have flooded 3 times.  I feel so sorry for the families affected.






Sheep dogs rescued a flock from the river.



Please {go here} for updates.  They will be in for it again tonight.  We have checked all of our Family close to the Border in Scotland.  They are well and have friends in Carlisle who have managed to stay with other Friends.

The whole of the North is going to have a really rough Christmas.  And lots of kids will wonder how Father Christmas will find them if they arent in their homes.  Please go to iTunes and get the song in the above link on the you tube.

Posh Boy will buy it for us when he comes home from work, I am sorry to say I am iTune illiterate...

Please share the link on your Blog, if you have Facebook, Twitter....

Charity begins at home.

As always, be kind.

Sol x

Tuesday 22 December 2015

Somethings I just shouldnt Watch

Picture from here


Yesterday, after walking around to all the neighbours to give them cards and chocolate, for Christmas, I wanted to say Happy Solstice, for tomorrow... but I didnt.  One of the neighbours kept me on his doorstep whilst it was wetting it down with rain.  And just kept talking, I stood there wonky on my crutches rain running down my nose.  When he said, "Oh, I didnt realise your hair was curly".  I said, "Yes, when my hair is wet and I dont dry it straight my hair is curly.". Thinking this was my cue to say I have to go now.  When he started going on that the people who used to live in this house stole their kitten and wouldnt give it back... Wow.  At that point my mobile phone did something it never does when I am at home, it RANG.  I have absolutely no signal at our house....  I said "I will speak to you another time, I dont want to hold you up.  When the house is more finished we will have everyone around to see it..."

Back in the house, as the light faded. I started watching War of the Worlds.  I really shouldnt watch stuff like that.  Freaks me out.  Like reading The Shining.  I had to throw that book across the room a few times when I read it. 

*shiver*

Monday 21 December 2015

What Decade Are You?



According to {this quiz} I should have lived in the 40's, which is funny as one of the questions was "how would you send your Husband a note... a, letter, email, telegram (or something like that).  I chose email... 

To check I did a different {test}...



I thought I would more likely come out as 1980's.  

Take the tests.... which decade are you and which decade did you think you would be? 

Silly bit of fun...

(in more important news, the nights will be getting lighter from tonight/tomorrow morning.  Solstice.  I like that.  It is too dark and dingy, we need more light.  Also it has been strange weather of 15 oC. What is with that?)

Be kind.

Sol x

Friday 18 December 2015

Other Bloggers


I feel like this a lot of the time.  So many blogs inspire me.  Be it they are just talking about their day, or they are more instructional blogs, say for instance about gardening.  

So many like minded people that with a few click, a few taps of the keys and I am transported to their house.  Sometimes I have a cup of tea, some times I pop in and out during the day and read posts as they arrive (in my blog feeder of the people who I have managed to find their follow me buttons.  Those are great by the way, if you dont have one please add one.  I am still flumoxed by this google plus thingy.  I would rather be old school.  I know what I am doing with that.)

What has touched me this week?  Well a few things actually seeing as I have only been able to read blogs since Wednesday evening...  how time flies.

Here are my highlights so far, (ps I have commented on blogs again and some of them those comment have got lost in the blogger ether. That annoys me...  I dont know what I do to it but I must do something wrong... right on with the list....)

Loved the 3rd paragraph on {Pioneer Preppy's blog}.  Frolicking sheep....

I actually started blogging, way back in 2006, due to Trolls, I gave up for a few years and deleted the old blog.  One of my top reads when previously blogging, is the incredibly inspiring Gavin, of The Greening of Gavin.  Like a modern day Tom Good, he gardens and is as self sufficient as you can get in the suburbs.  An amazing read.  I really appreciated {this post}, as I am hugely interested in having solar panels.  And to (hopefully), go back to growing huge amounts of veggies that we need.  Go read the blog.  

New people I have found recently and their lives are how I hope we will be in a few years...


Have a great weekend. 

Be kind.

Sol x



Friday 11 December 2015

Having Some Time Off.


I'm having some time off, this blogging every day lark is hard work for me.  

I will see you next Friday, if not before...

Thursday 10 December 2015

We Need Vulcans - and Not the Plane Kind

picture from Google.




I honestly think we need a Vulcan Accountant to run this Country.

I need an ice pack for my head.  Today has done my head in.

End of Message

Wednesday 9 December 2015

Stripping the walls


Layers and layers of it.  le sigh.  Why do people just paper over the top?  arrrugh


Tuesday 8 December 2015

The Chair




Here it is,  I am thinking about recover it in leather.  My parents cat has had a good go at this chair and clawed it lots.  Its very low, so I may not be able to use it at a desk.  I am thinking once the roof is raised I will have it somewhere in the hall, where all the books are with a lamp.  An inviting nook, hopefully not a dumping place.

Remember {this house}?  I mentioned it in this {post}....

Well {here} it is featured in the TV programme.

Whats going on around here?  Well we bought a different rug for the lounge.  You can see it in the above picture.  It didnt work in the lounge due to the accent colour on the roman blinds in there.  We were going to move the rug in the lounge to the dining room.  But have now put the new rug in the dining room... are you still with me?

As you can see it is what some may call ethnic...  I say I think it looks, from the outside in, Greek (greek key/wave motif), then maybe South American and then in the middle I think it is called the eyes of Fatima.  [We bought rugs with this motif in Tunisia when we were trapped in a rug factory and they wouldnt let us out unless we bought something.  3 rugs later we escaped into the daylight and freedom, maybe I will tell the full story another time.  For now back to this rug...].  My friend says it is very Mexican looking.  I have never been so I cant say.  What ever it is, I think it looks really good; when the curtains are up I will show you.  It has already made the room look softer.

The lounge is taking on a life of its own and is nothing like how I wanted it.  I wanted a more sleek, American style built in shelves and media in the alcoves.  And some how it has started to be more traditional British country.  I think our budget has made it more this way.

We need to start planning the garden for next year - where the veggies can go in.  As we have been here for the summer, we know where the sun goes and where is hot and where there isnt so much 'all day sun'. As in previous gardens I have needed shade, so not 'all day' direct light will be better for salad stuff that bolts.  I grow huge amounts of salad, as  salad lettuce costs mucho £££ in the shops and we eat a lot of it.  Ieven make it into soup and have it with white wine and peas (a french side dish that I love).

What do you think I should do with the chair?  The pink needs to go, I have nothing it goes with...  And are you planning your garden?

p.s. Harry,if you read this, I love that you loved the Hunger Games.  The books are better.  Now you need to read or see Divergent.  Trauma at the hands of a book!

Monday 7 December 2015

Village Green

Not my village but parts look like this.  picture from here
Music to accompany the next link {Village Green Society}


Saw {this article}, it made me laugh, pavement and street lights?  Nope.

And another one for the giggles... {here}

Am secretly addicted to the Overheard in Waitrose....

Although the other day, when I was in Tescos, I overheard 2 older ladies bemoaning the car park to waitrose being full.  And how dare they not have time limits of people in the shop.  How they hoped no one saw them going in there.  and that it was a disgrace that the trolleys were wet. 

 It was blowing a gale and raining sideways.....  How us peasants live eh?

Wednesday 2 December 2015

Be Our Guest...



Be our guest, be our guest..., love that film.

Ok maybe not in the room how it was...

Remember this room.  Textured wall paper (6 layers of wall paper on these walls.).



Gum mashed into the carpet



Only God knows what this was but we had to have new floor boards as they stank.  Oh my word, they stank.  So out they came as the builder said the smell would come through new carpet.  And I scrubbed that floor like crazy.




You cant really see but we chopped all of the trees down there as they were touching the house and the surveyor said they had to come out as they were touching the foundations.  



A new more efficient radiator. The plaid on the pillows are cushion covers, I braved Dunelm for cushion pads when in the local town.  None to be found that were 50cm x 50cm.  This will now have to wait till we go to another town and look, after Christmas.

Above the bed I am thinking of putting 9 pictures up the width of the bed head to add height and interest, but also to bounce the light back into the room from that wall.  I also have an oil painting to go on the wall opposite the bed.  Which I love.  



Cupboards are gone, they were so deep that we could have put the washer and dryer in there.  we removed them as we had to have new flooring in there, as we did the whole floor.  The builder thought that they had either dogs or cats and just let the go all over.  EWWWW



 I am thinking dark wood furniture.  Really deep shiny stuff.  And I have seen these {lights}, (in silver), that I am loving right now.  I will have to find a cheaper copy some where.  Maybe TK Maxx?  Again this will have to take some time as we will wait till well into the new year.



I am going for a masculine (ish) look.  It will require 2 bed side cabinets, a vanity desk and a wardrobe, to put into the recess where the cupboards were previously.  

I hope for it to feel a little like {this hotel}, in Edinburgh.

Do you think white furniture or dark?

Tuesday 1 December 2015

Through the keyhole



Remember our old bathroom?

These are the changes part the way through....  dont worry I have a blind, pictures and a further (wombled) towel rail to go in. 

This is just a taster






Please ignore all of the dust, I keep wiping it all and cleaning it, but we had to sand the walls in between coats of paint.  It is all still in the air.  I didnt take a picure of the mirror with the lights above as it is wonky and I cant make it straight (still cant raise my left arm high enough, else I would have been on that job quick as a flash).  

Needs the other things in it, to make it softer, I think.  A little bit too many hard lines at the mo.

What do you think?

Tomorrow, the bed room down stairs so far... I need advise on that also.  So get your interior design heads on.