Checking in

Hello!

Oh dear. I'm afraid you'll have to bear with me a while longer on this blogging lark. I'm hoping the issues that are keeping me away from my computer will be sorted out soon and some semblance of normality will return before the end of the year but in the meantime, I'm afraid certain things just have to give. Hey ho...all will become clear in time, good people! Meanwhile, here's what I've been up to....

Picking::

 

....strawberries, strawberries and more strawberries...it seems such a long time ago now!

Drinking::

....Strawberry smoothies. A couple of ice cubes, crushed, one glass of soya milk, fresh or frozen mixed fruit, one ripe banana, tablespoon of (in my case) homemade probiotic yoghurt and a drizzle of honey (because I have a sweet tooth). Zoosh in a blender, add a straw. Drink.

Baking::

 

...strawberry cake of course!

 

 

Making::

...lots of lovely different breads and (strawberry!) jam to eat with it, both courtesy of the bread maker.

Eating:

 

....scrambled tofu. I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to get around to making this. Admittedly, not the prettiest dish to look at but very tasty and simple to make although I prefer to eat it at lunch or supper rather than breakfast.

Reading::

....two lovely new books. The vegetarian tagine book is inspiring and we've enjoyed several dishes from it already. Mr. TVL bought a tagine back from Casablanca for me and although you don't need one to make the dishes in the book, I was dying to try it out! Only about £4 from the souk by the way!
The other book has some lovely dressmaking patterns in it and I'm hoping it's going to encourage me to throw myself at the sewing machine with a vengeance this winter. I've always thought how wonderful it must be to be able to make your own clothes. I didn't know this before I purchased it but the young lady whose book it is has a nice blog if you're interested in dressmaking.

Buying::

...this fantastic 1950's Bex container set. I used to collect kitchenalia but haven't bought anything of note for years. This was a bit special though and I just had to have it. First of all, I had birthday money burning a hole in my pocket so admittedly I paid a little more than I would have normally but it IS boxed AND unused AND it's my favourite colour AND it can actually be put to use in the kitchen! I just love it! (yes, I know the herbs don't match what's written on the jars. The spices do though)

Growing::

....lots of lovely perpetual spinach (hence the other half of the pot waiting to be sewn) to keep us going over the summer.

Visiting::

...Lincoln Cathedral in the evening to hear The Sixteen and The Halle (not on the same night!)
What better concert venue could there be for beautiful music?

Watching::

....long shadows and spectacular sunsets of pink and orange hues falling on the wheat.  Luckily I can see them without even leaving the house.
Overall, we have enjoyed a lovely summer here on the Lincolnshire coast, have you?

Finding::

....numerous lovely vintage things, of which these are a small selection;

:: A licence issued by The Ministry of Food to a local shop, signed and dated 1943.

:: A pair of glass finger plates. Via the car boot sale for 50p.

:: The best non-drip teapot ever! This was a case of true serendipity as I needed a teapot and  straight away I found this lovely small sized Swan Brand pot in their 'Willo Ware' pattern...for £1!

:: Handmade wooden sewing box in the most glorious green, with some contents. Bought to possibly sell but, well, you know the rest...

 

 :: Lovely little Chad Valley globe. We've wasted spent many minutes looking for countries that either don't exist any more or have changed their names.

:: Pretty religious print. Because I really need another! It was very reasonable though.


And finally, there was much excitement in this house when we found out that VeRA the Canadian Lancaster would be flying close by as part of her tour with Thumper from the BBMF. But on the day, they actually flew RIGHT OVER MY HOUSE!!! Unfortunately, I can't thrill you with a photograph because they were 45 minutes ahead of schedule and, caught off guard, I just couldn't get the camera sorted in time, even though I had set it up on the tripod hours before and positioned it where I thought I'd get a good shot. I shall kick myself forever more...they were so low, I could read the washing instructions on the pilots underpants*
Anyway, a while after, the Red Arrows flew over our neighbouring field so that was pretty spesh. I see the Arrows a lot as they can be seen quite regularly practising in the skies above Lincoln but to have them go past your house is quite something. We really do suffer from an embarrassment of riches here in 'Bomber County'. This time I got some pics but they fly so fast, that was hard work too. It wasn't my day! The second image is a bit fuzzy as I cropped it to show the detail.
I have a post planned about the BBMF .I shall have to do it now I've said it.

 

 

So that's just a small snapshot of the last few months. I can't make promises about posting very regularly from now on I'm afraid so expect me when you see me.  There might be new stock coming to This Vintage Life...soon though.

Au revoir!

*not really, but thanks to Ms.V.Wood for that one.