Pompadour

Wednesday 18 August 2010

Quick, Quick Sloe

I spent the afternoon in the toilet today. Tiling. I bought some fantastic iridescent tiles ages ago, but what a nightmare tiling is when there are hundreds of little squares all oozing with adhesive and sliding around before falling off the bloody wall. Joy.

Neil has at last had a chance to stay at home and start work on the staircase again.
Paid work and visits to the UK meant that he had to 'down chisels' for a few months. Unfortunately in that time the wood has twisted and cracked, making the staircase even more of a challenge. I still think it looks great though - and the cracks only add to the character as far as I am concerned.

After a frustrating afternoon we decided to take Tess out with our friends' quad on a lovely big loop around the countryside. Any such trip is an opportunity for Neil to 'forage' and it's like being married to Hugh Fernley Whittingstall as every hedge is scoured for edible goodies. Today we found a fantastic source of sloes - big and ready for pricking and stuffing into bottles of gin and vodka.

We were hopelessly unprepared and went out with nothing to collect our 'bootie' in, so the plan is to go out tomorrow and harvest the sloes. Lets hope no one gets there before us!

6 comments:

  1. Not unless you have Brit neighbours.

    I wanted those tiles for the swimming pool...Mr. Fly must have known how dreadful they are to fix when he put both feet down to the knees in absolute refusal.
    I still think the pool would have been nice, though.

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  2. I have never tried sloe gin, think I will have to visit.

    Twisted wood and cracks certainly give it character. I have given up trying to make everything perfect. An old house is crooked anyway:) Diane

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  3. The tiles are gorgeous Helen, and not looking too bad today even if I say so myself!! In a pool they would have been amazing - what a shame.
    I will let you know when it is ready diane - a christmas toast me thinks! and yes, as Neil says, nothing in this house is straight!! :)

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  4. Your staircase will look all the better for some warps and cracks - will make it look all the more authentic and aged. Am off now to have a look at what a 'sloe' is, just in case I spot any around on my dog walks. At the moment we are foraging for acorns, rose hips, and apple drops for the pigs. A spot of something for us as well would be great!

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  5. I can thoroughly recommend a drop of sloe gin or vodka Vera - I hope you find some, the ones we found were huge!

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  6. Never ever go anywhere without a carrier bag... not that I follow my own rule!

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