October 30, 2010

Autumn delight....

Ingrid Maries grow ripe at late October 
and shall preferably be picked after
a frosty night or two.
An apple with a herald from the Danish island of Fyn.
The story tells about the one seedling from a Cox Orange
taking root amongst the raspberry bushes a hundred years ago.
This year our single tree has produced a bumper harvest
and I'm preparing goodie-baskets for family and friends, 
to bring home after tomorrow's brunch.
This juicy apple tastes it's best at Christmas but may, 
when stored suitably, preserve well until April. 


XX Ia xx

October 27, 2010

Ponding......

efter många års tjat gav jag då äntligen med mig.....
men inte till vad som helst och inte hur som helst.
Detta är min måltavla, hittad hos en favorit blogg, Trouvais.
Hur går det då???
Lite långsamt kanske i inspektorns ögon,
men trots allt framåt.
Seriös leklåda för vuxna karlar!
Seriösa katter däremot har gjort sitt för dagen och tar sig
gärna en sömnlur bakom köksgardinen i solskenet.

Ia


I've finally surrendered after 20 years of harping
 and agreed on having a smaller pond 
constructed in the garden.
But not until I found my inspiration from 
one of Trouvais posts earlier this year.

I never thought it would be of such fun for someone else,
it's really a playground for adult males.

Bricks of stone, buckets with concrete, layers of armour,
electrical devices for a water cascade,
stone caisson for drainage...etc etc etc!
It's a never ending list.....

Regularly accompanied by the house cat, who needs to
rest for a bit, preferably on a windowsill
in the kitchen while the sun is warming up the pane.

The cold weather arrived rather early this year and working in 
mortar will now have to rest until the next spring.





October 26, 2010

Passing on...

yesterday's company-mail.

On the air today!


Hennes nya bok släpps nu i Sverige.


Or watch later at TV4play!

October 24, 2010

I heard it through the grapevine...

is one of my fav songs with Marvin Gaye
and has been on my lips all day.
Today's harvest gently picked from topped roofing!
Bringing in this season's grapes on a cold, rainy day and you need to warm up again.
Wrapped up.......and then some comfy loose chair covers to rest on.
These blue grapes have to come off after a night's temperature below the freezing-point,
for a better result and before being drawn off into bottles.
Some are left over for raisins.

❤Ia❤


P.s. It is possible to grow grapes in Sweden,
we have done so in a small number for 20 years.
We have chosen vines hardy a severe climate,
suitable for the Stockholm region.
Both blue and green logs have grown robust over 
the years, they even made it through last winter's
extreme cold.......knock on wood !!!



October 11, 2010

Birdie nam nam....

Today's outlook
At full bloom May 2010
Plenty for everyone
 Still with a
Ia

October 06, 2010

Ett lindebarn.....

är ett gammalt hus, i alla fall för mig.
Maken är rätt klar i sitt val. Glaserat SVART!!
Så har det nästan 100 år gamla bitvis mossbelagda taket gjort sitt,
 många av pannorna har tjänat sitt syfte och denna gång behövs
en radikalare åtgärd, det räcker inte att bara byta papp och läkt
samt byta en o annan takpanna.
Med hjärtat i byggnadsvården plöjer jag nu all tillgänglig facklitteratur
om takläggning och plåtarbeten, byte av tak innebär oftast även nya
fotrännor och stuprör. Diskussionerna går höga.....
Jag letar febrilt gamla vattkupor med krona att utgå ifrån.
Tips mottages ytterst tacksamt!
4 more to go.......jag tror inte plåtis blir glad på mig!
 Så om ett reveterat trähus i kalkbruk och kalkfärg efter konstens alla
 regler, skall behålla sin nuvarande karaktär och få ett "nytt"
återvunnet taktegel med patina kontra nytillverkade handslagna
 glaserade takpannor i skimrande svart, ger mig aningen huvudbry.
För att inte säga hjärtsnörp...jag måste bestämma mig snart!
Husets själ har ett hjärta, det är jag alldeles säker på.
Den nedan gamla betongspiran klädd i zinkplåt kan bli avgörande,
upp på kökets taknock, ovanför det lilla fönstret skall den.
Spiran skall inte målas!
Kanske gör den sig bättre mot SVARTA takpannor.......eller?????

 I for my house,
Ia 


I'm up for a big decision, perhaps the biggest ever,
regarding our almost a 100 year old house.

The roofing tiles in terracotta have finally served their purpose
and only replacing laths and roofing felt won't be enough this time.

Hubby has made his choice of glazed tiles in black handmade reproduction
.....I'm slightly filled with anguish and as a profound hunter of recuperated
building materials, I'm still rather vague on deciding if to try and find another
 well preserved stock of antique tiles in terracotta.

Eventually this old pinnacle of concrete covered in zinc plate will
help me out, it will be mounted as an embellishment on the lower ridge
on top of the kitchen wing and above the small window.
It will not be painted!

I'm scrutinizing methodically all available literature on the market,
restoring and replacing a roof also involves the plater's part of making
new gutters, preferably by reproducing original models.
I've found an old watercup to start drawing sketches from.

Being an admirer of the tinsmith's work, I'm sort of looking
forward to this heavy work ahead of us.

I just have to make up my mind for the pick of tiles.
The house has a traditional coating of lime mortar,
painted in very pale pinky limewash, the window frames
are whitewashed and the borders are in black linseed oil.
The shutters are also painted in linseed oil, oxid green and has
turned pale over the years.

BLACK OR TERRACOTTA??

October 01, 2010

Preppad o klar....

Stadig frukost denna soliga sista Septembermorgon, insvept i varm pläd.
Genomstretchad och hyfsat uppmjukad. Obs ... iförd sockiplast!
Samt diverse bestyr vid tvättstället,
egenbyggt med måttbeställd skiva av återvunnen kalksten.

Varför detta ??????
Jo,  en förkväll med uppackning hos......


Besök välfyllda promenadstråk med kaxig kuriosa denna helg! Läs mer HÄR....

Ia



This weekend the annual fall marketplace for antique dealers is taking place.

As a regular visitor I've learned the importance to set off well prepared.
Once there you easily find yourself lost in the all the fun of bric-a-brac!