Category — Home at Hemingway

Music drifting in modern sounds

clinking glasses as wine was found,

laughter filled the balmy air

the girls looked pretty sitting there.

Delicious smells in smoky night

candles shimmered in dimming light.

Roasted lamb with chopped mint leaves

sweet green salad with feta cheese.

Crispy chicken with succulent sauce

happy faces but of course!

Barbecuing with such flair.

I almost saw you standing there…

This has been a very busy and some what exciting week! It started  when my sons Jo and Matt invited me to join them all on their summer holidays in August. They usually arrange something about this time of  year but I have not been able to join them in recent years, as leaving Hamada for a fortnight in the care of others would not have been something I would have considered. This year they had their usual grand debate about having a villa in Tuscany or the South of France.  They really love villa holidays and a large crowd all went together last year, having much fun. They are also lovers of the “All Inclusive” deals that  take all the hassle out of  arranging flights, accommodation and all the extras that go with a really good holiday. So this year we are all going to a very nice hotel near the Red Sea in Egypt. Both of my sons have been there before  and do select well from the Hotels they know. This particular Hotel has a large casino,  so I must put aside a little for that. What fun!  Also Shisha and a nice Spa which Mummy likes very much. The recent troubles in Egypt have not reached this far, having a nephew in this area he assures me that all is calm and much the same as always. Egypt relies so much on it’s tourism that they must get back to normal as soon as possible. So lets hope it stays calm and peaceful and we get to go later in the year, I can’t wait!

So having then really got the holiday bug I  booked a sneaky week away in May. Taking a page from their notebooks, doing the “all inclusive” thingy. This time a nice looking  hotel about a mile from Denia on the Costa Blanca in Spain. I’m going back to a place I first visited in 1968. Denia was only a small port village then but is now a large rambling  town. Set at the base of Mount Montgo, it has a very pretty Marina and I chose a hotel  near to the sea-front and a room with a balcony.  I shall look forward to doing a little walking  in the May sunshine and also catching-up with an old friend while I am there too.

What a hoot! Two holidays booked in one week! Get me,the lady who has hardly left her village in five years, with only one exception, a short holiday in 2008 when we managed to take Hamada to Minorca, so he could dip his toes in the Mediterranean once more.

And so my exciting week continued…when attending a local auction I bid successfully on several lots, coming home with a much battered 1920’s writing desk. Needing much restoring but won for a ‘song’.
I may leave this desk with it’s busy past alone, as it seems to tell a story showing well it’s providence and what life has done to it, much like me really!

Then with a really silly bid,  I managed to get a  lovely picture  that I fell in love with on the preview day. This picture shown below, called “Oranges and Lemons” was in a lot of two old pictures, well knocked about. I have cleaned and restored them  and one  now hangs in my sitting room the other, a sort of old Art Nouveau print is in a guest bedroom.

There was a few other little things but needless to say these also needed some restoration work, this will give me  much pleasure to attempt and with little cost  turn these bargains into something worthwhile. It was such an exciting day as  my Sister Jenny and I were also bidding for another friend and I loved watching what items sold for, what we could manage to achieve and the antics of the whole procedure. We plan to make this a regular event, it’s such fun even if you don’t spend a thing. It was warm and cosy,we had lunch and even made new friends. Our local Town of Horncastle is well known for it’s antiques shops and with many house clearances that make-up the majority of these auctions. I am planning another little foray into this unique world of  the local Auctions . Exciting it was! 

Moving on now with days  becoming more cheery and loads of Spring shoots appearing in the garden which always brighten your spirits. It goes without saying that of course  I am still missing my special man very much, but there has been much excitement in the “Hemingway home” to keep me distracted. I have so much to be grateful for.  Jo and his new lady arrived for a really nice weekend together with Ellie (my niece ) and Stu, with all of us having a jolly time at  the village pub over a  good meal. The house seemed brighter and it was lovely to have their company.

Firstly something to cheer and  finishing last week, a new vamped kitchen! Bringing everything more up-to-date with wonderful work achieved by dear brother-in-law Ian. Keeping the cost down by using the little bit out-of date but still good condition, existing cabinets. I added two extra high level cookers and two new hobs. All the cabinets and power had to be redone with new under-shelf lighting and a microwave was added into a concealed cabinet to make it more streamline and modern. It was no easy task as rearranging an older kitchen is always so much harder than starting from scratch. It was long overdue but not being able to have the disruption while Hamada was poorly I am now thrilled with the result. Thank you Ian, for putting up with all my requests and for the perfect work achieved.

Also, as shown in top photo, I wanted you to see the wonderful work my sister Jenny did re-upholstering a chair that I’ve had since 1967 ! This chair with the most unusual shape being very wide at the back, was brought for me by a dear Aunt who is no longer with us and so the chair was much treasured. It was very shabby having been used all these years for everything from a nursing chair to an extra dining chair, and many more uses besides. I can see my babies sitting in this chair at various stages of their lives and so pleased that it could be saved with Jenny’s skill.

Jenny took this old chair  stripping it right down to the  solid oak frame, re-varnishing the woodwork, replacing stuffing, webbing and even piping and covering silk buttons, completing with this very beautiful but rather impracticable silk  material. This was chosen by yours truly, a pattern I just fell in love with. I am so very thrilled with the result and the beautiful work that Jenny has done, it fits my eclectic/mishmash taste so well. Thank you Jenny for your skill  and for saving this much loved chair. I wonder what dear Auntie Dot would have thought of it now?  At 44 years old I think it looks splendid, what do you think readers ?