Cottage News Monday Morning

Well we had lesbians yesterday, relationship discussions on Saturday and a buggered up Phyllis Diller a day before that....what little delights have I got for you today dear reader
Well it's an eclectic mix today
If you are not interested in 1940's sewing box bargins, Phyllis Diller rehab, chilli sucking Bulldogs and the last of The Walking Dead blog posts until Febuary walk away now.

Now I am not a huge fan of lifestyle blogs ( apart from Chania's Razzmatazz that is) but spurred on by Tom Stephenson's recent bed wetting blog entry on candlesticks, I thought I would share with you my latest acquisition for the cottage


I have been looking, for a small occassional table it sit next to my armchair for ages now and it has been a nightmare given the fact that the cottage is so compact. I saw this 1940s oak sewing box  in a local craft shop a while ago but couldn't justify spending 40 quid on it....so I decieded to slowly chip away at the shop owner with a weekly visit and offer a regular 25 quid for it.
I know it was probably bought for a tenner, but small tables don't come around often so I was pleased when the shop owner finally agreed.
It's not pretty but it is bloody useful!
I've made a large pot of chilli this morning , only having to stop to lavage Winnie's mouth out with two water soaked tea towels after she had hoovered  up a few stray chilli flakes from the kitchen floor. The only good thing about a bulldog's mouth is that it resembles that of a pigmy hippo's.
It opens like a gin trap.
Anyway the other animal who has been in the wars recently is , of course , Phyllis Diller.
Here she is this morning with room mate Bodica.

Still a little muddy but more like her own self...it's nice to have a little health scare victory once in a while.
And before I go to bed again ( I'm on night shift later) I will give a tiny mention to The Walking Dead mid season finale which shows in the UK tonight..... Being a geek I managed to find several videos of the episode on YouTube ( before they were pulled) so early this morning I managed to watch it.
(Beware spoilers) 
I am a little exasperated with the producers of the show, as every mid season finale ( what's with this new phenomenon of MID season finales btw?) someone of note gets killed....it's a silly and pointless tradition as the event takes president over the narrative which is a shame.
Today Poor Beth gets the treatment, which is a shame cos I quite got to like her big doe eyed southern charm.......
No more Walking Dead posts now  until Febuary ............most of you would be glad to hear.......
Hey ho!





51 comments:

  1. The little table is lovely. If it doesn't quite fit in a coat of creamy, chalky paint would make it look very 'country cottage'.

    Poor Winnie hoovering up chilli flakes. Does she let you open her mouth when you need to, Pugs are notoriously difficult to get to open their mouths, once Suky's got a grip, she's got a grip and only foody blackmail will open those jaws!!

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    1. Waft a buiscuit at her and shed open her mouth for anyone x

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  2. Phyllis Diller looks totally recovered (i.e. mad as ever).
    Sewing table is lovely and the sewing drawer will be near at hand for all those running repairs you have to do when you get stuck having to climb out the window to retrieve your keys off the wall when Chris has locked you in (and other episodes).

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  3. Totally loving the sewing box .... looks like an extremely useful piece of furniture does it have one of those cute lift up lids?

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    1. Yes, it's very plain, that s why I liked it

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  4. Anonymous11:20 am

    A tea mug and not a gin glass on the side table. How disappointing.

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  5. such a great find on the table! :)

    poor winnie! :(

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  6. Nice little table, perfect for that spot.

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  7. It looks like your bargaining paid off. That is a nice little table that fits perfectly in the space.

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  8. Phyllis is a lucky chicken to have her own private ITU nurse! Winnie's chilli tale reminds me of a few years back, when a local landlady, famous for her hot curries, left a large vat cooling in the kitchen. Her Italian spinoni got in and made good inroads into it. He was next seen lapping huge quantities of water from the men's loo!

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  9. Daryls going to be upset, he seemed more concerned about finding her than her sister.

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  10. Just catching up on your previous post, our sons partner is welcomed with open arms especially by my partner, as he can do all the jobs my partner and sons are useless at. Plumbing, building, going up ladders etc. anything that needs doing I just call him now. A daughter in law wouldn't be so useful :)

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  11. For the information of us city folk, what is a gin trap?

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    1. See
      http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1du7OF70iFY/UDaS1_63DzI/AAAAAAAACtg/gNrnG-A5jv8/s1600/Leghold_trap.JPG

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  12. That table is great and now I may need to change my idea of what I could use for a side table. Thanks.
    I believe "Breaking Bad" started this trend. Especially when they split the final season and quite honestly it was the only show that could get away with doing that. But Hollywood is filled with lemmings. "Mad Men" is doing the same thing with their finale which is dumb because it doesn't warrant that.

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  13. I also need to know what is a gin trap? I have a sewing table almost like yours,lift up lid and all.Found mine in a junk pile,some stain and new screws, back in service.I use mine as a bedside table,works wonderfully as I can put my clutter in it and know one is the wiser.Books extra keys etc.Have a lovely day.

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  14. Anonymous12:57 pm

    It's a nice little table and it looks like it's got storage so that's a BIG plus.

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  15. Snow globe, star……oh my goodness are you already into seasonal decorating?
    Will you consider taking up embroidery, or knitting, with some place nearby now to store your essentials - hoops,threads, needles etc? Or are you darning thick winter socks which I'm sure are Welsh village requirements with wellies!
    I agree about painting the table to get the cottage look - get the Annie Sloane Chalk Paint out - Coco or Country Grey would look spiffy!

    I love your dog stories John - we don't have any of our own but enjoy the neighbors' pups - two in back (Golden Retriever Moose and black Lab Molly) come to the fence to 'talk' with us when we're out gardening - speaking of which today we are raking another million leaves that fell whilst we were at the beach for the weekend - so must say cheerio for now!

    Have a wonderful week in the 'hinterland'.
    Mary -

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    1. The snow globe was bought at Saks and has been in the living room always not just at Christmas ...I love it

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  16. Table is fine. Love Winnie. Don't know the Walking Dead. Wow Phyllis Diller is beautiful.

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  17. Love the little table....just enough! As it is 18 degrees here this morning I'm planning chili also. Always a treat to see Winnie. Rest well.....

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  18. Of course Winnie's sad mug pops up in the picture of your table. Was she feeling sorry for herself after the pepper flake debacle? I can only imagine the slobber.

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  19. I could do you a nice aged paint-job on the table, but I fear distance forbids me.

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  20. I'm trying to see that green cabinet behind the chair. It looks like a good one.

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    1. The cabinets are built neither side of the chimney breast

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  21. Although I like paint - I am all for you leaving that darling table alone. It's nice just the way it is! Even I (queen of the crammed) would find a place for it.

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  22. The little table is perfect for a side table. Finding the right size side tables is hard. I like the look of it next to the chair. Not sure if you need to paint it.
    So happy to see Phyllis looking so chipper.

    cheers, parsnip

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  23. Good price on that bit of a stand, my vote is to leave it as is. Our Popeye is a poop eater and our vet told us to try dropping a few chili flakes on the stuff and he would stop eating it. Did it, I gagged uncontrollably as he ate the whole lot and looked for more.

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  24. Heck I hope you got all of the chilli flakes out of Winnies mouth else your in for trouble later!

    Love Phyllis, she reminds me of Emu from Rod and Emu but with a fluffy tuft. (yes I know it was a puppet before anyone says).

    Love the oak sewing box, a touch of wax and that will be extra lovely. will Chris keep his knitting in it?

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  25. I would love a table like that, with my own personal drawer.

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    1. Men need their own drawers
      Like sheds

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  26. Your blog is one of my absolute favorites. I love it.
    Also, I hate mid-season finales on shows. It's so annoying! Just show the show!

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  27. Small tables must be scarce the world around. The drawer is a bonus. SCORE, and the teens here say. (I need to get out more.)

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  28. You had lesbians yesterday? For dinner? How did you cook them?

    Love,
    Janie

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  29. Best season of The Walking Dead yet! I'm glad Beth's dead — her singing got on my tits!

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  30. I love the table! When we were getting new furniture for the living room, I was searching for small end tables and ended up with an antique smoking table for one, and an antique round one for the other. I also have an ancient wooden fern stand. Only the smoking table has any hiding spot, and I use that for coasters.

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  31. Oh, I thought you said, 'Cottaging News'. Hey ho.

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  32. I like that furry crumpled footstool in the shape of an oversized bulldog face too. Very creative furnishing, and comfy and well squashed by use, by the look of it.

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    1. Best comment today, awarded by a fellow commenter rather than John :)

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  33. Anonymous11:53 pm

    Phyllis looks fab.

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  34. i thought this was a lifestyle blog! since you are a chania fan i'll tell you that she is one of the sweetest bloggers ever. a few years ago one of my readers was in a terrible fire in her home, she was burned very badly and lost everything. well, when chania found out she sent the most amazing bedding from peacock alley to this total stranger. gorgeous sheets, comforter, everything. must have cost several hundred if not a thousand dollars. that's chania. xo

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  35. Cute table and now I HAVE to find out about the bed wetting candlesticks so must pay dear Tom a visit.....

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  36. What is it with Darryl and his hair?? I can't even think about starting to watch this show with his hair like that - it makes me feel cold and ick just to look at a photo of it; oh dear. Also, I don't think we get that channel. Problem averted.

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  37. I really like your new table !

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  38. I'm so glad Phyllis is back in good form. As for the table, I think it looks pretty good! Especially for 25 quid.

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  39. I hope your cold is improving.

    Love the table! I don't know how much a quid is but 25 is much better than forty.

    Daryl cried! Everyone cried. This mid season finale was a bitch!

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  40. Howdie John: We were just talking about a new side table - ours has a bite taken out of it when Sephora was a pup (yep, 8 years later, we still have that table and haven't not repaired the huge chunk out of it).
    Wasn't sad about Beth - was sad about Daryl crying about Beth.

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