Monday 4 February 2013

Grey January...




Our lovely 17 year old 'Desmond '
I'm slightly shell shocked by last month. (oooooh nooo doom and gloom!! ..surely not again I here you groan) Sadly, we lost another of our Kitties, lovely miss Daisy, also known as the cat with the most made up names: Dee-dee, Desi-arnez, Debbie McGee(lol), Maggie or Desmond,  but mostly Desmond thanks to Pete for some strange reason. She was the replacement kitty to cheer up a pining Basil after his sister Betty was run over many, many years ago.
 Our lovely, fluffy, friendly girl who had the loudest purr in the world and who wagged her giant bottlebrush tail like a dog, finally had to make that last visit to the vets with me. Very sad.
Poor old Desmond.
I do so miss her and her two lovely daughters Maud and Ethel. I get quite worried that Mr. B who is 18 this year and my lovely old black Labrador Red, who is 14, aren't going to live forever like they promised me they would. Basil wanders from room to room making the most dreadful sad howl. Poor old chap doesn't quite understand where his furry soulmate has gone.
sad Basil

I also lost an Uncle too. It was strange seeing my cousins again who are in their 40s who I hadn't seen since our early teens.We remembered times from our childhood and their Cocker Spaniel dog.
In our family you always seem to be remembered by your dog.
My second cousin Richard gave an amusing sermon involving urine, well the word 'urology getting muddled up with eulogy' (toilet humour must run in the family). It was much needed on what was a freeeeezing snowy day sat in a freeeeeezing Norman church.

When I was a teenager in the 1980s, that cousin called Richard was in a pop band. He happened to be the very talented pianist in The Communards (and Bronski Beat).. anyone remember them? Jimmy Sommerville and his very high voice might ring a bell.
 Now and again he pops up on TV and even hosted 'Have I got news for You' not long back. Fancy that!

The oldies came over from abroad and it turns out my poor old dad is really quite poorly. Losing his only brother has probably not helped matters much either.
France seems a million miles away when you don't possess a passport, your mum doesn't drive, you refuse to drive longer than an hour and a half and they live in a part of France that is in the middle of no-where. Hmmm.
He's having a scan tomorrow to see what is really up with those lungs of his. Fingers and toes are crossed.

In between the dips and gloomy bits there has been some good stuff, like my 'little' brother coming to stay. How I adore my little bro. We laughed sooo much and stayed up ridiculously late eating strange cheeses. he also made me try this posh salami and I likened it to eating someone else's scabs.(I haven't by the way..eaten someone else's scabs) much to his amusement and my utter disgust and horror, watching random old movies like 'The Fly' and drinking proper BRITISH tea.
The stinky boys idolise him and bombard him with questions about fancy cars and the latest gadgets and about once being the British Tae-kwon-do champion.
He's far more cosmopolitan than his 'hillbilly' knackered-pick-up-driving sis.
 I think we've talked on the phone more this year already than in the past 10 years he's lived in Canada. He's having a totally pants time at the moment, going through a horrid divorce, so laughter is what is needed... and Cake and BRITISH chocolate... so I'm told.
big Strudders little Strudders
 As you can see he's not so little, 6'3 in fact. Now we know who stole the tallness genes from his 4 older 5 foot nothing sisters.(I just grew outwards instead of upwards!)

Meanwhile, back at Shabby Towers, and inbetween an epic hair colouring disaster (I'm currently sporting muddy, dark, dishwater coloured hair..urgh) Bella nibbled the teeniest bit of wallpaper off from half way up the stairs, this in turn led to a chain reaction that ended up with my hall walls having to have the plaster chipped off back to the brickwork.
Cheers brown hound.
I know the hall needed decorating but we weren't quite prepared for it to that extent! Revamp time me thinks
 
.This is my mood board so far...

 


You might notice I'm moving away from the 'flowery stuff' and have gone a bit grey.Well, we've always loved the salvage/industrial look, old signs and letters off pubs, so we are going for a mash-up of old and new. I also have a colourful old fairground sign to put up somewhere. Pete is insisting that he wants the stairs to be dark grey. I'll need a little more convincing before he wields that paintbrush. A whole lot of simplifying life and home is going on at the mo,well, that's the theory
As it happens the last of the stinky boys is moving out later this month into his first home so before we decorate his room again and make it into a spare room and whilst it's void of boy-stuff we are going to completely empty the loft and garage (an epic chore) and then I will eventually be listing many bits of 'stuff' in my Blogshop.
 It's going to take a while, so be warned, I might be absent from here for a quite sometime.. but I've got pictures, mirrors, old chapel chairs,eiderdowns, vintage blankets, quilts, a pair of  rare Edwardian light bowls (from the hall) a Laura Ashley olive velvet Osbourne chair and kitchenalia galore to add at some point.
Ahhh clear out time!....so if you are interested, keep an eye on my side bar on this blog.


cheerio for now x

23 comments:

  1. sorry to hear about your furry baby...love the grey...we have a lot of grey here....might just pinch the idea for my hall ( if i can swing it!)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks E x
      I reckon grey is definitely the new beige amazing how it goes with everything isn't it?!

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  2. So sad you lost your lovely furry friend....Give your other pets a large hug.
    Hopefully Feb can only get better. You and your brother look so happy in your pics, family is so important. Poor you having to redo the hallway, but now You
    can really go to town and get exactly what you want, now your taste has started to change.
    Look forward to seeing end results.
    Rosezeeta

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    Replies
    1. Thankyou Rosezetta, furry hugs have been given all round! X

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  3. So sad to hear about Desmond, what a cutie too! It is just not fair they become part of the family but just don't live long enough. I hope Basil settles down soon xxx

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    1. Hello Lyn, yep you're right they just need to live 80 years instead of the usual 15 odd. Basil is driving me slightly nuts at the mo, he must come in and out the cat flap howling at least 20 times a day! Lots of reassuring cuddles are being given to try and help ! X

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  4. So sorry to hear the passing of Desmond...even when they've had a long and lovely life it's still heartbreaking when they leave us.
    Glad to see you have some renovations to take your mind off - I am loving your new look and dare I say delighted Cath Kidston seems to of had her marching orders;-)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Lyn, yep the Cath cold turkey continues! x
      (still love some of the older stuff though!)

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  5. I'm sad to hear you're done with your flowery phase! I've got into grey this last year too (F&B Calluna and Blackened) but I mix it with the floweries. Anyway, you have great taste so I do not doubt it shall look wonderful and hope you will share the big reveal with us when the time comes, pretty please. Poor you and poor Desdemona (another post-humous title). We took Jacky Ginge to the vet yesterday and there's luckily nothing serious wrong with him, he's just getting a bit less agile with old age (nearly 16). Little Basil looks like he needs a new friend, poor little thing. Your brother is dishy! Ha ha, surely I am too old to be saying that sort of thing!
    Hen x

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    1. oooooh not quiiiiiite done Hen!..still a few bits lurking here and there!
      More of the old original stuff though.I think there's a new generation loving Cath now so I can buy it for my son's girlfriend instead. I had some brown flowery Cath Kidston fabric to use in the house somewhere and instead my sister made it into a fab little skirt for me...much more useful (but I do match the dog bed!!!)
      Glad to hear your lovely ginger kitties are well (and Vorey of course) we had one that lived to 21, they just tend to go a bit skinnier and scruffier looking after 16. Basil has clicking hips now, no doubt from his past disagreements with a car.
      My brother will find that funny! I think you're the same age..so you're not in danger of any cougar comments just yet!! x

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  6. So sorry to read of the passing of your fur baby,So sad when our pets have to leave us,they do no harm to anyone and lay on our favorite chair or sprawled in front of the fire it seems all so unfair.
    I was just going to order a roll of Cath wallpaper to brighten up a wall at the end of the kitchen,I have noticed a few bloggers now moving to grey and i like it,can't wait to see what you do.
    Love the pictures of you and your brother too,great expressions! x

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Shingles x
      I guess in a few years we'll all be moaning about grey and craving florals !!

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  7. Do you ever notice how 'cleaning up' is like one of those games with all of the square tiles? you have to slide the tiles around till the right picture pops up? You know what i mean? and, have you ever noticed that, sometimes, it seems like there's no blank space with a tile missing... so how is it supposed to get rearranged, this time! Lucky you to have that room to use! ;)

    I'm so sorry for the losses but so happy to hear of the wonderful time spent with family - especially your brother.

    and, you know... you have the most wonderful way of 'putting things'! =]

    Take care and good luck with your projects! =]

    xxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Katy I know EXACTLY what you mean! I spend my days moving 'stuff' from one place to another, going round in circles.

      This year I vow to be more ruthless with that 'stuff', I'm sure I really dont need every Laura Ashley catalogue since 1991! eek!

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  8. I am so sorry about ypur Desmond. It is the downside of pet ownership. I am new to your blog and have relished reading back through it over the past few days. If you wrote a novel, I would buy it.

    I think the light bowl hanging over your brother's head makes him look like he is wearing a frilly maid's cap in each photo. Too funny.

    Thanks again for such great entertainment. I hope you and yours have a prosperous and healthy year.

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    1. Thankyou kathleen, what a lovely,lovely comment!
      Funny you should say that about the light above my brothers head..he said he looked like he was wearing a strange hat too...never thought of it being a frilly maid's hat though!! haha!! x

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  9. I'm so sorry about your Kitty and my heart breaks for Basil. Fingers crossed for your dad. x

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    1. Thanks Emma x
      Turns out My dad is ok (ish!) not the horrid thing we were worried it was thank goodness. Basil has taken to tormenting the terrible twins now! X

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  10. Ah you have such a lovely blog that I have managed to stumble across! Such lovely animals you have too, I have three kitties of my own, one with several buns in the oven and a very large dog!!! Your poor cat, so heart breaking when one of them has to leave for better things xxx

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    1. Thankyou angelkiss! Your cat must have had her kittens by now its taken me so long to reply!! Oops. KITTENS!!! Squeal!! How lovely, pity they dont stay so gorgeous for longer before you know it they're bringing in mice and leaving them in your slippers... No names mentioned there... Cough cough,Olive and Flo! X

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  11. Hey you, sorry to hear about puss, from one cat lover to another, know how you feel.

    So when exactly are you coming HERE for a visit? We have a date you know, when you finally get here!

    Have missed your posts.

    Cheers,
    Lisa

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    Replies
    1. Ahhh hello stranger!
      When the day comes and I finally get over to Toronto, I'm definitely taking you up on that date y'know xx you have been missed too Lisa, I'm glad to see you finally got your gorgeous chair..but I really should be writing that on your blog!

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