Friday 23 September 2011

Chasing Peacocks

My daughter always leaves the play park screaming for more, on this occasion this little fella popped up and created a handy diversion for her in Holland Park, London....and all thoughts of the play ground were forgotton as she started..

To..

Follow...


Him..

He sarted to run, she started to run....so we scooped her up in our arms and we were gone.....Thanks Mr Peacock!

what made me smile today.

When I sit in my open plan living room, the far window is framed by this truelly magnificent tree in next doors garden. The garden falls away at the back so we see lots of sky and this beauty.

Magnificent and Majestic......

Look at these Russet Rosey beauties....


Simple Summer Baskets...

This year accidently really more than anything I ended up with Blue Lobelia and pink flowers in my summer baskets. I am thrilled with the results and will definalty do this again next year.

We have a heat wave on the way next week YIPPEEEEE....hang in there flowers!

Monday 19 September 2011

More free stuff....

Two wall planters in terracota....


About 5 directors chairs....

Gorgeous Fairy boot with accessories...and interactive  twin dolls in a twin push chair ...

Nice table awaiting its paint job....

This is a wheel chair!!!! This comes in very handy when My Father stays with us, he can walk but very slowly, so when we go out its useful to pop him in here and get from A to B with far more ease.


This is a small wooden childs size wardrobe we collected on freecyle, perfect for our spare room, where we dont want the room over powered by a large imposing wardrobe, this will also be painted at some point.....

Sunday 4 September 2011

Furnished our home for freeeee... look what we got

I am evangelical when I discover something I think is great, I want to tell everyone else about it. We had a huge wardrobe we wanted to get rid of quickly a couple of years ago, my husband mentioned freecyle, a day later a nice man came, and took the huge thing away. We got rid of loads more stuff that way, then when we needed to put stuff back in - I became an avid Freecyle ( freegle now) watcher..basically people give stuff away they dont want, sometimes it could be an old commode....a jar of pickled eggs or.....



Or....






Or....

or....



Or....


And this...

And This...




YES!!!! Even this play house!!!!!

Remeber all this stuff we picked up for free from people who for one reason or another simply gave it away. This play house did not look like this when we collected it - it was in the garden of a rented property, two americans did not want it - they wanted to put something else in the garden and so advertised this play house on the condition that whoever wanted it had to dismantle it.
Only a week before I was in a garden center cooing over the lovely play houses - far too expensive for us to buy....lamenting that our daughter would never have one and low and behold.....it cropped up - I managed to get in first to win it - and here she is! The do up is another post - it was horrid and grey and plain when we got her....
The push chair was another great aquisition, I can push it with one hand - load it up with shopping...its brilliant and free!


This high chair which I painted was from freecyle as well as this toy kitchen with accessories.....all free. The kictchen was from a grandma who was clearing out some stuff....

This childs wicker chair

This Mamas and Pappas Lottie Rocker, again somehting I wanted but was too pricey - a while later someone was giving this little lady away.....people give away for different reasons, sometimes they like you to say why you want it - and sometimes they dont care they just want to get rid ASAP. Sometimes people use the site as a free rubbish collection service and sometimes people take stuff and sell it on. Sometimes people advertise and say you can car boot it.
Its a fantastic resource and the more people that use it - the more people gain from it. I am a firm beliver in putting back into the system. It saves stuff from landfill, it saves money, its a movement of goods around that benefits everyone involved and my daughter for one has had some fantastic toys we wouldnt otherwise have been able to afford. Indeed we have a dining table from it, chinese chest, a wardrobe, play house, toys and clothes....
This outdoor table, directors chairs...
Go to Freegle. org - find out the info there - i have joined about 4 local sites to me which cover areas near my house. I get the offers and wants going into a seperate folder, you can get alot and you dont want to clog up your in box. Once you have an account - post for something you want - sometimes you will get it - sometimes not - and keep an eye out for stuff coming into your in box. You have to reply quickly in most cases, I will normally dash off an email as politly as possible asking if its still free, when I can collect.....then follow up with a slightly longer one - then if I win the item I write another polite email thanking them. Sometimes you ask for something and never get a reply - or later on they will post that the item has been taken or taken subject to collection....



Got this bay tree last week a lady was revamping her garden.


This chair looks a little shabby here -in fact its in fab condition and is very good quality, we picked this up last week from a lady who was moving and the arm of the chair was dirty, i cleaned it and in the process damaged the arm fabric, however my daughter doesnt notice - and adores her new chair. Eventually I will get round to covering it.

Someone gave away a box of odd glasses, cyrstal and cut glass.....some champagne, tumblers and whisky glasses....





Please, look up freegle, join it - give stuff and GET stuff!!!!!!!!!