Monday, August 24, 2009

Photo a week...

It's time for Italian Prune Plums again....I saw enough at the grocery store to make three loaves...and am still looking. I can't understand why they have so few. They are the backyard variety. And..not cheap. I need to find a neighbour with a tree full. I forget how many I managed to bake last year..but, it was not enough! This is a great tasting loaf. You need a cup of cut up plums for each loaf. ...MMMMM.. pictures and recipe from last year on my Tea and Scones blog.











and hey! I grew a tomato.... I have no idea what kind it is as the baby tomato plants were a gift from a gardener friend ..

They must be a grape or cherry type.... this little guy is a good inch long....and I am going to taste it the minute I get off here. It's exciting to grow your own goodies.... the only edible things we tried this year were a few tomatoes in pots ...and some chili peppers in pots too.... and...have already had some lovely hot ones to use from those...and now have several more larger and very red peppers to pick. The tomatoes were so slow to get started that we got caught out and didn't get wire cones on them in time. Then...I was procrastinating on tying them up or tied a few with twine when thicker strips were needed... because two branches.. (yes, by that time they were almost branch size) keeled over from the weight of the tomatoes! so..of course, we lost that branch full... I was pretty devastated. But...there are several more..one plant is a yellow variety...I'm looking forward to tasting those...











Hahahah.... some of you think I am a patient person because I have been at the renos for so long. NOT!! It's just the only way we can do them. I am a grumpy person... and getting grumpier by the minute. This better be over with this year...or ...well, I'm just saying.....it better be over. We never would have bothered if the area wasn't so perfect... older, well developed and has lovely trees and large lots. It was the only house in this area that we could afford all those years ago even with both of us working two full time jobs each. We did plan to do a bit of fixing...but not quite what transpired. But, some of you know how it goes...start with something and all of sudden another thing gets involved. Besides...both of us are pretty particular about how things get done and after hiring out for several years...we got fed up with the results and headaches of babysitting the tradespeople. And...got some shoddy workmanship to boot. So...then we began to do things ourselves... which takes a long time when you can only get to things after work or on weekends and also have to study up on how to do any of it. So.... that's what's been happening. And...then...after years of it... Mr. BV got so tired of it all that we hid our heads in the sand for a while and lived in limbo. Things finished to the point of utilization...but, not pretty if you know what I mean. Then, we did the whole bathroom ourselves..it took over a year...and now...the laundry room is nearing completion...another year. All was ripped right out to plumbing bits sticking out...no electrical... cement and studs...that was it. We have done it all now.... just the tile in the laundry room needs sealant...and the sink then needs to be attached... wheeee!! The upstairs bathroom just needs a cabinet... and so on. But... my handman ran out of work at his paying job at the end of June...and the company seems to have nothing in the forseeable future..so the timing is perfect. He can just stay home and paint, build and finish things off.... we keep pushing each other daily now to do at least some small things each 24 hours.... and already we are seeing a difference. However, in the downstairs... the difference means that 4 rooms are now totally in disrepair...empty of furniture and we are repairing some cement stuff... laying missing floor tiles in the landing area...and awating our final decision on the choosing of the perfect carpeting (it's taking us forever to decide, but it is an expensive thing and will have to be there many years..so it better be right) ....and the office is going to painted in about 5 minutes... we did the undercoat yesterday... because we are going from oil based to Latex.... the last of the oil base in the house is now history. Today... first coat of a new green..... the original was called Carriage House Green...and we have been trying to have it custom matched because we painted the tv room a few years ago and wouldn't you know it...they don't carry the colour anymore...I hope the colour match is perfect today. We have been back and forth more than a few times already... the first baseboards I painted it on... ick...it was a funny taupy camo colour. After much calling around.... the piano movers... who charge less than regular movers.... will be here Wednesday to cart out my old washer and dryer...and... the...list goes on....must go make a few more calls.... bye for now....

9 comments:

JudiA said...

Oooh, you make me tired! But here's a confession for you - I never stake my tomatoes. They get so heavy that they crush those flimsy cones, so I just let them grow as they will and they do fine. My Early Girls and Romas are producing right now. We had BLT's tonight - yum! I wish I could give you some of my plums. We have tons and I don't know what to do with them. Unfortunately, I don't like them. sigh...

Draffin Bears said...

Oh, I am so with you there Vee.
Tradespeople in your house and often doing a shoddy job.
Good luck with getting the job done.
Your bread and tomatoes look great.

Hugs
Carolyn

Abi said...

The loaf looks delicious! looking forward to seeing some photos of all this renovation work - I did see your bathroom work and lounge update on your picture trail site, and also the England tour - I never told you, but I did chuckle at the numerous photos of the roud-about and road! :O)

Norma Soulet (AZArtist) said...

That loaf is so appetizing! Hope you enjoyed it. :)
Wow, don't know how you can write so much! :) I am pooped just reading everything that you wrote. LOL
But I do enjoy it.
Hugs

Dolores said...

Whew, I made it to the end. Been there, done that. An extension to the house at the back - 22 feet out with 3 levels. Basement, main floor and upstairs. Added a washroom and a bedroom and the basement got deeper. We didn't do it but we hired a contractor - before GST kicked in. Nightmare with the contractor but we are still here 20 years later. Gosh that sounds like an awful lot of time. Where did it all go?
The children were getting bigger but the house wasn't and that's how it all started.

Shashi Nayagam said...

Oh you are naughty you keep showing us these delicious things to eat and we can't eat it well at least I can't as I am a hopeless baker.

I think you should have simply bought a piece of land and built the entire house. It can be so frustrating and annoying if things are not the way you want it.

rachel said...

Last year, when my own house was in uproar, dust everywhere and no bathroom fixtures, a friend kept saying "It will be wonderful when it's finished" - and it was - just as yours will too! Don't despair, that's all, and keep on doing those little jobs every day....

Serena Lewis said...

Yep, tradespeople no longer seem to take a pride in the quality of their work....the quicker they can do a shoddy job for the most amount of money is what's high on the agenda nowadays. There are still the gems out there thankfully.

I think it's great that you do your own renos though I don't envy all the hard work. Good luck with the paint colour....hope it's a perfect match.

Btw, that loaf of bread looks delicious!

Carla said...

Oh that bread looks delish!