What are you all up to
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Freezing cold again today skies not so blue as we had some clouds. We've not been above 0c here for days, very slippy under foot.
Decided to start on decorating the spare bedroom yesterday, taking our time stripping off the wallpaper and sanding down the walls. Paper came off easy totally dry, walls good plaster underneath. Haven't touched this room since youngest son left home years ago.
Still managed to get out for a walk in the afternoons, lots of folk out walking just like earlier in the year when we had lockdown.
Bakers, my sister gets an Amarylis every Christmas, the one this year is white its about 3ft tall now with 4 heads on the flower and another flowers stem coming up at the side. I've only ever grown one once.
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G Plan "E Gomme" is a popular one, my Mum gave away a lovely little antique desk belonging to my Granny and bought an EGomne chest of drawers in it's place. We retrieved the desk from a neighbour later on but the E Gomme we ignored (unfortunately!)
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Cheers, yet another to add to the list of places to visit.....eventually.
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Dull start to the day with a gently breeze, and although last night's frost was soon disappearing it felt colder than yesterday. However the sun came out around lunchtime and the ground has dried up, with just small patches of ice remaining where the sun hasn't reached.
A day of firstly good news with a text from our surgery offering a Covid Vaccination for OH next week, so she opted for the earliest....8:30 on Tuesday. Then secondly we had more bad news as our son phoned to say that his BIL, who was in hospital on Oxygen, following treatment for cancer, was not responding and that his organs were failing, and not expected to live through the night. He is only 40, is married and they have a very young boy.
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Didn't realise that everytime I sit down to a meal I am resting against a fortune with our G Plan dining table!!! The matching chairs have long gone but the table is still in good condition and at a squeeze you can get eight around it.
David
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Yes, OH was looking a little while back and saw that! Seems to be mainly down south though, and selling stuff is quite a hassle. I have taken some photos and we will see what we can do.
OH was saying that a lot of the wall units on sale had been "butchered" and then had hairpin legs fitted......not our taste.
Condition of the TV unit is pretty good, only one very small scratch that could easily be dealt with.
There are a couple of places here in Glasgow that deal in "modern antiques", we will check them out too.
If I remember correctly, she bought her stuff after we moved here, so 1989 maybe.
There is also a big unit, may be called a "highboard" ? from the same date. It is a different make.....Macintosh possibly.....which is also too good to dispose of so we have moved it into a bedroom.
We have 9 G Plan wall units from the late 1980s, plus 3 different older ones from the late 70s. We thought we might dispense with the older ones and put MIL's one in their place as it is rather attractive, but our ones hold much more, and have lots of good drawers, so we are still swithering.
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We never had a G Plan dining table, but we do have 10 G Plan dining chairs from the early 70s, 6 of ours plus 4 the same that were MIL's. I recovered them back in 1993 in fabric that matches our Ercol sofa that we bought back in the early 1980s. We also have 4 Ercol kitchen chairs from 1982.
All the chairs are still going strong, as is the frame of the Ercol sofa, but the cushions need to be replaced, which will cost more than the sofa did originally! We have put off doing it as we have not found any fabric we like.
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Nellie, so sorry to hear about your bad news. So young, and with a young family, very sad. Good to hear you have a start down the vaccine road. Our fingers are still crossed here for Mum’s second dose, not heard anything to contrary yet.
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Ercol and G Plan pieces can look great if restored sympathetically. I know what you mean about finding the right fabric K, as well as something you like, I always think it sort of needs to reflect the period of the piece of furniture. I use a rather good website called “Just Fabrics” to browse stuff, but if you ever find yourself in Skipton, it has two wonderful fabric outlets. One is called The Fent Shop, sort of like an old mill. The other is a tiny little shop stuffed full of designer fabrics at cut prices, up by the Church. I bought all my Voyage Maison fabrics up there.
This might be useful for you. How to identify/date GPlan. Going for huge money in States
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We have 2 sets of these......
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The smaller one of these....
https://www.vinterior.co/furniture/tables/coffee-tables/1970-s-g-plan-white-tiled-coffee-tables
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And these are like our chairs........
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2 of these older ones, with top units, and a matching cupboard base......G-Plan Chest of Drawers
not so attractive but great storage and we got them very cheaply in a sale!
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On a roll now, found our sofa, but we have original cushions all round.......
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Mmmm, we could certainly do with dispensing with a few things.
Interesting to find out that these old bits of furniture are actually worth something, OH has advised DD that she should not just call in a house clearance company when the time comes!
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Definitely not, K. My sister worked for an antique dealer for a while. I had axe in hand, about to smash up an old wardrobe when she cried out horrified.
We have two 1920’s vintage beds (mahogany) to get rid of. They are dismantled up in attic, but need to go.
K, you are literally, sitting, eating on a fortune😁
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Thanks TTDA, will take a look. We have been once in Skipton, nice place, will no doubt visit again sometime. We had no idea about the fabric places, so will bear those in mind.
Not sure however whether letting OH loose in a fabric shop is a good idea!
We have paperwork in our files going back many years, so probably have the original receipts for most of the furniture. OH used to go to the furniture shop sale every year and snap up additional units at bargain prices, none of them were purchased at full price.
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Yorkshire has some nice mills, still retailing fabrics. I wanted a particular Voyage Maison print to make a huge lampshade, cushions and bolsters. Bit dismayed when I set out looking, it was coming in at over £40 per metre (upholstery quality). I got the same fabric, perfect, for half the price in Skipton. Sadly, they don’t sell online, but it won’t be long before I am back up there😁
Stool was bought, I made the lampshade, Sister made the cushions, bolster and iPad bean bag!
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We have just had a phone call from our local hospital to tell OH that his appt for his second covid jab is still taking place on Thursday. Great to have some good news!
So sorry to hear your family news nellie. Absolutely tragic in someone so young. I am pleased to hear that your OH has her appt for her covid jab.
Lovely photo TDA. I love the look of your house. Sadly I am not desperately 'crafty'. My embroidery kit arrived yesterday and I made a start on it last night. I am struggling a bit with me eyesight though even though I have one of those extra bright lamps for close work.
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Yes, exactly!
It will be DD dealing with our stuff, DS would just call in the house clearers without a second thought. However, we have said to him that we know there is stuff here worth something and that it needs to be dealt with sensibly. No doubt he will be only too happy to let his sister do all the work, as he has a very demanding job.
Whether either of them will want any of the furniture is unknown. DS and DIL probably have all the furniture they need or want, mostly good stuff, but DD mainly only has Ikea stuff, so she could upgrade. 😇
We freecycled some old bookcases of our own and MIL's, that were nothing special, releasing space to keep the better stuff, and also some bedroom furniture. Her good sofa and chairs went to DIL's father, and DD has her 1950s "china cabinet", so we are gradually decluttering.
Just don't mention the loft!! 🤣
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Really glad your OH is getting his second jab as expected. We (70’s) are hoping for our vaccinations February/March, who can tell at present! I do a lot of embroidery and cross stitch and as well as using a bright light I also use a 3+ magnifying glass I wear it around my neck perched on my chest I really couldn’t sew without it. I must admit I usually only sew during the day in bright daylight. Good luck.
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Good news about your OH Millie, I fear there will be muddle if the original plans are thrown out. Hope you enjoy your needle work, I do needle point to keep my hands busy (it has helped keep my stiff wrists going.) I can't sit and not do anything! TDA you must be pleased with your efforts too.
We were nearly first to arrive at NT Montacute this morning, freezing cold and damp but we and the dog had a good walk round. Not many there. We took a flask and some mince pies. The cafe was open for take away but we've had such a big leap in Covid cases in our area we decided to avoid contact points. Keep safe everyone!
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Thanks heddlo. Will investigate a magnifying glass. I am in my 70s as well and they seem to keep moving the goalposts on when we are going to get the vaccine. First of all it was January but now it appears to be March as the best estimate.
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Milliehull great news on your OH 2nd jab. Hope Thursday comes quickly and no one does a u turn! Good to hear the embroidery kit has arrived, there's no rush, it's a pastime 😉. I can sympathise about your eyes, I was so lucky my worse cataract was sorted in 2019 and the remaining is much slower growing 🤞
Nelliethehooker so sad to read your bad news, so young, so tragic- no one will know if things could have been could have been different? But won't stop the mental questioning 😢. On the other hand great news about your OH, hopefully you'll be on the list too.
TDA loving the material sellers, I wonder when we'll be free to travel so far?? We have a couple of good stalls on our market, a decent sewing and crafting shop with walking distance and an Aladdin's cave of a store in Tiptree, they do have an online presence https://www.thecheapshoptiptree.co.uk
Not everything online pages, you can't beat an hour or 3 at least just browsing.
Furniture is a very strange thing, when we lost my in-laws, last one 2013, brown furniture was out not even the charity shops would take it. It broke our hearts to have to break up their bedroom furniture, all made from the same tree by MIL father. We couldn't accommodate it. It was easier with mum's last year and we found a charity which rehouse the homeless, who were grateful for furniture crockery and cutlery bedding etc. Mum's stuff was used in 5 rehousing cases. However, just because its listed for sale at hefty prices doesn't mean that it realises it 😢. Fashions change so quickly. We have decent/expensive things as I can't be doing with waste or changing. On of the guys who I worked with was in awe at my reluctance when I had to contemplate our new kitchen in 2012 🤣🤣🤣 as he was constantly decorating and replacing the contents if their home. It isn't environmentally friendly 😱😤
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I am glad your news is good Millie👍 I have just had a text telling me Mum won’t be having her second dose☹️ It was due next Tuesday, so she was a mere fortnight away from being very safe. We now have nothing, awaiting another date, goodness knows when. 🤷♀️ I suppose the first jab will make things a bit safer for her.
92, with dementia. At that age, life expectancy is calculated in terms of yippee, survived another month, and she is utterly dependent upon us. I just hope this bloody Government are not getting the science wrong about time spans, mixing vaccines, or it’s even been done on a cost saving basis. I simply do not trust them to get things right, not after this year.😡
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