Green Wellies

The bear and the bin...

Guess who came looking for dinner?
Originally uploaded by Green Wellies

The dogs barked like crazy the other night and I knew the bear was in the garden. The biggest clue was the compost bin. It had been knocked over. The bear had good table manners. The compost was picked through, but I don't think it found much. In a way, the bear did me a favour. I was going to wait until spring before dealing with it. This is the most amazing compost bin...all of $2 at the thrift store a few years ago. It's made by Rubbermaid, although I can't find any information about it. It's double-lined and I'm not sure if I even have it right way up! I drilled holes in the lid and use metal tent pegs through holes in the bottom rim to keep it in place. Three years of composting and it was about a third full. I just had to shovel away the latest veggie, coffee filters and eggshell bits and the rest was pure black gold simply crawling with red wiggler worms. I added a ring of it all around the rhubarb and spread the rest in various garden beds...all thanks to the bear who gave me head start!

A very special thank you...

A very special thank you...
Originally uploaded by Green Wellies

Last year, my niece Bronwynne (Jayne's daughter) went to Thailand when she was nineteen to volunteer at the Baan Dada Children's Home. Her plan was to stay for three months, but she ended up staying for nine. She returned to Canada to work for a year and is now back in Thailand attending the university in Bangkok. Every chance she gets, she goes to spend time with the children.
Recently, the call went out for help in funding rabies vaccine for everyone, including Bronnie. My neighbours pitched in and we transferred funds to the home via their website and paypal.
For a year now, I've been buying clothes at the thrift store and sending boxes of them to Baan Dada. The shipping costs of fifty to eighty dollars is more than the clothes are worth, but I feel as though every penny I spend is helping the children.
Tonight, Bronnie sent photos of a thank you card from the children to me. I feel so grateful to be able to help out in such a small way and the children's smiles mean the world to me. You can read more about Baan Dada here.  Bronnie also writes about her experiences both at the children's home and university in her blog and if you have a rainy day and want to get tucked into reading about her life in Thailand, her blog can be found here.

Early Warm...a blanket with history

Early Warm
Originally uploaded by Green Wellies

I found a fabulous summer-weight wool blanket for $3 at the thrift store. It's a double size and in great condition...no musty or mothball odour. I washed it in cold water and dried it on low heat in the drier. It came out soft and lovely!
I found the following information about Early's of Witney...
In 1669, the Early family business was founded and in 1861 Charles Early opened a railway line from Yarnton to Witney.
In 1711 the Weavers formed a Guild and were granted a Charter by Queen Anne. They then built the blanket hall in the High Street. All blankets made in Witney had to be taken there to be measured and weighed, thus ensuring the very high quality of the blankets to be maintained. The name Early's still survives in the form of the Early's of Witney factory shop in Wesley Walk.
Most of us are familiar with the point blanket, sometimes referred to as the Hudson Bay blanket. They were an early trade item in Canada and the number of black lines (or points) at one edge signified the number of beaver pelts needed in exchange. What I didn't know, was that Early's of Witney manufactured these blankets. I find it fascinating the amount of information that stemmed simply from the purchase of a thrift store blanket!  You can read more here.

Great things come in small packages!

Somehow, life got busy and my blog was put on the back-burner.  I'm going to make a concerted effort to get back into the swing of things and to try and reconnect with all of those incredible people who shared their life in stories, made me laugh out loud and showed that the world really is a lot smaller than we think when we can join hands with each other across the miles.

One of the most important events for me and the rest of the family, was the birth of Chloe Blythe Emmy in August.  She was born early, but she's certainly making up for it and was a real little trooper from the start.  She couldn't be more precious!  She made Gwen and Sean a mom and dad, Em and Adam an auntie and an uncle, Aethan a cousin, my mom a great grandmother for the fourth time and me a grandmother for the second...plus other aunties, uncles, grandparents and cousins in the mix.  She's the latest little twig on the family tree and we welcomed her with open loving arms.  The planet Earth is a better place because she's in it.

Tea break in the back forty...

Tea break in the back forty...
Originally uploaded by Green Wellies

When Gwen's mother-in-law, Lillian, came to visit from Ontario, she brought along photos of herself as a baby. We all think our little Chloe is going to look exactly like her Grandma Lillian. This photo was taken sixty-five years ago on the family farm in Manitoba and shows Lillian and her father. She remembers her mom packing lunches and making tea and heading out to the fields to take it to the farm hands. Lillian was able to ask her mom about this photo and was told that the man in the foreground, holding the cup, is her uncle, her father's only brother and the other man was a neighbour who is still living in the area.
It was the fall harvest. They were at the point of feeding the cut grain stalks into the machine that separated the grain from the stalk. The grain was then stored in the granary that can be seen in the background.
This is a fine example of how vintage photos can add so much to our history for the new members on the branch of the family tree.

Carry on...

Carry on...
Originally uploaded by Green Wellies

It's not often that I buy anything new for myself and the last thing I needed was yet another mug. When I saw this KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON mug from Barter Books in England, that matches the poster I ordered from them a couple of years ago, I decided to treat myself. It arrived today and I love it. If you don't know the history behind this poster and want to read about it, Mary Manley, who owns Barter Books with husband Stuart, writes about it on her blog on the store's website.
www.barterbooks.co.uk

A really big tote!

A really big tote!
Originally uploaded by Green Wellies

I have quite the mish-mash collection of canvas and cloth totes, from small to medium and now thanks to this thrift find, an extra-large one. Reusable bags for grocery shopping is catching on fast. Just before our Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend, I was eighth back in line at the supermarket and all eight of us had our own bags. They are becoming the latest fashion accessory and it makes the planet very happy!

Vintage harvest!

Vintage harvest!
Originally uploaded by Green Wellies

When I was twelve, we moved to Don Mills (Toronto area) and at the end of the street, there was a greenhouse and nursery business...more of a backyard type of place. These ceramic veggies came from there. The owner gave them to my dad, along with some other great things that my sister has now. Dad gave these to me over 35 years ago and they've lived in the antique butter bowl and graced every table I've ever had all year long. But, there's something about fall that makes them come into their own!

Not your average pesto!

Not your average pesto!
Originally uploaded by Green Wellies

This is the first batch of pesto from my Greek basil (Perpetual Pesto Basil), a pale variegated leafed variety that grew as sturdy as a small tree. I coarsely chopped it and added pine nuts, organic olive oil, organic garlic and parmesan cheese. It looks more like a creamy pesto, not dark green, but it sure has pizazz. But let's be honest...it actually looks more like Scottish oatmeal!

A great thrift find...

Vintage VW blanket for my sister
Originally uploaded by Green Wellies

My sister's beau has a vintage Westfalia camper van in immaculate condition and they've gone on some wonderful camping trips this summer. I found this huge blanket at the thrift store and even though there's a tear on one edge, I can just see her making cushion covers and a smaller blanket from it. It is similar to a jacquard blanket...the colours on the other side are the reverse of this one. It's a bit more of a rusty red than in the photo. This is for you, sis!