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Star buy!

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

This wonderful vintage starburst clock was our ‘star buy’ at yesterday’s auction.

Also referred to as sunburst clocks, this one has a brushed metal face with a radial pattern of wooden star/sun rays.

Produced by the very good maker Seth Thomas in the 1960s, it wasn’t cheap – but it’s a great example. The condition is superb and it’s keeping perfect time.

The clock seems very happy in our bedroom. We know we shouldn’t be keeping shop stock, but it won’t do any harm to look at it for a while.

The modern, stylised shape and brushed metal is softened by the warm wood, providing a great link between old & new when going for that eclectic look.

We already have an example of this type of clock in our top floor lounge/bedroom.

It dates from the same period, but this one is made by Metamec.

This one was also bought as shop stock – two years ago!!

Tags: clock, Metamec, Seth Thomas, starburst, starburst clock, sunburst, sunburst clock
Posted in around the house, design, furniture, home, homewares, interior decoration, interiors, vintage | No Comments »

Sounds of the 60s

Monday, November 22nd, 2010

vintage 1960s Garrard radiogram in teak cabinet

On the same day we bought our vintage Anglepoise lamp, we bought this fabulous 1960s radiogram.

vintage 1960s Garrard radiogram in teak cabinet with lid up showing record player

We’d actually been on the look out for an amplifier to go with a record deck we had – but suddenly, as bidding was about to stop at £30, we couldn’t resist this beauty!

detail from vintage 1960s Garrard radiogram in teak cabinet showing push button controls

It’s a Garrard Dynatron – radio, record player and speakers – housed in a teak cabinet.

vintage 1960s Garrard radiogram in teak cabinet

Not only does will it provide music in lounge – we think it’s a great looking piece of furniture. Streamlined & good proportions, it fits the space exactly – the teak is a lovely warm colour too.

vintage Garrard radiogram showing soft close lid

Justin was very impressed with this particular feature… the slow, soft-close lid – no danger of records jumping.

vintage 1960s Garrard radiogram in teak cabinet

And most importantly – it sounds good too!

Tags: Dynatron, Garrard, radio, radiogram, record player, speakers, teak
Posted in around the house, design, furniture, home, homewares, interiors, vintage | 1 Comment »

Take a seat!

Friday, August 13th, 2010

vintage leatherette Art Deco 3-piece suite

We’re super-pleased with this purchase we made on Thursday. We’ve been on the hunt for a club chair for some time…

vintage leatherette Art Deco 3-piece suite

…then not only did we get a club chair, we got two club chairs… and a matching 2-seater sofa!!

It’s an original 1930s Art Deco suite, re-upholstered in the 1960s in a tan leatherette. Fantastic shape, comfortable with lovely stud detailing.

And a little extra… the lady who sold it says it was re-covered in the same leatherette as was used for Concorde. We’re trying to track down some old photos from the plane or Concorde airport lounge interior.

vintage leatherette Art Deco 3-piece suite

Fudge approves – and has made himself very much at home!

vintage leatherette Art Deco 3-piece suite

It’s found a home in our top floor bedroom/lounge. We spent the entire day re-arranging everything to accommodate it.

vintage leatherette Art Deco 3-piece suite

It was worth it though… there’ll be many books read in these chairs… cups of tea /glasses of wine drunk, crackling fires watched. We love it already!

Tags: art deco, chair, chairs, club chair, Concorde, couch, Furniture, leatherette, seating, settee, sofa, suite, three piece suite, upholstery
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Growing our own

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

flat leaf parsley and coriander growing on a windowsill

This year we decided to grow more of our own – and we’ve got no excuse, as Todmorden‘s the home of Incredible Edible.

strawberries growing in a vintage terracotta strawberry pot

We have a variety of crops to look forward to in the coming weeks.

homegrown beetroot in vintage enamel breadbin homegrown peashoots grown in vintage metal bucket

Most of them are growing in containers as much of our garden is paved with stone cobbles. It also makes protecting them from the ubiquitous slugs & snails much easier.

tomato plants growing in a vintage mini greenhouse

We use lots of the old galvanised metal ‘dolly tubs’, buckets and bins.

courgette flowers in a vintage metal dolly tub

The plants seem to like it!

potato plants overflowing from a vintage metal dolly tub just outside the kitchen door pink stems of rhubarb growing out of a vintage metal dolly tub

Potatoes, beetroot, carrots, tomatoes, rhubarb, strawberries, broccoli, courgettes, squash, peashoots, salad leaves, a variety of herbs – and yes, those are figs.

tiny fruits growing on a fig tree

There’s still a little room for some flowers.

lilac coloured osteospermum growing in a vintage metal bucket

pink lupins growing in a vintage dolly tub

Perennials like the hostas, astilbes and lupins return each year like old friends. Although this year’s harsh winter saw a few losses.

purple lobelia growing in a vintage metal bucket

red geraniums just about ready to flower

To these we add a few annuals – osteospermums, lobelia and the like.

hosta leaves

pink fox glove about to flower growing next to a giant ribbed terracotta urn young purple shoots of astilbe plants

We’ve enjoyed working in the garden this year. We don’t think self-sufficiency is here just yet – but hopefully we’ll reap some rewards!

Tags: astilbe, beetroot, broccoli, Calderdale, carrots, courgettes, crops, foxglove, fruit, garden, gardening, geranium, herbs, hosta, Incredible Edible, lobelia, lupin, lupins, osteospermum, peashoots, plants, Potatoes, rhubarb, salad leaves, squash, strawberries, Todmorden, tomatoes, vegetables, West Yorkshire
Posted in diy, flowers, food, garden, home, projects | 1 Comment »

Use your loaf

Friday, August 28th, 2009

We’ve been experimenting with bread recently…

…in particular, sourdough bread.

It begins with making a starter. This is a living, breathing culture. There are various methods of making a starter – flour & water, flour & apple juice – ours is a mixture of flour, milk & natural yoghurt. No extra yeast is added, it relies on naturally occuring yeast in the flour and air. The starter is ‘fed’ daily – we feed ours with:

4 tablespoons strong white bread flour
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon natural yoghurt

Some bakers have nurtured the same starter decades – even centuries!

A portion of starter is added to flour & water for each new loaf – along with any additional ingredients such as seeds, cheese, honey etc.

We’ve been very pleased with the results!

The bread has a lovely open texture and distinctive sourdough smell & taste.

It’s great with all kinds of food – it’s particularly good with different cheeses, cooked meats, pickles etc – it was, in fact, ideal as part of this traditional ploughmans’ lunch.

And when it’s past its best, it makes great breadcrumbs for future use!

If you fancy having a go yourself, here are a few links to websites & books that we’ve found helpful:

Our delicious.com ‘bread’ web bookmarks

The Handmade Loaf, Dan Lepard

Local Breads: Sourdough and Whole Grain Recipes from Europe’s Best Artisan Bakers, D Leader

Bread: River Cottage Handbook No 3, Daniel Stevens

Bread Matters: Why and How to Make Your Own, Andrew Whitley

Dough, Richard Bertinet

Crust: Bread to Get Your Teeth into, Richard Bertinet

ARTISAN BREAD IN 5 MINUTES A DAY: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking, Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois

Tags: artisan bread, baking, books, bread, dough, links, loaf, recipes, sourdough, wild yeast, yeast
Posted in books, cookery, home | No Comments »

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