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Try it Yourself: Replacing wall-mounted bath taps.

I need to replace my bath taps……they’re falling apart and spout the water backwards into the wall! It’s time for a bit of ‘Try it Yourself’……the frugal girl in me needs to at least try this fix before paying someone else to do it. Armed with a bit of plumbing knowledge and my new bit of kit I dive in…….how to install wall mounted bath taps.

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On the Sofa: Finding my Hygge – How to embrace winter.

It’s no secret that I am a summer girl and don’t much like winter…….what may be a secret (until today) is just how badly winter has affected me in previous years. Four years ago it got so bad I gave myself a talking to and came up with ideas to not only help me get through the winter…but to actually embrace it! Today I’m getting cosy and sharing my ‘Hygge’ with you and I hope, by sharing, it may help some of you who also get down in the dark, cold months. Plus…..there’s chocolate! 😊

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On the Sofa: Weekly shop, fuel prices, house move.

Grab a cup of something hot and join me for a chat. I’ve done my weekly shop including a bit of a treat (and an explanation of it for my North American friends) plus I’m assessing my most recent fuel bill and calculating if there’s any wiggle room compared with last year. Finally, some thoughts on my house move…..

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On the Sofa: Reviewing the Polti Iron (plus: how to spot a shocking liar!).

It’s another rainy day (surprise, surprise!) so I am staying indoors and getting on with preparing some vintage linens for my shop. They’ve been soaked and washed and are now ready to be pressed using my new Polti steam iron so it’s the perfect opportunity to review it. While I press I’m chatting about some recent documentaries I have watched with a bit of a theme…liars! As consumers of social media (for example) how can we spot a shocking liar?

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Vivi’s Kitchen Garden: Winter Cover, Rotten Squash & Tidy Up

Finally there is a let up in the rain so I can get back to the garden and start the tidy up and cover up for winter. Today I’m chatting about different methods of protecting the soil over winter, storing equipment, finding the perfect varieties of veg for your garden and more while I get on with some of the jobs. The forecast says it will be dry all day……..here’s hoping!

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In the Kitchen: Chard Soup (Northern European).

I’m in the kitchen this evening cooking up a lovely winter warmer: chard soup. This is my Northern European take on it using butter and cream (I use coconut milk instead of cream). In the coming days I’ll also bring you my Southern European version (think Mediterranean ingredients). Chard is a wonderful, hardy veg which I use as a cut-and-come-again veg right through winter.