Thursday, December 07, 2006
THE KITCHEN
There has been much talk of the kitchen in the last week and I thought I would take some photographs for people who have never been to our home.
Everybody is welcome of course.
Let me describe the lay out a little. If you come through the front door, there is a small entrance hall which is where the main computer is. The stairs are in front of you and there are doors to the left and right.
The door to the left takes you through to the lounge, with easy chairs and the TV and lots of shelves with books, things we collect and souvenirs of people and places from the 40 years we have been together.
The door to the right takes you through to the kitchen, which is much more than a kitchen, for it is also a dining room and an office.
Below is the view of the room that you would get as you come through the door.
On the left hand side at the far end of the room is a doorway through to the little back door area and through another door into the lounge.
It is possible to walk round the house in circles - and many a child has enjoyed running round and round.
This is the view from the doorway by the back door area.
Those cupboards on the wall had, until last week, many old tins and jars on them.
The cooker (with the ceramic top) and oven are electric.
This is the view from the end of the kitchen where the sink is, looking into the dining/office area.
When only 2 of us are eating we tend not to use the table, preferring trays on our laps in front of the TV.
That cloth on the table is one of our oldest personal possessions. We bought it to cover the table in the room we rented for the first few months of our married life.
The shelves on the left hold pieces of china, mostly which have memories of people.
This is is the area opposite the cooker. The phone is here.
The glass fronted cupboard has glasses and more memories. On the left at the top is some of my Granny's china and underneath are a couple of bits of my mother's along with the violets china, which makes me think of her - even though she didn't actually use her first given name of Violet.
At the top, on the right I have a few bits of mine. I was so proud of the spice jars that I bought in the 1960s from Heals in London. I never actually used them.
Do you see the picture of the viaduct? That was a boot sale bargain. We bought it for £2 many years ago. It is a picture that would have once been displayed in a railway carriage; these pictures are now worth quite a lot. Ashley knew somebody at college who has written a book about the railway carriage pictures.
This shows the dining room as an office. The lap top is here for me to use.
I have some family pictures on the wall and family china and other bits and pieces on those shelves.
The silk orchids came from Thailand. I bought them in Robinson's in Phuket Town. We always smile that the department store there should have such an English name.
The next two pictures show the view from the kitchen window whilst we are washing up - no dish washing machines for us.
The back garden is very small. You can see we decorate it with all sorts of things, not just plants.
The kitchen window sill is full of interesting stones, some have been found during various trips and others have been bought because I liked them so much.
That basket was given to us by Bill's old school friend Eric. We don't know what it should be used for, but it loooks decorative on the fence - until it rots away some day.
A French platter, bought when we were in France last October and some spoons and forks made mostly from coconut shells, which were bought in Thailand. They are in an old jug, advertising Cadbury's, which Roger gave me many years ago.
The other pot contains my cooking salt.
Here I am at the computer, checking the bids on eBay.
We have decided that the kitchen cupboards will stay the same. The work top will be changed. We would like one that looks like natural wood. The old wall paper, which has been there for nearly 30 years will be painted over, probably in cream. The blind by the kitchen window will be replaced and we will find new curtains, probably plain for the dining room end.
It doesn't all need changing. I am happy in the room whether I am cooking or eating or working on the computer.
Everybody is welcome of course.
Let me describe the lay out a little. If you come through the front door, there is a small entrance hall which is where the main computer is. The stairs are in front of you and there are doors to the left and right.
The door to the left takes you through to the lounge, with easy chairs and the TV and lots of shelves with books, things we collect and souvenirs of people and places from the 40 years we have been together.
The door to the right takes you through to the kitchen, which is much more than a kitchen, for it is also a dining room and an office.
Below is the view of the room that you would get as you come through the door.
On the left hand side at the far end of the room is a doorway through to the little back door area and through another door into the lounge.
It is possible to walk round the house in circles - and many a child has enjoyed running round and round.
This is the view from the doorway by the back door area.Those cupboards on the wall had, until last week, many old tins and jars on them.
The cooker (with the ceramic top) and oven are electric.
This is the view from the end of the kitchen where the sink is, looking into the dining/office area.
When only 2 of us are eating we tend not to use the table, preferring trays on our laps in front of the TV.
That cloth on the table is one of our oldest personal possessions. We bought it to cover the table in the room we rented for the first few months of our married life.
The shelves on the left hold pieces of china, mostly which have memories of people.
This is is the area opposite the cooker. The phone is here.
The glass fronted cupboard has glasses and more memories. On the left at the top is some of my Granny's china and underneath are a couple of bits of my mother's along with the violets china, which makes me think of her - even though she didn't actually use her first given name of Violet.
At the top, on the right I have a few bits of mine. I was so proud of the spice jars that I bought in the 1960s from Heals in London. I never actually used them.
Do you see the picture of the viaduct? That was a boot sale bargain. We bought it for £2 many years ago. It is a picture that would have once been displayed in a railway carriage; these pictures are now worth quite a lot. Ashley knew somebody at college who has written a book about the railway carriage pictures.
This shows the dining room as an office. The lap top is here for me to use.I have some family pictures on the wall and family china and other bits and pieces on those shelves.
The silk orchids came from Thailand. I bought them in Robinson's in Phuket Town. We always smile that the department store there should have such an English name.
The next two pictures show the view from the kitchen window whilst we are washing up - no dish washing machines for us.The back garden is very small. You can see we decorate it with all sorts of things, not just plants.
The kitchen window sill is full of interesting stones, some have been found during various trips and others have been bought because I liked them so much.
That basket was given to us by Bill's old school friend Eric. We don't know what it should be used for, but it loooks decorative on the fence - until it rots away some day.
A French platter, bought when we were in France last October and some spoons and forks made mostly from coconut shells, which were bought in Thailand. They are in an old jug, advertising Cadbury's, which Roger gave me many years ago.The other pot contains my cooking salt.
Here I am at the computer, checking the bids on eBay.
We have decided that the kitchen cupboards will stay the same. The work top will be changed. We would like one that looks like natural wood. The old wall paper, which has been there for nearly 30 years will be painted over, probably in cream. The blind by the kitchen window will be replaced and we will find new curtains, probably plain for the dining room end.
It doesn't all need changing. I am happy in the room whether I am cooking or eating or working on the computer.
