The Garden Fence - proper Old Style support and chat!

greenbee

MMF007 wrote: »

Sound advice Greenbee, thanks! The main problem is that our tastes are very eclectic and hanging a colourful Caribbean abstract next to a Heaton Cooper print may not work :rotfl:

Eclectic is good, and you'd be surprised what kind of things work well together. Think about it the same as you do painting - what links the pictures (colour/composition) or how do they set each other off by contrasting. For example, I have an abstract of different coloured flower petals next to a japanese painting of two ladies. The colours complement each other so the different shapes, sizes, styles and subject matter aren't an issue. I have a bright Hockney poster next to two pencil drawings of cambridge college buildings, with a HUGE grey/blue toned oil of greenwich and the thames on a rainy day on another wall. Another room has some batik, some small black & white sketches, some small paintings of italian views (and one of a village street in devon) and a fabulous picture of a guinea fowl. It's all in the hanging!

I have a whole lot more to hang this week...

VJsmum

Oof what a day. I left home at 6.45 this morning and will be back just before 10. I have been to Edinburgh - which is a LOOONG way from where I live - to interview people for my PhD. I have gathered good data - though one woman used it as a moaning session, which was tiresome. I rather think the problem might be her and not the company... The others have been brilliant. i am on the train, but it's still tiring, especially as I have been dashing for trains and didn't get time to buy food this evening. Hoping there's bacon and egg (or, as we call it, 'begg') indoors with a nice cuppa.

I shall sleep well tonight. Luckily most of my interviews have been much more convenient - I have a similar trip in a couple of weeks, to Cardiff, but that's a lot closer than Edinburgh. It's also very fortunate, to say the least, that I get free train travel. Still, it's a shame i didn't get to see anything of Edinburgh, I've only been twice before and the first time i felt sick as a dog with morning sickness.

NM that housing arrangement sounds perfect - i wish you every ounce of luck.

[Deleted User]

sometimes you watch a film that affects you deeply, in a good way. I just watched a film on amazon prime, it was called lion, about a lost child in India. Based on a true story. If you get a chance to watch it, do. It has to be one of the most moving films I ever watched but not in a tearful way.

Slinky

MMF007 wrote: »

Dad's memorial service (bright colours to be worn, daft stories to be told, donations to the village Christmas lights fund)

What a lovely thing to raise money for, never heard of anybody doing that before.

MMF007

greenbee wrote: »

Eclectic is good, and you'd be surprised what kind of things work well together. Think about it the same as you do painting - what links the pictures (colour/composition) or how do they set each other off by contrasting. For example, I have an abstract of different coloured flower petals next to a japanese painting of two ladies. The colours complement each other so the different shapes, sizes, styles and subject matter aren't an issue. I have a bright Hockney poster next to two pencil drawings of cambridge college buildings, with a HUGE grey/blue toned oil of greenwich and the thames on a rainy day on another wall. Another room has some batik, some small black & white sketches, some small paintings of italian views (and one of a village street in devon) and a fabulous picture of a guinea fowl. It's all in the hanging!

I have a whole lot more to hang this week...

Ooh, sounds fab!! You couldn't pop round to my house and sort out my collection, could you?

Softstuff

I haven't got anything much up on my walls yet... most of them aren't painted. But I'm making notes!

Nursemaggie, fingers are crossed for you both, the location sounds great.

Hester, you need to pretend in the bedroom, tie him to the bed... and leave him there whilst you rest your ankle up. Unless of course he's right, and you've travelled through a time anomaly, like star trek, and the return journey will take much longer.

I'm snoozly, and off to cook a bacon and egg fiesta.

VJsmum

kittie wrote: »

sometimes you watch a film that affects you deeply, in a good way. I just watched a film on amazon prime, it was called lion, about a lost child in India. Based on a true story. If you get a chance to watch it, do. It has to be one of the most moving films I ever watched but not in a tearful way.

Loved that film. It was So stressful wasn't it, watching that little boy try to survive?

Begg has been consumed and I am in my bed

mothernerd

monnagran I don't know if it helps but there is an organisation called pensforkids which sends excess stationery items to developing countries (mostly in Africa but spread to eastern Europe as well). I think it is only one man and his family plus volunteers.

I worked at a place where there were lots of changes. Groups of workers were moved en bloc or had applied for jobs in the offices that were staying open. Often when they moved out, they dumped the entire contents of their desks by the bins and as I hate waste, I salvaged as much as possible. Ten years on and I still had loads of pens, so I was very glad to find out about them (also sent pencils, rulers and a few other things I thought would be useful). I was trying to declutter but found it hard to throw things, needed to find groups that could use them.

greenbee

MMF007 wrote: »

Ooh, sounds fab!! You couldn't pop round to my house and sort out my collection, could you?

I'll swap... you can come and sort out EVERYTHING ELSE in my house.... and I'll do your pictures

Seriously, just group things together, move them round, hold them up and think about it. Don't make assumptions about what goes with what else, or how much space things need. Try it and see (obviously you don't want to be making too many holes in walls, so find a volunteer to help hold stuff in position while you deliberate).

Right... I need to remove my office-day makeup and go to bed (make up removal takes ages... it's all waterproof and almost impossible to get off!).

FairyPrincessk

My internet goes down for two days and you lot have started a hermit's commune, put up a purple shed and Hester is having murderous thoughts again :eek:

Term is actually starting to feel over. I work from home today and tomorrow since I fulfilled all of my meeting obligations yesterday. We had a bit of excitement Monday evening. In addition to the internet problems, Maggie the Cat had been acting a bit strange. She'd staked out a position in front of the wall of bookshelves in the lounge and had barely budged all day. We had a look, thinking she must have seen a spider or something. That evening we were watching a DVD and OH suddenly says very quietly, don't move. I panicked. Anytime he says something quite calmly and quietly it definitely means that there is scope for panic. I leaned over slightly and saw a little brown field mouse poking its head around a bookshelf and Maggie giving it the stare down.

I don't know exactly what ensued next (I repaired upstairs. I may be a dab hand with a drill or a drain, but pests are NOT my job). My OH and Maggie worked together to capture the thing (apparently she caught it three times before he was able to get it outside, no wonder she treats us like inept and simple creatures). Maggie was given much praise, a handful of dreamies and two new feathers to play with that I'd found on my walk. She then spent the rest of the evening patrolling to make sure there weren't any more. I'm not sure where OH deposited it, he vaguely waved in the direction of the garden and I didn't have the heart to tell him that it probably has radar and will be making a beeline back to our bookshelves. Fortunately no mouse gets past Maggie the Cat's watchful eye, so we'll know if it is back soon.

NurseMaggie--Fingers crossed for you.
Fuddle--Your sister strikes me as one who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. It won't make the remarks sting any less, I know.
VJsMum--I'm glad the interviews went well. I don't know what field you're in, but a lot of conferences get held in Edinburgh, and I find most conferences proceed far better if there is an equal mix of attending and sightseeing. You might get luck yet.
Hester--Perhaps you need to post your hours for CHS. He can keep going as late as he wants, but if he wants your help or input on mooring, or a meal afterwards etc. he'd better keep in mind when you clock off.

Right. I'd better get some work done.