PEAR TREE LOG

pear tree log: I started this blog to keep my younger son, Jonny, in touch with life in Lincolnshire, while he spent a year working in China. That year turned into five! Now he is home and training to become a physics teacher. This is simply a patchwork quilt of some of the things I enjoy - life in rural Lincolnshire, our animals, friends, architecture, books, the gardens, and things of passing interest.



Wednesday 8 February 2012

For John Grey: Through The Keyhole of The Old Cow Shed

We took Harry to pre-school, helped his mum get sorted,  then drove to the Aged Aunt's,  did her weekly shop,  pay her bills, etc.  All the regular stuff.


The bit which proved tiring was teaching her how to open a tin of easy-to-open baked beans, and then how to heat them in the microwave oven and pour them over her slices of toast.  Bear in mind that she has never cooked anything more difficult than salad, although she does manage to reheat her Wiltshire Farm Foods meals.  Let's hope she can manage the beans on toast, if not, she will be on the phone for further coaching - again, and again, and ...


Yesterday John Grey expressed an interest in seeing the rest of our kitchen/livingroom/diningroom.    So John, especially for you...
This is the room we use the most, it was the old cart shed end of the Byre.  When we bought the place it was rat-infested, full of junk - including an urn of 'Grandpa's'  ashes which the previous owners had forgotten when they moved. Or so they claimed!


I am not a great cook and I particularly dislike being isolated in a kitchen while all the fun is going on elsewhere, so we decided that open plan would suit us. We have all the white goods in the utility room, but the cooking range and a sink are in the kitchen.  
It is a mish-mash of styles, but it works for us. 

18 comments:

  1. Oh, Elaine, this is beautiful!. I have been dying to ask you to post more on your home since I saw the comfy sofa post. I will work hard at sharing more of my home too. I had the same thing as you. Mine was full of rats and trash. I always say, "I raised my house from the dead". Thanks for sharing. Now I can picture you doing the day to day "stuff".

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    1. Meggie, I'm so glad you like it. We have lived in lots of houses over the years, so we knew how we wanted the space to work. We did the donkey work (and it really was donkey work)I really wouldn't want to do it again!

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  2. I love it! I can see myself living in that room.
    Jane x

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    1. Jane, Thank you! It works very well for George and I - not forgetting the menagerie!

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  3. What a comfy space. If I cooked that kitchen surely would work for me, too.

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    1. Joanne, If I was ever lucky enough to win the lottery I think that top of my list would be to have someone do the cooking! About twice a year I may really enjoy it, the rest of the time it's a chore.

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  4. slightly nordic and oh so inviting and classy
    thank you

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    1. John, You are very welcome. It is animal-friendly and cosy, exactly how we hoped it would be.

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  5. What a wonderful space. I love it!

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    1. Scarlet, Thank you! The original kitchen is now the bathroom, it was dark and horrible and had a dead rat in the ceiling space.

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    1. Janet, Thank you. The dog and the cats all vie for the best place in front of the range - they don't appreciate being moved away when I cook!

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  7. He's a nosey sod isn't he ;-)

    (me too)

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    1. Chris, Nothing wrong with a little healthy curiosity! It's just as well that the photographs don't really show the state of the floor though!

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  8. I'm curious about what the "white goods" are. I suppose one would be the refrigerator but what else? I think it would drive me nuts dashing back and forth to the fridge while I cook. I like to have everything close at hand. You must be better organized than I am.

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    1. Ms Sparrow, The refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher, washing machine, condenser are all through in the other room, which could have been turned into a kitchen. I also have a large walk-in larder through there, so the only food I keep in the kitchen is in the fruit bowl! I take a tray and select my ingredients, carry them through and begin work. I realise it wouldn't work for everyone - but it was designed for me.

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  9. Thanks for the tour! I love the slant on the ceilings and the open arrangement. Fridge is in the utility room? I like that idea (as long as it is close by). No big hunkin' appliance in the way!

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    1. Janet, We had to dig down about three feet (which made it a big, heavy job) to give us reasonable head room - then my son suggested we open up most of the ceiling space as well. So pleased that he did. I just have to be organised! The fridge is about 10 paces away from the sink, so you soon learn to be efficient and carry everything through. If I want to save my legs then I have to use my head. If I forget - well, it's good exercise!

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