Chair recycling

On the left: two chairs that came from our local recycling emporium for a couple of euros a piece. Eight years on, or so, the seats have worn through and re-caning is required. This probably won't happen; possibly hardboard will be nailed onto the seats as folk used to do, or they may become kindling. Either way, not bad for eight years use and then firewood.
The chairs on the right are from the same place at a euro a piece, except the Spanish one which was three euros!

Insect paradise

Oops, long time no post. The thoughts are often there, but they disappear into the mire of everythingelseness.

On our recent foray into the Dordogne, I saw this masterpiece of 'recuperation', and kindness to our insect friends.
We particularly liked the big log chunk at the bottom which has been chewed by the now dweller in the box with the tiny entrance hole and landing platform. A work of brilliance, whoever you are in the town of Lectourne.

Ezra has assured me he will try to replicate the construction. I will post the result.

Christmas savings

This year, instead of buying a cut tree and feeling more depressed each day by its slow demise, needle by needle, until all was left was a scratchy corpse to be hauled outside and dumped on the woodpile, we bought a tree in a pot. It was a good quality tree which cost a fair bit, but we rationalised that this would be good; one less tree thrown away, and in a few years we would have a happy little forest out on the piece of land next to the railway where it is sadly empty.
The tree duly survived, thrived even and after being stripped of festive stuff, we planted it.
Each dog walking day I've smiled at it and thought what an excellent idea it was, until . . . today when some ****** dug it up!
I stood in the drizzle staring at the space for a while thinking how mean it was, and how odd as we are (thankfully) many months away from the red and gold madness.
Oh, well, we'll do it again: a much more satisfactory tree solution, avoiding also the dreaded pot, stones, sand, wobbly tree and swearing. And I'll plane the next one IN the garden.

Post-mat lad

As featured on Mark's site — noise in the hothouse (link through main Hothouse site to hear the result) Ezra's fabulous noise box, created for Mark for Christmas.
Fabricated totally out of found materials, it's my idea of a real Christmas present.
Ezra is a budding electronics wizard, but interested mainly in re-using knobs, switches, motors and all the other detritus he winkles out of old abandoned radios, cassette decks etc from our local dump and the Aude's cathedral to recycling — le parchemin.
For some years we cowered downstairs while the small mad professor upstairs shrieked when something didn't work; soldering that fell apart, the LED that failed to pulse in the right sequence etc etc. Now, it's mainly calm up there, a more sanguine air about him when something fails; a new more dogmatic urge to keep trying until whatever it is succeeds.
We were walking the dogs the other day past a decrepit but attractive stone warehouse and Ezra informed me that he could imagine working somewhere like that in the future; taking in unwanted old electrical equipment and making useful needed items.
I for one can see this being very much the reality at some point . . .

Weed removal

Ooo, I have been neglecting this site. It's not that my Post Mat ideals have changed, I just don't seem to have much time to write my thoughts down.
Here's a saving post featuring Penny's brilliant gizmo for getting weeds out from between slabs/bricks — a knee knackering job.
Broom handle or similar stick, old paint stripping tool and gaffer tape and NO weed killer. Yey.

Chittings

I wasn't sure which blog to put these on, but Terry's lovely homemade chitting boxes steered me to the post-mat page.
I've never really known what chitting was. I usually just lob a bit of potato that is sprouting into the soil when it seems about the right time.

These are not just any old spuds: carefully chosen for flavour and each given it's own cocoon of card to provide just the right ambience to bring forth the correct type of sprouts, not straggly and long which is apparently what happens if you put them in the dark. Makes sense really when you think about spindly trees in a forest trying to reach to the light.
There was something so absolutely calming and comforting about seeing these nestling spuds. Think I might construct a box or two myself, and this year I will grow tomatoes, chillies and lettuce from seed . . . like I said last year.

things within things

Not strictly post-mat really, but I felt these images sent to me by Penny fitted this blog better.

I'm glad other people see faces in things — not just me . . .