A weekly (ish) updated blog from a long and mizzly Cornish garden by the sea.
Wombling & tidying
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Hello m' thrifty womblers,
Something a bit different for this week. I've been super busy tidying the garden. A girl can't spend all her free time clearing mutant holly trees and making multiple compost heaps though. A wombling road trip to Redruth was needed. Muddy work clothes aside, I even slapped on a dress, some hand cream and nail varnish.
What is wombling?
The Wombles motto is "Make Good Use of Bad Rubbish".
Our version of 'wombling' is visiting secondhand shops (charity /antique/ junk shops)
Redruth, an old mining town in the heart of Cornwall.
The area is dotted with mining engine houses and industrial relics. The hill in the background, Carn Brea, is one of the highest points in Cornwall. This vantage obviously attracted our ancient ancestors, as human settlement has been traced back 6000 years to early neolithic times. On a good day, both the Atlantic Ocean to the north, and the English Channel to the south can be seen.
'Make a Mends' - Clothing repair shop on Fore Street
In the 18th Century, Redruth quickly became one of the richest mining areas in Britain, but for the workers and their families, life was tough. Copper ore was extracted and used to make the vast amounts of copper used in the Industrial Revolution. But by the end of the nineteenth century, industry had declined. Many miners emigrated to Mexico, Australia and South Africa.
On a sprawling industrial estate between Redruth and Pool, a junk shop, large charity shop and even an antique tea room can be found hiding between the fabrication and supplier units.
At Miss Molly's Tea Room, visitors are greeted with a wonderful Foot Bellow organ, a 15th birthday present for a local lady, who lived to age 95. Having had 15 children, I wonder if she ever got the time to play it!?!
Walking through the pedestrianised town centre, we popped in to five charity shops.
Some of Redruth's buildings are earmarked for heritage funded renovations.
The Celtic Cross commemorates the Flowerpot Chapel. It had once been one of
Britain's largest chapels, but it burnt down in 1975. Now a carpark sits on the site.
Here's a video, using camera phone footage taken on the day. Bobby dazzler finds are revealed at the end -
What have thoust been up to? Please send gossip, or biscuits.
Dear Lulu Thank you for taking us along on your wombling trip! You found some wonderful bargains! The art book looks great fun. I'm hoping to get into the garden today - a bit of tidying and possibly some pruning, but we'll see. Have a good week Best wishes Ellie
what a lovely video!! i really enjoyed to go wombling with you! the antique tea room looks so very cosy and full of interesting stuff...... and you found pretty clothing - pajama style is all the rage next summer i heard! - and the plissé skirt is a shiny beauty in a gorgeous colourblocking style. cute kids stuff too. the 3-dimensional book is fabulous - this kind cost a fortune in a museum shop. oh - and your blue indian dress is very chic and you styled it beautifully with the breton and the beret! enjoy your cuppa and garden! xxxxx ps: bravo for not buying more fabric but trying to use up the stash! please show what you made of.
Hello Beate, the book it turns out is expensive secondhand too! Thanks m'luverly, good to know I'll be in style come the summer too. The fabric stash is awaiting a project but I shall share xXx
Hi Lulu, I spotted your YouTube video yesterday. Wombling is an excellent pastime and the gods were kind to you. Those trousers are gorgeous! I can't get over that woman having 15 children. I could make a rude joke about organs, but I won't. xxx
It's going to be wombling for me from now on! How utterly lovely to join you on your wombling trip to Redruth, Lulu. And what great stuff you found. The pyjama or not trousers are gorgeous and that floaty skirt looks very luxurious indeed. Oh, and that pop-up book is just glorious! I love a pop-up book, and still have one or two of my childhood ones. xxx
Oh how lovely Ann to have books from your childhood - a real treasure! I am cultivating the pyjama look by wearing some other trousers today that are ambiguous ;) Thanks for coming along for a womble xXx
A lesson on wombling ~ how great! Loved the video, beautifully done. Would have sent you some biscuits but I gobbled them all up while drinking tea and watching your video. All good wishes.
I loved travelling around with you and Mumrah on your wombling trip! That pop-up book is amazing, I love it. You look fabulous in your posh artisan dress (who donates this stuff?) The Next trews & pleated midi are very cool and like you, wonder why that gorgeous kid's top isn't an adult size, it's not fair! I would send biscuits but Jon's eaten them all. xxxx
I could tell it was good quality but I I almost fainted when I looked up the Ace & Jig dress Vix! They're even over £100 secondhand on eBay! Thanks for coming a wombling :) (Please hide the biscuits from Jon) xXx
I enjoyed your video, what a nice rummage at the chazzas and some lucky finds, I think those trousers are beautiful. Your Indian made dress is a fabulous find, the original price is staggering! The tour of town was interesting, it looks a nice place to live.
Thanks Betty :) Mad for someone to pay that much for a dress isn't it!!! But I am super glad they donated it. That one was from a chazza in Truro, where there are pockets of super poshness. I always enjoy a jaunt to Redruth xXx
Your video was entertaining. Thank you for including us in your wobbly adventure! You scored some incredible deals, didn't you? The art book appears to be a lot of fun. The walking tour of the city was enjoyable, and it seems like a pleasant area to live. I hope you enjoy your week.
New post: https://www.melodyjacob.com/2023/02/how-to-determine-if-your-child-needs-to-gain-weight.html
Well, that was a grand day out (to borrow the phrase from Wallace & Grommet) and I hope you had some cheese with your biscuits in the tea shop. Our new dog is taking up a lot of our time so I enjoyed a few minutes reading this post. I'll view the video later. David.
Ai lad, a grand day out indeed David :) I hope your are keeping well and that new pooch is allowing you to get some sleep. They are hard work but lovely xXx
I love this!! I thought wombling was a term for picking up and keeping all the rubbish (my husband refers to my wombling) but it's much nicer for charity shopping! I enjoyed your dialogue (and jaunty red beret!). Glad you had a lovely trip with Mumra. Your Next trousers and skirt are great and I love the arty pop up book! Yes, I agree, those children's clothes in adult sized would be amazing! I smiled at your mention of Portreath in the distance. We only stopped in Redruth to visit the Supermarket but it always makes me think of Enid Blyton when I hear the name as I think there was a school book (or at least, a school was referred to) called Red Roofs! Hope you are well!x
I think that is the official, technical definition of wombling Kezzie - the Wombles keep Wimbledon clean. But we have always referred to it as picking anything secondhand up :) Ah yes, the family at Red Roofs! I'm in my trousers now - super comfy! Lovely to hear from you, hope you are well xXx
Hello m' fellow bridezilla's, I have news ... Monsieur & I got married! It was a small, quiet ceremony at an old Cornish mining site. We told only a handful of people, including our two lovely witnesses. I picked my outfit from my wardrobe that morning - plum velvet dress and vintage embroidered Chinese jacket together with my sturdy leather work boots. The flowers I picked fresh from the garden- river lilies, snapdragon, lemon scented geranium, cerinth and trailing ivy. I cried. Monsieur welled up a bit too. We were back by tea time to collect the children and treat ourselves to a nice takeout (Indian cuisine & a cloudy cider for me, fish & chips with juice for them). Gardening duties have happily been on pause. We've been treated to whole array of different types of rain: drizzle, mizzle, spittle, danky-do-don't-go-to-town deluge, silver sleet sheets, splutter gutter downfalls, piss pop drops, neck floss splodge, flippity-freezing lashings etc. This
Hello m' clearance mince pies, Imagine my surprise and delight when BBC Gardeners' World contacted me earlier in the year. A very nice producer asked if they could come to visit Long Mizzle Garden for a new winter special. I said "of course!" And so, in December I had a knock at the door. Low and behold, there stood none other than Adam Frost, the producer, a camera guy and sound woman. Promptly I popped t' kettle on and whipped out the best biscuits from my posh tin. I could tell Mr Frost was eyeing up the craft beers in m' cupboard though, so I put some in the fridge for after the shoot. He didn't bring his cat, but my neighbour's cat couldn't stop following him around. If you listen carefully you can hear it going for Adam's 'Catnip Cologne'. It has been so hard keeping this a secret from my friends, family and bloggy chums, but now I can officially share the footage, that unfortunately did not make it onto the winter special...
Hello m' luvelies, It's a glorious morning here at Long Mizzle. The sun is just starting to fill the top patio, where it will sit hot all day. I'm not one for basking in the sun, much preferring early mornings and evenings, when the light is sweet and magic. Happily I don't have to rush off anywhere, and project 'Marie Kondo the living daylights out of the wardrobe' will just have to wait until later. Here are some pictures taken last night, at around 9pm, once the sun had dipped down behind the hedges and fences. Sometimes I am serenaded in the garden by a little pink Ukelele playing wandering minstrel - The minstrel's services will be paid with apples - Unfortunately I lost three dahlias by leaving the tubers in the ground over winter: 'Heatwave', 'Spanish Dancer' and 'Totally Tangerine' all gone. I suspect they got too wet and rotted - lesson learnt! The orange 'Pooh' type are positively unruly though. Dahlia 'Ma
Hello m' slim shadies, After a two day heatwave shattered UK records, my trusty Glass Storm Barometer warned me that a storm was imminent. The next morning I woke to a drastic drop in temperature, thunder and lightening. Climate change has officially arrived, just as the scientists said it would all those years ago. Sadly environmental scientists don't rule the world, knobbers do. Above left - barometer in fine weather | Above right - rapid ascension of blue liquid in snozzle means approaching storm (see monkey blog post here for more detail). If it pees, batten the hatches! Below: Down by the morning cool, Penryn Marina Whilst the holiday makers were rollicking in the sun on the beach, I was crunching on ice cubes, taking shade where I could. Obviously all the parasols had sold out, so a little improvisation was required for the top patio - Approaching storm after the heat - Very little gardening happened during the heat . Contrary to what Monsieur would say, I am not
Hello m' happy 2023ers, Well, I've had a starry comedown after Gardeners' World's 'Adam Frost' visited just before Christmas and quaffed all the best biscuits and craft beers [see here ]. It was near impossible to keep a straight face and steady camera hand when Monsieur appeared in character, complete with spade and long arm, huffing and puffing, from the bottom of the garden. In the end I had to close my eyes to film it! Here's a behind the scenes audio out take to prove it (we didn't have clip board so we had to do a '3,2,1' to sync the audio) - Turns out the December frost (please note now I'm referring to the cold temperature, not the Adam variety of Frost) destroyed a few of my beloved succulents. It was to be expected for those left outside. The cold also shivered its way through the cracks and gaps into my unheated greenhouse though, sealing the door shut for days. Although I had brought the succulent pots in a couple of weeks befo
Dear Lulu
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking us along on your wombling trip! You found some wonderful bargains! The art book looks great fun. I'm hoping to get into the garden today - a bit of tidying and possibly some pruning, but we'll see.
Have a good week
Best wishes
Ellie
Hello Ellie, I got the art book for the kids but I've been hogging it ;) Happy gardening, should be a good weekend for it xXx
Deletewhat a lovely video!!
ReplyDeletei really enjoyed to go wombling with you! the antique tea room looks so very cosy and full of interesting stuff...... and you found pretty clothing - pajama style is all the rage next summer i heard! - and the plissé skirt is a shiny beauty in a gorgeous colourblocking style. cute kids stuff too.
the 3-dimensional book is fabulous - this kind cost a fortune in a museum shop.
oh - and your blue indian dress is very chic and you styled it beautifully with the breton and the beret!
enjoy your cuppa and garden!
xxxxx
ps: bravo for not buying more fabric but trying to use up the stash! please show what you made of.
Hello Beate, the book it turns out is expensive secondhand too! Thanks m'luverly, good to know I'll be in style come the summer too. The fabric stash is awaiting a project but I shall share xXx
DeleteHi Lulu,
ReplyDeleteI spotted your YouTube video yesterday. Wombling is an excellent pastime and the gods were kind to you. Those trousers are gorgeous!
I can't get over that woman having 15 children. I could make a rude joke about organs, but I won't. xxx
Thanks Claire, it was a happy wombling day. Would have been even better with a go of that ol' foot pump organ :) xXX
DeleteIt's going to be wombling for me from now on!
ReplyDeleteHow utterly lovely to join you on your wombling trip to Redruth, Lulu. And what great stuff you found. The pyjama or not trousers are gorgeous and that floaty skirt looks very luxurious indeed. Oh, and that pop-up book is just glorious! I love a pop-up book, and still have one or two of my childhood ones. xxx
Oh how lovely Ann to have books from your childhood - a real treasure! I am cultivating the pyjama look by wearing some other trousers today that are ambiguous ;) Thanks for coming along for a womble xXx
DeleteA lesson on wombling ~ how great! Loved the video, beautifully done. Would have sent you some biscuits but I gobbled them all up while drinking tea and watching your video. All good wishes.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mike! Never mind about the biscuits, please bring some next time :) Hope you are well xXx
DeleteI loved travelling around with you and Mumrah on your wombling trip!
ReplyDeleteThat pop-up book is amazing, I love it. You look fabulous in your posh artisan dress (who donates this stuff?) The Next trews & pleated midi are very cool and like you, wonder why that gorgeous kid's top isn't an adult size, it's not fair!
I would send biscuits but Jon's eaten them all. xxxx
I could tell it was good quality but I I almost fainted when I looked up the Ace & Jig dress Vix! They're even over £100 secondhand on eBay! Thanks for coming a wombling :) (Please hide the biscuits from Jon) xXx
DeleteI enjoyed your video, what a nice rummage at the chazzas and some lucky finds, I think those trousers are beautiful. Your Indian made dress is a fabulous find, the original price is staggering! The tour of town was interesting, it looks a nice place to live.
ReplyDeleteThanks Betty :) Mad for someone to pay that much for a dress isn't it!!! But I am super glad they donated it. That one was from a chazza in Truro, where there are pockets of super poshness. I always enjoy a jaunt to Redruth xXx
DeleteI've loved watching your wombling video. You made some great finds. Xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Jules :) The bobby dazzler gods were shining that day xXx
DeleteYour video was entertaining. Thank you for including us in your wobbly adventure! You scored some incredible deals, didn't you? The art book appears to be a lot of fun. The walking tour of the city was enjoyable, and it seems like a pleasant area to live.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy your week.
New post: https://www.melodyjacob.com/2023/02/how-to-determine-if-your-child-needs-to-gain-weight.html
Thanks for visiting my wee blog Melody. Glad you liked it :)
DeleteWell, that was a grand day out (to borrow the phrase from Wallace & Grommet) and I hope you had some cheese with your biscuits in the tea shop. Our new dog is taking up a lot of our time so I enjoyed a few minutes reading this post. I'll view the video later. David.
ReplyDeleteAi lad, a grand day out indeed David :) I hope your are keeping well and that new pooch is allowing you to get some sleep. They are hard work but lovely xXx
DeleteI love that you call it wombling! Such a great use of the word. You seem to be good at finding bargins in your local charity shops.
ReplyDeleteYears of training from ol' glass eyed Mumrah! Thanks SM :) xXx
DeleteI love this!! I thought wombling was a term for picking up and keeping all the rubbish (my husband refers to my wombling) but it's much nicer for charity shopping!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your dialogue (and jaunty red beret!). Glad you had a lovely trip with Mumra.
Your Next trousers and skirt are great and I love the arty pop up book! Yes, I agree, those children's clothes in adult sized would be amazing! I smiled at your mention of Portreath in the distance. We only stopped in Redruth to visit the Supermarket but it always makes me think of Enid Blyton when I hear the name as I think there was a school book (or at least, a school was referred to) called Red Roofs!
Hope you are well!x
I think that is the official, technical definition of wombling Kezzie - the Wombles keep Wimbledon clean. But we have always referred to it as picking anything secondhand up :) Ah yes, the family at Red Roofs! I'm in my trousers now - super comfy! Lovely to hear from you, hope you are well xXx
Delete