Tag Archives: house
June 6, 2019 After the rain: Everything is washed clean
The weather in Cape Town is fantastic.
After the drought crisis, we’re even happy when it rains.
Rainfall can be extreme, every now and then it rains so much in such a short time, water flows in streams down the roads.
And into our garden, which gets flooded.
The terrace, the walls, the plants are being sprayed clean from dusts.
All the woodchips start floating and get a good wash.
The sand in the dog’s running track gets leveled out and settles perfectly.
The next day is like a fresh start, as if nature spring-cleaned, or well winter-cleaned, all outdoors.
#LoveCapeTown
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June 5, 2019 Blessed is the rain
After the Cape’s drought crisis, rain is always a welcome sight.
Even when we get too much of it!
It can rain like out of buckets, with thick heavy raindrops pelting down like the clouds ripped open. The pouring rain blurs your vision like a waterfall curtain and everything is instantly soaked wet.
All the water from the roof and the terrace flows into the garden.
Our backyard is all clay ground and apparently we did a really good job with our raised flowerbed wall.
So the water drains very slowly, too slow for the water masses building up in minutes. And our garden gets flooded.
Luckily the rain stopped just in time for the woodchippings not to float over the poll and into the dogs’ running track.
Because I had just laboured away a day at getting that sorted and neat.
All in preparation for the bad weather to come.
As that’s just one of the wonderful effects of heavy rain: Everything gets washed clean.
#LoveCapeTown
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May 25, 2018 Stuff I found in the garden: Domino
A Domino piece I excavated from our garden.
The things I find in the ruins of The Broken Palace vary so much, from building material and tiles to bottles to coins…
And then there are more personal items like kids toys that give an insight into the life the people at The Broken Palace lived.
Such as this Domino:
I like to think elderly men sat on the stoep playing a fierce game of Domino:
Slamming the Domino piece on the table with a loud slap as if it was in the face of the opponent.
Their laughter echoing far over the streets of Woodstock.
If you know more about the Broken Palace, please get in touch: TrulyJuly@web.de. 🙂
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March 16, 2018 Stuff I found in the garden: Vintage Harveys Bristol Cream bottle piece
This piece of glass excavated from our garden can tell a story.
I love excavating things that have enough information on them to date them.
Amongst the endless amount of glass shards buried in our garden, I do find every now and then an intact bottle or a piece of glass with some inscription on it.
This small piece of the bottom of a bottle reads “Harveys Bristol”.
Turns out this is a sherry called Harveys Bristol Cream.
Furthermore, their bottles are blue now, and changed from green to blue in 1994.
So this bottle is definitely from before 1994, and probably vintage.
I can just picture how the residents at The Broken Palace sat on their stoep, sipping on a glass of sherry on a warm summer evening.
Does this ring true or is it just a romantic notion? If you know more kindly get in touch: TrulyJuly@web.de
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March 7, 2018 Stuff I found in the garden: 1952 South Africa 3 Pence Silver Coin King George VI
I can start a coin collection:
South African 1952 Silver Threepence (Tickey) (1937 to 1952), King George VI series. As per Professional Coin Grading Service: The obverse design: Head of King George VI. Inscription: “GEORGIVS VI REX”. Designed by Henry Paget (“HP”).
1952 George VI South African Silver Threepence. As per the PCGS: The reverse design: A Protea (National Flower), in full bloom, forms the center of the design. An inverted triangle surrounds it. The sides of the triangle consist of three bundles of four sticks each. The three bundles denote the coin’s value and the sticks represent the four provinces of the Union of South Africa (Transvaal, Cape, Orange Free State, and Natal). Inscription “SOUTH AFRICA” to the left, the date at top center, “SUID-AFRIKA” to the right and “3p”, flanked by two little flowers to the left and right, at the bottom center. Reverse design artist: Kruger Gray (“K” to the left and “G” to the right of the flower’s stem).
I found another 3 pence coin amidst the rubble of The Broken Palace in our garden.
It is part of the 1937 to 1952 King George VI series coins from South Africa and made from real silver.
But it’s so small and so light the value of the coin outweighs the value of the silver.
The 3 pence coin is also known as the “Tickey” in South Africa.
Even though the tickey was only around until 1960, after which the British currency was replaced by the Rand, the word stuck in South African vocabulary.
Many South Africans will remember the “Tickey Box”, the old public telephone:
Excavating relics from our garden is like a history lesson in action.
If you know more about The Broken Palace, please get in touch: TrulyJuly@web.de 🙂
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January 24, 2018 #DIY: #HowTo paint interior doors for a professional finish
I painted this bathroom door myself and love the result.
When our builder’s workers started applying the primer on our interior doors while they were still hanging, I knew this would end badly.
So I decided to save some costs and paint the doors myself. It couldn’t get worse than how it had been done so far.
Of course I knew nothing about painting doors, so I first had to do my research which I’m happy to share:
Good Practices for Painting Interior Doors
1) Lay down the door flat on saw horses
Painting a new interior door is easiest on saw horses:
– Only when the door is removed from the frame can you reach all the edges. Especially new doors need to be sealed everywhere to prevent moisture from entering – that includes the bottom edge.
– Only when the door is lying flat down can you achieve a smooth streak-free paint finish. It is easy to miss drips and runs leaving unsightly paint marks on your door. Plus you’ll avoid any mess on the walls and floors.
If the door is already installed, take it off for painting. Interior doors are hollow and easy to remove from the hinges.
2) Clean the door
Make sure there is no residue or grime on the door that would spoil the paint.
Wipe the door clean with soapy lukewarm water.
3) Sand down the door
If new or old, before painting you need to roughen up the surface.
Use a sanding block for profiled moldings and sandpaper on flat boards to smoothen any irregularities.
Clean up the dust with a vacuum or brush and damp cloth.
4) Fix any holes
Should the door have any holes, cracks or scratches, fill them before applying any primer or paint.
5) Dampen the surface
This trick is meant to help you achieve a smooth paint finish:
Wet the door’s surface slightly with a sponge or cloth.
When applying paint on the damp surface, it’ll take longer to dry, giving you more time to smoothen out any unwanted streaks or tears.
6) Prime the door
New doors need to be primed to ensure good adhesion of the finish coats. Already painted doors need no primer if they’re in good condition.
Apply one coat of primer and let it dry.
Sand down any irregularities.
7) Paint the door
The best way to avoid brush marks is by avoiding using brushes. Only paint the tricky parts like edges and ornamental designs with brushes.
Use a foam roller on all straight surfaces for an even looking finish. You might need to apply an extra coat, if the foam roller spreads the coat too thin.
Apply as many layers of paint as needed for a great finish. If you can still spot some irregularities, give it one more coat. It actually goes quick and will leave you truly happy with the result.
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January 10, 2018 Stuff I found in the garden: Vintage Mother of Pearl button
Look what I excavated from our garden: A vintage Mother of Pearl button
The excitement of excavating something shiny when cleaning up the garden soil from rubble and debris!
I gave this Mother of Pearl button a rinse and it’s gleaming in the sun.
According to Vintage Button Emporium this nacre button is even worth something, like a pound or two. It is the rim that makes it more valuable than just a plain version. Craftsmanship is always worth something.
Interestingly, this button seems to have been fastened with a metal noose, which is still attached to it. So was it part of some sort of uniform maybe?
If you know more about The Broken Palace or the people who lived there and what happened that we’re digging up so many artefacts. please get in touch: TrulyJuly@web.de 🙂
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