Shed and Old Photos

I have been slowly sorting through all my things and found an old Ipod I had years ago. I was absolutely delighted when I charged it up on my 21st century solar power to find  hundreds ( actually thousands of photos) that I thought I had lost with  the demise of my laptop and  the back-up hard drive that I had purchased especially to save said photos. So I found photos of my shed when it was being put up and then lined with the slab in place. It is  strange to look at it and realise that I am now living in it.

There is still a long way to go to make it more liveable and there is a very long wish list of 21st century amenities. I have been writing that list down, and it started me thinking about how  women in days gone by ( pioneering days or even great aunts etc) coped with the lack of amenities. I remember living in houses in the Netherlands that didn't have bathrooms as such- just a sink in the toilet.  Like my great aunts and uncles at the turn of the 20th century- what did they have available to them- yet look at their immaculate clothes. They would have had no electricity I suspect, their irons would have been heated on wood stoves- everything would have been starched- there would have been no running hot water, showers or baths, no flushing toilets. I am not sure how their water would have been supplied. Anyway food for thought, but given that we are experiencing quite a wet summer, a ride on mower is catapulting to the top of  the list of amenities. An acre and a quarter is a lot to mow by hand- phew!

I have a bit of a thing about wooden spoons, and it is nice to be reunited with them. The round pale wood ones are Moroccan soup spoons bought many years ago. The others are hand carved.

My Italian storyboard is starting to come together- I have got the thinking cap on to make work inspired by Italy for another book effort in the future. I am going to find myself spending some more time in Italy in May/June 2017. I thought I  had read my airfare booking conditions properly ,hit the pay button and when the ticket arrived realised that instead of coming back in May I am coming back in June. Because I selected a fare that allows no alteration,I will be spending more time in Europe than planned, so may as well make it be research!So any suggestions for budget accommodation  would be most welcome as it is starting to get into the expensive tourist part of the year around that time!