It's all retro around here!

Things have changed so much this year.  Especially when I think what life was like this time last year!  I have been working hard to install calm, cleanliness and organisation back into my home and it's very quickly all coming together.  In the last couple of weeks we have moved the bedrooms around so the kids all have a bit more room in their bedrooms, I have de-cluttered bags and bags of clothes for recycling and donation, emptied my kitchen and cut the clutter before re-organising and putting everything back. I have tidied wardrobes, de-cluttered toys, cleaned and scrubbed almost everywhere...  I was hoping I'd have also lost a few lbs with all this work, but sadly that has not happened yet despite running up and down two flights of stairs all day!

On top of that I have been cooking more healthy, wholesome and homemade foods for our family.  And the kids and delighted to have our traditional Sunday roast back!

And during our de-cluttering, we discovered a hidden treasure that we'd forgotten we had.  It was given to us by my mother-in-law awhile ago, and we'd put it away safely and forgotten about it until a few days ago;

It's a 1970s Goblin Teasmade 860.  In full working condition, no scratches or wear and tear.  It's literally in near perfect condition - if it didn't have the classic style of the 70s about it, I could really be mistaken for thinking this was brand new!    It's got a clock, a night light and an alarm.

I must admit I always turned my nose up slightly at this type of item.  I thought they were pointless and dated and something I'd only expect to see at your Grandmothers house or an nursing home for the elderly.  But actually I think the housewives of days gone by really had a great idea when purchasing these!  They're fantastic!  I love a hot cup of tea in the morning, and I know my Husband loves a hot cup of coffee (even if it's instant) and this delightful little piece of history wakes us up promptly at 7:15am with it's alarm and the nightlight turning on and the promise of hot drinks without having to do anything more than roll over, pour and stir!  And although the alarm is a bit shrill - there's never a fear you'll sleep through it - normally by the time it's gone off we have been gently roused from slumber by the light song of the water boiling gently in the container before it's transferred automatically over to the teapot.

As you can tell, I'm now a hardened convert to the humble teasmade, that for so many years I snubbed as something only an old person who was too lazy would have...  This little gadget; this little piece of history is a Godsend!

My only problem now is that when I'm lying on bed with a steaming hot cup of tea, I no longer want to actually get up and see to my morning routines and duties!  It's too comfortable!!!

And another downside of our recent re-discovering of those wonderful 70s gadget is that it's awoken a new found admiration for all things vintage and antique which are still usable.  I am so sick of buying the newest, latest and greatest gadgets on the market only to have them break or stop working effectively after a few months....  And with that in mind I have now invested in a lovely 1902 Singer sewing machine!  It'll be arriving next week and I am positively bouncing around with anticipation!  I'll temporarily forget the fact I can't really sew by hand, or that I haven't used a hand crank sewing machine before, or the fact that the last time I used an electric sewing machine was over 15 years ago....  No, no....  Let's not dwell on that!  I'm going to practice until perfect and my first item on my list of things to make is a cushion cover!  (Although admittedly I may have to buy a cushion to go in said cover first!)