our gladys, you are the bees knees...

one fine day three years ago, Gladys came to live at the bottom of our yard. she had no inners, holes in her roof and sides, a coat of dodgy brown paint inside her shell and a floor of forest green plywood. she came with many things i wish she did not, but one thing she came with was potential, and that was all i needed to know one day she would have a little moment to shine.

Gladys has patiently sat waiting for that moment, through rain, hail, snow and sun, she has bided her time. slowly growing a coat of green on her silvery good looks and sinking gradually into the moss below... never complaining, just looking back at me every day as i look at her through my kitchen back door. i knew things had reached an all time low for Gladys when my man took to storing the chicken straw in her inners.

then one fine and dandy day this summer a miracle happened. Our #3 said "when are we going to do up Gladys? i would help you know" and then Our #4 piped in with a "yes, we can put a telly in her" and that was all i needed to be stirred into action. i replied with a "if you help me then you can claim her inner space as your own"

and so began many hours filled with sheets of metal, piles of rivets, pots of duck egg blue paint and a pile of faux flooring tiles. i must tell you it was rather nice 'me and my lads of three' spending quality time together until the moment we stepped back late this past monday evening and saw Our Gladys beginning to shine.

of course it was at that moment i was overcome with a need to claim Gladys back for myself, for now she was so peachy looking. i could not help myself... so as my boys placed the couch one end of her, to see if telly watching in Gladys would be grand, i asked in a little 'pretty please' voice, if i may claim a little corner for myself. they sighed, knowing it would be impossible to keep me out. of course my lads could have said "no, on your bike mother" but i am delighted to report they did no such thing. for perhaps a little voice inside their heads mentioned the clean undies and the hot orange meals which miraculously appear everyday.

 they gave me one end, the perfect end with a handy dandy shelf above the clock for forsaken thrifted souls to spend quality time. i have many dreams for my little end such as pasting a few pictures and papers on the wall and perhaps a rug for underfoot.

yes indeed, i wish to 'twiddle' with Gladys like i have never wished to twiddle with anything before, but it must wait, for i need to turn my attention to something more pressing over the coming days. but in between said pressing moments i can be found with a nice cuppa tea, in Our Gladys, looking back at Mossy Shed and yes, why not, counting my chickens because that is what i have become. an obsessive mother hen who counts her chickens every ten minutes and as always, her blessings.

she is stitching for The Creative Connection and doing more counting, this time counting out her clean undies ~ Tif