Thursday 23 January 2014

The Army Field Kitchen

Hello
Quite a few people seem interested in our Stove Hunt.
Lizzie wondered what D's Army Field Kitchen looked like. I have taken a photo of this and of the hole in our kitchen, where, I think D's stove would fit perfectly!
Here is the old army stove. I think you will agree that while it is not pretty it IS beautiful!
Nothing a spot of blacking won't put right. Any of you remember that job?!

Now to the kitchen fireplace...

The fire that you see in the kitchen is a gas fire that we put in years ago when we did Bed and Breakfast.  Guest always chose to eat in the kitchen and I needed a quick way to get the room  warm in the mornings. You can see from the space around it that at one time a range would have been fitted here. When we bought the house an old gas fire was here, mounted on a hideous stone fireplace. After a few years we took this out and another couple of structures and the lovely hole is what we found.
I really would like an "off-grid" alternative to our conventional cooker, which I don't ever intent to get rid of. Having a two oven, seven ring range is useful with the life we lead!
I will post a picture of the fire in the living room that we hope to replace with a multi-fuel burner too and then you will have the full picture of my stove aspirations!
(Just looking at that last pic - all the minimalist de-clutter bloggers probably have to lie down in a darkened room after they read my posts)

The sun was shining when I was feeding the hens their midday snack, so I took this photo of them with their backs in the sun..Oh happy hens! Within minutes it started to rain and they, and I, ran for cover "It's spitting !! we cried a.la Peter Kay.

So now I am back inside and really must attack the ironing mountain.
Thanks for reading
Gillx

17 comments:

  1. The Army Field Kitchen is FANTASTIC. I think you really really need it. Good luck and keep us posted.
    Dianne - Hereford

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    1. Hello Dianne. Thanks for commenting
      Will do, though no sign of him weakening so far!
      Gill

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  2. I think it would fit very nicely into that gap in your kitchen, you might have a battle to get hubby to give it up though :)
    My hens have spent the afternoon dodging huge hailstones today, we had some the size of marbles earlier, very freaky!

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    1. it's perfect isn't it?!
      We had light hail and slushy snow this afternoon too
      Gill

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  3. Do you remember the episode of the Good Life episode with Barbara cleaning and blacking her range cooker?
    Your kitchen space is just right for a solid fuel Rayburn. We love ours.

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    1. I had to google that episode to remind myself and then I ended up watching it.. and then another one! The internet is the BIGGEST timewaster.
      I will quite happily clean up the stove if only he would let me have it!
      I am pretty sure that the headroom is not high enough for the "lids" to open, I have always preferred Rayburns to Agas.
      We are going window shopping for the stove for the lounge and it might be worth me having a bit of a measure while we are there
      Gill

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  4. I think it would look brilliant, just the job for a busy farmhouse kitchen. Keep working on your hubby! X

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    1. I am working on him. He read the blog tonight and asked if he would encounter a group of bloggers outside his workshop, all carrying placards saying "Give Gill Your Stove" mmmmm not a bad idea!
      Gill

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  5. I wouldn't hand it over, would you? Good luck though, it's absolutely beautiful!
    J x

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    1. You are absolutely right I wouldn't hand it over ! Damn! I don't feel like being reasonable !
      It does have a certain beauty doesn't it?
      Gill

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  6. I think that I learned how to black lead a stove before I learned how to read. I covet the field kitchen, can you organise a "commando style" raid and get it into the kitchen.

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    1. Me too. We had a big black range in out council house kitchen .The houses were modernised in the 50s.. I wonder where all those ranges went? Mum would put the blacking on and I buffed up.
      Tee hee. they would have to be extremely strong commandos!
      Gill

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  7. Your stove is not that different to ours (yours is cleaner). I would have had it the house years ago!!!

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  8. That stove looks fine to me - as long as it is warm and cosy then that is all that matters.
    They certainly look happy hens.

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  9. Your chickens look lovely, so colorful and fluffy. They look lovely and shiny in the sunshine x

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