Tiles and Flowers

We had some roof tiles (Acme brand, of course, suitable for dropping on the head of Wile E Coyote) left over from our recent building project. I thought I might try painting some with the kind of flower design that is the traditional decoration for narrow boats.
I drew out the design, traced it onto the tile, and filled in with gesso to provide a decent surface to paint on. Once painted I used a stencil to spray varnish on the painted area. It all worked OK, but I think the fact that I was copying meant I didn’t quite get the free, stylised look, and the colours are a bit light. Still, I quite like them!

Food books

Our new kitchen has one cupboard door which merely covers a piece of wall. So I have covered the wall with shelves of fake books, all literary classics except the names have been changed into food puns.

The full list, if you can bear it, is as follows.

The Handmaid’s KaleAtwood, Margaret
Mansfield PorkAusten, Jane
Wuthering BitesBrontë, Emily
Burger on the Orient ExpressChristie, Agatha
Tart of DarknessConrad, Joseph
The Red Batch of PorridgeCrane, Steven
A Christmas CarrotDickens, Charles
Barnaby FudgeDickens, Charles
Grape ExpectationsDickens, Charles
Martin ChorizowitDickens, Charles
Olive TwistDickens, Charles
Leek HouseDickens, Charles
Silas MarinadeEliot, George
The Grated GatsbyFitzgerald, F Scott
Lord of the FriesGolding, William
The Crumpet MajorHardy, Thomas
Cress of the D’UrbervillesHardy, Thomas
Food the ObscureHardy, Thomas
The Bun Also RisesHemingway, Ernest 
The Old Man and the BrieHemingway, Ernest 
To Ham and Ham NotHemingway, Ernest 
Finnegan’s CakeJoyce, James
The TrifleKafka, Franz
Lady Chatterley’s LiverLawrence, DH
To Grill a MockingbirdLee, Harper
Cider with RoastiesLee, Laurie
One Hundred Beers of SolitudeMarquez, Gabriel Garcia
Loaf of PiMartel, Yann
Life of PieMartel, Yann
Scone with the WindMitchell, Margaret
The Cabbage in the RyeSalinger, J.D. 
Beans and NothingnessSartre, Jean-Paul
Midsummer Night’s CreamShakespeare, William
Much Ado about StuffingShakespeare, William
The Taming of the BrewShakespeare, William
The Winter’s AleShakespeare, William
Of Mince and MenSteinbeck, John
Vanity PearThackeray, William
Banana KareninaTolstoy, Leo
War and PeasTolstoy, Leo
Fried Bread revisitedWaugh, Evelyn
Vile ButtiesWaugh, Evelyn
The Island of Doctor MerlotWells, H.G.
The Thyme MachineWells. H.G.
The Pitcher of Durian GravyWilde, Oscar
SalamiWilde, Oscar

(The shelves are not correctly alphabetised, I know. That’s just realism.)