Midweek Musings #1

A short chatty, giggly video: A fancy trick for creating a verdigris patina on brass and bronze that works really well even if your husband never actually wanted it in the first place!

Hello on this balmy summer’s day, it’s scorchio out there and you won’t hear me complaining. Welcome to my new Midweek Musings. You might have noticed that I sometimes pop into your mailbox on a Wednesday. I wanted to formalise it by giving it a name. It’ll still be ad hoc and sometimes they will be free, like this one, but I wanted to create a cosy corner where I can share life’s little gems with you all.

These posts will be much shorter than my Sunday Columns and may often take the form of a video. If you have followed me on Instagram for years now, then you’ll remember my chats (usually with a glass of something fabulous in hand) from the garden canopy. This is going to be a bit like that. We’ll be chatting about everything and anything. It could be a quick update on a room renovation (I’m particularly keen to show you some realities here), what’s blooming in the garden, a scrumptious supper recipe, or even how I managed to trip arse over tit into a mop bucket. It’s basically a jolly romp inside my head.

First up is a wonderful little trick for creating an almost instant (well, sort of) verdigris patina on brass, copper, or bronze. Mr C, the other half, bought a bronze statue of a naked man with rather a large appendage recently at Ardingly Antiques Fair. Btw - it’s the best one in the kingdom and I can’t think of a more fun day out, other than possible spending an afternoon with Dolly Parton gobbling on fried chicken whilst singing Jolene.

The statue is actually rather lovely, but the original stand has been replaced with a brass one and it’s a little jarring, so Mr C asked me to rough it up a little and change its colour to that wonderful blue-green. All you need is a little 150ml bottle of Curator Verdigris Solution, dilute a little and brush it on. Wait for a bit (quite a bit actually) and it’ll turn a wonderful aged aqua. Look:

Do not, I repeat, do not just throw it on undiluted like I did, although, perhaps only dilute it by half the amount it says to. Also, please be advised to check with your partner first to avoid wanting to smack them over the chops with a fish slice! Till next time.

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