I've always noticed cast iron. Even as a kid I was fascinated by the different shapes of gates and railings. Maybe it's because there's a history of blacksmithing on my mum's side: if I'd been born a boy in an earlier generation, I might have spent my days banging bits of metal into ornate curves. So it's no surprise that I like to take pictures of railings, especially when they're deliciously rusty.

This railing is really unusual. I've not seen another one like it and I can't work out what era it's from.

Kirsty Hall: Rusty Railings, May 2008

Kirsty Hall: Rusty Railings, June 2008

Kirsty Hall: Rusty Railings, June 2008

These railing are just round the corner from me and the design is clearly based on oak leaves.

Kirsty Hall: Ornate Railings, June 2008

I like it when you can tell what the original design is meant to be; sometimes they're so over-painted that it's just a vague organic blob. This decorative cast iron rose is still recognisable but it's becoming softer and less distinct with every layer of paint.

Kirsty Hall: Cast Iron Rose, June 2008

Two of our ceilings have been painted so often that none of us can decipher the original pattern of the plaster mouldings. One day I decided it was 'baby feet and broccoli' and that has stuck.

See what I mean...

Kirsty Hall: Cream Plaster Mouldings, June 2008

The white baby feet in the kitchen aren't quite as obscured but I've still no idea what it's meant to be.

Kirsty Hall: White Plaster Mouldings, June 2008

Maybe one day I'll get up a very tall ladder and strip all the layers of paint off, but somehow I doubt it: I think we're stuck with baby feet and broccoli.