Stay at Home Sunday ...

... and spend the day behind the camera and in front of the computer! Here are some of the goodies I've added to the shop today. Plenty more coming soon!

What a change in the weather to coincide with altering the clocks. We woke up today to strong winds and rain but with a temperature far higher than a peek through the curtains led us to expect. In fact it was quite a muggy, struggle to wake up, sort of day. Perhaps it was all the excitement of yesterday which made me feel lethargic today. Whatever it was, I did at least manage to get some write-ups done for the website. I may not manage to add any more until after next weekend as this coming week is a busy one, but I'll do my best!

I also sorted a tin of buttons ...

Hope your week ahead will be more relaxed than mine!

PS - Why do they always spoil things? Instead of the slide show there's a great big 'email me' thingy saying join my fanlist or somesuch which I certainly haven't added myself, and don't want, but I don't know how to get rid of it. I assume if you want to see the photos you just click on the arrow thingy. Aaaaargh!!!

It's Those Girls Again ...

Liz and Bronia have done it again. This is the 4th blog post majoring on them in the last month - Donna, Kelly and Jane have all met up with these two vintage girls recently, and Liz's sale earlier in the year was the subject of one of Niki's posts.

Today they brought Victoria to Somerton where the Amateur Dramatic Society was having a sale of years-worth of costumes as they have to vacate their premises. The sale was from 2.00 until 4.00 and the girls arrived chez moi about midday. Liz and I discussed the merits of being able to see our sitting room carpets, and because I couldn't cope with how impressed Liz was with the amount of mine on view, I showed them the spare bedroom. We had to take it in turns to poke our heads round the door though. There certainly wasn't room for more than one person at a time (well, 2, as long as one stood in the doorway!).

We then moved on to Somerton Old Town Hall Antiques for lunch in the tea room housed in the antiques centre, promising ourselves we would return later for tea and gorgeous gooseberry cake (which I should have said NO to!). There was just time for a very quick browse in Somerton Antiques Centre before joining the queue outside the Parish Rooms. All the local fashion and textile dealers were there (so Shepton should be interesting in November - although some of their purchases may sell at Kempton or Ardingly next week), and everyone had sharpened their elbows.

Because clothing isn't particularly my thing, I followed Bronia around whilst she made her choices and piled them into my arms. (I was quite happy with 3 lengths of leather, a couple of patterns, one piece of fabric and this gorgeous roses tafetta dress.) It meant Bronia had 2 free hands and 2 free elbows to fight her way through to the bargains. An Ikea bag is marvellous for textile shopping, and holds amazing quantities, but even that had to be supplemented with a couple of black bin bags!

Moving on from the sale we returned to Somerton Antiques Centre for a spot more browsing and shopping and then went back to the OTH for our tea and gooseberry cake, via Behind Clouds, Somerton's lovely shoe shop.

The girls dropped me off at home soon after 4.00 pm and set off back to Taunton and beyond. We all had a lovely day with lots of fun and laughter, and to my mind the sort of day that everyone should have at least once a week! Hope your Saturday has been fun!

On a Roll ...

... It had to be done ... there was no sitting room carpet ... no chair to sit on ... just boxes of linen and fabrics, checked plastic laundry bags full of linen and fabrics, piles of lace to be sorted and priced ... and as for the hall ... sorry, all photos were censored ...



But, the sitting room is now beautifully tidy, (almost) empty of stock, dusted, polished, cushions plumped and looked good for a visit by a customer on Monday. It has 3 days to behave itself before Liz and Bronia (see Kelly's blog) come to visit on Saturday. There's a chance it will be OK because I'll be at Dairy House on Thursday, which leaves only 2 days to keep the bags and boxes under control! (I suggest you don't ask where the stock has actually gone ... suffice to say it's a good thing that Gillie isn't coming to stay this weekend! She'll get her own back soon though, as we shall be staying with her for a couple of nights next month!)


So, as this blog title implies, I'm on a roll. The car being empty for once, P has made several tip trips over the last day or so. We're pulling out part of a conifer hedge in order to accommodate my shed which should be arriving early in November.

The grand plan is that it will mean the house stays tidy ... I wish!!!! Anyway, I knew there were several unreuseable (if that's not a word then it should be) boxes in the garage, hidden amongst the multitude of other things that prevent the car ever finding its way in, and once P had gone off with those I decided it was time to inspect the contents of the plastic boxes in the furthest, darkest corner. Three hours later, and somewhat chilly (silly me, no jacket on), I emerged with a handful of Very Important Books.

I thought The Children of Willow Farm had gone for ever, never to be seen again, many years ago. I certainly don't remember packing it away - although we've moved so many times over the last 30 years that it may have been packed on the first move and remained hidden all this time. As you can see by the inscription, Grandad gave me this book in 1959. Can it really be that long ago? Can't wait to read it again and when I find the photo of Izzie and me with 2 lambs (Frisky and Whisky) which we led around on baler twine leads, you'll see that Penny in the book really must have been based on me!!!!! I hope I can find the photo!

I loved reading The Eskimo Doll and it was a book that I reread whenever I was poorly and off school. I need to read that again, too. The Albatross Book of Verse was another gift from Grandad, in 1964. I hated poetry at the time, but was thrilled a few years later to find that the poem entitled 'Leisure' by William Henry Davies was to be found within its pages. I love this poem and it is one of the few I ever managed to learn. Today I can only quote the first 2 lines:

"What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare."

I think it's time I learned it again. There's a lesson there, somewhere!

The Cradle Ship, with its lovely (out of focus photo) frontispiece illustration was first published in September 1916. This copy is the fifteenth edition, published in March 1941. It was Mum's book. I remember reading this in my little iron bed (which sadly Mum got rid of without my knowledge many years ago). I'm so glad this book has reappeared. There are 3 more beautiful colour illustrations by Florence Mary Anderson. If I can hold the camera steady enough I'll show you those as well!

The Children's Illustrated Encyclopaedia of General Knowledge was my Sunday evening get-out-of-going-to-bed book. I'd always find some reason for NEEDING to look up something just after bedtime was announced. I usually just looked at one particular favourite colour plate rather than expand my knowledge. The book was kept in the glass-fronted bookcase which Mum still has. I felt very grown up being allowed to turn the key, open the door and pick out a book!

This final book is a statement to positive thinking. Who am I kidding? I can't believe I actually bought it. I read a few pages. If I had read them all maybe I would be slim, but somehow I don't think so. Perhaps I should read it now. Who knows ... next time you see me I might be a shadow of my former self!!!

So, I'm off to attack another part of the garage today, check up with a local art dealer whether a miniature portrait I found in a box is going to earn me a fortune (if the writing on the back is to be believed then maybe it's worth a bob or two), and as the sun is now shining I might also manage to do something in the garden. Anything ... as long as I stay out of the sitting room!!!

Note: There are currently a few reductions in a pre-winter Sale in my shop

Another Serendipity Moment ...

... one of you (sorry, can't remember who) mentioned the 'S' word the other day and now I have my own little serendip to tell you about ...

I've spent the day finding the sitting room floor and sorting through stock to decide what to take to the Giant Flea at Shepton on Sunday, and came across (I hardly dare admit) a cardboard box of 'my' stuff rather than stock, which had lurked behind the sofa for far longer than it takes an army of spiders to spin a veritable fort of webs. Anyway, be that as it may, I decided it was time I poked my head inside the box and I found a pair of scissors I last saw when the box was packed before we moved last year, my sewing box, and lots of other goodies, including a bag full of old keys which I bought at a car boot about 4 years ago ...

Well ... as the newly revamped meat safe has a keyhole I thought I'd see if one of the keys would fit in the hole so that I could include it with the safe, just for fun. One did fit, and then it dawned on me that the lock itself was still intact and maybe ... just maybe ... the key was actually a good enough fit to turn the lock ... and it is and it does. I now have a meat safe with a lock with a key that works. How brilliant is that. I'm so excited (sad, isn't it) that I had to come and tell you straight away. Hee hee ... I'm off to celebrate with a glass of red now ... care to join me?

Lazy Sunday Afternoon ...

... well, not quite ... as so far today I've met Jane (Rose Vintage) and her husband briefly as she journeyed home from Devon to Kent, whizzed round a carboot, watched 20 minutes of the Grand Prix, slightly reduced the laundry mountain, and transformed an old meat safe I painted yesterday, by covering the shelf with some vintage French fabric and using the same fabric to cover the aperture in the door where I'd had to remove the damaged mesh.

I'm really quite pleased with it for a first attempt - there'll be no stopping me now!! The colours aren't quite true as the paint is Crown & Rose Hemp Beige and the fabric has a cream background rather than the pale pink that it shows as on my screen. I still need to polish it with clear wax polish, but can't decide whether it needs a touch of distressing first, or whether to leave it as is. I might mull that over for a day or two.

The garage and store are full of pieces waiting to be painted; the Centres have a few already painted items and the sitting room and the back of the car have a few more which could probably benefit from being lined with fabric. So I'll won't stay to chat ... lots to do ...

Hope you're having a lazy day, too!!

Fabrics in the Shop ...

... at last I've added a few items. The first batch of cotton fabrics has been added on the Textiles & Haberdashery page at Vintage to Victorian. Unfortunately the photo quality isn't as good as I'd have liked, but hopefully that won't be too off-putting. The enlarged photos aren't quite as bad if you zoom them up a bit! (Are you impressed with that technical jargon? I hope so!)

The tartans will be added soon, along with some bits and bobs in the other categories. Now we're into October we shall soon (perish the thought) all be thinking of Christmas shopping and with this in mind I plan to add a few small items over the next week or two. That's the plan ... the grand plan ... but you know what happens to plans of the best laid variety ... they have a tendency to go pear-shaped ...

By the way ... if you need a nice white damask cloth for your Christmas table you need look no further ... I have about 40 ironed and ready ranging in size from approximately 4ft x 3ft to 14ft x 7ft and at prices between £7 and £85! Don't hesitate to email, I'll be more than happy to let a few go!!!