It's Arrived ...

... and I might soon, once again, see the sitting room floor, and be able to invite Gillie to stay and sleep in a bed ...

Here it is ...

Not the best photo, but the slideshows below will show how quickly it was erected, and what a glorious day it was. Weren't we lucky! To think we had a blue, cloudless sky on just the day in November that we needed it - perfect! It would be nice if you can last through the slideshows (there had to be 2 because there are so many photos), but I'll quite understand if you have to go off and make a cuppa.

I have to say that the Booths Garden Studio team was a fantastic trio and despite setting off from Corby in the very early hours this morning, and having a tyre blowout on the motorway, they set to as soon as they arrived just after 9.00 am. They had finished and left for home just after 4.00 pm and other than stopping just long enough to down the odd cuppa, they worked solidly throughout the day. A happier bunch you couldn't wish for.

I've already started to fill the studio, thus creating a wee bitty space in the garage. Finding the sitting room floor and the spare bedroom will take a little longer, but as you'll see, there will be plenty of space to store all the linen and textiles and other stock. I even plan to have a space for my sewing machine, just in case I have time to use it!

The studio is predominantly for storage, but it is also intended as a place where I can sort all the textiles etc without creating a fabric mountain in the house. It will be a treat to be able to see what I have and plan what to take to the Fairs without tripping over everything. It'll take a while to get it just how I want it, but I have a feeling it's going to be fun!


We've also had a jolly weekend. If you read Clare's post the other day you'll know she was expecting visitors on Saturday! Clare and Mike are THE perfect stop-off en route from Somerset to Northampton, and they offer a very good lunch! What's more visitors get to view the Clock House in all it's glory. The photos on Clare's blog are lovely, but the CH is even better when you see it for real. We spent a relaxed couple of hours enjoying lunch, a good gossip and lots of oohs and aahs when we inspected the Clock House. Sorry, no photos! We then carried on our way, calling on my aunt and uncle before ending up at Gillie's in the evening. Plenty more gossiping, eating and imbibing before the day was over, to get in practise for lunch on Sunday!


We made the trip to Northampton to help celebrate the 60th birthday of a friend who we have known for half his life! I worked with his wife at Manns Brewery in the 1970s and am godmother to their elder daughter. Although we thought we were just joining the lunch party, because we were staying over until Monday morning we were able to prolong the day and go back to their home for fireworks and nibbles. It was a super day, and we met up with a few people we hadn't seen for over 20 years.



Before leaving Northampton we drove past Mum's old house to see if work had started on it. When she sold she was told the purchaser was a developer who intended to extend and convert the house into at least 2 flats. Work had definitely started, the garden was non-existent, the back of the house was gone. I lived there for a few months in between marriages in the 70s but it was never my home as such. Despite that it was quite upsetting. I wish now that I had insisted that we had dug up more plants to bring down here when Mum moved. They had said we could, and had we realised just how much desecration there would be then I think we would have. I haven't told Mum, nor did I take photos. She had been very happy in her little house for over 30 years and I think it would upset her to see it in its current state.



Anyway, we had a good journey home, coming back via Bath to collect some draft minutes for the British Legion which I type up every year.


This coming weekend there's a French Market in Somerton and I'm sharing a stall with another Somerton dealer. Hopefully the weather will stay fine as we're under a gazebo in the Market Square. Could be fun!


Enjoy the rest of the week!

It seems that slide.com wants you all to join my fanlist again - aaaargh - and blogger has decided not to give this missive any paragraph breaks. If you've stayed to the end give yourselves a pat on the back! ... It would seem I lie - there ARE paragraph breaks now. Just a little something to make you laugh ... remember the buttons I sorted and photographed a week or so ago? I tipped the box upside down today and had to do it all again. Wasn't best pleased, as you can imagine!