What A Difference A Day Makes ...

We have a blocked off doorway, new plaster, wiring for a heated towel rail and I now have a vision of what the bathroom might look like. Paul has taken to offering up a tile to various walls (believe me, this is a good and positive sign). The builder is coming again tomorrow, the electrician will come if needed and the bathroom suite is being delivered. Hopefully the plumber will arrive on Thursday and replace some of the old with some of the new. I understand Thursday is bath day, which hopefully means Friday will be loo and basin day. Not sure about the shower, but TIME WILL TELL ... which is the norm as far as plumbers are concerned ...

My vision includes the tiles I've now decided ARE what I'd like, and I can see a peg rail where little vintage fabric bags containing bathroom bits hang happily. I've got to work on the rest of the vision ... haven't quite got it all yet!!

Meanwhile, no sooner had I posted last evening's blog than I picked up a tin of Crown Solo Honey Cream matt emulsion (used in our last cottage to very good effect) and tested it in each room to see whether it would look OK throughout the house. When I got to the kitchen with my little 1" brush in one hand and a G&T in the other I decided to keep going. I must admit I changed to a slightly larger brush, but not a full size emulsion brush as I was only playing, and NOT DOING SERIOUS DECORATING. I achieved so much and it looked fine this morning. So that is the colour for the kitchen, and I'll probably finish it later tonight.

So, today has been a good day! I've spent the day in the Antiques Centre and now that it's beginning to filter through to the other dealers that I'm leaving I've been quite touched by their good wishes and requests to stay. However, I'm looking forward to making more of my space at Semley and feel I'm doing the right thing.

I Need to Share This ...

Day 1 of "The Bathroom Transformation"

This ...

is everywhere !

Black dust. All over the house, clinging to the walls, in fact clinging to every vertical as well as horizontal surface. The carpets lost their swirls, the anaglypta took on a shadow effect and I daren't show you the cobwebs which had been lurking unnoticed! And all because of ...

The dividing wall between the bathroom and the loo was built of concrete block and we are now breathing black air. Oh joy ... Don't you just love the orange walls we found when we removed the old tiles? All good fun ... if you don't weaken ... which I won't!!! (The builder has gone home for a shower, sensible man!) The yellow cloth is lying on top of the tiles I think I might like in the new bathroom, although I'm not yet convinced, and the sidelong glances I'm getting from Paul make me wonder whether I've lost the plot. But I don't think I have ... it will all tie in beautifully ... eventually!!

I now can't wait for it to be finished of course, and then let the decorating commence ... the whole house in one fell swoop. It could be a way of losing that weight I'd hoped to shed before the wedding!

OK, I've had my five minutes R&R. Time to put my Mrs Mop outfit on again. I feel better having offloaded this onto you! Thank you, fellow bloggers!

This and That ...

A bit of an odd day today. Nothing specifically achieved, but progress nevertheless.

I collected another carpet sample for Mum and it's perfect, so on Monday we'll be asking them to measure up and getting the carpet ordered. Meanwhile, I brought the other samples home and I think we may have found the right one for our house - once the bathroom work has been done next week. At last everyone is synchronised and the plumber, the builder and the electrician are all ready for action. Lets hope they still are on Monday morning!

I took a few photos for you but the colours won't be true as they were taken in artificial light this evening. The eiderdown is new today, bought from another dealer. I've had my eye on it for a week or so and was so pleased today to find it hadn't sold!!

These chenille curtains are a wonderful rich raspberry/strawberry colour in daylight (difficult to imagine maybe, but it's definitely somewhere between the two). They have never been used and one still has the original label stapled at the bottom.

The tied quilt is probably a cutter as it is very faded on one side, has loose edges and a few thin areas. I just felt it needed a good home when I saw it. I'll inspect it thoroughly again and decide whether it could be repaired sufficiently well to be usable or whether it will end up as bags and cushions!

I also bought a beautiful vintage pair of floral linen union double-width x 7'6" long curtains. I was going to show you those as well, but I took them round to show Mum and would you believe it - the colours are absolutely perfect with the proposed new carpet, her table lamp and shade, the carpet and blinds in the conservatory and her suite. They really tie everything in together and we at last have a vision of what her sitting room will look like once it's finished. I may need to shorten them by a couple of inches, but otherwise they're fine.

Finally here's a vaguely and accidentally co-ordinated little corner of our home.

The curtains are hanging to get rid of some of the creases as they've been in the armoire for months. (They will eventually be for sale as I'm informed they're too dark for our house!) The hatbox is a recent acquisition and doesn't yet have a proper home, but it blends quite well with the curtains, the 1980s M&S silk flowers and cushion cover. Luckily I've managed to hide the very unco-ordinated mustard coloured 1960s swirly patterned carpet. The Edwardian salon chair is there because there's nowhere else for it.

I'll be soooo glad when the bathroom work is done so that we can start decorating, carpeting, rearranging furniture and making this house a proper home. It really isn't a pretty sight at the moment, and I'm beginning to feel the need for some sort of order and tranquillity!

Snowless in Somerton and Semley ...

... but I stopped on the way to Dairy House Antiques this morning to take this photo. If you enlarge it you can see the snow drifting across the hills. It was a bit bleak, but the layby where I took the photo was the nearest the snow got to the A303 on my journey. And it transpires that Somerton was basking in sunshine all morning!

Not a particularly well-placed blue selection, but I took this one in a hurry thinking it looked better than it does; I thought the chequered theme worked quite well though and if I'd thought sooner I could have placed them on some blue fabric that was in the car (but that might have been check overload).

For my final "study in blue" here's a blue painted dresser for sale at Dairy House Antiques, with blue and white china displayed on its shelves. The dealer it belongs to wasn't sure about the blue on blue, but I thought it looked really good.

That's all for now. Hope you're not all snowed in ...

Where Were You?

My apologies for the bad photo but you know when you HAVE to do something and you have to do it NOW. Well this is one of those moments. I've just noticed this teatowel in the utility room, waiting to be ironed and photographed properly. It's been there about a month ... and I just had to take the photo of it now, unironed, in bad light with no supporting cast. (I see my birthday was on a Sunday.)

Mum and I came across it when we were packing up her house and I thought you might like to reminisce (if you're old enough, that is!). I'm not sure where it came from but I think it was a present from Mum's French penfriend. To this day Mum still writes (in French) to her penfriend from her school days. They became penpals in 1935 and did the exchange thing even then. Mum has photos of Thérèse and her family visiting England, Mum and her sister staying in France, Dad managing to visit Thérèse and her parents during the War and so on.

In 1961 I sat the 11+ and went to 'the grammar'. I'm not sure how much good it did me, as I don't think I worked particularly hard. I had a wonderful surprise present when I passed - my own record player. The first record I bought with my saved up pocket money was "Wheels" (can't remember who recorded it) followed by "Bobby's Girl" (Susan Maughan), "Stranger on the Shore" (Acker Bilk). Then there were The Everley Brothers, The Allisons, Helen Shapiro, Dusty Springfield ... I've obviously got the dates out of order, but without the records in front of me I can't quite remember.

I expect the summer of 1961 was a long, bright, sunny one. They all were in those days, weren't they? We went for picnics in the fields when my uncle was haymaking, picked primroses and bluebells in the woods (you were allowed to then), and went to the Lleyn Penninsula in North Wales for our summer holiday. We stayed in a little village called Rhiw in a cottage rented out by Mr and Mrs Williams who had a little girl with lovely blonde ringlets, called Denise. We went to some sheep dog trials and went up Snowdon (on the train) and walked down again after standing on the foggy summit for a few minutes!

The first day of term at my new school was scary, until I met Susan Warner who giggled a lot. I think we sat next to one another for a while. We drank warm milk (why did they always leave it by the radiators or heating pipes?) through waxed straws which flattened long before you'd got to the end of the one-third pint. And we were introduced to Physics ... and Chemistry ... and Algebra ... and stuff I didn't understand. But I did OK in French ... because I had a calendar teatowel to help me!

So what were YOU doing in 1961?

Children's teaset

I bought this lovely little teaset a few years ago and have had it on display for sale ever since in the various shops and centres I've been in during that time but it's had no takers. I have to say I've been quite pleased because it is so gorgeous that I shall miss it if it ever sells.

I used to sell quite a lot of children's china a few years ago but the market seems to have gone quiet now. This particular one has no marks but according to Doris Lechler's book (if you collect children's china you'll have heard of her) the pattern shape was used by several potteries including Minton and Longton. I'm fairly sure it isn't Minton so it may be attributed to the Longton pottery. It's certainly of English origin.

Do enlarge the photo so that you can see the pretty design - there are dogrose-like flowers on one side of each piece and daisy-like flowers on the other. Apart from two A/F (damaged) cups it is in perfect condition. There is no wear to the gilding and no scratches or marks to the extent that it looks unused. One cup has a hairline crack and I really don't know what to say about the other one. It's quite peculiar. The handle isn't right, the whole thing looks as if it's been cooked and the best place for it is probably the bin, but ...

I can't decide whether to keep the teaset or (say it quietly) put it on my website (when and if it ever gets launched)!

I've just spent half an hour looking for a photo of another teaset which sold but I don't seem to have one, which is a shame. It was a Ridgeways polychrome Cinderella and in tip-top condition. It had a different picture from the story on each item, complete with a mouse running up the spout of the teapot. I think you would have liked it.

Shopping!

Here are the photos I promised!

Vintage French Wallpaper ...

French Quilt ...

1920s Silk Embroidered Tablecover/Shawl ...

Another one ...

1940s/50s Smocking

That's all for now, but of course tomorrow is another day ...

One Week On ...

... and Mum's house is beginning to look like a home. We've all been busy in various ways and Mum says she's feeling very at home there, although she's still coming back here for an evening meal and to sleep. I think her plan is to have a sleepover practice run at the weekend!!

Meanwhile I've made a huge decision - to leave the Antiques Centre at Somerton and move my stock to a larger room at Dairy House Antiques at Semley. It may seem odd, bearing in mind we came to live in Somerton seven months ago, but for various reasons it is the right thing to do and will all be happening at the beginning of March. It will seem very strange initially, but I'm really looking forward to it and have lots of ideas on how to utilise the extra space. I shall still be doing the Shepton fairs and with my new website (for "imminent" mentioned in a recent post, now read "in due course"!) as well, I hope I'll be able to get the balance right.

I've bought some nice items in the last week or so but I'm afraid photos will have to wait until (a) I have more time, (b) I think of taking them during daylight hours, or (c) a combination of the above! My latest purchases are two 1920s embroidered silk tablecovers/shawls, two smocked dresses and a smocked romper suit, probably dating from the early 1950s. There's an ecru banqueting cloth about 16 feet long with 14 napkins and a linen drawnthread bedspread. Oh, and an early 20th century French quilt and some vintage French wallpaper.

I might need to refer to Niki's tutorial to cover a set of drawers with the paper!

You may notice I've added a new link to "Friends' Websites" today. If any of you are thinking of visiting Somerset (or an overnight stay in order to visit the Shepton Antiques Fairs), then do look at Liz's B&B site. Mike the Sign is, as many of you know, Clare's husband. You'll get to see some of the amazing work they do if you click on the link to his site.

Photos soon, I promise! And do you remember way back in September I said we were having the bathroom and loo knocked into one? The work starts a week on Monday ...

One New Somertonian

Well, Mum's move went according to plan yesterday. Perfect sunny weather both ends of course, and absolutely no problems. The removal men emptied her house on Wednesday and then did the journey yesterday. Completion of her sale was done by 10.30 am and of her purchase by 11.15 am. The van arrived about 12.00, Mum arrived at 2.15 and the van left at 4.30-ish. We shifted a few things from A to B, came back here for a meal and then went back to play house for another couple of hours, finally calling it a day about 10.30.

Today has been a different kettle of fish. Hannah came to help (complete with streaming cold), we played the tape recording I mentioned a week or so ago of her singing nursery rhymes, and were all in stitches, while we unpacked the boxes piled up in the kitchen. We finished early, about 4.00 and are now off to bed at 8.30 pm. It's been a long and exhausting day today, unpacking about 20 boxes and rearranging furniture.

Tomorrow will be a surprise. We'll see what we feel like doing. But suffice to say Mum's very happy with the move, the house and Somerton. Me? I just want to sleep!!!!

I'll catch up with you all as soon as I can!

Show and tell ...

This may not be to everyone's taste - red and birds don't necessary spring to mind when we're talking vintage - but I couldn't leave this quilt behind when I saw it on someone's stand at Shepton. It has a couple of repairs, but they're nothing worth worrying about to my mind.

I'm hoping someone will love it when it goes on my website, the launch of which I'm led to believe is imminent. I'll keep you posted.



I've been looking at some lovely 'corners of my home' photos on your blogs recently and wish we had managed to get some work done on the house over the last few months so that I could post some photos too. Unfortunately there isn't one worthy corner at the moment, but I'm getting plenty of ideas!

PS

I meant to add a thank you to Clare (Vintage Home) and Mike in my post-Shepton post! I had so many lovely comments today about my new business cards. I used the artwork they produced for me some time ago and simply added my name and phone number. Stupidly I forgot to add my email, but I only printed off a handful to see me through this weekend, so I'll make sure I add it (and the website, hopefully). I had a long chat with a gentleman who collects Victorian silver name brooches, all because of my card, and there certainly weren't many cards left to bring home. So thanks to you both, once again.

Ready to put my feet up!

Thank you to you all for your good wishes for the Antiques Fair, and thank you to everyone to reads this blog and bought from me over the weekend. After Friday's mega purchases I behaved myself quite well, and had plenty of customers yesterday which was good. Today was a peculiar day and although there were plenty of people, sales were very slow until an hour before packing up time. And in that last hour I did a normal daysworth of sales, so was able to come home happy and smiling, albeit tired. I'm pleased to tell you both the gramophone and the lovely white cutwork cloth sold - each going to a "good home"!

What I can never understand is how I manage to load everything in the car on a Thursday afternoon, sell some quite large items and then be unable to get everything in the car on Sunday evening at the end of the Fair. I know I bought plenty, but I brought all that home yesterday!

I met a lovely lady called Louise this afternoon. She and her friend, whose name I didn't find out, bought a few items from me and then Louise told me she has read my blog. I was thrilled to meet someone who recognised me from my blog. Whether it was my business card, or whether Niki told her where to find me I'm not sure, but either way it was a pleasure to meet them both. And isn't it a small world. For the first 6 years of my life I lived in Shirley, near Solihull, and her friend did too - and she knows Northampton well. If you read my blog regularly you'll know that is my home town.

No photos tonight, but we'll see what the coming week brings.

They say you should buy ... (Part 2)

I forgot to mention this ...

and these ...

and here are the doll heads ...

So I didn't tell a fib when I said I'd shopped for you all!

They say you should buy ...

... if you're not selling ...

Well, ladies, I think I shopped for all of you in about half an hour late this afternoon! I woke up to such a lovely sunny morning (the photo doesn't do the day justice) and the realisation that I wouldn't get wet unloading the car. From that moment I relaxed and decided that I would just enjoy the weekend, not get stressed and, despite wanting/needing to boost the coffers, would take it on the chin if the trade day was quiet.



And boy, was it quiet!! But I set up my stand as if I had all day and not a care in the world, smiled at everyone, and moved things from A to B and back to A trying to make it look right. I don't know whether I achieved it, but someone said my stand looked good.



So, this is what I bought - most of which will be for sale on the website if it ever goes live (or isn't sold beforehand), or will be made into something to sell. I really don't know where I think I'm going to find the time to be creative, but I can live in hope.

Two rolls of Bakers "Windsor" chintz fabric - 18 yds on one roll and 20 yds on the other. A couple of pelmets, rather dirty but beautiful fabric.

I'm hoping that I can justify keeping these two Richelieu panels, but I may have to be firm and let them go.

And ... this little selection from one dealer. The gloves are for me! The white flowers are a pretty brooch and then there are 4 blue napkin sachets and a bag. The red fabric is actually the lining of the bag - the outer is patchworked velvet in very poor condition. But I have plans ... just don't ask me what they are just yet!

I also bought a box of tiny doll heads - but blogger's photo upload says enough is enough so you'll have to wait to see those.

My apologies for the uncropped photos and the rather nasty looking carpet under the goodies. We WILL be replacing it in due course but dusty work on the house needs to be done first!

Wish me luck for tomorrow. And tell me not to move from my stand all day in case I see something else I can't live without ... please!!

Shepton Mallet Antiques Fairs 2007

Nonnie asked for some dates for the above and so I thought I'd set them out in a post rather than as a reply to a posting so that anyone who would like to make a note of the dates can do so. They run from Friday to Sunday but Friday afternoon is generally for trade (and the entrance fee is £10). Saturday and Sunday are open to all (£5.00). The dates are:



19/20/21 January
23/24/25 March
11/12/13 May
21/22/23 September

I don't have the dates for November to hand.


The one-day Giant Flea Market dates for 2007 are:


28 January
? March (not certain about this one)
17 June
26 August
14 October
and there is usually one in December


The venue is the Royal Bath and West Showground at Shepton Mallet, Somerset.


The nimble fingered among you might also be interested to know that the Stitch and Creative Craft Show SW is at the same venue from 19-22 April 2007.

I thought you might like to see this wonderful linen tablecloth. Isn't it fabulous? I can't find any problems with it at all. I hope it becomes someone's "must have" over the weekend. It deserves a loving home. It was certainly a labour of love ironing it, but well worth the time and trouble.

And Nonnie - it would be super to meet you if you find you can get to one of the Fairs.

Another Week ...

Another week has gone by already. I just don't understand where that time has gone. Or maybe I do ... I've done another Northampton trip and packed up what seemed like 100 boxes, piled the car high with pictures, treasured photos, bedding (so I can make up the beds when they are offloaded from the removal van in 10 days' time), a family heirloom barometer (to ensure it travelled upright so the mercury stayed where it was supposed to) and other items too numerous to mention. Suffice to say I just managed to squeeze in the car. I popped in to see Clare (Vintage Home) on the way home and she thought it was an hilarious sight!

Moving on ... it's Shepton Panic Week. Two days to sort out the boxes of 'stuff' which went to the storage unit over Christmas, interspersed with a duty day at Somerton Antiques Centre tomorrow and a morning at Dairy House Antiques on Thursday. Thursday afternoon is when the car has to be loaded ready for Friday morning, from which time it's all systems go until Sunday evening. I wonder what the weather has in store for us this time. Not more rain, surely!

I found some lovely embroidery pieces which have been lurking for some time at the back of the store, and I think it's time they had an airing.

The backdrop quilt is a recent acquisition and will have its first outing this weekend. I hope I don't have to bring it home again because I might feel the need to keep it if that happens. I also found a few 1950s aprons which have never before been to Shepton. I wonder if there will be any takers for those.

This super oil painting will be on display, together with a roses tin tray and tea tins which I haven't had a chance to photograph. And what do you think of the wonderful 1950s Decca gramophone with nursery rhymes painted all over it, and signed by the artist?

I think I'll take a display cabinet with me as I have a number of small items which need an airing. Before I call it a night I want to look through a carrier bag which is full of vintage sewing threads etc. I've already found some interesting odds and ends which I'd forgotten about as they were put away "to be looked at later" back in June before we moved.

And I've just remembered the basketful of baby Christening and nightgowns which I need to iron!

I'd hoped to use some of the vintage fabrics I'd unearthed to make some lavender hearts, but I've run out of time (and energy), so I won't be posting photos of those for a while!

The dolls house and other snippets

As promised, here's a photo of my 1950s dolls house. It's made of plywood and is quite heavy. I took this photo while it was still in the back of the car. As you can see, years in Mum's garage following an attempt to replace rusty windows in the 70s hasn't done much for its health. However, as soon as I have some time to spare it is going to be revamped, redecorated, its chimney pot will be replaced and it will have replacement windows! Somewhere I have boxes of furniture dating from my era and Hannah's. Once upon a time it had fireplaces and working lights. I haven't shown you the inside as there's nothing to see. I need to replace the dividing walls and basically start from scratch. How we could have let it get into such a sad state I don't know. I feel very guilty, but I'm sure it will look lovely again ... in time!

And what about this for a 1960s knitted bathroom mat? Another thing lurking in the bottom of the wardrobe.

I wish there were more hours in each day so that I could give my unit at the Antiques Centre a good overhaul and rearrange my stock. It was my duty day today but we were quite busy so I didn't manage to get much done. I think I'll pop in again tomorrow to give it a quick tidy. I also need to do the window. The front door of the shop is flanked by two large display windows and I dress one of them. I started to clear the old display today but we were quite busy this afternoon so I didn't manage to create a new window by the end of the day. I must do that tomorrow, otherwise our shop front will look very sad. I think it will be colour coordinated this time and I have a feeling it will be turquoise. I usually go round everyone's pitches looking for inspiration and when something 'leaps out' at me I base the window around that one item. There is a brass lamp with a bright turquoise glass shade (not to everyone's taste, but it makes a statement!) and I realise there are a lot of turquoise/greeny-blue items dotted around in other people's cabinets and pitches. It will certainly make a change from the Christmassy reds and greens that have been the theme for both windows over the last few weeks.

I took a few photos while I was there, but the light wasn't very good, so I'm not sure whether they'll be good enough to show you.

But what do you think of this? It's an embroidered satin and silk wedding kneeler in its original delivery box dated 1902, which I bought from another dealer about a month after the engagement was announced. I came across it yesterday when I was rummaging through the store. It's fabulous, and will definitely be a part of the wedding ceremony.

It's been a long day today and I feel ready to put my feet up, so I'll leave you to browse!

Filter off !!

My thanks go to Cherry this morning - she has kindly left a message telling me that my settings are preventing viewers of my blog from posting comments. Being a relatively new blogger I hadn't studied all the settings properly. Hopefully you will now be able to say hello! I know you are out there - the site meter tells me so!

Magic Moments

I've just got back from a trip to Northampton to pack more boxes in readiness for Mum's house move. Built-in wardrobes hide a multitude of unexpected treasures as well as clothes! The list of contents included:

The clockface of my grandparents' grandfather clock (carcase long-since gone), Dad's incredibly heavy portable typewriter, the grey top hat he wore to my wedding no. 1, some very kitch padded coathangers, a billiard cue from the quarter-size billiard table we had in the 1960s, a suitcase of photographs from the 1950s to 1970s (didn't have time to look through those, but hopefully I'll be able to do that when they live next door!) and, best of all, the old Grundig tape recorder.

We decided there really was no point in keeping the tape recorder but opened the lid and there was one of those 6" diameter tape in it (the likes of which many of you are probably too young to remember) so we plugged it in and persuaded the tape to start turning. The play button was OK, but fast forward and rewind refused to work. Mum and I then sat enthralled, listening to Hannah's singing recital. It started with All Things Bright and Beautiful, followed by Goosey Goosey Gander, See Saw Marjorie Daw, and practically every other nursery rhyme in creation. The finale was another rendition of All Things Bright and Beautiful. Mum used to look after her when I was at work and I think she was home from nursery with a cold at the time, if the sneeze mid song was anything to go by. Ever the performer she just carried on ... I think we sat there listening for a good half-hour. The best one was what sounded like Treacle Treacle Little Star, although I think that was just poor diction due to her cold!!

So ... the tape recorder must stay. I can't wait for Han's reaction when she hears it!

The car is still loaded up with other goodies - slide projector and hundreds (or maybe thousands) or transparencies and my dolls house (in need of restoration) among other things. Dad made it for me - not sure of the year but it would have been early to mid-1950s. I tried to 'update' it when Hannah was little and made a hash of it, so I'm hoping to do a better job of it when I get a chance.

I'll endeavour to post some photos next time.

New Year - New Stock

I was hoping my "Vintage to Victorian" website would be ready for the New Year, but apparently it isn't, quite.



So! It's time to get busy! The holiday is over and I have 2 weeks to sort my stock for the next 3-day Shepton Mallet Antiques Fair. It's always a dilemma deciding what to take - whether to 'major' on enamelware and kitchenalia, household linen and fabrics, eiderdowns and quilts or baby gowns, or whether it's better to take a general mix.

This eiderdown is the latest eiderdown to cross our threshold. Each new one I find usually has pride of price at home for a week or two before it goes to either one of the antiques centres or I take it to a Fair. Some have been known to stay with me for nearly a year until I'm really firm with myself.

I usually have a table of kitchenalia with a shelf of jelly moulds for "my regulars", and then fill the rest of my pitch with the textiles. Sometimes the regulars just come for a chat and I go home with not one jelly mould sold, but on these occasions it seems to be the eiderdowns that sell. At other times I might go home with all the eiderdowns but may have a run on damask tablecloths. One thing is for sure, if I decide not to take something I get asked for it 3 or 4 times - linen bedding being a prime example. Two fairs ago I sold 8 single linen sheets so made sure I had plenty the next time and not one sold. I had no linen pillowcases left to take to the Fair and it seemed that every visitor to my pitch wanted a pair!

The blankets in the armoire are staying - they're being collected for the wedding. Odd? Not exactly! The seating in the bar area of the marquee will be straw bales (she is marrying a farmer after all), and the blankets will lie on top of, or over, the bales. At least that's the plan. Anything can change between now and May! The eiderdowns on the top, and the lovely pink one on the lower shelf, will be going to Shepton. The one on the right is one of a pair ... not sure about those yet. I have another pair on the single beds in our spare bedroom and I can't decide which ones to keep! Blogger won't let me show you the other ones at the moment.

I'm off to my storage unit shortly to sort through some of the linen and kitchenalia that hasn't yet seen the light of day. Hopefully I'll find something I'd forgotten about which can become the centrepiece to work from.

Well, I can't stay chatting all day - there's work to be done. I've unearthed my sewing machine and I have ideas for some of the damaged linens I'm expecting to find in the store. I may not have time to produce anything between now and Shepton, but at least the ideas are beginning to flow ...

I seem to be having a problem with the spacing between paragraphs on my posts at the moment. Not sure what I'm doing wrong!

Have a jolly day!

Hannah, circa 1976

Do you remember the "Memories" post a few weeks ago, when I couldn't upload the photo of Hannah? I've just found the same photo on another CD and this time it's worked.

She was about 2½ and we were on holiday in North Devon. I think this was taken on the beach at Ilfracombe, but it could have been Croyde or Woolacombe. But no matter ... this is she, my little girl who gets married in May.

And this is her mother, circa 1998 - on the gin again! Purely medicinal, of course!

This was taken in the garden I showed you photos of yesterday, and I was obviously taking a well-earned break!

Happy New Year

It's a beautiful, bright and sunny morning here - one of those which makes you feel Spring is just around the corner (although I think that's being a little optimistic!).


Thank you for visiting my blog over the last few months. I hope we'll get to know one another better during 2007 - do please stop and say hello if you have time so that I can pay back the compliment.


I finally found the photos I was looking for and they're now on my computer. There aren't quite as many of the old garden (2 homes ago) as I thought, so I obviously haven't found them all yet. In the meantime here are a few to whet your appetite.


We knocked two cottages into one in 1999. The large extension at the back of the first one had already been built when we bought it. A few months later the second cottage (the white one) came onto the market and having thought we were downsizing from a large house in Bath and getting rid of our mortgage, we ended up with the same amount of space, the same sized garden and an equivalent mortgage! But it was 4½ years of fun.

The first garden (above) was half lawn, half bare veggie patch and a couple of ornamental trees. Some 3ft high interwoven fencing, a berberis hedge and two large conifers created the boundary between the two cottages. We ripped out the hedge and burned the fence, but kept the conifers. Looking through the door, the end of the lawn is about the half-way point and the pièce de resistance was a walnut tree just beyond. Behind the walnut tree we erected my pride and joy - a 10 ft x 12 ft greenhouse.


Some of the second garden had been used for vegetables and the rest was rough ground. Many man-hours later and I was in seventh heaven! In 4 years I grew a 160 ft x 55 ft jungle and loved every minute of it. I hope I can do the same again, although I'm a few years older now, not quite so bendy but full of the same gardening enthusiasm for the challenge ahead. This photo is taken from halfway down garden no. 2 looking back towards the house. Believe it or not there's a pathway from where I was standing back under the arch. As a friend once said - I do "joined up gardening"!

And to finish off, here are a couple of evening skies from our last cottage. Please enlarge these if you can, the colours are amazing!

Happy New Year everyone!