All the Fun of the Fair ...

Lucy Bloom on the left and Christine (The Sea Garden) on the right, with Kathy Jobson's jewellery in the left foreground

Amanda (Shabby Chick) dashing from stall to stall (Christine's and mine) before the rush!

Niki and her Mum putting the finishing touches to her stall

Jane and the Happy Crow - such amazing work!

Christine again - she and Jane were opposite me and I didn't get a chance to waft around with the camera!

Let battle commence - it seemed like that at times! This was the first few minutes after 10 o'clock when the doors opened. I was the furthest away from the entrance, but once they all came in you couldn't see across the aisles, and I certainly didn't see Christine or Jane again for several hours!!

Not many photos, I'm afraid! These were all taken as we were setting up, and then the mad rush began, and nothing was further from my mind than taking piccies!

You'll have read others' blogposts by now and will know that the Vintage and Handmade Fair at Chipping Sodbury was a resounding success, surpassing all expectations, to the extent that we're all champing at the bit waiting to prepare for the next one, which I believe will be in November - unless Jayne and Michele have other plans!!

I've had some charming emails from people I met on Saturday - some bloggers, some not - and I can only say that the whole day was an absolute pleasure. A dear friend arrived about an hour after we opened - I'd told her about the Fair but didn't know whether she would be able to come - suddenly, there she was, standing at the end of my stall. She stayed all day, and was such a help relieving shoppers of their money! It was so nice to see her as we don't get to meet up very often as she lives 99.9 miles away according to the AA routefinder website!

It was also super to see all the bloggers from the first V&H Fair once again and to meet some new ones who I've only exchanged blog comments with up to now. Christine, of the Sea Garden, was placed opposite me, beside her friend Jane (Jane and the Happy Crow). It was a treat to catch up with her again - she was one of my regular customers when I used to do the 3-day Shepton Mallet Antiques Fair, and I haven't seen her since last May when I did my last Fair at Shepton (other than when she came as a shopper to the last V&H). A lovely lady with gorgeous items on her stand, which I only had time to view very briefly.

I can't believe I didn't get to do any serious shopping. I managed a quick whizz round, buying a couple of pieces from Amanda (Shabby Chick - feathers and a gorgeous embroidered teacosy that needs a padded lining) and Penny (French nightshirts, which make good gardening smocks!). I also became the proud owner of Bluebell - Niki's beautiful doll with the patchwork skirt shown in her post on Friday. I intended to go back to Viv's stall to look more carefully, and I flew past both Sal's and Lucy's stands in the rush.

I made some amazing sales and I'd like to thank everyone for their lovely comments and for handing over their hard-earned cash! Finally (yet another Oscar speech) thanks indeed to Jayne and Michele for all their hard work and planning. Everything ran so smoothly, and as I mentioned in a comment on someone's blog earlier, I've never seen so many happy, smiling faces for such a long time in one place. Perfect!

I went home via Bradford-on-Avon to join in Hannah's 35th birthday barbecue. I managed to last for a couple of hours, but then had to admit defeat and set off for home. Such a shame, as it was a beautiful evening, in lovely surroundings, with a wonderful mix of family and friends. Here she is with her matron of honour (I can't quite believe it's 2 years since you all shared the wedding with me - and certainly don't believe she's 35! It was surely only yesterday ...)