'Tis Done ...

That's it - I didn't quite make midnight, but 12.29 am and

is open for business!

Thank you again for all your encouragement, and I hope you'll enjoy visiting the Shop!

I'm sure there are a few things I've missed in the last mad dash, but I'll look at it again in the cold light of day and put right anything glaring!

Won't be long ...

Thanks to everyone for your lovely comments and good wishes. You've certainly spurred me on and made me determined that this thing is going to work!

Another couple of hours and it'll be August 1. I've nearly done as much as I know I can achieve in the time left before Vintage to Victorian becomes a reality rather than a far off dream.

It's been fun (well, sort of) these last few weeks and I've learned so much in a short space of time. Each hurdle jumped (it's felt like that) has seen me grinning like a Cheshire cat when I've worked out what to do the hard way - the supposed "Help" with the website package I bought leaves an awful lot to be desired and hasn't helped at all. Trial and error is certainly a good way to learn.

I hope you'll all pop in and have a look - feedback welcome! I'd be grateful if you'd let me know if the text is too small to read by the time it's transmitted to your screens. It looks OK on mine, but you never know ...

You'll be able to click on some of the photos to enlarge them, but not all. That's because I didn't learn how to do that until I was well into filling the pages and there was too much else to do to go back and do them again. Just wave the cursor over them and you'll soon know whether it's worth clicking on them or not!

Right - that's enough chat. Got to get on ... photos to upload, text to write, checks to be done and I'd really like to 'go live' at midnight!

Wish me luck!

Almost There ...

... Come hell or high water (and I appreciate that much of the country has the high water) ...

my Online Shop

will be launched on

Wednesday 1 August

I've been working on the site for a few weeks and although I still have a lot to learn I think it looks OK so far! Clare's words of encouragement each time she's checked it for me have spurred me on, and despite losing a whole page at one point (which I had to do again!), I'm having great fun building it.

Having now told you the date I shall work hard to make sure that each section has something to offer. At the moment, despite all the kitchenalia I show you from time to time, I haven't put any on the site. But don't worry, I've been to my store this afternoon and found all sorts of goodies.

Right, now you know The Grand Plan, I'll tiptoe off and do a little tweaking here and there and get the camera battery charged up again! I've loaded the car ready for the Fair at Bradford on Avon tomorrow. The few weeks since the last one have flown by - I just hope we don't get drenched again in the morning while we're unloading. It really was quite horrid last time.

What a Day ...

... Well, it started off with the sun shining! Actually, no, it started with me taking Mum to the Garden Centre on Sunday morning! The people who owned her house before her used the whole of the back garden for veggies. That's all very well, but despite being a vegetarian, Mum decided she really wanted to fill the garden with shrubs, trees and tall things to block out anything she didn't want to see in neighbouring gardens (although she quite likes the look of ours which is something!).

So I took her to buy plants ... but my Suzuki Wagon R will only hold so many (even though I can fill a 12ft x 8ft pitch at the antiques fairs out of the back of it) and we had to have some delivered (including the 6ft+ tall pine tree, a bamboo, and numerous other 'large' shrubs). These arrived in the rain at what seemed like crack of dawn yesterday, and having looked at the internetty weather forecast I saw that Tuesday has a big yellow thing instead of the grey cloud things with vertical lines underneath (rain and heavy rain) that were indicated for every other day of the week. So ... thinking today MIGHT be fine, Pauley bought some new wellies yesterday (his old ones are somewhere at the back of the garage and have been there since 6 July last year when we moved here and it would have taken a day to find them) so that he could clear the compost heap which Mum didn't want! We're gaining about 3 lbs of potatoes out of it which is nice!

And this morning it WAS sunny. So armed with spades, forks, rakes and gardening gloves we set to, and planted all but 4 of her purchases. And she had bought so many that she qualified for free delivery AND a 10% discount! So we're talking major planting here! We started about 10.30 and finished at 2.00 and planted as if today was going to be the only fine day of the summer - which it probably will be.

I have to admit that I then sat in the chair and woke up an hour later! And proceeded to sort through website stuff and then paint a Lloyd Loom type bedside cupboard/table thing which no-one has seen fit to buy and which is going to fit perfectly between the basin and the loo in our bathroom. I've just stopped and am now quite hungry. Having just looked out of the bedroom window I'm quite impressed with the planting next door. Our birds-eye view shows we positioned everything well!!!!

I have a feeling I'm going to be stiff tomorrow, but it has been good to get out in the fresh air and enjoy a wee bit of sun for a change.

No photos today - flat battery again. I keep forgetting to unplug the camera from the computer when I've uploaded photos. Silly me!

Mme Caroline Testout ... The Sequel ...

... As promised, here is a further update on the lady behind the amazing rose!

Anna kindly sent me the following extract from ‘ Who Does Your Garden Grow?’ by Alex Pankhurst.

Madame Caroline Testout

Madame Caroline Testout was a late nineteenth century French couturiere from Grenoble, the proprietor of fashionable salons in London and in Paris. She regularly visited Lyons, where she purchased silks and that city happened to be an important centre for rose breeding. Hybrid Tea roses were at that time all the rage, breeders having at last been able to develop them successfully, and no rose nurseryman was more celebrated than ‘ The Wizard of Lyons’ Joseph Pernet-Ducher.

Mme Testout was obviously an astute businesswoman who understood the value of good publicity, and she went to see Perner-Ducher, asking if he could name of his new roses after her. He agreed, though not with her choice of seedling which he considered mediocre. The nursery’s reputation might suffer from producing a poor rose by the hundreds, but his customer stood firm and a deal was struck. The rose duly made its debut at the salon’s 1890 Spring fashion Show, bearing the name ‘ Madame Caroline Testout’ .

Although not strong on scent, it was an immediate success with Madame Testout’s well to do customers , and with the gardening public , for its abundant silky, rose-pink flowers. Only two years after the rose’s introduction the Royal Horticultural Society gave it an Award of Merit. Four years later the Reverend H J Pemberton, Vice President of the National Rose Society, and a successful rose breeder himself, declared ‘In my opinion it is one of the best, if not the very best, new rose of the last seven years’.

The new variety’s popularity spread to America , and it has been estimated that in the town of Portland, in Oregon , nearly half a million bushes of ‘Caroline Testout' were planted along the sidewalks. Not surprisingly, it was dubbed The Rose City.

In 1901 a climbing form of this rose appeared, and eventually became more popular than the bush rose, which is no longer commercially available.

Whether or not Caroline Testout’s dressmaking business flourished as a result of her namesake’s success is not actually recorded. And perhaps Madame Pernet-Ducher observed the rose’s popularity with mixed feelings. At any rate, only after giving ‘Caroline Testout’ to the world, her husband named one of his new roses ‘Madame Pernet-Ducher’. The semi-double flower of this rose was cream, edged with lemon, which sounds attractive. But alas, it caused not a ripple of interest, and in a few years sank without trace, as did many other new rose varieties. Life can be hard on the wives of rose breeders.

***

Well, there we are then. What an astute business woman she was, with a very determined streak by the sounds of it. No wonder I liked her from the start!!

Unless anyone finds they're related to her and can offer some inside information, I think this is probably where we draw a line under Madame Caroline Testout ... apart from making the decision as to whether I keep the tablecloth which started off the whole thing, or whether I put it on my website (still working on it, but it's progressing quite well) complete with all provenances!

It's a Bit Quiet Around Here ...

... because Gillie's gone home today. At least, she's ON HER WAY home. The journey from here to Northampton takes about 3¼ hours under normal conditions.

She left here at 10.20 this morning and at 3.00 pm was stopping for coffee, food and petrol - still 40 miles from home. She's experienced traffic queues, diversions, being turned back the way she'd come not far from where Clare has been marooned in her village, held up getting off the M4 because of an accident, driven through floods on the A34, driven through rain coming down in stair-rods, and all in order to go out tonight to a Proms in the Park Concert at Milton Keynes where she will probably get drenched!

Oh Gillie, we've had no rain here at all today and the sun's shining at the moment. You should have turned round and come back when you were close to the Semley turn-off at 11.45, or even when you finally made it to Swindon!!!!

We have set up Gillie's blog now, so please pop over and say hello - I'm sure a few sympathetic comments will help after her awful journey! She's listed on my sidebar - Gillies Haven of Peace.

Hope no-one else is suffering from awful conditions which the UK has been experiencing over the last 24 hours.

Quick update: Gillie got home at 4.20pm - 6 hours!

And here's the lovely picture she made for P and me. The photo doesn't do it justice I'm afraid. Thanks again Gillie!

Congratulations to the Winner ...

Ex-Shammickite

from Rook's Nest

Congratulations and thank you for entering my little
100+ post giveaway!

(Please email me with your details and I'll pack up the parcel over the weekend)

And thank you to everyone who has made the last 10 months such fun. As many bloggers have said before, blogging makes you look at life from a completely different angle - mainly through the eyes of your fellow bloggers. Whenever we see a lovely sunset, a vibrant street-scene or something that pulls at the heart strings, we want to share it with all our friends in Blogland.

Long may we all continue to see what we never saw before!

Exciting Haul ...

Whilst I umm-ed and aah-ed (how DO you spell that?) quite a bit last Friday about whether or not to go to an auction and finally deciding not to, I have ended up with most of the particular Lot I wanted. The dealer who bought it has passed a good 50% of it on to me. I've lost count of the number of linen pillowcases and bolster covers and there are a few linen sheets. the odd piece of crochet-edged linen, an embroidered chair back or two and a couple of nightdress cases. There is one damask tablecloth, with a small hole and some fraying at the ends - which has a handwritten laundry mark date of 1872. I'm hoping the little problems at the ends are the only issues as it looks to be a lovely cloth and at a wopping 13ft 4ins x 6ft 8ins I am hoping it will be OK to sell "as is" rather than having to launder (and iron) it! (As if I need more damask cloths - this afternoon I counted the ones I have on display at Semley and hardly dare tell you there are 38!!)

Some of the pillowcases have never been used. The auction house had cleared the house of a rather well-to-do lady and everything had been stored for years. I've had the washing machine on the go ever since I got home this evening, and have already started to iron the first load. Linen is always better ironed damp, so I can't stay chatting for long. I shall be putting some of it on the new website (getting there slowly!) and today at Semley I spent some time looking at my stock and deciding what will be going online.

Don't forget to leave a comment on yesterday's post if you want to be included in the draw for the giveaway. You have until about 9.00pm tomorrow to add your name. Gillie will be picking the winning name out of a basket and who knows ... it could be yooooouuuu!!!

However Many I've Posted, This is My 100th Post Giveaway!!!

So here we have it - I hope it was worth the wait!

The AntiqueExplorer is the monthly magazine for West Country Antiques and is the issue concentrating on textiles - and has two, yes TWO, photos of Niki's bags inside its pages. The magazine is an interesting read and whilst it's now out of date as far as Fair and Auction dates are concerned, it is nevertheless full of all sorts of informative articles.

The other bits and pieces are a bit of fun which I hope you'll enjoy.

To stand a chance of being picked as the winner just leave a comment and make sure you leave your name. Gillie will take a break from her kitchen duties long enough to pick the winner on Friday evening!

Thank you all for having made my first 100(+) blogs such fun. It's so nice to receive all your lovely comments and makes it all worth while.

You might remember that soon after I started blogging I proudly mentioned I would soon have a website in the hope of supplementing sales from the Fairs and Antiques Centres. I was let down by the young lad who was supposedly building it for me, and have now taken on the task myself. I bought a website package and have been working on it over the last few days. After a steep learning curve I'm really enjoying it, and am fairly happy with the basic layout. All I have to do now is get photographing and writing so that I can get it up and running within the next couple of weeks. I can't promise that, but I'll keep you posted.

Thanks again, and Good Luck!

Sue xx

PS - Don't know what's wrong with Blogger, but all the paragraphs are joined into one so I hope you can read it OK!

Ninety-eight + One = One Hundred and Two ...

... You may not believe it, but apparently it does. I've been working out the number of posts I've done by adding the total for 2006 to the total posts in 2007, which comes to 98. Wrong ... according to my Blogger Dashboard No 98 was in fact No 101. Now why have I NEVER noticed before that it tells you there, just above where you click on 'New Post', how many posts you've done???

But heyho ... madcap as ever, we will use post No 102 as my 100th post giveaway ... it can't be this one because the camera battery is flat and I'm sure you will want to see the prezzie!

Come back later today (probably this evening) and we'll get going ...

Sue x

The Visit and an Evening Out ...

I'm suddenly aware that I need to be posting so that we can hit the 100th post in time for Gillie to draw the winner's name out of the basket. So, this is No 98. The last few days have been quite hectic, starting with digging my way into the spare bedroom to find the bed in readiness for Gillie's visit. Thankfully we have twin beds in this room and one bed was already made up - it just needed some freshly ironed linen pillowcases to make it ready for someone tired after a journey down straight from work in Northampton on a Friday evening! The room itself was a different matter (stock everywhere!!!!).

She arrived earlier than expected but I'd just finished hoovering her room when she got here. But having Gillie to stay makes us feel as if we have a flatmate. She is the perfect guest inasmuch as she makes her own coffee, doesn't feel she has to ask for anything and is quite happy to make a meal for us all. Which is what she has done ever since she arrived on Friday!!! I love it when she comes!!! We've known each other since 1972 when we both lived in "former lives". I was fairly recently married to hubby No 1 and she was about to marry her now ex hubby! We've been 'Christmas card friends' over the years - but the sort who usually included a handwritten letter. After a few traumas 6 or 7 years ago she visited for a weekend - the first ever - and this was the first time that she and Pauley met. They have got on famously since that time. It makes life so much easier when everyone gets on, doesn't it.

We set up a blog for Gillie yesterday, but she hasn't added a description or an 'About Me' page yet, so you'll probably have to wait until she's back home before you can see what she has to say. She gave us a beautiful picture as a belated Pearl Wedding Anniversary gift. She is a very spiritual person and makes amazing pictures from agate slabs, crystal chips and ... well, I'll take a photo tomorrow and you'll see for yourselves.

It was the start of the Somerton Festival on Saturday and in the evening Mum and I went here

The Choir was absolutely fantastic. The only criticism I have is that they didn't sing Calon Lan which is my all-time favourite Welsh song. Dad used to sing it when I was young and I learned the words (after a fashion). He and I used to sing it often. I loved it, and to hear it now is a 'hairs on the back of the neck' moment, bearing in mind Dad died in 1973. A Welsh MVC comes to Somerton every year, so as soon as I know which choir is coming next year I think I shall write to them with a request. Mum loved every moment, and we came home laden with CDs (one each of the one with 'the' song on).

Tomorrow's post might also contain a couple of flower photos and yet another request. There was a weird white spider on one of Mum's osteospermums this evening. I've taken a photo. Is it a friend or a nasty?

I took a photo of some lovely fluffy clouds this evening (nothing much in the way of a sunset tonight), but the photo didn't do them justice, although it was another excellent photo of the roof and chimney pots opposite!

Until tomorrow ...

Updated already ... I've only just realised that I photographed the tickets for the Welsh choir on a cushion I made from an offcut of a Welsh blanket. I amaze me sometimes!

Sunset Strip ...

Tonight's sky was amazing. I wish I'd timed how long it took from start to finish. I guess it was about 15 minutes, but as I was sitting here trying to build my website I wasn't looking out of the window the whole time. If we say 15 minutes plus or minus 5 minutes then I suspect that's about right. Hope you enjoy the show!

I've Been Tagged ...

... by Chris. Thanks Chris!

So, 8 random things about me ...

I learned to drive when I was 13 and then spent 4 interminably long years waiting to get my provisional licence and get out on the road! I still love driving.

I taught YTS Clerical Trainees for 4 years.

I don't have a passport (nor does hubby)! My shocked sister-in-law says we must be the only people in existence who don't.

I intended revising everything for my English Literature GCE the night before the exam ... but I had left all my books at school. So apart from knowing that "The Rover" was written by Joseph Conrad, Browning had 30 poems published in one book, and Shakespeare wrote "A Midsummer Night's Dream" I had very little to draw on to write about on the day!

Once upon a time I could type at 124 wpm and take shorthand dictation at 140 wpm. As far as the shorthand was concerned I was fine provided I didn't concentrate. If I did, then I got in a mess! I got on far better if I planned what I was going to do during my lunchbreak or after work. However, if my boss ever asked me to read back what he said I was stumped, because I hadn't been consciously listening to his words and so had no idea how far back to go on my page of scribbles. I think all my bosses must have despaired.

I used to love Cheddar cheese and Heinz tomato sauce sandwiches (white bread with lashings of butter). Obviously no good for the waistline though so they're not a regular "must have" these days.

I have an annoying (apparently) whistle. Totally out of tune, but when I'm concentrating on something I don't know I'm doing it. But it's not a normal whistle. I breathe in, instead of out!

I hate lifts and escalators. I don't like confined spaces, hence not liking lifts, and was always OK with escalators until I tried to go down one with a 2-year-old Hannah in my arms. I put my hand on the rail, but my feet 'froze' at the top and we were practically horizontal before I managed to right myself. Very scary at the time and 30 years later I still prefer someone going down in front of me.

So, that's it. Nothing earth-shattering but some are perhaps a tad worrying! Perhaps one or two of them made you laugh, or reminded you of yourselves?

I am now supposed to tag 8 people. I apologise if you've been tagged before. I think most people have by now, but if you can bear it, please carry on tagging ...

Clare, Kelly, Jane, Alison, Mari-Nanci, Jennifer, Sophie and Mary

Searching ...

You're all so good at coming up with suggestions and help when I'm looking for information, so do you think you could do it again, please? My mannequin customer (you'll remember them if you've been following!!) has me on another mission: VINTAGE UNION JACK BUNTING and other FLAGS. I'm already checking Ebay but am in need of 'quantity'!

I have to say a big thank you to Anna for sending me some information on Caroline Testout. More on that later.

By the way, I've been tagged so I'll be back later or tomorrow with some amazing facts you didn't know about me! Can you cope with the suspense?

L O O K ! ! !

It's a while since we saw this!!!

And I can't quite believe that I have just ironed a crochet-edged afternoon tea cloth, folded it, put it in the pile of ironed items ready to price ... and then taken it outside and put it back on the line so that you can see how lovely white crochet looks flapping in the breeze against a clear blue sky. This blogging lark does make you do some peculiar things at times, doesn't it!

A Year in Somerset ...

We've been in this house a year today. Amazing! To mark the occasion we moved the fridge from the utility room into the kitchen!! So we are currently minus a worktop which, when replaced, will be half the size it's been for the last year, but at least we no longer have to negotiate two doorways, our arms loaded with whatever we need to make a meal or have a cuppa! I rather like it and although our kitchen isn't a cosy one, it does at last feel like a kitchen!

The best part of all though, is the fact that the piles of linen I need to launder ready for selling can now go straight into the utility room (which was, of course, the initial plan!) and not take up valuable living room space. Once I get some shelving fixed I shall be so organised ... Maybe this could be the start to getting a tidy house. Please don't hold your breath waiting for "a corner of my home" because I assure you it won't be fit for blog viewing for some considerable time yet.

However, if you can bear to wait a few more days ... I shall soon be writing my 100th post and in time-honoured blog fashion there'll be a little giveaway for the name picked out of one of my vintage wicker baskets. My friend G is coming down from Northampton next weekend for a week's holiday. I think I shall ask her to pick the winning name. Usual thing - post a comment and the names will go into the basket. This is post number 93, so it won't be long ... I'm not sure what the giveaway will be yet, but I have a few days to decide!!

We're off to a party tomorrow evening - our lovely former next door neighbours have moved and are combining celebrations for their joint 50th birthdays with a house-warming. We're looking forward to plenty of fun and laughter ... and Helen and my favourite tipple. We had a stone 'gin bench' in the garden at our old cottage and H and I would often have a 6 o'clock G&T and put the world to rights. She and I do miss those times. We've had some nice neighbours over the years, and some not so nice, but H & M were the nicest, kindest, most caring of all, and it took a lot of courage for us to finally decide to move and leave them behind.

Hope you all have a jolly weekend, too!

Blue Skies Smiling at Me ... Nothing but Blue Skies Do I See ...

(Title courtesy of Irving Berlin!)

Today I had a Day Off and met a friend in Lacock. When P and I lived in Wiltshire a suitable midway point for us to meet was Marlborough, but according to the AA routefinder Lacock was 51 miles from Anne's home and 53 miles from mine with a difference of only 3 minutes in our travel time. So, Lacock it was. Having driven through torrential rain with the headlights on and the wipers going at the fastest speed I got to Lacock to find Anne and sunshine! I took my camera so I could show you some photos of this lovely National Trust village well known as the location for numerous period dramas. But we had so much to catch up on (14 months-worth in fact) that I didn't think about photos until I was almost home.

So ... having been unable to take a picture of a particularly beautiful panorama spreading all across the Somerset Levels which I see every time I come home from the Shepton Mallet direction (how dare someone drive right close behind me when I wanted to stop in the middle of the road and take a photo!!) I pulled off the road by a field gate and found the above ... a field of sweetcorn standing about 12 inches high. I'm not sure how clear the distance photos will be, but the hill on the horizon which you may or may not see is Glastonbury Tor. The last countryside photo is a hill which reminds me of Capability Brown every time I pass it because of the way the trees are planted. I may be stretching the imagination here, but it works for me! Not a particularly good photo, but it gives you an idea of where Somerton fits into the English countryside.

I really took the photos to show the amazing blue sky which is something all of us in the UK have been sorely missing this "summer". I'm so glad I went out today because had I stayed at home I'd have apparently sat through more torrential rain and a thunderstorm. The penultimate photo is one of the hebes in our garden just coming into flower, and the last one is that most photographed rooftop with a suspicious-looking black cloud creeping in! But the sun is still shining ... AND ... the goldfinches are sitting on the telephone wires again, twittering away to their hearts' content!

Hope you've all had a jolly day, too!

Caroline Testout ... Update

Somewhere last week I found a message on the internetty from someone talking about roses. I have absolutely no idea who or in what context or on what website now, but from that I found that in 1978 Jack Harkness wrote a book entitled "Roses" and he apparently gave a certain amount of history behind individual roses. Again, I'm not sure how I found out, but it was apparent that Caroline Testout was mentioned. So, impatient soul that I am, I searched on Abebooks immediately, found said book, ordered it and much to my pleasure it arrived today as I was ploughing through a mountain of ironing ... all stock I hasten to add, nothing as interminable as clothes ironing. (I have to tell you here that I absolutely h a t e ironing, unless it's crochet edged tablecloths or linen pillowcases!!)

Anyway, I digress ...

I'm sure the late Jack Harkness won't mind if I quote a paragraph from the section on Caroline Testout.

"... The original Caroline Testout was engaged in selling Parisian fashions through a London showroom. She bought the name of the rose as an advertisment, being not only wise in her generation, but considerably in advance of it. It is usually hinted or assumed that Pernet-Ducher was quite taken in by the sharp lady, and sold her a rose he had little expectation from; but I do not know the evidence of this. In fact it is difficult to evaluate a rose until it has been on the market three or four years, and most breeders are content to share the risks with those who buy varieties or names from them. ... "

So, there we have it: it doesn't actually say she was a designer, but she sold Parisian fashions in London; she was wise and ahead of her time, sharp and on the ball. She was no daft cookie, was she. I imagine on the strength of this that she probably commissioned the tablecloth, too. I wonder if mine was the only one, or whether the cloths, too, were part of her advertising campaign.

I would have loved to have met her. Another time, another place ...

Now I have to decide whether I should keep the cloth a while longer in the hope of having enough time to research her even further (I don't have enough time as it is) or whether to use the provenance, take a leaf out of her book, and sell this amazing cloth to a rose grower and recoup some of the money Caroline paid out to have the rose named after her!!! Whatever I decide, she certainly chose the right rose. Whatever the grower thought at the time, it turned out to be a rose of particular excellence and can still be found today, 117 years after its introduction. The girl done good!

BUT ... wait a minute ... how spooky is this? I was just waiting for the photo to upload and saw I had an email ... from ANNA who has just left a message on my original post. She has even more information ... so watch this space. Thank you, Anna! Yes please, I would love to receive the additional information. Please email so I can reply to you direct! It's quite exciting, isn't it, and does rather answer the question I posed in the previous paragraph. She's not going anywhere for the time being!

Sunny in Somerset ... Wet in Wiltshire

I can actually see blue sky and I think I saw the sun about half an hour ago here in Somerset! But, what a wet morning it was yesterday across the border! We all got absolutely drenched unloading our vehicles for the Antiques Fair. My raincoat (£3 charity shop find a couple of years ago) is still drying out. Thankfully I'd packed everything in plastic boxes or those large check zip-up laundry bags, so my stock kept dry. However, it gave the mood in the hall a sombre feel rather than that buzz that we all like ... and that continued for most of the day.

Sometimes you get a lot of jolly people through the doors who enjoy some friendly banter and general chat with the stallholders. Yesterday's crowd (I use the word advisedly) were more what's commonly known in the trade as "The Three P's" - pick up, put down and "move" off ... Having said that, I did OK. I sold an eiderdown (not for an Ebay price, I assure you!) and some odds and ends. No other large items though, and although I took some enamelware, Cornishware and jelly moulds, none sold, so my recent decision to not waste the time, effort and energy packing, unpacking and packing it all up again was justified and probably a sensible one. I won't take it to Bradford on Avon again - at least, not in quantity. Perhaps the odd pitcher with some fabric sticking out of the top, or a jelly mould filled with buttons or lace, but not a whole display. I've been asked to take some damask tablecloths next time (what a relief, as I have enough to cover a football pitch!), some fabric oddments suitable for patchwork and some small needlework items such as needlecases and pincushions.

It's quite interesting to watch people when they're looking at your stock. Some get really keen and you hear lots of 'ooohs' and 'aaahs'. Others stand well back and gaze, avoid your eye and move on or, sometimes unexpectedly pick up an item, pay for it, say thanks and go, avoiding 'chatting' at all costs. I always like to talk to people that come to my stand - for several reasons ... out of politeness; because I'm enthusiastic (usually) about what I'm selling; because it can sometimes help with a sale, and because it's much more fun than sitting with my head in a book or newspaper ignoring everyone which, believe it or not, is what some stallholders do. I'm always glad to get home and put my feet up for half an hour because I realise I have probably not sat down all day. I appreciate that not everyone visiting a Fair wants to engage in conversation, but equally I'm sure they don't all want to be totally invisible. I know I don't when I go to a Fair to buy, unless I'm doing a whistle-stop whizz round a large one with very little time. But if I'm wandering and appear to have all the time in the world, then I like to chat. At the end of the day this is my job! It's what I do! If I don't do it to the best of my ability, and put in the required effort, then I'm not doing it properly and I won't succeed! And I need to succeed. I couldn't face the thought of having to go back to a 'routine' job. I'm too old and stuck in my ways now(!!!), would struggle with a regular timetable, and certainly (as some of you will know) don't like being told what to do!!!!!

Today must be a day of sorting ... I need to see my sitting room floor once again, and the spare bedroom (unlikely because of the embroidery threads and cross stitch kits), but it's quite nice sitting here chatting instead! I think I might have to change P's name to MHTM (my husband the martyr) as he has so little space to call his own here at the moment, not even room in the garage and I've just noticed I've even encroached onto his desk here in the office! What a life he must lead, poor man!!!!

I've rather waffled this morning, haven't I. So I should repay your generosity in staying to the end by posting some photos! I took them at the Fair when I finally decided I didn't like my stand but there was nothing I could do about it. Then someone told me how nice it looked so perhaps it wasn't that bad after all. It looked messy to me, but who's to say. One man's mess can another man's bliss or ... a stallholders nightmare can be a browser's sweetie shop!

Bradford-on-Avon

On Saturday morning I shall be leaving home just before 7.00 in order to get to Bradford-on-Avon for 8 o'clock. I've booked a stand at the Antiques Fair/Flea Market there and the doors open for us to set up at 8.00am. I used to do this Fair when we lived just 20 minutes away and did quite well, but haven't done it since we moved. So ... we'll see how we get on. My last Fair coincided with the retirement of the the original organiser, and since then it has been advertised more widely, has booked more dealers and, thankfully, the number of people through the door has quadrupled.

If you live nearby you might like to visit - it's held at St Margaret's Hall! If you don't know this small town then do take a look here. It's a charming place, with some interesting buildings including an amazing tithe barn. According to the website it is at the southern-most tip of the Cotswolds (I didn't realise the Cotswolds stretched quite that far!), but as far as I'm concerned, it's just 8 miles from Bath and best of all Hannah lives there. So she'll be popping in to say hello at some point during the day which will be lovely as I haven't seen her for a few weeks.

I've spent the afternoon refreshing some of my linen stock that has been packed in boxes since April and needs some creases ironing out! I'm hoping that the same things still sell there, and will be taking some eiderdowns, quilts, embroidered and crochet-edged tablecloths etc and, my stock in trade, kitchenalia! This Fair is held every month and I guess there are 15-20 dealers there. So ... not huge, but quite jolly and friendly.

If I don't see you there, I'll see you here in a day or two!

Edit at 9.22pm! This is tonight's sky from the same position as the previous ones. Not a particularly inspiring foreground, I know, but it's what I look out onto if I turn to the left and look out of the window! These were taken one immediately after the other, to the left and right of the same rooftops. I think these houses on the opposite side of the road could end up as the most photographed silhouettes in England if we keep getting interesting evening skies ...

Mme Caroline Testout

I need some help, please!

The reason I'm asking is this ...

When I went to Ardingly a couple of months ago I bought a 72"x105" damask cloth with a name woven in the end. I assumed that the cloth (which has never been used/washed) was commissioned by or for someone of importance, but did nothing about it at the time. The name is Caroline Testout.



I caught a couple of minutes of Gardeners' World on television on Friday evening and they mentioned a rose named ... Mme Caroline Testout. Alarm bells went off in my head and I spent the next couple of hours trying to remember whether the cloth was in one of the antiques centres or in a box here at home or in the store. When I finally found it and opened it out it is amazing. Full of roses.



Mme Caroline Testout is the name of a rose bred in 1890. Today I received an email response to a query I sent to the owner of this site who directed me to this site which states that Mme Caroline Testout was a French fashion designer. I've Googled all there is to Google about the rose (shortly before WWI 10,000 bushes were planted along the streets of Portland, Oregon earning it the nickname "The City of Roses"; it is purported to be one of the finest hybrid tea roses ever produced and was bred by Pernet-Ducher), but Madame Testout herself is a problem!

This is where you, kind bloggers, come into your own. I need to know where/when/etc. As the rose was bred in 1890 presumably Caroline was a 19th Century designer. If any of you know, or can find any information about her I'd be so grateful. In view of the above, I'm guessing that the cloth was in fact made to celebrate the introduction of the rose rather than for Caroline herself, but who knows ...

I'd also love to hear from you if you live in Portland and have a Mme Caroline Testout in your yard!

What a Lovely Day ...

... we had at Niki's on Friday! Silly me, I forgot to take my camera, but if you have a look at Niki's blog or Ginny's you'll see why it was such a lovely day.



P went with me and tried to look interested - he struggled, but at least he stayed the course!!! - while I felt like a child let loose in a sweet shop. Clare and Mike were there at the same time as us, and she and I went round drooling and touching everything in our path!!!! Niki, we had a wonderful time! I might just have to be in touch with Niki about some of her other painted pieces that I had to leave behind!!



I've done my first day in the Old Town Hall today. Not a lot of selling going on today, but an amazing number of people through the door considering the state of the weather. But just at the end I sold a round painted table which I was quite pleased about. I'm also going to rent a book shelf! There are several rows of shelving and sections are available to rent which I hadn't realised until today. I thought the books all belonged to just one book dealer. So, as I have hundreds of vintage cookery books, as well as endless other 'interesting' books acquired over the years, I thought that at £5 a month it was worth trying a shelf for a couple of months. At worst I'll lose £10 but at best I might clear some clutter and make a pound or two.


The sky was quite weird this evening. The photos don't really do it justice, but these 4 are in sequence with only about 5 minutes between the first and last photos. It changed so rapidly from pale to intense and back to pale. Look how quickly the cloud formation changed.

Is This Better?

Well, Liz and I have finished painting at Dairy House. How does this look? Better? Apologies now, but this is nothing but a post showing off what I consider to be a great achievement against all adversity (if you've been following, you'll be with me on this one!) - my space at Dairy House Antiques, with as many photos as blogger will let me post at one time. There's a certain amount of repetition, but I'm hoping you'll excuse me on that one as I'm a tad tired tonight and if I fiddle around with this post much more I shall probably lose everything (thought I had a few minutes ago), and then I won't be happy!

I didn't get to take the photos until 6 o'clock this evening and I still haven't got everything in that I'd like, nor is everything exactly how I'd like it, but I'm getting there. We painted the walls Dulux (I think) Antique Cream which has made such a difference (look back to the blue walls if you're not sure!), and the whole effect is lighter, brighter and, according to this week's customers, a considerable improvement!

I'm there again on Saturday to stand in for the regular Saturday afternoon person and I hope to be able to tweak a bit here and there. The back of the car is still fairly full of stock which I'd hoped to display today, but there just aren't enough hours in the day, despite this being the longest one of the year.

P and I are off to see someone special tomorrow and meet up with some other special people. More on that over the weekend with a bit of luck. But first of all it's another trip to the physio with Mum first thing in the morning. I wonder what they'll think of her gardening japes!

I See the Sea ...

Yesterday Liz and I went to an auction in Exmouth and before setting off for home we stopped along the seafront for 5 minutes. And what a glorious 5 minutes it was. I love that specific ozone-y smell (sometimes you can be disappointed and not smell it at all), but we weren't disappointed. It hit me as soon as I opened the van door. There was a lovely breeze coming in off the sea, the sun was shining and it gave us both such a boost after a day in a stuffy saleroom. That and the Thornton's ice cream we'd just eaten!! I caught Liz before she had time to realise she was being photographed!


I was so tired last night, after the long day yesterday and an even longer day at the Shepton Giant Flea on Sunday, that I collapsed on the bed for an hour and woke up 11 hours later!!!

Shepton was brilliant. I didn't need to do my customary raindance (although I think it did rain briefly) and had my best Giant Flea sales ever. And yes ... a good chunk of the sales was cross stitch kits, with a few cones of thread. One lovely lady bought 4 kits and came back an hour later to buy a further 5 (when her husband wasn't looking!!). I like customers like that! I was so pleased that Jennifer from Acorn & Will came to say hello. It was super to meet you Jennifer, and thank you so much for your purchase. The "Shepton Stalwarts" Niki and Clare came to see me and did a little bit of shopping ... as they do! Thank you both!

My friend Eleanor "borrowed" a corner of my pitch to see how her jewellery would sell. Her first sale was to a lady who has a shop in Dorset. She bought several pieces "to see how they go", so hopefully that will be the start of a new relationship! I didn't take my camera, otherwise I'd have shown you what she makes. Maybe next time ... Eleanor was delighted with her sales and as I've booked a double pitch for the August Bank Holiday Giant Flea (the regulars on the next pitch will be away) she'll be bringing even more. And I shall load up the car with mountains of cross stitch kits and embroidery thread!

As far as my own sales are concerned, I've finally realised there is absolutely no point in loading up the car with bulky kitchenalia for either the Shepton 3-day Fair or the Flea. There are too many outside pitches selling it to make it worth my while, and it takes up far too much valulable space. The last 3 Fairs/Fleas have been my best in the 2 years I've been doing them, and my pitches have evolved into being 90% textile-related. I'll continue in that way for the time being - until my customers want something different - flexibility being the key!! The kitchenalia sells so well at Dairy House that it really is a waste of time and energy packing it up to take it somewhere where no-one wants it! It's taken me a while to realise this (sad, but true), but then I suppose it is only since March that I've had a really good display of kitchenalia at Dairy House, thus making it more interesting. And now Liz and I have more or less finished painting over those dark blue walls, we might do even better!!

Here's a photo of the Old Town Hall leaflet to give you an idea of the type of building we have in the centre of Somerton, and some views of the interior of the antiques centre showing various dealers' units. These leaflets were done before Liz and I moved in so nothing of ours is showing. After telling you last week about the lovely food on offer in the tearoom, the lady running it is leaving for personal reasons which is an awful shame. However, someone new is taking over from the second week in July - just in time for the annual Somerton Festival.


If you are interested to see what Somerton has to offer, have a look at the Somerton Community website which gives an insight into the town. Click on the Summer Arts Festival to see what will be happening between 13 and 21 July. I'm off to book my ticket for the Treorchy Male Voice Choir who will be singing in the Church on 14 July. I love listening to Welsh MVCs (a childhood thing) and every year a different Choir comes to the Festival. Last year's was amazing. I'm sure the Treorchy will be, too.

Update: I forgot to tell you I finally came home to roost on Friday night. We bought walkie-talkies thinking they'd give both Mum and me peace of mind, but she can't manage holding down the button and talking at the same time, so we won't be using them! She seems to be fine going up and down stairs now, so no problem. The w-ts will be perfect for taking to Shepton so that anyone who kindly mans my pitch while I run round searching for a bargain will be able to make contact when there's no mobile phone network coverage! We caught Mum in the garden yesterday hoe-ing - so she's definitely on the mend and I'm finally catching up with some sorting!

Embroidery Threads ad infinitum ...

Did I say I'd bought some embroidery threads? ... Mmmmm!





Well, these photos are part of the latest car-load ...

More cones of DMC stranded cotton (varying lengths up to a maximum of 425 metres for an unopened one), a double-sided stand of 8 metre bobbins of the same, more boxes of DMC Coton Perlé No 8 (10 metres) ...

So far (without today's haul) I've counted 436 balls of Coton Perlé No 8 ... 470 skeins of DMC Coton Perle No 5 (25 metres) ... 25 DMC Mouline metallise 8 metre skeins ... 50 unopened cones of DMC stranded cotton/embroidery floss (and I guess there must be about 500 part-used cones) ... As I said before, enough to embroider round the world at least once ... And then ... 56 packs of counted thread fabric, mainly Aida but some linen ... about 50 pieces of loose Aida fabric in varying colours and counts ... over 300 cross stitch kits ... the list goes on! AND IT'S ALL FOR SALE!

So if you think you know of any fellow bloggers who might be interested in part of this stash (or all of it, of course!!), then please let them know. My house really isn't large enough to accommodate all this as well as all the vintage and antique linen I seem to have purchased over the last few weeks!

So ... if you're coming to the Shepton Mallet Giant Flea Market on Sunday (17 June), you know what to expect! Although I shall of course be taking my usual vintage linen and textiles, lace, buttons, boxes and so on ... There won't be room for everything, so I shall be selective and hope I choose to take the right things! I wonder if I shall need to do another raindance?

As if this wasn't enough, I bought about 20 embroidered tablecloths from a retired dealer this afternoon. They are all beautifully done and clean enough for me not to have to wash them before putting a price tag on them. Hopefully they'll be going to Shepton with me on Sunday.

Several of you wished me well for the Shaftesbury & Gillingham Show. Suffice to say I won't be doing it again!

What Have I Done ... ?

Well, it's like this ...

Not one to miss a bargain ... I have temporarily diversified and have bought a huge amount of cross-stitch kits, aida fabric in packs, and enough DMC silks and threads to embroider round the world at least once. All courtesy of a shop which is, itself, diversifying. Eh, voila ...

The tip of the iceberg ... I have no idea how many skeins there are here,
but the box is filled to a depth of about 12"

A tablecloth with cherries to cross-stitch, some mini alphabet packs,
pencil cases, bags and purses in this box

More ... and more ... and there's still some in the shop waiting to be collected!

So, what do you think? Have I gone totally mad? Does this make it official? Have I really bitten off more than I can chew? Will it sell? Shall I try Ebay/Fairs/my website which, if it ever gets built will be a miracle/or none of the above?

All the kits are marked with the shop prices and I intend to market them at half the marked prices. If there are any cross-stitchers out there who are desperate for the odd kit or 50, do let me know. Prices will range from £1.00 to £15.00 based on half ticket prices for the kits.

I shall be taking some of them to the Shaftesbury & Gillingham Show on Sunday in the hope that I don't bring them all back home again, and plenty more will be going to the Giant Flea the following Sunday. Obviously I can't take this sort of thing to the 3-day Antiques Fair but, as the next one isn't until September, I'm not too concerned about that!

I popped into the Old Town Hall and added a few more items ... and I'VE SOLD SOMETHING already. An HM Govt enamel pint measuring jug for £8.00. Well ... it's a start! And I don't intend to retire just yet.

Funny day all round, really.

If anyone is in the vicinity of Shaftesbury on Sunday why not visit the Show. I can't tell you anything about it, except that it's at the Motcombe Showground between Shaftesbury and Gillingham. I've never been to it before either as a stallholder or as a paying member of the public. I assume it's a small agricultural show sort of thing. Fun for all the family I would imagine.

The Road to Normality ...

... whatever that is!

Mum's doing her physio exercises and is beginning to be able to lift her arm quite well (even though she's finding it exhausting).

My foot seems to have made a miraculous recovery, and I spent all yesterday painting furniture etc for the new antiques centre unit, and apart from his bitten lip (which doesn't look particularly pretty), Pauley is back to his old self.

So, thank you ALL for your good wishes. I'm so glad our escapades amused you ... I thought you might enjoy hearing about them! When all that happens you can't really do anything but laugh, can you! (But we honestly didn't create that chapter of accidents just to make good blog reading!!)

So, normality chez nous returns ... I'm racing around as per usual, wondering how I'm going to fit everything in and panicking that I haven't got the right things to put into the Centre and wondering what I'm going to take to the Shaftesbury & Gillingham Show where Liz and I are sharing a pitch on Sunday. Oh yes, and of course Thursday means Dairy House and more painting!! Watch this space!!

Three in a Row and a Bonus ...

... as an old TV programme used to say ...


You realise, of course, that I'm heading for the sympathy vote here ...


Having spent the day gently painting things for the Old Town Hall and generally taking it fairly easy, Sunday afternoon television and all that, I was just coming downstairs with my things to take next door for my nightly sleepover, when there was an almighty crash/thud/bang ...


Pauley has a sciatic nerve that plays up periodically and every now and again his left leg gives way ... which is what it did at 11.15 pm ... with no warning. So there he was in a heap in the porch having banged his head (all OK) and bitten his lip as he fell (no long-lasting damage thankfully). So ... having hauled him up off the floor and wiped up the can of lager he had just that minute opened which had fizzed all over the floor after being thrown all over the place ... I was about to go out of the back door when I heard a little voice saying hello? hello? ...


It was Mum! She'd heard a crash/thud/bang which she had convinced herself was a burglar climbing in an upstairs window, and had walked round in the dark, hanging on to the wall, with legs like jelly (she doesn't do the dark well at the best of times). A certain amount of sound carries between the two houses and what she had actually heard was P. Anyway, all 3 of us then limped round to her house, P checked over the house, Mum had a brandy and I just laughed. What else could I do? P then went home and I'm glad to say he's still in one piece this morning, albeit a bit shaky. Mum KNEW she wouldn't sleep all night, but she snored rather well for someone lying awake. Me? My foot's a lot better today, although I'm still going to rest it as much as I can while I have the chance. Anyway, that's our 3 things out of the way. Hopefully we can now get our acts together and not worry each other half to death.

Thought you might like to see these amazing clouds. I took it one evening last week.





Have a jolly day ... and take care out there!!

New Beginnings ...

My second post of the day! This won't happen often but, owing to the escapades related in my last post, I can only do sitting-down things today, so here I am again.

Some of you may remember from previous posts that I used to be in one of the antiques centres in Somerton but left 3 months ago, putting the majority of my stock into Dairy House Antiques at Semley. Liz came with me and we're doing 'nicely, thank you' at Dairy House. However ... we have been offered a unit in the other Somerton centre and have decided to give it a try. Whilst we shall have our own individual items in there, we shall also be buying some pieces together and sharing the profits (if any!). We move in this coming Wednesday (foot permitting). It'll be interesting to see how it goes and how we get on with stock in 2 places once again. Time will tell ...

We are taking Unit 14 on the upper floor. It is adjacent to the Tearoom area which is, to our minds, the prime spot. Everyone sitting having morning coffee, lunch or afternoon tea and cakes will be able to gaze on our Unit and maybe spy something they need to look at more closely after their sustenance. Fingers crossed!

The lady who runs the Tearoom makes everything herself from the unusual soups to the superb cakes. Luckily we will only need to do one duty day each per month. Any more and I know the pounds would pile on again instead of hopefully continue to drop off. This is what Liz and I had for lunch on Friday when we went in to confirm we would be taking the space. Beautifully presented Broad Bean and Mint soup with some crusty bread and butter. Linda takes care with presentation and if you order a pot of tea it arrives in a vintage bone china teapot with water jug, milk, sugar and a pretty vintage teacup and saucer. Whilst coffee comes in a cafetiere, the cup and saucer will always be bone china. Lovely!


So, when you all decide to travel down the A303 to the West Country why not take a detour to Semley or, 40 minutes further on, visit Somerton and the Old Town Hall. There's sadly nothing for the tummy at Semley, but maybe you'll find plenty of soup for the soul instead!

Hop-a-long Cassidy and the One Armed Bandit

Are you ready for this?

Not only does Somerton have one mother with 2 fractures of the right arm, but I fell off the steps when I was painting my room at Dairy House Antiques yesterday afternoon. I had been so careful the other 2 days when I was painting, making sure I was at the bottom before moving away from the steps. Yesterday afternoon I was doing an extra 'duty' as the normal dealer wasn't available, and trying to paint at the same time. A blob of paint dripped down between my room and the next and I was concerned it may have gone onto another dealer's stock, so hurried down the steps, tried to compete with mum and walk on air, and ended up flying through the air, sending Dolores (or was it Daphne - the 2nd of my mannequins which has sold and was waiting to be collcted) flying. Bless her, she broke my fall and I ended up with 2 grazed arms and a right foot that really hurt.

Stupid, wasn't it. Especially as I'd been telling myself for half an hour beforehand that I had to be careful as I was the only person there and if I fell no-one would be there to help me. Despite my landing on top of her, Dolores is still in one piece. It could have been a lot worse - I ended a good 8 feet away from the bottom of the steps. Stalwart to the end, I carried on painting but was aware my foot was getting more uncomfortable. By the time I'd driven home I couldn't walk and spent the rest of the evening being waited on "hand and foot".

The fun part came later. I'm still sleeping at Mum's as she's still unable to dress/undress properly and is a wee bit anxious on the stairs. So ... with P on one arm and a walking stick in the other hand I shuffled/hopped/limped next door. P did all the running up and down stuff that needed to be done, Mum got herself upstairs with me crawling (literally) up behind her. The problem was, how to stand up once I got to the top. She and I were absolutely convulsed with laughter (which doesn't help, of course!), and even P joined in at one point. Finally the right people were in the right beds, and with P calling out "Lights off in the dorm, girls", he locked us in and went home.

Thankfully I can put my foot down flat this morning, it's not swollen, and provided I don't do anything too stupid, I should be OK for the coming week's hectic schedule!! More of that in another post - I may manage 2 today.

Sorry there are no photos - there were some rare sights that would have made good viewing - but I'll make sure I have my camera next time!

Have a jolly day ...

Email Problems ...

... Just a quick post to let you know I AM receiving emails but my replies are going to tiscali and no further. Apparently a lot of people are having the same problem and eventually you will be inundated with my replies! So, if you have emailed me and think I'm ignoring you ... I'm not, honest! But it IS incredibly annoying!

Normal service will be resumed ... hopefully!

Quick update from the Fracture Clinic - the sling thing is OFF and physio starts on Friday. New bone is growing and the X-ray looked good. Mum's delighted, as you can imagine.

Sxx

Photos ... and Another Busy Week

I don't have any more wedding photos to show you, but so many of you have so kindly asked to see more, so please feel free to browse on the photographer's website (this link takes you straight to H&R's photos) where you can look at as many as you wish! For those with a strong constitution there are about 400, but for those of a lesser disposition, fear not. You can scroll down the screen quickly and see 30 thumbnails per screen, simply clicking on any you wish to look at more closely. There are one or two that I'd really love you to see as the whole day is epitomised in the expressions on the faces, but until we make our final choices I can only direct you to the website: www.lovegrovephotography.com (click on Weddings and Hannah and Rob's day is currently at the top of the page).

The weeks are rolling by so quickly, and I don't seem to be achieving much at all. I'm still waving goodbye to P about 11.00pm with my little overnight bag (does anyone remember the television series "My Wife Next Door" from the late 1970s with Hannah Gordon and John Alderton?) and returning once I've got Mum dressed and downstairs in the mornings. It's been another hectic week - last Saturday was spent at Semley Auctions, I don't remember what happened on Sunday, but I used a lot of electricity on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, washing and ironing the linen purchased at the auction. Thursday saw me back at Dairy House (and the start of the marathon painting session to cover up the blue), Friday I viewed a chattels auction, and today didn't start all that well, and then I went shopping ...

To Bath, first of all, to the Cath Kidston shop to get Hannah's birthday prezzie from Mum. But on the way I decided not to adhere to the 40mph speed limit along one stretch of road and guess what ... yep ... mobile speed camera thingy! And my last offence doesn't get wiped off my licence until August! We get a lot of the camera-out-of-the-back-of-the-van speed checks in Somerset, especially on the A303, so I'm always careful, but this wasn't on the A303, and was in a spot I've never seen one before, and I had other things on my mind! Serves me right, of course, but it made me very annoyed with myself, hence some additional shopping in CK's. Whilst in Bath I also shopped in the Bartlett Street Antiques Centre (woops!). Then I moved on to Bradford-on-Avon to the monthly Antiques Fair/Flea Market. I used to stand here every month for a couple of years, but stopped when we moved house last July. However ... the time has come to rebook, and I shall be attending the next Fair on 30 June. I bought a few items which I can thankfully call 'stock' and won't need to keep (I'll endeavour to take a few photos over the next day or two).

Tomorrow should have been Han's annual birthday BBQ but because of the major threat of rain they've decided to postpone it until Rob's birthday at the end of June, so I actually have a 'free' day. Maybe I'll be able to sort the piles of stock currently in the sitting room. Or shall I iron the freshly washed linens, or wash more (there are plenty of tablecloths, sheets, traycloths etc still to do)? Bank Holiday Monday should see P and me wielding paintbrushes, rollers etc in an attempt to finally lose the blue paint at the Dairy House. Tuesday is Bath again, to the Fracture Clinic with Mum. Han will be coming over to collect her gifts after work on Tuesday evening, and on Wednesday a friend is coming to lunch. I haven't seen her since well before we moved, so we have a considerable amount of catching up to do. And then it'll be Thursday and Dairy House again. And probably more painting (it's a large room!) and rearranging everything.

I realise the clock is ticking and it's time I left home again for another night. Do let me know if you view the photos. I'd love you to see the cheese tower (in lieu of a cake) with the little mice on top, the shepherd's hut where they stayed that night, the jar of wiggly worm sweets and the flying saucers with large "Eat Me" labels and all the other little touches that H put together in her inimitable fashion. Did I mention I was a proud mum?!!!

Till the next time ...