Our 38-hour Week's Holiday ...

... There you are, you see! Better than I thought. We managed 38 hours away instead of the 36 I expected!

We drove through wind and rain but in the very far distance we convinced ourselves we could see a teeny-weeny patch of lighter cloud. And I won the bet - it wasn't actually raining when we got to Donna's and I'm happy to say that we even saw a little sunshine a couple of miles in from the North Devon coast.

And here we are in Abbotsham on our way to Donna's wonderful vintage textile sale.

I hope Donna won't mind me showing these photos. I should have asked her first, but everything looked so lovely that I couldn't resist. Fabulous fabrics for sale and gorgeous cakes to have with our tea or coffee!

I bought this little set of drawers (and sold Donna my Dewhurst sylko drawers!) and this is a very poor photo of part of my fabric stash. I bought a boxful and a bagful of 'scrap' pieces - will take better photos later. I also came away with a vintage wooden yard rule which I intend to hang up at Dairy House so people can measure pieces of fabric or lengths of lace. The pièce de resistance was a fabric samples book. Of smallish size, being slightly smaller than a sheet of A4 paper, but at least 2" thick. Loads and loads of beautiful fabrics and a surprise at the back - wallpaper samples, too. I'll take some photos when the light is better.

After a jolly couple of hours with Donna and friends we set off to Great Torrington to see an antique dealer who I've got to know through the Shepton 3-day Fairs. She stands in the next row to me (talking of which it will seem very strange in a couple of weeks' time not 'doing' the Fair). I came away with a shawl and these:

We had a brief wander round Great Torrington, bought a couple of rolls for our lunch and then set off towards Dartmoor for our overnight stay. We decided to take the 'pretty' route rather than the primary 'A' road but at some point we managed to inadvertently veer off the road we intended to travel along. At one point we commented on how little traffic there was. Shows how laid back and relaxed we were as we hadn't even noticed it was a 'B' road! I'm so glad we did lose our way though, because we came across an area full of oak trees. Not a wood, but oak trees all along the side of the road, oak trees dotted all along the field hedgerows almost as far as you could see, and numerous trees dotted around the fields themselves. What seemed like hundreds of them. I don't think I've ever seen as many oak trees in one place before. Sadly I didn't take any photos, but I fully intend going back there to enjoy it again. I wonder if this is the area where the oak for all those mighty ships came from.

Look how much we've seen and done already on our little trip ... and we've only been away from home for about 6 hours.

Rather than go straight to our isolated B&B we decided to drive over some of Dartmoor and make the most of the time. We went to Chagford first, an ancient Stannary town, so I could see where Sheila Hyson holds a Fair on a Friday morning, just in case we're in that direction again on a Friday. A very pretty place, but we couldn't find a parking space so carried on. From there we drove up and over some very hilly narrow lanes and ended up on our way to Two Bridges. We carried on to Princetown and a little beyond, but as it was by this time torrential rain we decided to make our way towards Hexworthy and our B&B.

So, welcome to a wild and woolly Dartmoor!

The River Dart rushing along and living up to its name! (See the tree being swept away in the first photo?)

And here's Hexworthy bridge. Our B&B is about a mile up the hill from here! Plenty of rain still, although it finally stopped around 8.30 pm.

And look ... the next morning we awoke to ... blue skies!

So, a new day, sunshine and the next leg of our holiday. We set off soon after 9 o'clock, retraced our route over Hexworthy Bridge and stopped off by the River Dart at Badger's Holt.

This piece of lichen dropped off a silver birch tree as I stood there. I brought it home but although it was very soft and silky when it fell, and a gorgeous pale sage green, now it has dried out it is rough and hard and much darker.

We did some more Dartmoor sight-seeing through a mixture of sun and cloud. We were at least able to stop the car and have a wander. I've always loved Exmoor, but I'm just wondering if Dartmoor has the edge ... difficult to say ...

Look ... more blue sky!

After enjoying the wonderful scenery and lovely fresh, clean air we were ready to turn right to Ashburton for another planned part of our holiday to visit Ros's shop called The Snug.

I've never been to Ros's shop before, in fact I don't know whether I've ever been to Ashburton. It's another town with some nice architecture, and lovely antique shops. We didn't go in them all, but I found this eiderdown and a large basket in one called Fishbelly. I was tempted by several small pieces of furniture, but thankfully our car isn't large enough!!

In The Shambles I found a book on samplers and stitches, a hatbox, some tiny old screw-top jars filled with beads, and a pretty floral tin.

And then, leaving the best till last, we ventured in to The Snug! And what a lovely time I had! I've bought from Ros at the Ilminster Talent 4 Textiles Fair and knew I'd find plenty to tempt me. Pauley decided to go back to the car (probably best!), and I spent ages picking up, putting down, choosing and generally behaving like a child in a sweetie shop. I was at the back of the shop when a customer came in and I recognised the voice. Serendipity was at work and who should it be but Amanda of Shabby Chic who I normally see at Shepton, and who lurks on vintage blogs from time to time (hi Amanda!). She does the Totnes Friday market, which I have yet to visit, and she is well known to all we West Country vintage fanatics. She'd popped in to see Ros whilst she was shopping and so we were able to catch up on news.

Not the best photos, but here are some of the goodies I purchased from Ros ...

Moving on ... to Topsham to the Quay Centre, another planned visit. Have you ever seen anything as lovely as this?

This child's toy shop counter stands about 6" or 7" high and is a good 2' long. The labels on the drawers are ceramic. I couldn't believe my luck when I saw it. And this box of farmyard stamps is another delight. I'm going to test them all out before I decide whether or not they can be sold!

After a wander up through Topsham and back to the car we were ready for a cup of coffee (breakfast had been so filling that lunch was certainly not an option). We then drove on to Beer through lashing rain. We stopped for a quick visit to the little antique shop where I bought a glover's wooden hand. Sorry, no photos of either the hand or Beer, so why not look at their website where you'll see blue skies, blue sea and a beautiful place. We've stayed in Beer in the past and it's a jolly place to be - but not particularly so on Saturday with vertical rain, brown sea and rivers of mud running down the road!!

Finally it was time to make our homeward journey - east to Seaton and then in a northerly direction to Chard and Ilminster from where it was a brief run along the A303 to home. In all we did about 270 miles, but what a jam-packed 270 miles and 38 hours it was. Pauley enjoyed most of it, bless him, but did appreciate the break, even if it was a busman's holiday! I was tired by the end of it (I do all the driving), but very refreshed, and the good thing about this short holiday is that I remember every moment, and shall be able to draw on these memories whenever I feel the need to 'take a moment'! That'll do me fine, until our next 38-hour week! It's all a case of 'mind over matter' ... 38 hours, 7 days, whatever ... a holiday is a holiday when all said and done!

I hope you've managed to stay the course - I think this is probably the longest post I've ever written. It's certainly taken me an age, especially uploading all those photos ... and still I haven't photographed the giveaways! DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT ON MY PREVIOUS POST to be entered into the giveaway draws. I'll be taking some photos later with a bit of luck, and updating the post.

See you soon!

200 Posts AND a Blog Birthday ... Update the second ... with photos at last!

... As promised, my 200th post and my 2nd Blog Birthday coincide ... and as promised there will be 2 giveaways ... the only problem is I don't know what they'll be as yet.


NB: I know what they are now ... photos at the end of the post!

Having just got back from our 36-hour (one night = one week don't forget) holiday I really don't have the energy to put together the giveaways this evening. However ... having bought lots of wonderful goodies at Donna's sale, and then done a whistle-stop round Devon tour of antiques shops etc, the contents of the car are now spread out over the sitting room floor waiting to be looked at. One or two little bits might just find their way into the goody bags ... along with some of the contents of my shed and/or Dairy House.

The grand plan is that the winners (2 celebrations, so 2 giveaways) will be chosen next Sunday evening, 14 September. This will give me a chance to put things together - hopefully on Monday - and still give you all a chance to leave a comment. I'll update THIS post with photos and information on Monday. So do check back to this post to see what's happening!

Meantime, just so you know - we did have rain on our "grand tour" but we also had some wonderful sunshine. I took plenty of photos and will do a separate "holiday-related" post, possibly tomorrow.

First update!

I had hoped to give you photos of the giveaways today but I'm afraid I got sidetracked and have spent most of the day trying to sort 'stuff' in the shed - mainly so that I could find something nice for you, but it suddenly became a marathon task of adding shelves, emptying bags of fabric, banging my head on baskets hanging down from the ceiling and generally finding all sorts of things I'd forgotten I had. Now, tell me, if I put some bundles of lace together (I've just found a huge basketful that I bought at Shepton and haven't sorted) will you be happy to receive it in 'as is' condition? It'll need laundering but I just haven't the time to do that as well as sort it!! And secondly, I realise that most of the goodies I'm putting together are fabric and lace and sewing-related. Will that put you off? I'm thinking it won't but I wanted to be sure!

Hopefully there won't be too many updates before I manage to add piccies but I might have to extend the end date beyond Sunday!!!! As my Mum always said to me when I couldn't wait for something to happen ... "There's joy in anticipation, Susan!" She might say that ... I couldn't possibly comment. Hope you'll all be patient enough to enjoy the anticipation!! Rather you than me!


Second Update!


First let me show you why it wasn't a simple job choosing, and why I HAD to sort out the shed before being able to concentrate on the task in hand. Isn't it a mess! One day it is going to be so organised that I shall be able to invite buyers to my shed/shop rather than simply offer items on the website. Please don't hold your breath though, as I don't have much time to sort at the moment!! As I may have mentioned before, I don't really need to ever buy another thing!

I've had fun doing this, so hope you'll be pleased with them ...

One giveaway is vaguely red themed as I initially suggested it might be (and green, which I didn't plan).

The other is vaguely pink and blue.

We'll stick with a closing date of Sunday 14 September and I'll ask Pauley to pick the 2 winners in the evening after our day at Dairy House. If you desperately don't want to be included in one particular coloured theme say so in your post, otherwise it'll be totally random.

Good luck, and don't forget to leave a comment if you want to be in with a chance of winning one of the parcels. If you sign in as 'anonymous' do make sure you leave your name at the end of the post.

Make Weight Post

Nothing much to say this morning other than to state the obvious ... rain, low grey cloud ... and plenty of wind!! I've just looked at one of the many internet weather forecasts and see that the next 36 hours in Devon barely changes but for the fact that Exeter could have a thunderstorm! To be honest, once we get east of Exeter on the homeward run tomorrow afternoon we do have a chance of sun, so Pauley will be able to play on a beach somewhere (if you read yesterday's post you'll understand)!!

The title of this post popped into my head and reminded me of the boxes of chocolates when I was a child - when there would be a couple of small lumps of chocolate added as "make weights" to ensure that a half-pound box of chocs actually contained 8 ounces of choccie. I don't suppose that happens these days where everything is so accurately measured, remeasured, tested and thrown out if it doesn't do exactly as it says on the box. Can anyone tell me otherwise?

Hence the title. I need post 200 to be posted tomorrow, having told you that's when it would be, so post 199 is basically a lot of waffle to make up the weight/numbers.

Hope you have a sunny weekend where you are ...

A Chilly Day at the Seaside!

Last week Pauley and I popped off to Crewkerne to view an auction and then went on the extra half-hour to spend some time looking at the sea at Burton Bradstock. At least that was the idea the night before. So off we set armed with plenty of jumpers and coats "just in case" and whilst we were in Crewkerne all was fine. It wasn't until we were nearly at the sea that the wind blew, and blew, and blew again ... and it didn't feel far off gale force by the time we got out of the car at Burton Bradstock.

Pauley doesn't do seaside very well, and he definitely doesn't do blowy seaside, especially when The Hive Café down by the beach was so busy that we had to sit outside and hang on to our sandwiches with salad garnish. Quite a few lettuce leaves disappeared ... normally I wouldn't suggest chips and sarnies (although a chip butty wouldn't go amiss) but they were a token gesture for some internal warmth.

And here are the lovely pieces of seaweed I collected after lunch, just as they were deposited by the tide ... Needless to say I had a lovely time but Pauley was back in the car 'enjoying' the view safe from the gale.

Whenever I put Pauley through this personal hell I have to take a photo to prove to Hannah that he did actually stand on the beach. Here he is struggling to pretend to have a lovely time ...

reminiscent of this piece of toile ... can you see the likeness????

And here is Chesil Beach, usually a gorgeous view from this particular point, but not on this day. Rather sums up the day!!

We're doing it all again tomorrow which should be hilarious. First of all we're going to Donna's sale (Donna knows Pauley enjoys fabric sales nearly as much as he enjoys a day at the seaside!!), and then I plan to smell the sea before we wander across Devon and stay in the middle of Dartmoor for one night before meandering along the coastal route back to Somerset and home. As you can imagine Pauley is really looking forward to this 'holiday'. I think I shall pack hot water bottles, extra jumpers and coats, scarves, hats, gloves so that he doesn't freeze!!!! Me? I'll probably wear a T-shirt!

This, folks, will forthwith be known as our annual holiday. One night away = one week. I think I've mentioned this before. Looked at in this way it's amazing how much relaxation you can cram in. I doubt if we'll manage a fortnight (ie 2 nights away) this year, but if we do I'll be sure to tell you about it!!

I realise I need to squash in another post before my 200th, so if I think of anything else to tell you later I'll do so.

Post Flea Post ...

I promise I didn't do a raindance, but the Heavens opened just as they opened the gates for everyone to come in and buy! I think most of the outside stallholders had managed to set up before the rain and plenty of gazebo-type structures were in evidence, so most had come prepared for foul weather!

I unloaded the car and just left everything on my pitch so that I could hurry out and buy from one particular dealer who I always see as early as possible. I collected up a good pile of lace and fabric and got back in time set up before too many people came in. I wasn't particularly pleased with the way my stall looked but it didn't seem to hamper sales and it was generally a good day.

I chatted to quite a few blogger friends and people who have found me through Dairy House, and I slipped up by giving some the wrong date for the next DMG 3-day Fair. Just in case you happen to be reading this, my profuse apologies. The date for the next DMG Fair at Shepton is 19-21 September and not 12-14 as I said. I'm sure someone told me the latter date which is why I was passing it on! Woops!

My thanks to Niki and Debbie for holding the fort while I ran away from my duties for 10 minutes, and it was good to see Frances, too. I have a mental block today and can't remember the name of the lovely blogger and her mum who came to see me again. I think you were one of the customers I gave the wrong date! I saw a couple of other bloggers in the distance and of course several of the DH dealers were there, either selling or buying ... or both!


I think this has brought me up to post 197 or maybe 198, so the 200th blog giveaway should be here in the next few days, depending on whether or not I have anything to write about (when has that ever stopped me?) and what I manage to put together for you. I've just checked back to see when my first post was and it would appear that I manage an average of 100 posts a year. So ... my 2nd blog birthday and 200th post will coincide, which should create a really good birthday bash! The date is 6 September, but I may not be able to publish the post until the evening. I'll combine the posts but I think we should have a double giveaway, don't you? I suggested a while ago that there might be a red theme. I'll do that for one and the other one will be "to be decided" ... Exciting, isn't it!!!

I'm also wondering whether it's time to change my blog template. So, don't be alarmed if the Vintage to Victorian pages go through several changes over the next few days. Normal service will be resumed as soon as I've made a decision. Who knows, I might end up using the maxim of "if it ain't broke, don't mend it". Time will tell! Any suggestions gratefully received!

Shepton Flea Time Again ...

Just a quick reminder for those of you who like to attend the Giant Flea Market at Shepton Mallet ... Sunday 31 August is the day ... 9.30 am until 4.00 pm.

I've spent the morning loading up the car in readiness as of course I spend Saturdays at Dairy House, leaving today as the only time available.

The lovely Chil-Daw mannequin I showed you a couple of posts ago sold at DH last weekend so I'm rather pleased about that. This week the landlord's painter/handyman has been painting the outside of the building, and the boyfriend of one of our dealers has been doing some inside decorating for me. We'll soon be in a fit state to be photographed externally!! But best of all we have exceeded all expectations with sales and despite still having a couple of days to go, this has been a record August in the 10-year lifetime of Dairy House Antiques. What fun!

Look forward to seeing some of you on Sunday! Not too sure about the weather but will not be doing a raindance this time - it's not fair on the outside stallholders really, is it!!!!!