Hay-on-Wye on Market Day

 

This is the wonderful cheese stall at Hay Market.  On the other side they have grains and nts and dried fruit and spices.  A great stall to shop at.

Fabulous breads and baked goods in the Cheese Market building.

Lunchy snacks here.

Yarn and Gonks? or Gnomes, in the Buttermarket.

More lovely loaves, down by the Clock Tower, but at about £5 a loaf, I am glad to make my own.

Tam and I resisted the temptations on the Plant stall.

However, I did buy a lovely studio pottery dish, of the colourway (turquoisy/blue) that I like to have on my stall at Fairs.  It attracts people and sells well.

Now some shop windows for you . . .

I loved this cat.  May try and make one - hah, in my "spare" time!!

It's hard to imagine that at one time something as shabby as this old display cupboard would never have had a market.  How things change.  Now it's all about "the look", whatever that is when it's at home!!

Tam and I both loved the painted box at the top.  The decoupage box below it has given me an idea, as I recently found some Victorian decoupage pieces when turning out an attic box.  I could put them to good use.  Just need to see if I have a suitable box (sure I have, as Keith kept such things).

A fun cat . . .

Rather like the pony too.

What a lovely doll's house.  

Then we needed to exercise Rosie, before she went back in the car.  So out of the push chair and time for a hurtle round by Hay Castle, "Chase me mummy" . . .

Today I am off to Aber to help Tam get Rosie's bedroom finished (I hope!)  One more wall left to paint and a wobbly wardrobe to fettle.

Yesterday I kept busy and made a big pan of beany mince (you couldn't say it was Chilli, as no chilli powder in it) with grated carrot and some courgette.  Filling, with rice and broccoli. Two meals, and 3 in the freezer.  I made a Spicy Dorset Apple Cake too.  That will go with me today.  I also sorted out the missing centre for the quilt I bought, and that is a work in progress.  I will need to buy some batting for it now and ask Alex if she will quilt it on her long-arm quilter. 

Enjoy your weekend.

R.I.P. Little Whale

 Yesterday was a sad day here, as L. Whale suddenly became very ill.  He had been very fussy about eating for about 3 weeks, not eating any biscuits. Yesterday morning though he suddenly ate his AND Alfie's, so I thought oh good, he's back to normal.  When we got back from a couple of hours in Hay-on-Wye, we found L. Whale's breathing was very laboured and so we took him straight down to the vet.  They put him on Oxygen and I left him to have an X-ray.  The results were not good.  His heart beat was very rapid and his lungs surrounded with fluid - congestive heart failure.  There was only one decision to take.  Fortunately Tam was here - he was her special cat - and we both went down to give him such love as he passed from this world.  He was 16.  

It is hard to remember a time without him.  He was one of three kittens born to a stray, Miffy we called her, who had lost an eye in an accident before we got her.  Danny named him Jarvis, but he was always a well built cat and soon became known as Little Whale.  His black and white brother, Tippy, was sadly poisoned by a Gamekeeper on the next property over.  He and Alfie would hunt rabbits, and sometimes L. Whale would be gone for a fortnight, feeding himself.  Tam reminded me of how they used to play hide and seek together :)  

They carried on hunting rabbits here, until the rabbits got Myxi, and then they gave it up as a bad job.

He leaves a gaping hole.  With his claw operations this year he has had lots of extra love and cuddles, and slept close to me on my bed every night.  He liked to sit out on the little lawn where I have my patio set, soaking up the sunshine, brother Alfie nearby.  Rosie has been putting her arms gently round him, and kissing his head, and telling him how much she loves him, bless her.

I am not fit to be seen, as crying has made my eyes so puffy I can barely see, and a cold flannel isn't helping much.  I will need to keep busy today.  I have had to cancel the wet felting I was going to go to tomorrow, and won't go to the History society talk tonight either.  

Quietly unpicking

 Well, she was a thorough seamstress, the lady who made this quilt.  The sewing machine set on a tiny tight stitch which is a devil to unpick AND then a zigzag stitch outside of that to stop fraying.  Sigh.  Unpicking the single row of squares is going to take me a while, but will be worth it.  As you can see, I had a little helper . . .

I have been sat here this past half an hour, listening to an excellent podcast about St Kilda, from the diaries of a Vicar's wife (though there is another name for them up in Scotland).  She was the schoolteacher.  Very interesting.  I was surprised at the number of tourist visitors they had back in 1906.  The women folk seemed to do ALL the heavy work, in fact pretty well ALL the work whilst their menfolk fished, caught birds (esp. Gannets) and would you believe, made pretty dresses for their wives, whilst sat on the doorstep (bet they had Piles!)   The women folk didn't sew but  spun wool and knitted stockings which they sold to the tourists.  It is a place I have always wanted to visit, after learning about it on my degree course.  I think the midges are something fearful though!

I am babysitting today whilst Tam and Jon have a day out in Hereford (it's his birthday) and so Rosie and I will have fun here.  I am making the most of my quiet start by unpicking the row on the quilt.

When she has her nap I will clean up the tea caddy.  I'm looking forward to that. I shall enjoy this cooler weather before the next heatwave arrives . . .

A lovely afternoon out

 Well, I went to the auction, with my little list, but only bought one thing from it.  I had 2nd thoughts on the display cabinet as so much glass to potentially break, and difficult for me to manouvre on my own.  It went cheaply enough too, but I made the right decision.

Wasn't this a fabulous piece of Anglo-Indian furniture - I nearly wrote art, because the carving on it was so fine.  The table I quite wanted was the piece to the left, but all the examples I saw on line had an extra tray on the top, which was missing on this piece.  It was quite heavy and difficult for me to shift on my own and I would have had to wait another hour or so, and I decided against it.  In fact, I bought nothing that I had marked down when viewing the auction on line!

These were Yoruba/Eshu helmets.  Part of our Colonial past.  Keith would have bought them in a flash, bless him!  I was quite tempted but again, 200 lots later at the end of the sale and I couldn't be bothered to wait that long, especially when I had no idea of the real value.  That sort of thing can really linger too, as so specialist.

At the front was a Sundanese/Ethiopian shield from around the very late Victorian period.

So, what DID I buy?

A very dust-clad mahogany Regency sarcophagus shape tea caddy, which still had its original key (must make it a tassle) and lids for the two tea compartments inside.  It needs some gentle beeswax polishing after I have cleaned it up with meths and 0000 grade fine wire wool.

It looked so much better after just a wipe down with a damp rag.

I hadn't seen these listed online, but decided I would have a go at buying them and they came my way.  As you can see, a wonky leg on one needs sorting and the missing backsplat on the other needs replacing.  Will see if I can get Paul (who is the master carpenter who did some work for Keith) to make me one up.  Sadly, they look to have been in the dipping tank, which does wood no good whatsoever so much feeding and polishing will be needed.  I need to go in Keith's workshop in search of Danish Oil or Boiled Linseed Oil.

Then, two unfinished quilts which of course had to come my way.  This will need a couple of borders on it to make it single bed size.  Looks like she may have intended it as a lap throw originally, but love the design.

Hah - this will take a little more fettling!  Of course, I don't have any of the prints she has used to will have to improvise :)  I'll lay it on my bed today and see what prints I have in my stash which I could use, though I don't buy much in pale pink as a rule.  More work than I foresaw as I have NO pinks that match.  I am going to unpick the top edge, take out a row of blocks and use those for the centre, and then put the border back on.  No-one should notice.  A rainy day job or perhaps when I am "resting" this afternoon!!

So, all in all, a lovely afternoon out.  It's always a beautiful drive there and back through varying countryside - fields and woods as you go over the county border, and then wilder hills on the Welsh side.  Lots of Dog Roses blooming, and Foxgloves heralding the start of summer, and gardens full of beautiful plantings, roses especially.  I listened to The Three Ravens on the way there, but it went from the end of Merlin to the Langs Red Fairy Book which wasn't to my taste, so it was Dan Snow on the way home, a brilliant epic of Harald Hadrada, who I hadn't realized travelled and fought over half the known world including battles in Sicily, and he lived for varying periods in Constantinople and Byzantium and Kiev.  Mention of the Varangian Guard and daring exploits.  How I missed not having Keith here to discuss this with as he was so well read and would have been able to discuss this with me at length, bless him.

So, to sum up yesterday, what did I buy?  WORK!!!

Channeling Keith's tribal vibes today!

 I am off to auction in a while.  Primarily to check out a glass front display cabinet which might do for my Unit display.  IF it is light enough for me to shift, and if it goes at the right price.  Unfortunately there are a lot of Oriental and some tribal items.  Keith loved tribal items as he always hoped he would get something rare and make a killing.  Sadly, the things he bought weren't rare and desirable, and I had trouble selling them!  However, there's me taking Lens photos and checking them out all the same :)

Lulu yesterday evening - checking out that the two screaming monsters had left!!

I had a lovely day with all the family here yesterday, BOTH my granddaughters, as Danny bought "I", and it was noisy :)  They got on well together.  They had Rosie's little tent and tunnel out in the living room and had a great time together.

Flying Rosie.

Chocolate Blackberry Brownies.  The Blackberries were commercial ones from a pack, and huge, so I popped them in the batter once it was in the dish.  I made a good Lemon Drizzle cake too.  They all went home with chunks of both (bar Gabs, who is still on her diet.)

Well, I started yesterday off absolutely wiped out - my legs did NOT want to walk anywhere.  I forced myself to bake the CBB's and then the Lemon Drizzle Cake, and then slept for 2 HOURS on the sofa.  I was having another nap later when Danny and little "I" arrived and woke me up!  Having my family here made all the world of difference though and I had more energy later on.

Right, time to put my loaf in the oven - it's been mixing and proving in the breadmaker for the last 3 hours.

My Body Clock is haywire

 I was shattered yesterday, I must confess.  I forgot to take my water and had to rely on a couple of cans so I think I got a bit dehydrated.  I packed up quickly at 4, but by the time I had gone out to the car a few times with light things (the porters do the heavier ones) up and down the stairs, my body was telling me rest!  I felt sorry for my upstairs friend J, who had the bug I had after NZ, and she was in week 3 with a bit of a temperature, cough and cold part still there, and should have been home in bed yesterday, bless her.

Well, I sold a few old friends yesterday and boy, was I glad to get rid of the spikey grape dishes (Victorian I think) yesterday.  I used to trot those out at the old Carmarthen Fleamarket 10 years ago!  They are difficult to pack.  I sold a Libation cup which was of the same era too.  My lovely friend D in Dorset fell in love with the beautiful Georgian salt box, which I found in the grain ark Keith made for me.  I'd forgotten all about it. Something we had in our old house. Even Mr Pugh (Antiques guru) had a look at it first thing.  Had D not bought it then my Best Customers would have as they collect quality antiques for their home.  They bought a little stool from me though.

Talking of stools, one of my dealer friends said the pudding basin stool was stunning (and clearly wished she had found it!).  Then later a somewhat ignorant woman said "Oh my dad bought back one just like that from Africa"  - clearly implying mine was from there too.  I told her it was Welsh but she knew she was right!  What a shame when someone has no knowledge of antiques but still thinks they are expert!  Same with the bronze Rowlocks I was selling.  A woman picked them up and loudly said, "These are galvanized" . . .  I nearly said, I think you need specs . . .

Around the Fair now:

Now that little fairy is cast iron and her face seen better days as it's rusted away.  I know I saw my friend Les selling this one I am pretty sure, but not painted, back in the days when Mr Pugh ran Carm. Fleamarket (10 yrs or so back).  I can't remember if we bought it and sold it on or whether he was just trying to persuade me to buy it.  Anyway, someone has done a good job on painting it up and it will sell on again.

This stallholder had also bought the swan taxidermy I took a photo of at Malvern.  Another not-easy-to-pack thing!

Hand-quilted Welsh quilt.

Lovely old Log Cabin quilt on this stall.  Wish I'd found that one!

Beth always goes to a lot of trouble to dress her stall.  Look at these lovely Foxgloves.

A good selection on this stall.

Up on the stage, Beth's stand.  Wish I'd found this quilt too.

I loved these little Moroccan ink holders, on another friend's stand.

I had a good day, but got home bone weary.  I bought a cheat's tea in Co-op - a Welsh brand Butter Curry (my guts can't face their Firey Dragon one these days).  I barely made 8.30 before I had to fall into bed, and took the hotty botty up with me as I was feeling chilled.  A bomb going off wouldn't have woken me for the first few hours.  I have to unpack the car today (leaving heavier things, one box especially, for Gabby or Danny to help me with).  I have to do some baking too, as all my family will be here for the afternoon.  However, since I was awake for 4.30 and up at 5 a.m. as couldn't sleep again, I shall probably need a sofa nap at some point this morning.

It is only 11 deg here outside (and 16 inside).  I have put the central heating on for an hour now.  In JUNE!  It isn't 6 a.m. yet, in my defence.

Now I have a break for a month before my next Fair here, and the next Malvern isn't till 21st June, so I have time to re-establish my body clock.

I need to get in the greenhouse today to pot on tomatoes, and other well-grown seedlings.  Rosie will be in there, devouring my strawberry crop, bless her.  

Enjoy your Sunday.

Back again - I've just slept deeply for 2 hours on the sofa.  I forgot to mention THE podcast of the week which I listened to in the car yesterday.  From The Three Ravens (which I really recommend if you like folklore/history), it was Magus, NO. 11 - Merlin.  W.O.W.  The history of the Merlin wizard figure from the year dot, and absolutely enthralling, although at times I was yelling at them and saying what about this link when they were talking about the Triple Death (the triple deaths linked to the Celtic Gods Teutates, Esus and Taranus - think Bog Bodies here, as this was often used for them) and that the battle in Carlisle with the king of Strathclyde (mention it was the Strathclyde British, a kingdom which stretched right down and included North Wales) etc.  They took it back to the legendary Irish God The Dagda who was the chief god of the Tuathe De Dannan and owned a cauldron which never emptied (shades of the Gundestrop Cauldron which has itself, a symbol of a man being held over/put into a cauldron and being reborn, which then makes you think (especially as there were other pagan/Christian crossovers) whether Christ rising from the dead was linked by the Christians to this being reborn myth.  This was via the "Lord of Ecstacy", a deific entity which has links with mythologies worldwide.   I need to finish listening to it today, and then listen to it again and try and sort out esoteric links to the wild man of the woods (Lailoken in Scotland and Northern Britain) and Merlin's "brothers"!!  Hah - and then Disney got hold of him!!!