First proper rain in weeks and Ethical Shopping

 I am VERY glad to see it, though it's knocked all ideas of an afternoon walk on the head as it's really chucking it down.  A shame as my gardener was here today, and he spent the morning strimming the orchard and top of the bank, which he got done before the rain really set in.  The grasses in the orchard were waist high in places!  The lawn will have to wait.  I reckon the garden is sucking it up like a drowning man gasping for air.  One surprise was to find that I have Ox Eye Daisies coming up from the wildflower mix I sowed about 3 years back.  I was SO pleased to see them.  My gardener (doesn't that sound posh!) knows to leave any wild flowers he sees about the place and gave the lawn a really tentative and ragged cut last time as he had to avoid any Violets he saw in bloom in the grass.

Bathsheba, one of my David Austin "Thomas Hardy" roses.  I may try and pick some blooms before the rain ruins them.

Anyway, I have a beef casserole stewing in the oven.  Thought it was just the weather for that, and I'm about to go up and change the duvet cover and put the duvet back on the bed as I was a little chilly around 4 a.m. this morning with just a sheet and the thin hexagon patchwork quilt.  I was glad of cat bed-warmers.

American Pillar, a rambler which is now growing up into the branches of the beech tree above it.

I am not normally an ethical shopper, but having discovered that Brew Dog, who sell the Hazy Jane IPA I particularly like, were embroiled in buying up huge tracts of Scottish farmland for carbon offset - then losing just about every tree they planted in last years' draught.  You CANNOT lessen the damage you continue to do to the planet by planting trees, just for a "clear conscience".  You need to STOP what you are doing that ruins the planet.  Then Tam said, well Nestle are much much worse, and now I've read up on them a bit, believe me I shall never buy a Nestle product again.  Sending their representatives into hospitals in Africa and other third world countries, pretending to be nursing staff and advising mothers NOT to breastfeed but to use their formula milk instead, and then stealing their water supplies and selling it back as bottled water which they cannot afford to buy.  Can you imagine the scale of the infanticide that has caused from starvation and unhygenic water sources?  How do they sleep at night?  So, sorry Munchies, you are my favourite choccies but I won't be buying you any more, or any other product I see Nestle on the wrapping of.

Rhapsody in Blue, which Tam bought for me.

I know that D in Dorset will be SO pleased to see steady rain and grey skies, as like me, she cannot cope with heatwaves.  

I now have my new business cards and very smart they look.  `Not looking forward to having to do accounts again, figures not being my strong point, but hey-ho, it's on a very small scale. 

No point in flogging a dead horse

 

The Lark Ascending, my favourite rose I think, greeted me in full bloom when I got back from the Fair today.  

I had a "lie in" this morning - woke just before my alarm, at 5.20, so got up.  I was at the Fair about 7.45.  Doors to be opened at 8 a.m.  Punters let in at 9.  Well, they weren't exactly straining at the leash!  Coming through in occasional ones or twos for a couple of hours.  No-one was selling anything much, and I thought I would have no sales at all but late morning a lovely lady came to my stall and spent £40.  That paid for fuel - I found it cheaper in Carmarthen, 173.9 at one garage, so topped up (diesel).

Malvern Hills, which is one I got Danny to buy me for my birthday a couple of years ago.

I began to pack away the things no-one had looked at at all, such as the teddy chair and the quilts.  Then decided I may as well have an early finish and was all packed and driving away by just after one. It's not like when we lived just 7 miles or so away.  55 miles to home and I was glad to get back. I met some old friends, chatted with other dealers I know, had some nice chats with people interested in my stock, though they didn't buy.  That's OK.  At least they were interested.   I shan't bother with this Fair again.  They don't advertise it - not even a sign up on the A40 to say Antique Fair on this weekend!  Crazy.  Apparently the Council wants hundreds of pounds for them to do that.  The little Saturday Fair I do gets advertised as far afield as Malvern and Fishguard.  Brita works very hard to make it a success.  The next one is next Saturday, so I shall have to repack my boxes as they were a little haphazardly packed today, and I want all the kitchenalia in one box - it's spread over two at the moment.

Scarborough Fair, a gift in memory of Keith, from my friend A in the New Forest.  It's beautiful.

Tomorrow I am going to look at a child's chair in Llandod. I will have a quiet day and perhaps finally manage to do the layout for the embroidery.  I got a perfect antique French linen piece of fabric for it at Malvern.

I've watched my favourite Youtube vlogger (influencer?!!) Rewilding Jude.  He is very inspiring, though I don't think woodwork will ever be my metier.  His vegetable plot is amazing.

Now I shall go and watch another episode of Death Valley (not as dire as it sounds, and set in Wales - the opening picture is Llandeilo.  It stars Timothy Spall and I reall enjoy it.

Gypsy Boy, covered in blooms.

Podcasts listened to today, a long one about Caernarfonshire on Three Ravens (half way through that).  A couple of Dan Snow podcasts about The Peasants Revolt and Whaling.

Up at Bat O'Clock

 I woke at 3.  Tried to nod off again for an hour as my alarm was set for 4, but gave up at 3.40 and got up.  There was a lovely sunrise from my (dirty!) bathroom window.  The bats were just heading home to bed.

I did all my chores (watering plants included) and set off at 4.50 for Carmarthen, getting there at 6.10.  Gates opened at 7, so I was early in the queue.  Not that I need have worried about not getting close to the unloading door I needed, as there were not the melee of cars jostling for parking places that I remembered pre-Covid, which is when Keith and I used to sell here regularly.  The stalls were quite spread out too.  Whilst there were old friends, there were new faces too. Virtually no-one had an outside stall - perhaps 7 or 8 people.  Only two were left when I went home.

Kitchenalia etc.

I bought the chair home, as no interest in it, and Laurie the Chair Man had a much better selection on his stand.

Laura Ashley quilt, unfinished mid-1970's quilt and two single patchwork bedthrows.

The last few items from Keith's personal collection - a 1793 Tower Stamped Musket, a Borneo head-hunter's sword, and a Khyber Pass sword.  The Nepalese drinking horn is something I bought him from Malvern when he couldn't get there himself.  

The footfall was pretty poor.  I have covered my costs, but not made a huge amount on top.  Respectable I would say.  Yet back in the day, sometimes Keith and I would barely break even, but I was selling totally different things then.  One chap opposite me had a double table of the cheaper crappier childrens' sweets and I think only sold one thing all day!  WHY, when it is called an Antiques Weekend, did he think he would do well?  Scarcely any children to be seen so totally the wrong demographic.

The chap next to him had nothing but modern reproduction Chinese china and don't think he sold much/anything either, and packed up to leave instead of staying a 2nd day.  Another friend of mine with jewellery wasn't bothering with tomorrow either.  The problem is, it isn't advertised.   The showground folk just want the traders' money and don't want to do anything for it.  

 This lady specialized in Poole pottery.  We had a little chat as I said I used to live close to Poole.

Right, I am going to sit down with my latest copy of Country Living which was waiting for me when I got home today.  Thank you so much D, for the subscription.

The washing up can wait until Monday . . .

Oak Apple Day

 I read every day - a novel, articles about history, archaeology, folk lore - anything that interests me.  I plan to end each day knowing a little more.  My brain needs stimulation.  For example, today is Oak Apple Day.  It was once celebrated in Southampton by the working men of the town putting a sprig of oak leaves in their cap,or pinned to their clothing and put bigger pieces on the door knockers of the wealthy houses, who took them in to display inside.  After breakfast these men would knock on the doors of the wealthy houses, expecting (demanding!) beer and if this was not forthcoming, they would shout "Shig-shag, penny a rag, Bang his head in Cromwell's bag, All up in a bundle."  Since Cromwell died in 1658, this was a habit of some antiquity.

I have only heard of the Great Wishford Oak Apple Day (Wiltshire), where the villages would wear a sprig of oak leaves and use the expression "Grovely, Grovely, Grovely and all is Grovely."  This dated back to 1603 when the Charter of the Forest Court of Govely permitted villagers to collect dead wood all the year round and on Oak Apple Day, they could cut green branches, and were allowed to pasture their cattle and pannage their pigs in the forest, and gather nuts and acorns (sounds similar to rights in the New Forest in Hampshire.)  In Great Wishford the young people marched through the village, making as much noise as possible, and the villagers went to Grovely to take green boughs as was their right.  There were competitions with prizes for the branches with the greatest number of oak apples and also for the best decorated house.  A huge oak bough was bought back by the stoutest men and decorated with ribbons, then hauled up atop the church to bless marriages that year.  (That sounds like an ancient ritual indeed, stemming from perhaps a pagan practice of walking beneath a decorated bough, before Christianity reached our shores.)  

This morning four women with banners would have gone to Salisbury Cathedral, where they performed two dances by the West Door and the procession led to the high altar by the Dean and Chapter.  They read out the relevent part of the Charter and villagers shouted out Grovely, Grovely, Grovely and all is Grovely.  Everyone then goes back to Great Wishford for a big lunch, tradiationally in a field, but perhaps there is a marquee, just in case the weather's wet.

All this taken, almost verbatum (only just woken up from sleeping for two hours on the sofa) from the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre page.

I have just weeded some planters out front and finally planted the Cosmos (Seashell mixed) I grew from seed in the greenhouse.  They are very well grown and will hopefully survive the slugs.

I hope I have everything I need in the car now - will be far too much to display probably, but you never know, I may have a bonanza day and only bring half of it home.  Mind you, going on what this Fleamarket used to be like (though I was selling different stuff then), I may bring most of it home!  

I don't do HOT

 Cooler today, "only" 23 deg apparently, but the humidity always hits me.  I am sanding down the base of the stool I bought on Monday, and which I put some wood filler into - it feels like I'm running a marathon, pulling a Rhino!

I was thinking earlier, of one year when we took Keith's mum down to stay with some friends of hers in Torquay.  Tam was only a year or so old and it was SO hot.  Yet Keith's mum had thick tights on, and several layers including a cardigan.  She wouldn't let us open the windows, even a crack, because she knew for a fact that if there was air coming in and it touched your face or neck, you would get Bell's Palsy.  Keith's dad had had it after being hot and driving with the window open, so obviously that should be avoided at all costs.  Coincidence I would have thought, not cause and effect.   Well, after about ten minutes  with Tam upset because she was so hot and it was airless in the car, I'd had enough and told Keith to open the windows before we all suffocated.  That was it, Grandma C immediately pulled her cardigan over her head.  Thinking back, that's just what she did when we drove across the suspension bridge over the river into Wales, as she couldn't bear to see the river below her, certain the bridge would collapse or Keith would drive through the barrier into the river!  For an intelligent woman, she had a remarkable lack of common sense.  

One of the roses that came with the property, and which I took out of a planter and put in the soil.  THEN it really grew.

I went out for some cold meat and salad as I can't face cooking in this weather.  I needed rolls for my lunches at the weekend too.  

Right (which is what us Brits ALWAYS say), this won't butter any bread, time to do more rubbing down/choosing what stock to take at the weekend and pack it in the car.

Update: Car pretty well packed.  It was difficult to do as I had to work out what to take, with the lack of space I will have there, plus I needed room for the big Windsor chair and the teddy chair.  I researched the two big knives I found the other day.  One had been marked as an Iraqi sword, 1800.  Well, Keith knew and I soon found out that it was a Khyber Pass sword, c. 1850.  Some history in that one.  Well, so has the other as it's a big Borneo head-hunter's knife.  Used with intent even up to the time Keith was there with the Army in the 60's - young men still had to kill an enemy and present the head, in order to marry!

I will go back to rubbing down the stool tomorrow.  No rush with it.

Is it worth writing a post?

 If Blogger carries on like this, not bothering to notify new posts, I am beginning to wonder if I should take a break from blogging. . .  Some posts take a while to write - especially if I am researching something to share.  Ah well, have a few Malvern photos and some of the garden and we will see where this one ends up.

My gorgeous wee girl last night.  SUCH a long day (and SUCH a hot one at that).  They had to go to Cardiff for her treatment, and although the appointment was 12.30, it was delayed as they were running late.  Tam was worried because it was so hot and Rosie was just meant to have little sips of water now and again and no food past 7 a.m.  In the end she had to have both knees injected with steroids as the other knee showed signs of inflammation.  Tam said she soon bounced back after her anaethstetic and was hungry and thirsty.  They had to wait around for several sets of Obs to be done, before they were finally released at about 6.20 p.m. and were late back, needless to say.  It was so good to get her home, and to our amazement she was still trotting round, one leg stiff still of course, as if nothing had happened.  She has exercises to do and will be assessed to see if she needs physio when they have their follow-up appointment.

Everyone needs a stuffed swan in their lives!

As you can see, sometimes it is hard to find something of merit along these stalls!

Yellow flag irises which have taken over half the pond.  No-one has offered to wade in and start hoiking them out yet!

I spent yesterday keeping busy.  I did running repairs to the stool, where worm had taken a chunk out around a leg.  I had a good teacher in Keith and remembered how he used sawdust and wood filler to fill holes like this.  I waxed another little bench stool I bought at Builth, and was delighted to have found an early Georgian salt box in the grain ark, but it needed the wire hinges glueing back in place (the staple-shaped bits which went into the back to hold the lid.)  A dab of superglue on the metal ends sorted that and it is back in stock.  Hasn't seen the light of selling day for many years.  I listened to a great Dan Snow podcast about the Boleyn family (apparently pronounced Bowlin, with the emphasis on the w sound) and he had the renowned Philippa Gregory telling us about them, and the virtually forgotten Jane Boleyn who married in (to Ann's brother George) was perhaps the most successful of them all though not an ideal relative to have!

I then realized that the two day fair at Carmarthen, which I told my friend Pam I couldn't do because it clashed with Malvern, was this coming weekend and so DIDN'T clash with Malvern.  I coughed up £100 for that and am booked in.  I need to be up at 4 a.m. on Saturday morning though, as it's an hour and a half away and kicks off at 9 a.m. and I need to be in the queue at 6.30 to get reasonably near the doors to unload (you can't drive in).  So I will spend part of today sorting out what is to go and getting it nearer the door!  

Testing, Testing

 Have my last two posts come up?  I am wondering if Blogger is having a melt down, or am I just too boring???

At Clyro yesterday.