Sunday 17 May 2015

Hard work never killed anyone . . .



That's how the saying goes.  Sometimes recently I have wondered as to its truth!  I seem to be on a perpetual treadmill - a positive one, for all that, but however hard I work there still seems to be a long  long list of "fings to do".  The garden of course is one, as that IS my preserve and responsibility.  My husband is not a great one for vegetables and can't understand why I put myself through the wringer each year to grow by own french beans, runner beans, spring onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, courgettes etc, so he doesn't understand how different they taste, how much fresher they are and how pure they are - unsullied by sprays which no living being should ingest.

Anyway, that's by the by, as gardening is relaxing when I have time to shoehorn it into my busy week.  Housework, also needing to be tackled will have to wait until tomorrow, as will the painting of the stairs and curtain-making and restoring stock too.

Today was a Fleamarket day, which meant an early start (5.30 a.m.), unpacking and setting up, standing around for around 6 hours, packing up and cramming back into the car the items which didn't sell.  I meet up with old friends and customers though, and have some lovely chats, and meet new people.  There is usually the "expert" who will come round and try to tell you that so-and-so isn't really a so-and-so but is actually a wotsit, and it does that and not this, as you say it does!  There were none of those today, fortunately.

Until you have actually stood around for 6 hours though, you don't realize how tiring it is!  I don't think I could do this every day - it will take me until Wednesday to get over it I think.  When I got in I felt like I could sleep on the head of a pin : )  I do walk around too - exploring the outside stalls first thing before the public come in, on the lookout for something of interest to sell, and again, chatting to friends and acquaintances out there.  

I began packing early and managed to get away to Tesco's with just 5 minutes to spare before closing time, so grabbed a bottle of our favourite red wine which I forgot to buy yesterday.



A photo from Builth Antiques Fair and Fleamarket last year.  You never know what you will find, which is the joy of such places.

Anyway, the house looks like Steptoe's yard right now, full of stock to go to the Unit or be worked on first, or take its turn in the change-over of things to sell so that things are never static and boring.  In the back hall are two paper sacks with unwashed fleeces in them - a really soft brown fleece (Alpaca?) and a Leicester Long Wool I think which have come home with me from clearing my dear friend Annie's house.  There were many fleeces and I want to get back to my spinning.  Hence in the middle of the kitchen table, surrounded by cookery books and a couple of magazines is a Drop Spindle with some soft brown wool!  I really MUST tidy up tomorrow.






9 comments:

  1. I am a sixtyish woman who is just admitting that I have too much I want to do, let alone what needs to be done. I am not twenty anymore so am learning to lower/change my standards. Just about drove myself crazy in the process. If I had to do it all again, I would have started changing my ways in my forties. Love the rabbits - right up my alley. Love how you share snippets of your life.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello Jean, and thank you for posting. I am always wary about giving too much of my personal life away - "feelings" - as you never know who is following your comments. My OH is a very private chap and hates me blogging at all! How I agree with you about all those things you want to do, but with the death of my dear friend Annie, I have come to realize that sometimes our allotted span is shorter than we would wish and I would hate to have too many "if onlys". Hence getting back to the spinning. I will admit, standards of housekeeping have FALLEN!!!!! Until I have visitors due anyway . . .

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh so pretty I love all the bunnies.
    And I enjoy reading your little snippets of your day.
    I use to be able to do 20 things a day but now if I get one or 2 things at most done it is a good day for me.
    Being ill is a huge pain !

    cheers, parsnip

    ReplyDelete
  4. Re "I really MUST tidy up tomorrow." Some things on my 'to do' list seem to have been there for weeks--probably will still be waiting their turn weeks [surely not months!] from now. Somehow we do get out of bed each morning and continue to plug away. Why does my house never look tidy? [Rhetorical question!]

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sharon - I would surely feel right at home at your house. I cannot abide the tidied within an inch of its life type abode where you are frightened to sit down in case you squash a cushion! Here it would be a case of squashing a cat!

    parsnip - they are lovely aren't they? Glad you too enjoy my snippets.

    ReplyDelete
  6. There will always be too many things on the 'to do' list, which is why it's so important to do what you want to do and love doing. Re standing all day-it's very tiring, as part of my work I used to do career events and standing, talking and being positive and upbeat all day with everyone you meet is exhausting (but obviously rewarding).

    ReplyDelete
  7. Suzie - ah yes, you know how it feels to "entertain" customers all day long! My legs are still aching today and for two pins I would go back to bed! So far today, the Unit bits of the "to do" (which included buying more price-tags and labels as my current lot are "somewhere" in what I threw in the Junk room last night) have been done. Lunch has been eaten. Polytunnel watered and that's it. Painting and vacuuming next I think, not to mention clearing the kitchen table . . .

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lovely new header photo, BB, it's just scenic beyond anything I have here in my viewfinder. As for housekeeping chores... we do the best we can and that's what we have to give. I'm pretty sure no one died saying "WIsh I had vacuumed once more before that fall !~!" I would love your home, I just know it; kittehs rule in my world and I'd love to be surrounded by a half dozen (or eight!) of the furry little dudes and dudettes. Happy Spring, hope the legs feel better soon.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Were you at Builth Wells fleamarket? We are in need of a visit to Wales and wonder were the best fairs are - I think there was a new one at nearby Shrewsbury recently. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

    ReplyDelete