Isn't this Cucumber Jug fun?! Just one of the things we saw at Builth Antiques Fair & Fleamarket today. It's held twice a year and we always look forward to going and looking round. It isn't a good fair for buying stock at - most of the traders there know their onions and not many bargains to be had, but I got a pretty glass jug which is in the Unit already, and K got a couple of blingy knives, which are also already offered for sale at the Unit.
I clocked up nearly 14,000 steps walking round so that burned enough calories up for me to be tempted by a Llanfaes Dairy (Italian style) icecream at the end - mine was Raspberry Pavlova, with a nice sharp raspberry taste, and K had chocolate. I have since walked up the hill and beyond, taking photos, and am now on 19,000 steps, so will walk up the hill a bit again to round it up to 20,000.
As usual we saw lots of friends, either stalled out there or else - like us - walking round and seeing if there was anything worth buying. It's always interesting to see what other folk are selling and what prices they hope to achieve!
We found our favourite stall was one from North Devon who sold treen, but WHAT treen, and some really unusual and rare things, as well as some really nice period chairs and small pieces of furniture. We could have spent a fortune with him, and can confess that my Christmas present for 2017 has already been sorted! - a really unusual costrel (I collect them). This has now freed up three lesser (but still nice) costrels from my current collection which will go into stock, and I have fewer but better pieces on display at home.
I'll leave you with a funny moment from today. K was on one side of a friend's stand and I on the other - it was narrow enough that we could have touched hands. I saw something I wanted to draw his attention to and without looking, as I knew he was behind me, I put my hand out and tapped him on the bottom. There was no response, so I turned round and found K had moved and it was a stranger's btm I had been patting!!! To make matters worse, there was a giggling lady stood outside the stand, and I asked her - "Oh dear, was that your husband?" Needless to say, it was!!!
I am having great trouble loading photos tonight, so will TRY to load one more whilst I am in the bath in a moment (yes, they take THAT long to load).
A lovely photo to end with - what is THIS for?!
Had to look up Costrel.
ReplyDeleteSmiled at your story "whoops wrong person!" I was standing near Col and children watching a glass blowing display at a museum somewhere. He must have moved with out me noticing and I found myself leaning up in a much too friendly way against a stranger!
Mystery object.......some sort of trap? No idea really.
Cucumber vase .......weird
Sue - glad I'm not the only one with an awkward moment! I will come clean on the mystery object when - hopefully - there are a few more comments.
DeleteFabulous cucumber vase and now I will look online to find out what a treen is and a costrel. That is a cute story about you tapping the stranger's posterior.
ReplyDeleteTerra - a costrel is a coopered wooden cask (or occasionally earthenware, like the Verwood pottery ones) taken out to the fields with beer or cider in, up until the 1920s or 30s. It was put in the shade of the hedgebottom and agricultural labourers would slake their thirst through the day. Treen is small decorative pieces made of wood - including things like butter stamps, gingerbread or cookie moulds, spoons, boxes, shoes, all sorts.
DeleteLove the cucumber jug and that is a hilarious story about the bottom patting :) No idea about the mystery object! ps Just loving the Ruth Galloway books :)
ReplyDeleteYou and I have good taste in books! I LOVE cucumber - can easily eat a whole one at a sitting! That Cucumber Jug "spoke" to me!!
DeleteWell it looks like a delicately balanced snap trap, but there is nothing to kill with, unless it is behind!
ReplyDeleteAhah - just where you are wrong Thelma, as the net grill on the front is the trap part - it is lifted up over the bait and set by the rat (in this case) taking the bait, and it is then WELL caught (squashed flat I should think, it was a heck of a spring on it and the dealer nearly had his fingers taken off . . .
DeleteCuriosity killed the cat and is working away at me. I shall now become a stalker till you spill the beans. The cucumber vase reminds me of my Granny's eclectic collection.
ReplyDeletePam, as above, it is a very old fashioned hand made rat trap. I shall put it up on the top of my post tomorrow in case you miss this comment.
DeleteOh I came back to check, I've seen many a rat trap in my childhood but they were all of the cage variety.
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