Monday 2 July 2018

Groggy

I think I must have availed myself of the "tiredness bug" which has been bothering my OH for the past week.  I feel I could sleep for Wales.  I think it's probably a summer cold as I have the snuffles too and I don't think they are pollen ones.  I could do without it, but hope I will have shaken it off by Friday, when we set up for the 2 day Fair at the Botanic Gardens.

We were down at the car boot sale around 6.45 a.m. yesterday and picked up a couple of useful things for the garden - a roll of weed-supressant membrane for £2 and a roll of heavy duty black plastic - just what we needed for keeping the weed growth down on the track to the back of the house.  Turns out it is even exactly the right width!  That was £8.

I found a couple of pieces for the Antiques Fair next weekend too:


Isn't this gorgeous?  Antique, probably French or German and has a maker's stamp on the bottom but the only bit I could make out clearly was "Frantz".  The little cream jug and sugar bowl fit perfectly - it's so well potted and I love the little bird motif.  Just in perfect time for Wimbledon!!  I shall put strawberries in it, and some grapes on the grape stands I bought a while back.


I couldn't resist this little black cat either - 1950s/60s, kitch, but reminds me of the latest stray to us, Whitby, who is still about and when he is of a mind, will let me stroke him, but never twice in a row!  Unfortunately Theo still wants to chase him off and now has an abscess forming on his back from a fight and a bite . . .

Here is something that never got as far as the Fair - where it would have sold straight away, I am certain:


It is the happy marriage between a lovely old turned Walnut "gypsy" base, a wrong top but which turned out the EXACT size for this mirror and mosaic top someone had made.  How lucky was that?  Anyway, son Danny was here on Saturday to help out with some heavy jobs, and really liked it, as did his mate he will be flat-sharing with soon, so they made us an offer and it will go to them.  That quite surprised me as I thought it would be going away with a bo-ho lady!!

We also managed to find a home with Danny (the flat is only partly furnished) for 4 dining chairs, two crappy coffee tables, and he also spoke up for the spare double bed we had been looking for a mattress for (sigh!).  I have found him all sorts of kitchen stuff very cheaply at car boot sales recently, so he should be quite well equipped by the time he moves in.


A rather blurry photo of Danny cutting Blackcurrant wands for me to strig in the cool of the kitchen.


One last photo of my rambler The Garland, one of the first roses planted here, and an absolute picture every summer.

Now I will away.  Try not to melt (another hot one, though we did have a couple of rainy intervals yesterday evening, but nothing like the "amber alert" warning we were given!

12 comments:

  1. I've forgotten what rain looks like!
    Hope you shake off that summer cold ASAP.
    LOVE the strawberries and cream dish.

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    1. Feeling better today I'm glad to say. I thought you might like that dish. It is just SO pretty.

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  2. according to the Times we might see thunder up here in the Dales on Thursday - it can't come soon enough for me as manyof my plants are looking seriously like dying on me.

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    1. Our thunderstorms stayed in France and my friend over there reported the torrential rain we should have had! I hope you can revive your plants - we are taking all the washing up water outside to go on ours too.

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  3. That is a pretty little dish, quite envious. Well lets hope that rain rolls over from the Dales into our part of Yorkshire, even the thyme is looking ill!

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    1. At our local car boot sale there are several house clearance chappies, and also some fleamarket dealers, so there is normally something to thrash out a price over. I am watering round twice a day, but the outside supply comes from the farm next door and I have no compunction at using my share - he used to take OURS back in the day!

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  4. We had some rain yesterday, just not enough. I will soon have arms like Popeye from carrying watering cans around. Thank goodness for my water butts.

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    1. Be glad you're not Dawn!! All those animals AND the veg. plots.

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  5. You have some lovely things there - good luck with the sale. The rose is superb.

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    1. Thanks Jill. We are looking forward to it. Such a wonderful setting in the big glasshouse dome at the Botanic Gardens. There will be photos . . .

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  6. The bits of china are lovely--a joy to the eyes. I would likely have fallen for the black cat--
    I am envious of your rambler rose--it appears to be luxurious without having become 'thugish.' My one rambler tries to take over the entire back fence and the ground in front of it!

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    1. It is a very well-behaved rambler I have to say, and keeps within bounds. Others (like Kiftsgate (now covering a tree entirely!) and the Paul's Himalayan Musk - one side of the garden to the other - have huge growth areas - up to 50 feet.

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