Cold as a witch's t*t

We were up at 4 a.m., and away at 5, driving into a cold wet night, with patches of low-lying cloud along the route from here to Malvern, 2 3/4 hours away.  As I thought it was going to be wet rather than cold, I took my waterproof jacket with a fleece liner, with 3 warm layers beneath it.  Warm, but not warm enough as we were walking round at the Flea for 3 1/2 hours, trying to find stock.  An hour in I could feel the cold penetrating my arms to the bone, and my hips were aching from cold after two.   I am getting old . . .

We only bought 5 things, and it was a struggle to find THOSE and although there were a couple of items I would really have liked, I wouldn't have been able to make much of a profit on either, and it would have just been tieing money up, so I left them but I shall remember the Islamic style charger - it had the wow factor for sure but at £150 . . . .  The really unusual artist's walking stick, with brushes under a cap at one end and a hinged section in the middle which revealed water-colours also stayed put since the dealer wanted £225 for it!

Anyway, this bag was the first thing I spotted and I absolutely fell in love with it (love crazy patchwork).  It is going no further than ME, and cost just £5.  I thought she was going to say £25!!

I debated long and hard over these antique childrens' slipper stirrups.  I saw them last time but she wanted too much money.  This time I got a deal as we bought something else off her.  I get to enjoy them until they (eventually) sell . . .

This is a lovely little antique Belgian vase, c.1900, with a glaze far prettier in a good light.  In fact, it has a fabulous petrol-in-a-puddle iridescence to it.  I may well be stuck with that too, but as I said, there was very little to buy and I did like this, so . . .

At least on the drive home I could appreciate the countryside as on the drive there a) I was driving and b) it was pitch black all the way and foggy when we got to Malvern.  On the way home it was a soft grey day, with the only colour in the russet bricks of houses, rusty wriggly-tin shed roofs, and a scarlet garland of Briony in the hedgerow below British Camp.  The only light in the cobweb-grey of Travellers' Joy threading the hedgerows, the gold-green powder puffs of Mistletoe in the trees and the brighter green of Butterbur leaves on the verges at Whitney-on-Wye.  We drove past the little lawn and copse where a couple Escaped to the Country and set up a couple of holiday lets.  The programme was on tv last week and I said to Keith, I could show him exactly where they had moved (not far from Malvern).

This morning I have had my annual Respiratory check (A.O.K. on that) and had my hair cut at the hairdressers' for the first time in years, AND decided to have my hair coloured. After all, think of all the money I've saved the past few years by cutting my hair at home!! I'm fed up with iron grey, and the hairdresser suggested (as I love purple) that we went with some tonal shades and suggested I look something up on line and then I will have an idea of what I like.  I've done just that, so watch this space.  It won't be boring dark brown anyway (which was my original "safe" choice!!)