Tuesday 19 April 2022

Malvern

 Yesterday was the first Malvern I had been able to go to for months - the winter really doesn't encourage visits there!  No fun driving all that way in the pitch dark.  It takes an hour and 40 minutes from here.  Keith stayed at home as he was definitely not up to walking all that way - I clocked up 25,000 steps by the end of the day - that's nearly 10 miles!

I didn't buy much, didn't see any of the Carmarthen contingency, but there were a few dealers there we're friends with, not that I got time to chat to them all as some were busy with customers.  Although the car parks were soon full, it didn't seem that busy in the Fleamarket - mainly because there were so many stalls to divide people up.





Above and below - an interesting repurposing of old boxes (painted in oils, I overheard the stallholder tell someone) but at £200 a pop, I don't know how many he sold!  Nicely executed though.



A good sculpture of a bull - bet that was heavy to carry.


Behind it was this gorgeous Victorian garden seat.  I didn't dare ask the price.


At the end I took a stroll through the Avon Hall. I'd been wearing my mask most of the day, unless I was where they had put the vans a long way apart so the aisles were very wide and not very populated by customers.  Mask on to go in here though.  I got Keith some of his favourite dark chocolate coated preserved ginger in here.  I also brought him a Sothebys Arms and Armour catalogue for information.  You can never have too much knowledge.


Finally, the interesting stall we always go to.  You never know what they will have on here.  I will leave you to browse.





The mandatory view from the Upton turning as I was leaving.  Ledbury post to follow, and also the best font EVER at Castle Frome.


12 comments:

  1. Those painted boxes are beautifully done - and I can see why he is asking £200 - they would take some considerable time etc however not sure if he was in the right place to sell them, more likely to go in a gallery or on line (he may do both and fancied a change :D) You looked to have had a lovely day - the weather was kind too x

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    1. I'm inclined to agree with you. Also one or two on display look better than a dozen, to my mind. I was in a t-shirt by mid-morning. Weather was perfect but tree pollen afflicted me when I got home - having driven with the window open. Bad move!

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  2. 10 Miles! Oh my goodness. Some lovely things there. Did you buy any treasures?

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    1. It was huge, as it was a Bank Holiday. Up and down the rows and then inside the big sheds (it's a permanent showground) and after a break for breakfast, round again as they were still unpacking when I went round the first time. I got a few nice things - the beautiful old Sunderland lustreware bowl will be hard to part with!

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  3. Wonderful, I love those old boxes but at that price I think I would have just been admiring them rather than buying one too. I guess the work that goes into them is worth paying for if you have money to spend and nothing else urgent to buy.

    It's nice going to antique fairs etc and seeing friends that you used to trade alongside isn't it, and even nicer to go as a punter rather than a trader and not to have the pressure of the early start, the unpacking and the weather worrying.

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    1. I think a lot of work went into them, but the price he was asking he must have been charging £25 an hour! Great idea though. Keith was saying, why didn't I ask the price of the fern garden seat? Answer: because I thought it would be around £300 or £400, even in that state. I loved it, but needed deeper pockets! One on First Dibs sold for about two and a half thousand! It was nice to walk at my own speed and just look at the things that interested me, as with Tam and Keith in tow - progress was very very much slower! Also, as you said, none of the worry of hoping you get a good on-the-day pitch, setting up, putting away, worrying about the weather etc.

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  4. OOOOOOOOOhhhhh. Can't wait to see the font. What an amazing flea market!

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    1. It is an excellent flea. Apparently it used to be 100 times better in the days when brilliant antiques from house clearances etc turned up there. Now there's crappy house clearance and the folk who got there later were just car booters really.

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  5. Thank you for sharing the flea market with us all. My what interesting items were there.

    God bless.

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    1. It was good to be back there, and such a shame that Keith couldn't come too, as it's his favourite place to go.

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  6. What a delightful day out! I used to live in Malvern and my sister still does so. It was a pleasure to see photos of the old home town in the background. Some interesting stalls too!

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    1. Ah, you will know it all very well there. I would love to walk up on the hills, but we were always so tired after going to the Fair there (such an early start when we were in Carmarthenshire - 3.30a.m.) it never happened.

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