Malvern roundup

 I was so shattered yesterday, having woken so early (thanks for changing the clocks, Govt.  Just give it up as it is just a bad habit).  The car park was nearly full when I arrived - I got in two rows from the end, but fortunately on the tarmacced bit so no worries about being a stick-in-the-mud later. It just meant a long way to go when going back to the car with goodies.  Due to the weather (one assumes) there weren't as many stalls as usual and they had put everyone up towards the North Gate, parked in squares around the pathways, which made it very confusing, trying to remember when I returned from the car, which bits I'd been to. 

I didn't take the camping trolley on the first outing, as if I had to drag it across muddy grass, it is very tiring.  I went back later with it, having found we had the tarmacced paths to walk on. Even so, I avoided anything large/heavy/furniture shaped though in fact the only thing I would have liked in the furniture department was a lovely William Morris Sussex Chair - but at £595 that wasn't coming home with me! I stuck to a couple of pieces from an Indian lady's stall (she had stuff imported) - two little metal cooking pots, and a branch hollowed out and used for storage.  It had a natural curve in the wood which gave it character.  I got a little French jug of the sort which are only glazed around the top (neck) as they are buried neck-deep in the soil to keep food cool.  It had a pretty greeny glaze with cream speckles.  I got several pieces of studio pottery ceramics in blue colourways, two heavy horse cockades which someone had revamped using natural colour horse-hair.  Normally they are dyed but hey, these were cheap and appealed to me.  One plant came home with me - a large flowered Campanula.  Oh, and I found a stand selling the lovely rusty metal swallow-on-a-stick garden decorations - it was only £12.  The ones I saw before were £25, so this was a bargain and looks lovely where I have stuck it in the garden.

For Keith, I bought two illustrated auction catalogues, one for a house contents sale of a country house somewhere (£2), and the other cost me £10 as it was a doorstop of a catalogue for the Chatsworth Attic Sale. That will take him a while to get through.  They had some fabulous things in their attics, I can tell you!  Very grand.  We had fun looking at them together.  K was feeling more positive after a good night's sleep, and asked for a glass of milk, which didn't need to be thickened, and he enjoyed - some extra calories in that anyway.  He is off all breathing aids now, and had his last canula removed yesterday, so it is literally a waiting game.  First thing this morning, I phone the Council about his care package.

I didn't take any photos as I was walking round, as I was a bit down, and very tired but I did stop at my favourite viewing point on the Upton turning, and took some of the views.  I'll take some photos of what I bought later on.  I was awake early this morning (having slept the sleep of the damned last night, due to taking Magnesium two days running) so I am going to try and knock up the first of the smaller curtains for the Summerhouse.  

I was on my own last night, as D&E in Carmarthen (and little "I" with her father for Easter).  I couldn't get the tv to work though (Danny had used his Playstation to watch a video the previous night).  Then it wouldn't turn on at all, so I just sat and read my book, but was in bed at 8.45.  Changing the batteries didn't help, so think a new remote is called for - this has been dodgy about turning on for some time now.

I hope you all had an enjoyable Easter.