. . . . there is none to be found. I slept badly again last night - that blasted Alfie again - and I think I need a few nights with cats downstairs since I have the Fair to prepare for. That's what I spent much of yesterday doing. I polished the little Georgian scratch-made child's chair up, and did lots of research on the more exotic things I got at the last Fair at Malvern, but can find NOTHING like them, anywhere. So valuing will be difficult and the jury is still out on that. I polished up a little wooden inkwell from the 1920s that has a little Jack Russell type dog cut-out on the top. I never knew that the His Master's Voice dog logo dated from 1899. This little dog is very similar. I went out to the stables and emptied a half-full deep plastic storage box so I can fill it with Fair things, non-ceramic. I labelled and priced a few items. In the evening I was hand-quilting the biggest of the 3 quilts from that last auction until Pippi decided she wanted to sleep inside the portion that drooped down towards the floor and after that I couldn't pull it up to work on it for fear of disturbing her. I know . . . Mrs Softee.
I saw on Facebook this week that my favourite author, Phil Rickman, had died. He had a bad stroke a few years ago, so I wonder if it was another one that did for him. There is one last book of his in the pipeline (though not due to be issued for a year). I have pre-ordered it on Amazon for my Kindle.
I was up very late this morning, and drove to Llandod as I had decided to get the week's grocery shopping out of the way. I did a Big Shop (just over £100! EEK!), as several things I use were on offer so worth buying two or three of, and when I looked at my trolley towards the end, there was just ONE meal in it, so it was off to the meat and freezer sections (I bought mostly fish), which I managed to squeeze in my freezers by taking some remaining veggie food of E's and taking it out of the large cardboard cartons to put in small freezer bags with the cooking instructions.
Another £35 was spent topping the car up with diesel as I have 3 trips to and fro from Carmarthen next Friday to Sunday.
Now I'm going to have a lie down to find some energy for more Fair stock sorting later. I want it all decided on, boxed and labelled by the end of tomorrow.
Cats can be utterly determined to derail our sleep just when we need it most. The last few nights Thimble has been 'settling' after an hour or two of disruption while I have the light on to read.
ReplyDeleteThe preparation for sales and fairs sounds tiring, to say nothing of getting yourself and your stock back and forth. I wish you good weather and good sales!
It has to stop. The girls will settle but it's ratbag Alfie with his determinations to Go Out in the wee small hours.
ReplyDeleteWithout Keith, I dread the 3 day fairs (first day is just setting up, though some dealers pay extra to come round early). I wish I could get a Unit again as I could cope with that. Ah well, I'll enjoy it when I'm there . . .and at least I won't have to cook as the kids will be here sorting that out for me, in memory of what would have been Keith's 84th birthday on the Saturday.
Because I am tired I am very weepy today and missing him so. We had SUCH fun at Fairs, bootsale and auctions, and on our holidays exploring interesting places in Britain.
My husband enjoyed doing his first fair, a couple of weeks ago, even though he didn't make as much money as he has been making at car boots. He has definitely caught the bug though and is determined to do more next year. He bought himself another strong table at auction this morning, along with a couple of decorative table-top easels to display pictures. I can well understand how much you enjoyed working alongside Keith, as it really is fascinating and fun - as well as frustrating!
ReplyDeleteWhen you're starting up, you never know quite how to pitch your stock, what people are buying right now - as it is quite a bit different to Bootsales. What I am selling now is 100 light years away from what I used to sell when we first started doing them. At the Botanic Gardens I will be up against people whose stands look like they have been professionally curated. Ah well, they won't have what I have got anyway! So mine will look different and not all French Boutique style!
ReplyDeleteThanks for mentioning Easels - must dust mine off for next weekend. Keith was slim but VERY strong and I am well padded and NOT! and we enjoyed buying and selling together. We made a good team. At least this is just one table (and I may take another to go out in the atrium hallway beside which I'm standing (must remember an extra layer of clothing especially as in the winter they open the roof vents in the dome, because of making it winter for the exotic plantings in it.)
I found even a morning car boot sale is too much like hard work on my own.
ReplyDeleteHope you get some good nights sleep before the big Fayre
Imagine how it was for me at the last big Fair, with 7 tables of stuff, and standing guard over Keith's militaria! My position in the Dome at this Fair, with much less stock, will be easier (but COLDER, that opening door right by me). Cats all downstairs now so I'll be on my ownsome up there tonight.
ReplyDeleteOh, I think it sounds like a fun day out, that car boot, but the preparation sounds exhausting! And cats! Now that it is getting cold, Houdi is spending a great deal more time inside, which I'm perfectly happy about. But as soon as the lights go out, he paces the house yowling. He knows where we are, but it doesn't quiet him down. As soon as I get up, he heads for the door and sits there expectantly. I wonder if snow will change his mind.
ReplyDeleteAha, not a car boot but a big Antiques Fair (see separate post).
DeleteYou know the old saying about cats and closed doors - they always want to be the other side of one!
Alfie needs a stern talking to but I'm sure he knows well you are a softie and will continue to behave as he pleases. Lots of preparation for the sale, you must be tired before it even starts.
ReplyDeleteI shut myself away last night and slept well (apart from the normal nocturnal bathroom trips). I normally start the Fair exhausted. At least this one is 10 - 4. With the one on our showground it's 7 a.m. arrival till 6 p.m. on the Saturday although selling is 10 - 5. On the Sunday I get a lie in and don't have to be there until 8 and am packed up by going home time.
DeleteOh my goodness I had no idea Phil Rickman had passed, I had read all his Merrily Watkins novels, even emailed with him. How sad.
ReplyDeleteIt was on his Facebook page, and there have been lots of kind tributes to him. Wish I'd live here when he was around Builth a lot as he used to live about 5 miles from me.
DeleteWhen I look at what my online shop cost for three people when I started online shopping and what I am paying now for one person it makes my hair curl! Mind that saves money on a perm lol. I hope the weather is good for all that tooing and froing to Carmarthen this coming weekend. At least you won't be driving into the sun on either direction, so that's something. If the weather is good the drive should be pleasant, with all the Autumnal colours on the A483 and A40 {assume that's your most direct route} Is it in the National Botanic Gardens or in Carmarthen itself {memory fails often}
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