Short Malvern report

 . . .tired out, didn't spend too much.  I bought a couple of unusual things.  Photos of those tomorrow.

gz - please post your comment again because it got zapped by mistake when I was going down a long line of really irritating spam.

This chap used to have his stand inside the barns, but in the past year or so has been outside.  I think you have to guarantee standing for 10 months out of 12 to keep your indoor pitch, and he couldn't manage that. As always, some interesting sign painting of his, and I just ADORE those painted windows.  It did occur to me that I could do the same here, perhaps on the old windows of the permanently locked Georgian door which was the old entrance into the house.  Excepting, of course, you have to paint on the back of the glass.  It's an outside door . . . but hey ho, I may get the acrylic paints out and have a play around on some glass.  My dad used to buy up - very cheaply from auction - old and undesirable religious prints and then paint his copies of Impressionist paintings on them . . .

I liked those iron and brass cannisters on the Egg Packing station but the chap was busy with a customer when I was there and I knew they'd be beyond what I would want to spend.

The corner stand which goes buying in France, as so many folk seem to do these days.

A bevy of cats and old curly photos.

The large gingham print quilt had a big hole in it.

The pale pink quilt was hand quilted.

The stand which specialized in toys also had a couple of samplers on it this time. (Just looked this up on line and it sold for £160 at auction here in Wales).

This one was in very poor condition, very faded and the black thread used had run - perhaps it had been stored somewhere damp.  Just looked closer, and can see it is dated 1608!!! Or perhaps the it is 1808 and the top of the 8 has faded?  It does look like the design is from 1608 though.  Wow.  

The typical sort of random stuff stall . . . 

I have to say, I was away early as it wasn't very big this time (outside) and there were quite a few stalls I was able to trot past with just a cursory glance.  By the end of the sheds, my crapometer had had enough and I was glad to get away.

I had intended to visit Great Malvern Priory, but I was tired by then, hadn't put the route on my phone as I'd been listening to the Forest all the way there (sounds a feeble reason, but I know what I mean) and only when I got home did I realize the turning was opposite the one for Colwall, so I will know next time. Then I got lost in the Malvern hinterland and was glad to find the turning for the Ledbury road again.

I am sat here in the dimpsey now, intending to go through to the living room and cover myself in a thick blanket and watch some more Youtube history and archaeology. Oh, or Antiques Roadshow.

 Here is a vintage mouse I couldn't resist.  She's the summer version of my Christmas meeces!

Malvern Fleamarket - lots of quilts, and quick update

 Just a few photos from Malvern.  Keith not well.  Waiting since 5 a.m. for ShropDoc to phone back.  D. Nurse asked for urgent visit from GP yesterday - she phoned instead and put him on extra meds, but no antibiotics, which is what I asked for - to have in hand should it become necessary to give them.

GP been and lowered dose of the new med as it's knocked him for six - made him very drowsy.  It's basically an anti-histamine, BUT it is working and he no longer sounds so bad with breathing.  No chest infection and no pneumonia.  Hopefully he's not on this long.  Thank you for all your kind comments and I will try and reply to them soon.

The view leaving Malvern - back of the Malvern Hills.

I was good and resisted temptation.  Nearly bought one of the beautiful Eryngiums (out of shot), but the thought of carrying it back to the car deterred me.

I think this little rotund pony was Italian.  Hefty price tag anyway.  Sat amongst the Bitossi pieces, he added a good look to the display.  He was £150 ish.

Wasn't this lovely?   I couldn't justify buying it (£25), so I just made do with a photo instead.

Ditto the Log Cabin blocks at £10 each . . .  I didn't ask the price of the sampler.

This was a lovely little chair, but again well into 3 figures.

A probably-Welsh practical use-what-you-have Quilt.  

This chap had pretty well all African tribal things on his stand.  There were a couple more tables out of view.

A view of the hills, with an all-sorts stall in view.

Another all-sorts stall.

Wouldn't you just like this in a corner of your living room?  NOT!

Interesting but difficult to place in a room.

Interesting things on this stall, but some are definitely Decorator's pieces rather than room settings.

More quilts.

A dramatic Log Cabin.  Interesting to see that the farm size was written in acres, rods and perches!  We still learned about them when I was at school.

What a shame she was missing a match for the red print hexagon flower.

I visited St Meilig's church at Llowes on the way home, but more of that another day.  I am still sat here waiting for the phone to ring.

Malvern Day exhaustion

 

It was Malvern Fleamarket yesterday.  I was awake at 4 a.m.and up before 5, out the door before 5.30 a.m.  I took the trolley to carry anything cumbersome in, but oh boy, dragging that across the grass was tiring.  Everything hurt today!  Not sure what you would do with the skull above (Water Buffalo I believe) but I know these sort of trophies still have a demand.

Above and below: a lovely Victorian hand-pieced crazy quilt with yards and yards of Feather stitching.  £250 if you please.

Wonkey taxidermy.

This is the stall in the Avon Hall that Keith and I have always enjoyed, so I take photos to show him what he's missed.

I asked how much the chair back left was, thinking £250 would be tops, as it has character.  They obviously thought it counted as a primitive/naive chair and the price was, wait for it, £2,200!!!  I was good, and didn't laugh in his face.

Below: what I would have loved to give house room to.  A very weathered lion sculpture.

One thing that did come home - I picked it up thinking it was tin (as they normally are) but by golly, it was cast iron!  It's a Bund tin and probably French.

I was back by lunchtime, as I only went round once, but goodness, I was absolutely bushed, but had to carry on emptying the kitchen cupboards as the kitchen has been delivered today (Monday).  I had a 14 hour working day and by the time I crawled up to bed, my brain felt like a loose bundle of jigsaw pieces.  I have had to rest today.  No option.  Tea was chip shop chips again. I'd had it.

Wrens delivered the kitchen and I was incredibly impressed by the skill of the driver as the lorry was the size of a double decker bus and yet he managed to reverse it in through our gateway - right hand down a bit reversing and not much room in the lane.  One step further along with that, and tomorrow I have to set my alarm to get an appointment to see the GP, as no phone call today, and Keith is really fretting about no medication and his symptoms worsening again.

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.