Phew - that was a tiring weekend

Phew.  That was one tiring weekend . . . it's a 2 1/2 day thing really, with the setting up on the Friday afternoon.  It's just as well we live so locally to this (about 15 mins away).  Most people are a good deal further and the gay couple next to us came from Somerset I think, so their overheads are very much higher than ours as they have to pay for b&b and fuel as well.

As you can see, it is the most wonderful setting.  You couldn't have a better one really.  That said, it was a bit chilly on the Saturday and then got blooming hot and humid yesterday afternoon. 




Some of what I had on offer.  As the beautiful jug on the right yet again had no-one even remotely interested in it and as Keith likes it as much as I do (it lives on a cupboard in our front hall), it has come out of stock and back home with us.  The plate back left is one of Jonathon Cox's trial plates.  Such a pretty design.  The yellow glass is French and the others all Mdina.

The orangey-red shelf!  Some Poole pottery, Japanese bud vases, hock glasses and a really chunky 1970s glass on left (with Ginkgo leaf pattern).

A lovely old oak repurposed desk box, now a stationary box (previously a Vicar's).  Some lovely 1960s Waterford crystal goblets; wartime photos, pastry cutters and a nice old military signal cannon.

A lovely big copy of a Galle design vase (it has "TIP" on the back to show it is a copy).  We were selling this for a friend, and I breathed a sigh of relief when it sold, as I was so frightened of breaking it . . .  I displayed it with little butterfly LED lights in to show the design.  Royal Copenhagan late 1960s bowl still with the original price on the bottom (£21 10s 0d); stunning modern Nailsea glass decanter - a one-off piece from an artist who is now a plumber!; another Bavarian hock glass and a pretty Jack-in-the-Pulpit vase from Alum Bay Glass co.

A big hefty Fleur-de-Lis jug from Belgium (includes sale docket dated 1922); Bittori jug; REALLY heavy green glass jug; some Bavarian blue glass, and on the left a lovely old (and perfect) Bristol teapot.

Drumstick Primulas in a lovely Tramp Art bowl, on Brazilian Rosewood occasional table.  The Primulas (I got 3) are being planted up today, along with the two Aubretias I bought (Malvern Flea - £1 each) . . .

Large Australian  shell, and a 19th C North Indian dance mask.  I think he is meant to be a Demon, with his dark face and big "tache".

A glimpse of Keith's side, with various bayonets, knives and some knobkerries.   Next to the big shell is our Scandinavian Viking style "Kettle" cooking pot - probably dating from around 1600 or so, made from pieces of iron riveted together.  A real piece of history - if only it could talk!

I will put some more photos up later.  We have a lovely sunny day here, and had planned a Birthday Outing, but that has had to be postponed because we have a viewing next Sunday (when we also have another Fair, so I will have to leave it to do the viewing and go back again to pick up Keith and the stock).  So, today is Tidy Up The Garden and Yard Day . . .

Blogger!!

(Photos from last October's Fair).

Sorry, Blogger is playing up and won't let me make any changes to my draft, so you have two different fonts and I haven't been able to thank Elaine properly as it was a few of HER beautiful pieces of Japanese silk I was playing with this morning.  I will put up a photo when it is finished.

I am pleased with how it is looking - I just wanted a little bit of light to help set the scene for the glass - oh, must remember my mirror tiles too!  (Eldest daughter will be horrified that it is the china dog lamp base I am taking!  Sorry Tam - don't want to risk breaking my Gwili lamp).

I have even remembered my lovely Tramp Art bowl, which has been looking unusual with some dried flowers in it down in what was mum's bed-sitter.

7.20 p.m.  I have just sat down for the first time today - not including eating a meal, or driving.  If I thought this morning was full on, this afternoon was something else.  It took over two hours to unload the car, unpack everything (or most things) and put them on display.  We have another car full (mostly furniture) to take tomorrow. 

We chatted with dealer friends there, and had a wander round, but some of the outside stalls don't set up properly until tomorrow morning first thing.  K bought me a book I saw on a book-dealer friend's stand, about women in the Welsh valleys and their lives between the two Wars.  Only £4 so the bank wasn't broken.

Then when we got back, I hastily prepared the meal (fortunately some leftovers were in the fridge from yesterday), and then I set to and cooked two cakes, did 3 lots of washing up, 2 of drying up, then set to and painted the front of the former 1960s sewing box - now white, with a black and white fabric - I think I put a picture up?  Anyway, when I was waxing it I saw I had missed a bit with the fresh white paint so had to take some Turps on a rag to get rid of the wax, then repaint.  Then rewax.  Now it's ready to go and hopefully will find a new home tomorrow. I have set up some food to take tomorrow (lest I forget in the morning). Then I did some research on old Sheffield Bowie knife makers, and typed up smart price tags for some old Sheffield knives of the pointed variety, and FINALLY I can sit down and take my ease.  Hopefully I will sleep well tonight!

This is the inside of that 60s box on legs. 

How it started off. This gives an idea of the shape anyway.  The new top.

Shattered!

Afternoon all. Off to set up at the Fair shortly. I am shattered already, having been polishing, repricing, sorting through and loading stuff all morning. I woke at 5 and realized to my horror that I had left the hose on all night topping up the wildlife pond. Of course, I had to get up and go out and turn it off, by which time I was completely awake, so I went and got the sewing machine back on the table and had a little play with making a patchwork (using some silk offcuts I was sent yesterday) cover for a lampshade which had seen better days. I'd not used the fancypants stitches on the machine before, or changed the foot, or even set the stitches (or machine-appliqued anything) so it was a bit of a leap of faith. Looks better than it did and I will glue it on the old shade later . . .

. . . and we've not even left the premises yet, with a van load of stock for the Fair.  However on the ball you think you are, there are always last minute polishings and repricings, changing the stock to be taken, mind-changing, memory-jolting and generally a lot of work squashed into a small time frame.  I have just repolished a beautiful Georgian Windsor chair within an inch of its life and hope that someone will love it as much as we do.  At some point in its history it was left in a barn for the woodworm to make much of, so it isn't pristine, but the worm has been treated (we have owned it several years now) and it is part of its history.

A short walk - and ducklings!

Whilst our eldest daughter Tam was here, we managed a walk along the valley side, past our smallholding neighbour's home.  She was out but we walked on and met her coming the other way, so we all went back for a cup of tea and a natter, and then of course, we had to see the new arrivals. . .

The brown Khaki Campbell ducklings, about a week old in this pic, have been joined by some 2 day old Aylesburys, and are happily snuggled up in a pen of straw, under the heat lamp.

The other new arrivals are these three Leghorn chicks.  N said she had already had to clip a wing on each as they were hell-bent on escape!!

Outside, were two of the Cayuga ducks, and the other side of the road, one of the two donkeys came across in the hope of carrots.

Views on the way home - across the valley, and below, the top of the steep hill we had just climbed.

Today (Thursday), my OH had a Dr's appt. about his sore shoulder, but was just given more painkillers and told to keep using it . . .  I thought he might get sent to see the Physio, but no. 

As it was sunny, we had a short wander along the beach at Llansteffan, and I did a little tidying in the garden this afternoon, but my asthma has been bad again, so I couldn't empty the wheelbarrow and gave K's shoulder a workout when he did it for me.  I have just been weeding one bed and now have some bark chippings on it which have tidied it up.

Then I came in and hastily recovered the little footstool, which is going to the Fair tomorrow.  We will be busy packing and then unpacking the other end, and getting set up ready for the weekend (it is the two day Fair at the Botanic Gardens).  Tomorrow I had better remember to bake a cake - I meant to today and then clean forgot.

Let's hope for some more of that sunshine . . .

Patchwork first - fabrics for the Heritage William Morris Quilt

Just a short post this evening to show you the quilt I am going to make for our bed/  I won't be starting it much before the autumn (at my patchwork class) but my darling daughters decided to take me fabric shopping at Calico Kate's wonderful shop in Lampeter, and of course it had to be fabric for THIS quilt!

This photo (sorry about the glare from the flash) gives you an idea of the overall design, with a close-up below.  The range of William Morris fabrics (Kelmscott) doesn't seem to be generally available to buy yet, so I chose William Morris fabrics I liked and will look for some more to add to (or instead of) patterns already chosen. 

Above and below - the fabrics my daughters bought me.  We had such fun choosing them, and laying them out on a table to see what was going with what.  There are a couple of prints I chose just because I liked them (my girls were saying, go on mum get that one or this one!) and will be used in other projects.  The red fabric in the photo above is one of those.

A quick catch up

I will try to catch up properly tomorrow, but we have had very busy and enjoyable weekend with our offspring here and T is still with us (off home tomorrow).  We've had a couple of walks, a lovely family meal yesterday, we've been to Malvern Fleamarket (it rained pretty well all day) and today our two daughters took me to Calico Kate's in Lampeter to chose and buy fabrics for an Heirloom quilt (all William Morris fabrics) which was a wonderful outing.  They bought them for me as a combined birthday present, bless them.  Today T took us out for lunch in Laugharne (sit down fish and chips, which were lovely), and so only a snack will be required at teatime tonight.

I have photos of our walk to put up, and some from Laugharne today, and my fabrics, so don't go away! Back tomorrow I hope.

Stormy skies over the farm . . .

Little Whale pretending to be invisible!

Hard at work

I am trying to give you a break from just photographs of my walks.  I have had just THE busiest day today, working flat out in the house without a break.  I felt unwell again first thing, but dosed up with a couple of Panadol and just carried on with the painting, as I wanted to get it FINISHED.  So I masked up the small kitchen window, took off the window catch for ease of painting, and then got most of a little nest of shelving which covers pipes in the corner, also painted.  Then both ends of the hanging cupboard.  Then the side of the food cupboard which was still pale green got a couple of coats of the grey white I've used on the cupboards.

Across the valley, masses of Primroses on a sunny bank.

In between, I thoroughly scrubbed the oven (and that took some doing, believe me) and the shelves, and a burnt-black drip pan.  That took me to about 4 p.m., when I made a Chocolate Banana cake (I cut the sugar so that my OH can eat some if he wants a slice), and started making a big chicken pie from scratch.  Then I made the cheese pastry topping for it, but by then my poor brain was addled and although I doubled the flour, I turned away for a moment and couldn't remember if I had doubled the fat too.  I hadn't doubled the cheese.  Anyway, it turned out OK when I got to grips with it, and I had a piece for my - belated - tea.  Now I need to go downstairs and get the bread out of the Panny.  I think I will sleep well tonight.

Oh, and I also did some tidying and sorting out of old stock to be sold a.s.a.p. so there is a corner of the Junk Room currently tidier than it was.

Happy Easter everyone.