Thursday 18 November 2010

It's Beginning..

Dare I say it ? Well I am going to anyway.. I'ts beginning to feel a lot like Christmas all of a sudden.. almost overnight the spectacular glow of this year's Autumn gave way to the nip and bite of winter when the first frosts arrived last week.. Call me weird but I love it.. I love the whole hibernation thing.. it suits my hermit like tendencies to batten down the hatches and make the nest cosy...

Last winter

It does seem a little bizarre though that only a three weeks ago.. I was walking on a beach in Cornwall ..


...bathed in warm mellow sunshine.. watching a few lunatics frolicking in the sea.. and it wasn't just the dogs going for a paddle! What's the saying..'Mad dogs and Englishmen go swimming in October sun'?


A few days of being windswept and in true John Fowles style.. standing on a harbour wall trying to remain vertical and eating an unhealthy amount of Cornish Pasties and chocolate caramels (courtesy of a old fashioned sweetie shop in Helston).. I desperately needed the exercise of climbing cliffs and running up hills.. but I didn't get any.. instead we stayed indoors .. being a lovely little cottage tucked in a hollow sheltered from the vicious winds.. and ate and read.. and ate and read.. and just learned how to switch off again after a relentless summer of work...

Wish I looked half as glamorous in the wind and rain

It was just what the doctor ordered and we came home laden, with a collection of the most delicious breads baked by our genial hosts in their Artisan bakery, to an eccentric evening of cloaked figures ranging in height from 3 ft to 6 ft, knocking on our door and getting the fright of their life when Mr Custard opened the door looking like a cross between Lurch and Darth Maul.. not pretty! Yes.. it was Halloween.. and the local covens and churchyard ghouls turned out in their droves to descend on our home. We were well prepared with a glut of chocolate.. that rapidly disappeared and by 7.00 p.m.. calm and normality were restored once more.

That all seems like a long time ago now.. and I have been very busy preparing for various events taking place in the run up to Christmas.
Milly & Dottie were delighted to be featured in Homes & Antiques Magazine for a second year running with a Christmas feature..

Our vintage Christmas decorations and ripping yarns were featured .. all of which can be found on the shelves of the Emporium ..

Then in hot pursuit we managed a mention in Collect It Magazine which sadly has ceased publishing this month.. heavens knows why.. as it is the most informative and interesting magazine for the avid collector.. of anything and everything!
The next week is going to be a little bonkers one way and another.. with a photo shoot lined up with this local magazine and the bumper Vintage & Handmade Fair to prepare for. Our Christmas fair hopes to be our biggest and best yet with 40 different stalls offering all kind of vintage and handmade finery from Thomas Etty Heritage seeds to Charlotte Macey's wonderful textiles, Homes & Antiques Magazine will be with us again and last but definitely not least.. this very talented lass who designs these FAB retro vintage Christmas cards and more.. Pennychoo..


I have already bought some of her charming cards and hope to stock up on more at the fair. Of course all of our wonderful regular folk will be at the fair too.. so do come and say hello!
So.. folks.. I must get on.. but hope to catch up with you again soon.

A Bientot x

12 comments:

BusyLizzie said...

Great to hear all that you have been doing, the escape to Cornwall sounded fab! Really looking forward to next weekend - just have 3 days of chilly old Shepton Antiques fair to get through. I have plenty of V&HM postcard flyers to hand out to the customers! Have a fab weekend. xxxx

Amy (Blighty Boutique) said...

Love the christmas cards and fab vintage decorations!

*~Barbie Miller ~* said...

Love Love Love your blog and Pickles!!

Hen said...

Looking forward to it Michele, the Fair that is. Christmas will have to wait a bit longer!!!

Hen xxx

hens teeth said...

All the very best for a fantastic photo shoot and I am counting down the days to the V & H...
Pennychoo's cards....wow!

esn said...

I have been following your blog for a long time (over a year now) and love your beautiful posts. Congratulations on H&A magazine article. I'll have to wait for my magazine a bit longer as it takes forever to get to the banks of the Rio Grande (US).

silverpebble said...

Many many congratulations for the photo shoots and general applause for your wares.

Oh now. I just treated myself to some joyous Christmassy colour. Thankyou Milly and Dottie x

Ragged Roses said...

Good luck with it all Dottie, perhaps a few slugs of Milly's Marvellous Medicine might be needed to get you through such a busy and exciting week!
xxx

BusyLizzie said...

Thank you for your lovely comment.There is certainly a nostalgic aroma associated with vintage clothes....my home smells like it a lot of the time. (thank goodness for joss sticks.. ha ha.
I have been pretty warm and toasty at Shepton today in my thermals and ski trousers..in the baking November sunshine! it was amazing!!!
xx

Pennychoo said...

Thank-you, Michele, for the lovely comments, and for buying my cards! I think it's going to be quite a memorable day, and not just because of my baking... (I trialled some biccies at work last week and someone took theirs home 'to keep the rabbit's teeth down'...)

Really looking forward to it and just sending some new ranges off to print today, woohoo! That said, I've got a feeling I'm going to spend more than I make... Until next Sunday! x

Gemma Mortlock said...

Ooooh how wonderful would it be to visit cornwall today when the sky is so clear and the air so cold with the threat of snow? mmmm i wish i was there instead of in an office block in London :( ho hum xxx

Jill said...

Loved the photos of Bath - perhaps it will snow there very soon and then it really will be 'its beginning to feel like christmas'!!! There are always people surfing here whatever the weather - very tough these North Cornwall people!!
Jillx