Undercover Job

One day last week I was staggering up the hill on my way home, laden with groceries and stopping at Base Camp 2 to catch my breath.. I noticed a laminated sign attached to a lamp post .. Squinting at it, without my reading specs on, I manage to decipher the gist of the message.. Which went as follows.. The residents of Camden Crescent have got together to clear an area of wild overgrown scrub land that lies below the crescent. This has involved cutting down many rampant shrubs and a huge tangle of brambles and Bindweed, removing a few old specimens and coppicing the remaining Dogwood and Willows. A cunning method of clearing the vast tapestry of bramble roots that remained was to bring in a family of willing pigs to to the job...


I crossed over the road to see the work that had been achieved and was delighted to see that the bristly beasts were indeed happily ensconced, and snortling and snuffling away to their hearts content and thoroughly enjoying themselves in their new vocation..


How wonderful that this can happen in the middle of a busy city.. a small one admittedly .. but with a constant flow of traffic winding it's way along the crescent above.. it is a joy to look down below and see these wonderful animals doing their best to enhance this pocket of wild life in Bath...

So these little piggies are far too busy to go to market just now and I hope they will be here for quite a bit longer as I really enjoy popping along the road to say hello to my bristled friends.....

A Jumbled Affair

Well.. the first V & H Jumble Sale turned out to be a very civilised affair, certainly not the battle ground remembered from jumble sales of old. It was a wonderful day from start to finish with a respectable kick off time of 11.00 a.m, giving some of our ladies a more reasonable start to the day.. especially as some had travelled many miles to Rangeworthy Village Hall. Jacquie for instance came all the way from Seven Oaks.. now that is heroic! The sun shone the birds sang.. and the tables groaned under the weight of some fantastic vintage bargains.

A sedate queue formed in the tea room outside as our ladies piled their stalls high with all kinds of temptations and at cheap as chips prices.. who could resist. Jayne and I looked at each other and gave the nod for the doors to open to welcome in the hardened bargain hunters to rummage to their hearts content. It was lovely to see so many familiar faces and friends, some who had come with shopping trolleys.. ever the optimists!

The only moment of the day that looked like it could turn ugly with a bout of arm wrestling, was when Viv and I both clapped eyes on the adorable little toy watering can on Daniella's stall. Viv got to it first .. but seconds later I was the proud owner of the coveted item.. thanks to Viv's generosity.
After a frenzied hour or two .. the crowd dispersed and we got a chance to do our own spot of bargain hunting and catching up with each other.. It was lovely to see some of our V & H ladies also to make acquaintance with some new friends such as Jo from Hesta Nesta .. a lovely lady who will be coming to our Spring fair and Abby from Vintage Tea Time.

The Rangeworthy ladies from the W.I were kept busy providing much needed refreshments to our visitors and by 4.00 p.m we were packed up and swept up.. and the hall suddenly looked very empty.. Who would have guessed that a rumble in the jumble had taken place only hours before.
I happily fell into bed at 8.30 p.m exhausted by the hustle and bustle of the day but already wondering when the next one will be.. and there will be a next one.. so watch this space!

Sorry for the lack of photos from the day.. in usual ditsy mode I forgot my camera.. Should have put it on one of my lists! Lizzie and Niki have some fab photos on their blogs that captured the essence of the day.

Tweet !

Certain corners of my life have been neglected of late and my blog is just one of them. I feel as though I have woken from a long slumber to discover that the world is also waking up to the idea of Spring. The birds are doing a fair amount of tweeting, the originators of social networking and the mornings and evenings are becoming increasingly lighter.. big hurrah!!!

Sitting here with my cup of coffee and hot cross bun.. I like to live it up a bit... writing yet another list of things I have to give my attention to. Must be hereditary this 'list' compulsion, my father was an avid list writer. So much to catch up on after a week of being laid low with a nasty chest infection.. and a half term trying to get over it.. but with the promise of Spring in the air and events on the horizon there is no time for complacency.

We are hours away from our first Jumble Sale and I still haven't assembled my motley collection of vintage 'tat' for the table...

So.. please forgive my absence for the last month. I will return soon, with no doubt, tales of women fighting in the aisles over a crocheted tea cosy.. or being stabbed with an umbrella by an over zealous bargain hunter! If jumble sales are your thing.. and this is no ordinary jumble sale.. It will be piled high with vintage bargains galore.. then make your way to the Rangeworthy Village Hall tomorrow and join the throng. You will need sharp elbows and a hard hat but it will be worth the scrum!!

Look forward to seeing you there!