Fair comment...

Yesterday was a day.. a day and a half.. a day to remember for a very long time..
I came home .. fell in to the armchair with sheer exhaustion and burst in to tears..
The enormity and events of the day finally caught up with me.. the weeks of preparation and anticipation.. nerves.. excitement and the ultimate meeting of all the wonderful people who made the day so special..overwhelmed me..
They were tears of great happiness and gratitude to all who made our first Vintage & Handmade Fair such a memorable occasion.

The efforts and dedication of all the lovely blogging ladies who attended is to be applauded.
The friendly banter and buzz that filled the hall as soon as people started to arrive from their respective journey's was infectious. It really helped to calm me down as all sense and sensibility abandoned me whilst I was trying to set up my table.. I completely lost the plot at one point and thought.. just throw it on the table and let them rummage! Thanks to Sal.. she came to my rescue and managed to keep me on an even keel...

I know that there will be much said about the event from some of the people who visited and came to be part of our first Fair.. but I would like to say..
a massive thank you to all who did come and support us..in every respect.. I had visitors who had travelled from London to come and see me.. my friends from Bath.. and all the strangers who came up and said hello and how much they had enjoyed themselves.. I am so very grateful..
You all played a part and without you this wouldn't have happened!

I am beginning to sound like one of those gushing actresses at the Oscars.. but there is no other way for me to express my appreciation...
Now it is time for me to hush up .. and let the pictures do the talking...
So on with the show...
Things Handmade... handmade loveliness!


Jane and the Happy Crow..tempting tempting!

Higglety Pigglety..
Hesta.. Green Glamour.. such a sweet lady!

Lovely Lucy Bloom
Talented Jo at Higglety Pigglety and Annie's fabulous ladies at A Saucerful of Secrets
The Lavender House.. Vintage loveliness...
Annie's lovely ladies...
Cowboys & Custard

Carol.. Katherine's Dream ..beautiful needlework..
Liz.. fab vintage from The Washerwoman
A Little Bit Vintage.. from Frances..

Beautiful bunnies.. Nicky ..The Vintage MagpieSue .. Vintage to Victorian.. a cornucopia.
Sublime.. Sea Angels

Sal's ( very colourful) Snippets
My friendly neighbours... Ginny and Alice.. and baby Rufus from The Flour Loft.

And while I am still gushing.. a special thanks to all behind the scenes.. families and friends, Julia and Jayne's daughter for being such troopers in the kitchen serving tea and cake to the hungry hordes all day
.....and last but not least.. thank you Jayne.. I couldn't have done it without you!

Just for the record..

Unless you have joined the Foreign Legion or been living in a bunker for the last four months you will  have heard of the... dare I say it... Vintage & Handmade Fair.
Oh dear..I think I can hear your screams from here!
It has somewhat dominated my life since July and for the majority of the time.. very enjoyably so..other than the recurring dreams where.. the doors open to the public and I turn around to find my stock has vanished... someone has nicked it!! Not convinced there is much of a market for second- hand Cowboys & Custard merchandise!

My family and friends have all listened under sufferance to my endless neurosis about the event.. Can't take any more!

without complaint or removal of hearing aids... I am most grateful ... but there is one person.. who I really feel deserves some recognition.. for their enduring patience and unconditional support..

my beloved man.Man at Cath Kidston

I have a feeling I might be walking to the fair on Saturday when he sees this photo!

He has been such a rock to me .... chauffeuring me around all the various towns to put up posters, taking me to dingy dusty emporiums where I have scavenged for materials, listening to my constant drone about my aspirations, expectations and ruminations on the whole business of organising our first event..
He really should be in line for a knighthood.. a small tin medal at least.. but I fear he will have to make do with a bottle of pop and a kiss from me.

If for any reason you have just returned from the Foreign Legion for a weekend's leave.. then do please come along to our first Vintage & Handmade extravaganza.....
There will be lots of familiar and not so familiar and completely unknown faces there.. lots of talented ladies who have slaved over their art to come along and gather under one roof for what I hope is going to be a fantastic day.. a real meeting of the clan!
So.. hop on a bus, take a train.. hire a bike.. climb aboard your skateboard.. bring a friend on a tandem.. or .. drive your car.. to all the fun of the fair!!

Hope to see you Saturday 10. a.m - 4. p.m Rangeworthy Village Hall.. South Glos..!

Ever closer....

However many ways you say it.. eight, huit, otto, acht ... even whispering it makes no difference.. the truth is there are only 8 days until the Vintage & Handmade Fair..
It seems an age ago when Jayne and I sat around my kitchen table and dreamed up the idea of bringing our blogging pals together for a jamboree.. and now I am watching the hands on the clock whizzing round as the days race ever closer to this long anticipated date.. How does time do that? I swear the hands on the clock move faster some days.. most days!

I find that the sobering events of last week have brought about a time of reflection and inspiration and this week it has been full steam ahead with the scissors, glue and the old think tank!
I have not ventured too far from the kitchen table most days... only to answer the door when the post arrives.
My days have been full and frenzied but above all FUN!I am itching to share the fruits of my labours with you.. the new greeting card designs and numerous ideas that have sprung forth and kept me busy and very content until the printer ran out of ink then the air turned many shades of blue!
Just some of the new items that I have made are these linen print Christmas cards..
I currently have them on my Not on the High Street page. If anyone would like to buy anything from the Cowboys & Custard emporium I will be selling these, amongst many other vintage themed products at the fair..... (at special blogger rates...ssssh don't tell anyone)Basket courtesy of This Vintage Life...I spotted it in Deborah's on-line shop and knew it would be perfect for my display..
One evening I managed to have a dress rehearsal for the fair.. no.. not a new wardrobe of clothes for me.. I wish!.. but a mock up of my kitchen table to see how it will look on the day..
I had a certain amount of help from my little four legged friend.. or was it outright sabotage..?
You will have to wait till the fair if you want to see the results ... though I did promise that I would try and do a live blog from the fair for those of you who will be unable to attend...until logic kicked in... and I realised that there isn't a wifi connection in the hall.. as far as I know!

It is hard to blow one's trumpet quietly.. so I hope this doesn't make too much noise!?
This week saw a 12 year ambition of mine finally come to fruition.. A mention in the hallowed pages of Country Living..
I can't say the phone hasn't stopped ringing.. it hasn't started yet but I really don't mind..
I can now say.. 'As seen in Country Living' .. oh happy day!

In Remembrance

Remembering my maternal Grandfather ~ Georges Lobert ~ who died as a political prisoner in Camp Dora - Mittelbau
There is a street named after him in Ronse.. Belgium  for the other political prisoners who didn't come home..Remembering all ..

For Jane....

The opening scene in Love Actually.. is one of the most moving scenes...
Loved ones.. friends.. families greeting each other with genuine love and happiness.
I find it profoundly moving and always shed tears watching these happy out-takes from life.. real life.. not cameras.. action... life!
It always brings home to me the fact that love does conquer all and we should never forget it!
I frequently find myself saying the habitual goodbyes to my boys in the morning and just now and again a little voice in my head says.. what if they don't come back..?
Last night I received some shocking news...
A friend and neighbour who I had not seen for some time... died suddenly...She was my age!
I had put a note through her door only yesterday afternoon to apologise for not seeing her for weeks..too busy.. life.. you know.. the usual excuses!
I had no idea that I was too late....
I suppose what I want to say is..
Tell someone you love them .. pick up the phone and call your friend... don't put off these small gestures.. They mean so much!

Call of the Wild...

On Friday we returned from the wilderness.. the most wonderful wilderness.. in fact no amount of superlatives or adjectives could ever do justice to this very special place.. so I will let the photos do most of the talking.. As we trundled along the private lane to our little house deep in the woods.. I had a good feeling about our final destination.. nestled in the heart of the wooded valley..The first night under the thatched roof of our cottage rental was just a wee bit fraught as I wrestled with a bad attack of arachnophobia on being met by possibly the largest spider I have ever met in close quarters... Lying in bed under a pitch black sky did little to allay my fears as I imagined an army of these furry friends marching towards me ... I did however manage to surrender to sleep after what can only be described as a marathon week...
In my usual style I awoke at the crack of dawn regardless of holiday hours..as a muted light filled the bedroom .. I began to focus on the view outside.. not the normal patchwork of rooftops that I am used to..All the rushing and fretting prior to our arrival had already begun to evaporate and eager to explore the local flora and fauna we donned our boots and set off to one of my favourite haunts..
A place that fills my heart and cleanses my mind...It is simply.. beautiful!
We awoke early each morning eager to see the subtle changes of scenery.. from frosty crisp mornings to rain sodden trees but not being deterred by a bit of rain we set forth early.. long before the world had truly woken to catch the best of the day and witness some of the magical wildlife that surrounded us...Our daily treks took us.. along babbling river.. Up dappled hillsides...
Eventually climbing above the tree canopy to gaze upon the most glorious views...
This was just one of my favourites.. Over an ancient wooded gorge to the lush green fields and moor beyond.These huge granite boulders littered the landscape ..upholstered in the finest emerald green velvet moss..I wouldn't have been surprised to see wood nymphs or fairies dancing around this enchanted forest..
Most mornings we didn't see another soul for the entire journey but the distant battle cry of rutting deer that echoed around the hills was proof that we were not alone.
The deer that live in this ancient woodland have learnt to share their habitat with man and dog but keep a low profile most of the day.. retreating into the dense tree lined hillside.. but occasionally appearing when you least expect them..giving me such a thrill. We knew that the best time to see the deer was as the light was fading in the early evening or first thing in the morning as they would wander down the hillside to forage for acorns ...I felt truly privileged to see these gentle creaturesI managed to catch this one on camera with shaking hands just as we said our farewells to our favourite corner of England and prepared to leave behind our little house in the woods..
I love this place it is always hard to leave.. but hopefully we will return again one day and maybe for good.. who knows!
It isn't until you stop and take stock of the world around you and slow down the pace that you realise there is so much more than the daily grind and it's good to step off the carousel now and again to appreciate life..
We came home with pink cheeks... rested souls and pockets full of memories and images of our brief acquaintance with nature..happy in the knowledge that our home in Bath had been filled with good friends and Mr Pickles had been well looked after.

Another highlight of our holiday was meeting Mr & Mrs Snippet who made the journey across the moor to share a few hours of laughter and chat over coffee and burnt hot cross buns... It was lovely to meet you Sal and I look forward to continuing our chat when we meet again at the fair..

Thank you so much for your good wishes..It was such a treat to arrive home to all your lovely comments especially as I had been deprived of Internet access for the week...
I have so much to catch up with.. laundry.. school preparations..oh.. and a fair to organise.. so it will be a while before I get around to replying to you all.. but I do appreciate every one of your comments.. so good to know you are always there!

The Cowboys & Custard famille.. are off on their hols.. so I will probably be without an internet connection for the next week.. How will I survive!?

I hope you have a wonderful week.. kicking leaves.. lighting fires.. drinking cocoa and getting snuggly!

A Bientot mes amies!

XX

Mothballs to a flame....

This weekend has had a lovely gentle rhythm to it.. not the usual frenetic pace that we find ourselves in at the end of each week.. fitting in all the little chores and jobs that we couldn't fit in to the week..
This Saturday had a different feel about it altogether.
No small mountains of muddy rugby kit to wash nor school uniform, retrieved from the bedroom floor to be pieced together for Monday morning..
No chewed pencils and frazzled nerves .. trying to assist with homework projects..
No mad supermarket dash.. more of an amble down the aisles.. nodding to friends and stopping to chat and catch up on our respective lives.
The slower tempo has been most welcome and heralds the start of Master Custard's school hols..Hurrah!!!
We have however had a small hit list of jobs that could no longer be put off ..
Sorting out the accumulated mess in the laughingly called..'Spare Bedroom'..is a job that has been pressing on my mind for the last two years and might explain why there has been a dearth of house guests in our home. We could hardly invite them to sleep in cardboard city now could we!
So we sprang in to action after a fortifying bowl of porridge.. to rummage through the numerous boxes and bags that have bred in this messy room.
I had one of those rare cathartic moments when I felt.. 'Just chuck it'..if it hasn't been missed or thought of for the last two years then it can't be important'.. so we loaded the car and headed off for our local recycling depot to liberate ourselves of all the rubbish.. and left feeling at least 3 bin bags and several boxes lighter! I was for one incy wincy moment tempted to reach in to the clothes recycling bin to retrieve a pair of vintage textile curtains.. but then in that split second I came to my senses and remembering  that I couldn't sew and I was likely to be lynched by the attendants for pilfering.. I left empty handed.
Home again.. home again.. and next task was to sort out the linen cupboard that resembled the aftermath of a jumble sale..As I folded the piles of linen sheets, pillow cases and quilts.. there was the faint smell of mothballs.. This smell is instantly associated with the memory of the huge walnut wardrobe that was installed in my childhood bedroom, that I would climb inside and sit in the dark corner willing myself to enter Narnia. Alas it never happened.

The final job on my list was one that I have looked forward to all week.

We inherited a rather imposing fireplace in the living room and on removing the hideous gas fire we made do with a new fire surround and grate that have been propped up for the last two years.So it has been my wish ever since to reinstate our dysfunctional fireplace and to restore it to it's former glory..
With the threat of colder weather on the horizon we found a lovely local gentleman who came to restore the chimney breast and finally.. our elegant fireplace. We were told not to light a fire for at least a week whilst the bricks and cement had a chance to dry out. This wait has been agonising for me as each evening gets colder and Mr C has forbidden the central heating to be switched on. All part of the cursed economy drive!I could wait no longer and started the enjoyable ritual of building our first fire.. newspaper, kindling and smokeless coal. Then as the light faded outside.. I struck a match !
I have always found it immensely satisfying building a fire and then sitting back to warm the toes and cockles. One of life's greatest pleasures..
I was totally mesmerised by the dancing and flickering flames when Mr Custard entered the room exclaiming that it was "far too tropical in here".. and threw the windows open wide! Flaming nuisance!

Technical glitch....

The gremlins are up to no good again !
I wanted you to all know that I have tried to respond to the fantastic comments that have been left for me on my last two posts and for some unknown reason.. way beyond my techy knowledge..I am unable to post a comment.
Sounds like one of those dodgy homework excuses we used to come up with.. o.k..well.. maybe just me then.. Sorry I can't hand my work in.. the cat ate it! Couldn't blame it on the stick insects could I??
Well.. t'is true.. I am having some problems with the hamster in his wheel... he needs to pedal faster and then maybe my internet will start to work properly again..
So for the interim.. please accept my apologies for not replying to your kind comments.. Hopefully normal service will be resumed soon.

Hip hip hooray.. one year old today!

You are cordially invited to join me in a cup of tea and a slice of cake...one slightly bigger than this one.. to celebrate the coming of age of my Cowboys & Custard Blog...
I can hardly believe that a year has flown by and I remember the trembling hand when writing my first post on the 15th October 2007..
Would anyone ever find me.. would anyone want to read the ramblings of this particular blog..
Well.. it seems you did..and it has been one hell of a journey.. I am having such a ball.. making some very dear and treasured friends..and learning and sharing through all your amusing, interesting and fascinating blogs..
Thank you for keeping me company.. now go and put the kettle on and I'll share out the cake!