Heaven in the rain

Every summer I eagerly look forward to the NGS National Gardens Scheme little yellow book of local gardens to visit in the balmy (!!!) summer months. Yesterday we took time out from the bubble wrap and cardboard boxes to visit one of these fine floral havens and donned our wellies and Souwesters to visit Hazelbury Manor in Wiltshire.

 Despite the weather's attempt to thwart any enjoyment outside.. we had a wonderful time wandering around the heavenly gardens of this beautiful historical home.

At every little twist and turn there were beautiful borders brimming with my cottage garden favourites, vibrant red Poppies, frothy green Alchemilla Mollis, dainty Aqualegias, dusky Lavender, perfumed Old English Roses, pompom Alliums crammed into every border to delight the eye.

Despite the more refined planting .. I was totally dazzled by this gorgeous display of the humble Foxglove.. hundreds of pastel spires filled with buzzing bees, intoxicated on their rich pollen.




 The rain added a new dimension and also brought out the jewel like colours of each plant against the grey sky.

Sadly this fabulous garden with it's stunning Laburnum archway topiary, rooms of roses and lily pond is only open once a year but as we are soon to be neighbours, I am hoping I can vault over one of the stone walls and pay a few clandestine visits to this special corner of Wiltshire!

The Original Vintage & Handmade Spring Fair

 

With little more than a week to go before the next Vintage & Handmade Spring Fair my boxes of vintage toys are being given a Spring clean and teddies and bunnies alike are being spruced up for their big day.

 Dust off your shopping baskets and come and join the happy throng on Saturday 26th May at Chipping Sodbury Town Hall.

There will be the usual tempting collection of stalls to please all purses at this next fair including our regular and very popular stalwarts such as Niki  from Nostalgia at the Stonehouse, Lizzie from The Washerwoman, Donna from Donna Flower, Elaine from Kitsch and Curious, Viv from Hens Teeth, Jo from Hesta Nesta,  Maud from Beyond France, Sal from Sal's Snippets,  Jane from Fanny Adams  and many more!

'Billy's Buns'  tea room will be providing delicious refreshments throughout the day to offer some much needed sustenance as shopping can be very tiring and thirsty work. The doors will open at 10.00 a.m sharp and close at 4.00 p.m. Mr Custard will be meeting and greeting on the door, entry being £1 for adults and children free. We look forward to seeing you there.

Joyful and Triumphant... with blisters.

We are home now.. rather red faced from so many hours in the dazzling sun on Dartmoor.. but with a great sense of pride and achievement.

Our boy done good and he and his team limped back to the finish line at 2.55 p.m yesterday, having walked 40 miles on their first day, camping close to their 8th Tor on Saturday night.

 To see them come over the brow of the hill on the last leg of their journey was incredibly exciting and  moving and yes.. we did shed a tear or two. It was impossible not to.

 The crowd that had gathered throughout the morning on Sunday were so supportive and stayed to clap every team that made it back to the finish line.

The Kingswood 55 miles team receiving their gold medals.. Well done boys.

 I wouldn't have missed this for the world. Well done to all of the teams that took part.. you are an inspiration!

Thank you all for your lovely comments of support for my boy's Ten Tors challenge.

Ten Tors 2012

If today was not an endless highway,
If tonight was not a crooked trail,
If tomorrow wasn't such a long time,
Then Ten Tors  would mean nothing to me at all.

At 7.00 a.m this morning, approximately 2,400 teenagers set off across Dartmoor in teams of 6, to walk 35, 45 and 55 miles over the next 32 hours for the Ten Tors Challenge. My son is one of them!  After months of training in all weathers, the gods of Devon are smiling down on the participants today as the skies have changed from every shade of grey, to skies of blue, for this weekend's epic challenge. Tomorrow I will be waiting at the finish line for my boy and his team to stagger home and collect their well earned medals. I will be clutching a hankie and trying very hard not to cry with pride and embarrass my boy, who will have walked an incredible 55 miles over some very challenging terrain, up to ten tors and camped out in the wilds to achieve his goal.

Something to make you smile...

I just had to share this with you if you haven't already seen it.. It brightened up a very dull and wet day and made me smile... lots!

It's been a while ...

Box frame by Jane Winton

It certainly has been a while since I approached my blog without some apprehension as my ability to string words together these days is a bit of a challenge. Where I once prided myself on my multi-tasking abilities, for example ironing a pile of shirts, whilst cooking up a two course supper and talking to the cat about the state of the economy, I now find the simplest tasks, focus all of my concentration and take ten times longer. Why is that I wonder? Is it the fact that as I grow older, greyer of hair (thank you Clairol for your subterfuge) and longer in the tooth, that the grey matter inside my head doesn't function as well; or is it that life is getting more frenetic ..  read that as frantic?  I do admit that the last 10 months have been mostly absorbed with our attempts to move house and all that it entails. As anyone, who has been through this 'Top ten most stressful life event' will know that it does require nerves of steel, super human reserves of patience and a jolly good hoover. Our house has been preened and dusted, tweaked and adjusted to try and please the slow stream of anonymous visitors through our door since last June when we innocently put our house on the market thinking that we would be packing our tea chests a few weeks later. Wrong!!! The housing market and process of buying and selling has fallen into black hole since we last sold and bought and using the usual cliches.. it has been as painful as pulling teeth and as frustrating as pushing jelly up a hill.  BUT...  on March 13th we had, not one.. but two, offers on our house... totally out of the blue.
Rather like a pregnancy, I have been reluctant and most superstitious in announcing this news as until the ink has dried on the contracts... anything could happen. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting a little brighter by the day and we hope.. pray.. that we are able to start packing boxes with gusto.. in the next few weeks. I'll keep you posted!

Other news..

Last month I had the pleasure of a day trip to London to visit the Selvedge Fair and say hello to a few familiar faces and good friends. This small jewel of a fair was packed with an abundance of original works from far flung and not so far flung places..
I was smitten with the work of Claire Fletcher from Made in Hastings and her adorable paintings and illustrative works and had to give this little bunny a home..

He asked me to take him home with me.. honestly!

I also had the pleasure of finally meeting lovely Emma from Silver Pebble who had a fabulous display of her dainty silver jewellery pieces..

sorry Emma .. borrowed this image from your blog!

There were was a wealth of talent packed into the hall from  designer/makers showcasing their work including these lovely cards ..

and needle felted birds..

The icing on the cake for me was to visit my friend Viv with her delicious display of embroidered bunnies, brooches, bags and more..

After feasting my eyes and setting my heart a flutter at the fair we then hot footed it into the heart of the metropolis and pounded the pavements, doing rather a lot of window licking on the way and finally ending up at Liberty & Co. where I was keen to see Cowboys & Custard cards in situ and have a snapshot for the scrap book... 

 

Now I shall attempt to publish this post which in itself will probably take a while as Blogger has helpfully changed all the settings, format, widgets etc etc in my absence.

Signing off but hopefully for not too long!

Easter Greetings

I would like to wish all my blog readers and visitors a

Very Happy Easter

Hopefully I will return with a basket full of news for you soon..

Jumble Fever

Just a quick reminder that The Vintage & Handmade Jumble Sale is on THIS Saturday.. March 24th at Rangeworthy Village Hall. 10 .30 a.m. - 2.00 p.m Free Admission and scrumptious cakes by the lovely W.I ladies!

Be there.. or be very disappointed that you didn't come and join in the scrum for some of the South West's finest vintage bargains!!

Buzzzz....

With all good intentions I should have posted this days ago and I fear I may be the last out of the blocks to tell you about the splendid day that took place last Saturday in the pretty town of Chipping Sodbury Gloucestershire.

The Town Hall of Chipping Sodbury was simply a buzz of activity from the moment our ladies rolled up in their wagons at 8.00 a.m until we closed the doors at 3.00 p.m with weary feet and happy hearts. The Vintage & Handmade Textile Fair was blessed with a beautiful Spring day when the sun brought visitors from all over the land to bustle and browse, chatter and shop amongst the fine collection of stalls. As always our ladies and gentlemen provided a stunning display of vintage and hand crafted wares... and here is proof of that below..
My photos were the usual snatched affair as I raced around before the doors opened and the stampede began..

Louise Taylor Bowen

Gertie - Treutmade

Donna Flower Haberdashery

Hen's Teeth

Homes & Antiques Magazine

Daisy Darling Millinery

Niki ~ Nostalgia at the Stonehouse

We welcomed several exciting new additions to this fair .. the first being the new tea room team 'Billy's Buns' who kept the thirsty folk fed and watered with lovely cakes and gallons of tea...

Billy's Buns Tea Stall

Nicole and Sarah from Pretty Nostalgic were launching their fresh off the press book.. Pretty Nostalgic Home .. a gorgeous publication which would appeal to any lover of vintage lifestyle...

Lastly .. it was good to have Mr Custard at the fair who manned the door and acted as a bouncer.. not that we needed one for the genteel folk who visit our fairs.

I also had the pleasure of meeting a dear and very talented lady, Fi of Chipper Nelly .. a fellow blogger and tortoise owner along with her lovely friend Cuckoo, another fellow blogger. It was a real treat to meet Fi after discovering her delightful blog last year and loving her style and zest for life!

The icing on the cake was to discover that we had well over 850 visitors on the day which is quite a gathering and just as well they didn't all arrive at once!

Show and Tell...

Here we are, almost in the middle of February and the days are trundling on and there is just the merest whiff of Spring in the air already.. Primroses have been spotted in the garden, the bird song is subtly changing to a chirpier tune and a frog has returned to our little pond to frolic alone until a mate comes along. This morning we have returned to winter with a thin veil of snow which, although only centimetres deep, can cause havoc and mayhem to our small corner of Bath. If you have ever visited the beautiful city of Bath, you will know that you cannot escape the hills and hills + snow = some pretty eventful journeys.. be it on foot or wheels.

I am hoping... nay.. praying that this white stuff will move on and allow the balmier days in, especially with the Vintage & Handmade Textile Fair in two weeks time. Our hardy band of ladies and gents have battled through the elements before to make it to Chipping Sodbury to attend the V & H fairs so I am sure a little dusting of ice will not prevent them. We will be welcoming some lovely new members to the fair such as Nicole from Pretty Nostalgic, Mona from La Jolie Robe and Alice will be flying the flag from BBC Homes & Antiques Magazine. Many of our familiar folk will be in attendance too.. Donna Flower with her mouth watering display of textiles and sewing notions, Viv from Hen's Teeth with her super duper embroidered gems, Lizzie The Washerwoman with her fabulous fabrics and Brocante, Clare - Daisy Darling with her wonderfully crafted millinery, Stephanie from Festoon with her beautifully embellished jackets..Niki from Nostalgia at the Stone House with her beautifully crafted items, oh the list goes on.. and on. Last but not least, we will be welcoming an exciting new 'Tea Room' team for this event .. a man in a pinny with some delicious home baked fayre! Not to be missed !! I do hope you will be able to join us on 25th February.. put the date in your diary!


Beyond the textile fair we also have the Vintage & Handmade Spring Fair on 26th May to look forward to. I got my box of ephemera out the other day and designed this new flyer for the fair.. I hope it sums up all things vintagey and Spring like!