V&H - Less than a week!

I have been trying to find some more shelves for displaying things at the Vintage & Handmade Fair . I have two nice wooden ones but that wasn't quite enough, then I remembered that I had bought a little cane shelf some time ago & it was in the garage. In it's plain state it looked a bit boring so I purchased a can of spray paint & got to work - 10 minutes later I had a nice blue shelf instead (the grass is a bit blue too!).

I wanted to see what it would look like so I created a display with some of the goodies I will be taking to the fair next Saturday & of course had to take some photos to show you as well! I love the games compendium graphics & everything is still inside.




I also wanted to let you know that I have posted a traffic alert on the V&H Blog as the fair has coincided with the Badminton Horse Trials next weekend.

Happy St George's Day!

Saint George is popularly identified with England and English ideals of honour, bravery and gallantry, but actually he wasn’t English at all. Very little is known about the man who became St George.

Quick Facts about St George

• Born in Turkey (in Cappadocia)
• Lived in 3rd century
• His parents were Christian
• Became a Roman soldier
• Protested against Rome's persecution of Christians
• Imprisoned and tortured, but stayed true to his faith
• Beheaded at Lydda in Palestine

St. George is believed to have been born in Cappadocia (now Eastern Turkey) in the year A.D. 270. He was a Christian. At the age of seventeen he joined the Roman army and soon became renowned for his bravery. He served under a pagan Emperor but never forgot his Christian faith.

When the pagan Emperor Diocletian started persecuting Christians, St. George pleaded with the Emperor to spare their lives. However, St. George's pleas fell on deaf ears and it is thought that the Emperor Diocletian tried to make St. George deny his faith in Christ, by torturing him. St George showed incredible courage and faith and was finally beheaded near Lydda in Palestine on 23 April, 303.

In 1222, the Council of Oxford declared April 23 to be St George’s Day and he replaced Edward the Confessor as England’s patron saint in the 14th century. In 1415, April 23 was made a national feast day.

St George is patron saint not only of England but also of Aragon, Catalonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, and Russia, as well as the cities of Amersfoort, Beirut, Bteghrine, Cáceres, Ferrara, Freiburg, Genoa, Ljubljana, Gozo, Pomorie, Qormi, Lod and Moscow.

St George is also patron saint of scouts, soldiers, archers, cavalry and chivalry, farmers and field workers, riders and saddlers.

So, if you are a George, Georgina, Georgia or Georgie - enjoy your day!

National Pet Month

Did you know that this month is National Pet Month?

National Pet Month is a registered charity, unique in bringing together animal welfare charities, professional bodies, pet businesses, schools, youth groups and pet lovers, with the common goal of improving the welfare of pets.

National Pet Month’s aims are to:

• promote responsible pet ownership
• make people aware of the benefits of pets for people and people for pets
• increase public awareness of services available from professionals who work with animals
• raise awareness of the role, value and contribution to society of working companion animals

Toby, of course, thinks every month is Pet Month.....

Cheery Cherry Tree

This cherry tree is my most favourite tree in my garden - the halo of confetti style flowers is enough to earn it's keep for the rest of the year. We bought & planted this tree shortly after we bought the house - it was just a stick in a plant pot then & considering that the hedge behind is about 8 feet tall, look at it now!

A Bit Of Booty

Just a photo post today to show you my boot sale finds this morning.....it seems to be getting harder to find vintage items amongst the piles of toys, clothes & Ikea cast offs!

Chicken Rescue

I think I've mentioned before that we live next door to a free range chicken farm & these chickens certainly range freely as they constantly escape from their huge field & come through the hedge to visit our garden which is obviously much more exciting.

We have two ponds & they think it's a great place for a quick drink, except some of the slightly more stupid ones fall in & I'm regularly fishing them out - sadly some are already dead, having drowned before I see them.

I fished one out yesterday who had only just fallen in & then this morning when I went to feed my chickens they were making lots of noise & I noticed a hen in the pond - she was just floating with her head out of the water. I immediately fished her out & she was soaking wet & very, very cold.

I put her down on the grass & she just flopped over & didn't even try to get up.


So I grabbed a towel & wrapped her up & rubbed some of the water off & cuddled her a bit.


She was still very cold & shivery with her eyes closed & head flopped back.


This is where an Aga comes in handy - it's not just for cooking! I popped her in a box & put it close to the Aga. I wasn't sure if she'd survive the shock & cold.


I left her there for a few hours, checking her regularly & eventually she started to sit up & opened her eyes as she warmed up & dried off.


A few more hours & I took her outside & put her in a sunny spot where she sat for a while, clucking to herself until she strolled off with a friend, none the worse for wear!
Hopefully she has learned her lesson & she won't dive in again.


So, that was my good deed for the day! In case you are wondering, it was Mr C taking the photos - he can't resist any photo opportunity!


I thought you'd also like this photo of Purdy playing "leaping panther" off the table after watching the chicken proceedings with interest.

Weekend Finds

I am currently on a mission to find as many lovely vintage items as possible for the Vintage & Handmade Fair which is in just over 3 weeks time!
So, off we went on Monday to Malvern Fleamarket to see what we could find. There were loads of people going in - the busiest I've seen it for many months, but for me there wasn't a lot to choose from. Some prices are really sky high & prices for the same thing can vary hugely.
The best looking stall was Tracey of The Vintage Bothy, who always has a colourful & inviting display.
I did find a few bits & bobs, most of which will make an appearance at the fair - my favourites are the two vintage dogs & the tin above - I'm very tempted to keep them...but my mantlepiece is starting to look like a china dog sanctuary....


I loved this little picture.


A Vernon Ward print of Mousehole.


A lovely wooden jigsaw puzzle - all the birds are separate pieces.


Vintage gardening books which have such lovely cover illustrations.


Recently Claire of "Made in Pixieland" had asked her blog readers to suggest a title for one of her new pictures & she liked the one I suggested so she very kindly sent me the first of the prints! It was a lovely surprise & I intend framing it for my bathroom wall.


The very talented Claire will be having a stall at the V&H Fair so be sure to stop by & look at her lovely cards & prints.

The Old China Shop

When we moved the website over to the new site we decided that "The Old China Shop" section needed to be reorganised & the products photographed again, so I have been sifting through my boxes of china & rediscovering some pretty pieces.

This is where you can find replacement pieces for your tea set or a pretty "pick & mix" selection of vintage china for an afternoon tea, garden party or Mad Hatter's Tea Party this spring.

I try & keep my prices affordable & we were recommended by Homes & Antiques magazine as a source for reasonably priced vintage china. Most cups & saucers are around £5.00 & tea plates just £3.00 each.

I have made a start on listing some of them & would love you to pop in for a visit. I still have dozens more boxes to sort so will be adding new items regularly.

It's so hard to choose a few favourites so I'm afraid this post is rather picture heavy!

There is a fabulous 50's rose decorated water or lemonade jug in "Glassware" which I'm sure will be snapped up very quickly!

The Old China Shop

Hope you are all having a lovely Easter weekend too!