This and that....

I have had a fairly busy few weeks so far this month. Last Saturday I attended the Vintage Bazaar in Devizes with Mr C for company. We had a very pleasant day with quite a number of my treasures going off to new homes including the lovely 1950's Mobo 'Prairie King' rocking horse. As you know, I am rather fond of rocking horses and have several dotted around my home. Unfortunately I can't keep them all as they do take up rather a lot of space so Mr C is always pleased when they canter off to pastures new!
Click on the pictures for a closer peek.

I have also been updating my stock at the Gloucester Antique Centre. They always do a great job with their themed window displays & this month it is a nursery window & there I spied my lovely vintage Silver Cross doll's pram which comes complete with cover & a fringed sun canopy. I had one of these as a child which provided hours of fun with my dolls so I am rather partial to them.

A job which I have been meaning to do for a long time is to have our headboard recovered as I fancied a change of colour scheme in our bedroom. Some time ago I bought a roll of this beautiful 'Doves' linen fabric when Lewis & Wood  had a sale. I finally had it done & it was returned this week looking so fresh & pretty. I think the upholsterer did a great job of placing the birds to their best advantage. I have plenty more fabric so curtains are the next project.

I have just realised that this Mother's Day will be the very first in 25 years that I have had without one of my children at home....The Boy is away at university & The Girl has gone off on a jolly to Edinburgh.....the joys of your children growing up!

This week will see me gathering together some vintagey bargains to take along to the next Vintage Jumble in Rangeworthy on Saturday 21st March which runs from 10am to 1pm.

It is held in the village hall (BS37 7LZ), entrance & parking are free & there are always lots of lovely goodies to be found at bargain prices, not to mention the delicious cakes served by the WI in aid of the senior citizen's annual village party.

Why not come along & join in the fun?

November

Time does fly and I've just realised how long it has been since I last wrote a post. I don't even know if anyone is still reading my blog after all this time! My time seems to be taken up mainly with hunting out vintage treasures, keeping my unit at Gloucester Antique Centre stocked, organising the V&H Fairs with Michele and looking after animals. The garden has been tidied up for winter, the chickens are moulting so we don't have any eggs, I have made chutney for Christmas with the last of my tomatoes and my neighbours excess apples.

 I thought I'd share some photos to highlight what has been going on in my life instead of writing reams of text for you to read as there is a bit of catching up to do!

I surprised myself by winning a cup at the village show for my flower arrangement (a vintage cup of course!).

Dylan had a bath...yes, that is newsworthy!

I bought a new car - another Mini (my third so far!)

The Boy started university in Wales ....when did he grow up??

We held our V&H Textile & Fashion Fair in October.

We have had a wonderful feature about the Christmas Fair in the December issue of Homes & Antiques Magazine - out now!

The Girl & I made some new cushions for the winter.

 

We had a fun family trip to Gifford Circus in Bath.

Toby hurt his paw....don't worry, he is fine now!

The Girl & Balli have had lots of fun.

And Dylan got new pyjamas!

It has been a busy month!

Hello dear readers! It has been quite some time since I last wrote but immediately after the V&H Fair in May I was winging my way over to South Africa to help my mum move house. I'm pleased to say that everything went smoothly and it was lovely to spend time with family & friends over there.

The week after I arrived home my sister & family arrived here for a visit & we had a great time together. This was followed by Tamzin's exhibition at New Designers where a lot of fabulous new talent was on show.

The very next day we had the excitement of Tamzin's graduation at the beautiful Wimbourne Minster in Dorset. It was certainly a proud moment to see her being awarded a first class degree - well earned after 3 years of hard work! I must admit to feeling rather teary eyed when the bells pealed out as the graduates left the building.

It was a rainy day but the sun appeared at just the right time!

Finally, on Sunday Devin was suited up for his prom....the boys & girls all looked so very smart in their finery!

 This week things should start settling down so hopefully I will be able to spend some time back in Blogland with you all.

Fun!

Guess where I'm going on Friday?

As it is my 50th birthday tomorrow (how did that happen?) & our 25th wedding anniversary, Mr C has earned himself many brownie points by booking a long weekend away!
It is somewhere that I have always wanted to visit & so I am excited & delighted!

Just Popping In

I just wanted to pop in & let you know that I haven't dropped off the face of the earth.

I haven't been in a very cheerful mood of late as my lovely dog, Lucy, has been very ill. She has had an infection of the liver which has caused fluid to build up in her liver, abdomen & lungs causing her to have some breathing difficulties & looking bloated. She has also not been eating which is always a worry.
She has had blood tests & x-rays, a course of antibiotics, various injections & diuretics & is currently on 4 different medications. She spent the day at the vet's yesterday & had a course of treatments there.
Her breathing seems a little improved today but I still haven't been able to tempt her to eat - not even the scrambled eggs I made her this morning.

It is apparently a fairly common illness in middle aged dogs (she is 11) & is treatable, but I won't be happy until she starts showing signs of improvement.

So, apologies for my lack of communication in the past few weeks. Hopefully regular service will be resumed soon!

The Winner Is....

Thank you all for the birthday wishes & for entering my giveaway.
The Rob Ryan designed vase above was given to me by my daughter, Tamzin - isn't it pretty?
I have had a lovely day & been thoroughly spoilt except Mr C is away in the USA so we will celebrate again when he comes home.

I entered the numbers 1-54 in a random number generator & it chose the winner.....

True Random Number Generator Result: 4 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

So, that is Julie's Knitting & Sewing Corner! Congrats Julie! Please do let me know your address & I will put together your personalised vintage goody box!

Toy Museum

Today Mr Cottage & I set off on a jaunt to Stow on the Wold as I wanted to visit the toy museum there & it was well worth the trip. It was stuffed to the rafters with a most delicious selection of dolls, toys & vintage childhood ephemera. I felt quite envious!

I think in this instance pictures speak louder than words, although these were taken with my phone camera, through glass & without a flash so some of them aren't brilliant! Click on the photos & they will enlarge so you can enjoy the details.

It is definitely worth a visit!