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Friday 29 March 2013

One a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns!


And a very happy Good Friday to you all, my lovelies! I hope that today is finding you all fit and well, it's a beautiful day here, and I am watching the world go by from my sickbed! I have once again succumbed to the dreaded lurgy, which only seems to happen to me at holiday time ... this weekend I was to have had a stall at a very big Vintage Fair, which I've been preparing for weeks ... but never mind, worse things happen!

The title of today's post comes from a bit of reminiscing ... remembering the Good Friday's of my childhood, when the only shop open was the bakers ... it was the one day a year when you bought Hot Cross Buns ... they were special then, not like now, when you can buy them practically every day of the year! And they were definitely more spicy, glossier and bigger ... don't get me started on the size of Creme Eggs!

Hope you all have a lovely Easter weekend, and will catch up soon!

Love Claire xxx





Monday 25 March 2013

Spring will be a little late this year ...

You may have noticed that I try to incorporate song lyrics into my titles, and wanted one that was apt for March or Spring and Google suggested the above, which is very appropriate! I'm not going to bang on about the weather ... we all know about it!



March has been a lovely month so far, I've had lots to celebrate and people have been very kind to me.  On the very first day of March it was my birthday, and my little sis took me to the very posh Rothay Manor in Ambleside for afternoon tea ... very delectable! I received lovely cards, flowers and presents ....


60 golden daffodils from Jacob (that's not my age, by the way) ...


Ooh, can't wait to wear these! Thank you, Olly ...


Lovely reads ...


and plenty of prettiness!

Mother's Day followed on the 10th and I was treated like a queen for the day by my lovely brood, lunch out, lovely gifts and roast dinner made by Steve ... I could get used to being pampered ....

The lovely Lisa from Bobo Bun arranged Four Happy Things Swap, and I was lucky enough to be paired with Ellie from Jelly Jam ... if you aren't familiar with these two delightful blogs, whyever not? You're in for a real treat! I wasn't being very organised and wrapped and packed my stuff all ready to post, without photographing it, but luckily Ellie was on the ball and if you pop over to her, she'll show you what she got from me ... 


Ellie collects beautiful, vintage fabrics and makes bags, cushions and all manner of  delightful things from them ...


She made me a very pretty brooch pillow ...


and even gave me a brooch to pin upon it ...


A sweet jar full to the brim with rhubarb and custard sweets ...


 and another handmade item, this time a gorgeous, sweet-smelling lavender heart (the swap was to have a nostalgic feel, and the receiver's favourite colour was to be featured ... bet you can't guess what mine is can you?)

Four Happy Things that are making me very happy indeed ... thank you Ellie, and also a big thanks to Lisa for organising the swap.

I was going to show you lots of other things today, but unfortunately Instagram is playing up and saying I don't exist, so I can't download my latest pictures.  So I'm going to have to say sorry to shelly @ all4meggymoo, as I can't show her lovely giveaway prize which I was very lucky to win, and also Dotcomgiftshop who featured one of my cupboard makeovers on their blog and let me choose an item to review for them.  I will be showing you these things as soon as I can sort my pics out.

On Saturday I worked at Violet and the Peapod, the delicious vintage teashop which I showed you last December, once again I can't let you see the updated pictures, but will as soon as they are available (if anyone has any tips how to sort this out, I'd be very grateful).

I'm sorry that this post is only a shortened version of the vision of loveliness I'd intended ... but service will be resumed as soon as possible!

Have a fabulous week, won't you my lovelies?

Love Claire xxx




Monday 18 March 2013

Saving the best until last ...

I've had a bit of a wallow in nostalgia this week, my lovelies! There is a little charity shop that I visit once a week or so, where the two ladies who run it treat me with great amusement and think me very odd that I like 'old' things! "Oh, we hate that sort of stuff" they say with relish ... "we've just thrown a load out, because they were ... old", when I inquire whether they have any lace doilies, old leather suitcases, eiderdowns or china teasets. I have left my phone number and given them strict instructions not to dispose of anything without first contacting me, and I will come as soon as is humanly possible, to avoid the offending items from cluttering their shop.  My perseverance paid off this time ...


The other day, they said that they had a load of stuff coming in as an old lady had died, and her son had been clearing out her house. The lady had a china cabinet, containing a complete teaset, that for as long as he could remember, had never been used, but had been his mother's pride and joy ... would I be interested?


They unpacked 39 pieces of pristine, mint condition, bone china.  Twelve teacups and saucers, twelve side plates, a sandwich plate, milk jug and sugar bowl. A complete set, with not a chip or hairline crack in sight, the gold unscratched and untarnished ... just perfect.


Imprisoned for years behind glass doors, no red-lipstick  had ever stained the cups, nor sugar-mouse-pink  Fondant Fancies been delicately placed on the plates ...


Saved for best.  But best had never happened ... nothing in the life of the old lady was special enough to use the 'best' teaset. The ethos of her day was "waste not, want not" as beautifully illustrated by Hettie Brown above.

 I, as you know, am thrifty by nature and follow this to the letter.  However, I too, used to save things for 'best', as I wrongly thought it would be wasteful not to.  The children's clothes, when they were young were often passed on, practically unworn, because they had been saved for best, not enjoyed and worn just for the hell of it.  I used to squirrel away special toiletries, candles, bedding and china ... not any more! If someone has given me something as a gift, instead of putting it away and forgetting about it, I use it ... I luxuriate in rose-scented baths surrounded by beautiful, scented candles, and dry myself on pretty towels ... on a Monday!  Don't save for best, save for the wet, windy, dull, down-in-the-dumps days when a little luxury will go a long way to cheering you up. Hiding beautiful things away, that are made to be enjoyed ... now that is a waste!


These men's hankies would have been given to a husband or Dad for Christmas or a birthday ... and then dutifully packed away, never to be seen again, in his sock drawer.  These have a special poignancy for me ... my Dad used this type of handkerchief, and his name was Tommy ...


Was the little boy or girl who excitedly opened these roller skates on Christmas morning then instructed to "put them away until the next fine day" but the sun never shone and they remained on the shelf in the garden shed, until now?


What stories do these items tell? Years of being hidden away without ever having the chance to shine, to be loved, used and enjoyed? Sadly, we'll never know ...

Love, Claire xxx


Wednesday 6 March 2013

Roll up for the Magical Mystery Tour ...

When I suggest to my little sister that we go for a run in the car, and I'll do the driving, her heart leaps with glee (or trepidation, I'm not sure which) as she says we never quite know where we'll end up. Once I suggested visiting a well known, well-signposted, garden centre in Ambleside ... we ended up at Dove Cottage, William Wordsworth's cottage in Grasmere instead ... and had a lovely day.  I didn't really need any more garden gnomes anyway.




Going for a drive with me is taking your life in your hands ...not because I'm a reckless driver, in fact, quite the opposite! I'm one of those annoying people who drive as though they are taking their Driving Test for the first time (it took 3 tests for me to rip off my 'L' plates, only to be replaced by a green 'P', which I kept on for about 12 months as it gave me security, and I didn't get beeped at too often) as I don't overtake, speed or do anything untoward, and I definitely don't do motorways! That's not to say I haven't ever driven on a motorway, because I have.  Twice in fact, on one fateful day about 14 years ago, totally by accident ... a trauma I have never recovered from. No, give me a meandering, narrow country lane lined with hedgerows and blossom, and I'm totally happy ... some world famous scenery is always an added bonus.




A while ago, Maria and I went on a road trip around the Lake District.  First of all we made our way to Brantwood, the home of John Ruskin, and actually got there in one piece! After that we just trundled around, discovering places we had never been to before, and as long as there was no threatening rumble of juggernauts nearby, we were happy, just stopping here and there to replenish with refreshments.




Once, when I was learning to drive, I did actually end up on the Coniston car ferry, again completely by accident, but the children really enjoyed it, so that was ok.



Life's a bit of a mystery tour isn't it? No matter how well planned out our journey is, there will always be sideroads to distract us, roadworks up ahead to delay us, and danger at every twist and turn.  At the crossroads, do we take the easy, well-worn road or the superhighway, fraught with peril and the unknown?

google


Are you a Sunday driver, or do you live life in the fast lane? I'd love to know ...

Buckle up and enjoy the ride!

Love Claire xxx