boston bound

Sadly not the American city. Instead, Boston in Lincolnshire. It gets some bad press, and certainly isn't the most stylish place in the world. But I fancied a trip there anyway (in the spirit of exploring the county). I mainly wanted to go due to the golden thrifting rule: the less stylish the town, the better the charity shops.




And... it was ok. The weather was appalling, and the charity shops were only so-so. I did find one treasure, which 'someone' wouldn't let me get. A 1950s' formica-topped kitchen table for only £5! As I would have needed help carrying it back to the car, I couldn't get it. But I know that the missed opportunity will be playing on my mind for some time.

[edited] Ooops. I drafted this post at the end of March, and it is now the middle of April. Better get cracking with a post about the Easter weekend!

thrifting on a sunny saturday

What a lovely weekend, particularly Saturday. Much of the day was spent sat in the garden, catching up on magazines. It was so peaceful, and so relaxing. Just what I had been craving for the last few weeks.

I made a trip into town in the afternoon, to have a look round the charity shops. I wasn't having much luck, and decided on a whim to get the candle stick and tin mug in the picture. The mug was 30p, and the candle stick was £1.50. The lady behind the counter added them up and said "£1.80. So that's 90p please."
Ok, I thought, handing over my pound coin. Only to get 1p back in change.
So did I get a bargain, or did I lose money? I really can't decide!



Anyway, after a good wash, the blue glass candle stick is lovely and shiny. And the mug can go with my other tin mug and bowls, which hold all the 'bits and pieces' in the bathroom.

But, what's that in the background of the photo? Only one of the best thrifting bargains I've scored for a while. There was an advert in the local paper last week for a 'Thrift Shop' being held at a local village. Apparently the organisers were 'keen to stress it is not a jumble sale', and it was in a very posh village, so I wasn't holding out much hope for any bargains. But I was intriuged, and dragged S along for the 10am opening time.





It was held in the Methodist Chapel, and on walking in there were piles of books spread out on the pews. The rest of the sale was in a room upstairs, and I spied this blanket straight away. It's huge (would fit a double bed) and really well made. I've seen similar blankets in charity shops before, but they are always very expensive (which is fair enough, considering the amount of work that goes into making them) and normally include some hideous colours.
I was told this one was made a a lady in the village. The price? £2
It's now gracing the back of our sofa, and looking very at home.

the red shoes

New shoes!

bye bye winter

For spring is on it's way.

duck tales

On Tuesday mornining, these lovely things met me as I left the front door.



Yesterday morning, in the same spot, there were three of them.
Maybe there will be four today?

Has the book started something?

luck of the ...

Six years ago today I was here:



It wasn't our intention to be in Chicago on St Patrick's Day, but just a lucky coincidence.

Picture from here. Although, I don't remember the river being quite that vivd - it was a bit murkier!

a book of ducks

I'd been feeling a bit unsatisfied with the offerings in the charity shops recently, and hadn't found any amazing items for a while.
Then last week I was in a shop in town, and spied a box of old railway books. On digging through them I found this gem.



It was an impulse buy, and I did think it was pretty. It wasn't until I had a proper look at it later on that I realised just how beautiful it was. The cover is a dusty blue/green, and the ducks are fantastically regimented and stylised.



Inside the colour plates are perfect. This is, of course, a Mallard, which are described as 'birds of character'.

The book is a King Penguin, a range I have not come across before, and the dust jacket mentions other titles, including Life in an English Village and Tulipomania, by Wilfrid Blunt. They sound wonderful!

A bit of research has dug up these wonderful covers.

family fun days

We spent last weekend at this beautiful place with my family. It was a 'landmark' birthday for my aunt, and we took over the entire place. She knew she was going away for the weekend, but had no idea that the whole family would be there.
(I love how this paragraph makes me sound like I belong in a glossy magazine!)



Friday morning was a big party, followed by a bracing walk to Woolacombe Bay (the clifftop was only a few hundred yards from the manor).









Saturday night was another fancy party. On Sunday we drove home, via Gloucester, where I convinced S to stop in at Home Sense. I've heard great things about this shop. It wasn't quite as amazing as I expected (too much like a fancy shop, and not enough like a discount warehouse for me!), although I was surprised to see Jonathan Adler items there. Unfortunately it was only the plastic outdoor plates, not the gorgeous ceramics, so I left empty handed.