a day out in ... London

Last week, we made a last-minute decision to have a day out in London. With no firm plan, we decided on wandering around, and calling into places as we passed.

We walked along the Southbank, popping into the Tate Modern to see the small Diane Arbus exhibition. Then it was over the Millenium Bridge to find somewhere for lunch. We walked around for ages, only to end up back where we started in Cafe Rouge.

It has a great location, next to St Paul's Cathedral, and you couldn't ask for a better view out the window.

We watched the world go buy from the steps of the cathedral for a while, and weren't the only ones - can you spot the lady in the sombrero and bright poncho in the picture? I have no idea why she was wearing that, but was happily reading her book amongst the tourists!

Walking along Fleet Street, we reached Trafalgar Square, where we dipped into the National Portrait Gallery. It's fairly small, by London standards, so we were able to see all of it in a no time. I particularly enjoyed the early/mid-20th century paintings.

It was then time for a pitstop in the National Gallery cafe. I love this cafe - with the brass fittings and bentwood chairs it feels like being in Paris. And we shared a very romantic cookie.

After a quick dash along Regent Street in the rain, it was time to head home. The day was lots of fun, and something we should do more often.

the kitschy menagerie

Just a few little finds this week. I have a weekness for these kitsch little creatures, and at just 10p each there was no way I could leave them behind. The deer I found a couple of years ago remain my favourite, but these are welcome additions to my collection. The cats are salt and pepper shakers, and came complete with a lot of old pepper. The deer is in fantastic condition. And the mouse, well, he just looks a bit annoyed at the world.

And a pretty oil painting. These normally come in ugly, ugly frames, which I remove staight away. But this frame isn't too bad, so might escape being attacked with pliers.

What did you find this week? 

Linking to Her Library Adventures and Apron Thrift Girl.

you are my sunshine

Inspired by the sudden appearance of summer, I've created my first Etsy treasury.

You Are My Sunshine posters by Pop Heart Press.

See the rest of my treasury here.

some favourite things

A round-up of some of the best things I have come across on the internet over the last few weeks...

So exciting! An exhibition of prints by Angie Lewin (pictured) and Rob Ryan will be in Cambridge in October (via design*sponge).

An amazing story of opening a vintage clothing shop.

Proposing on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. Not for those with vertigo!

The best styling of a vintage shop I have seen! (via Mighty Girl).

flour and fabric

With a busy week at work, I've not had much chance to hit the shops/sales, but found a few bits and pieces nonetheless.

I love this fabric - it's a very 1950s-style depiction of the Venice canals. I'm not sure if it is vintage or a modern reproduction - does anyone have any ideas how I can find out? They are strangely cut into panels, but I might be able to get a cushion cover or two out of them.

And this lovely little embroidery. I think it is from a kit, as you can see some of the guide marks underneath the stitches.

Some lovely 1930s bowls, to add to the collection.

And my one car boot sale purchase of the week. It is rusty, and has no lid, but will make a perfect plant pot - particularly for 50p.

It's been a much-needed quiet weekend, although today we went out for a short ride, trying out my new bike. I can remember the feeling of just jumping on the bike and riding like it was second nature. But the reality is far more wobbly. We rode about a mile, and I think I need a lot more practice.

Linking to Her Library Adventures and Apron Thrift Girl.

garage sales and mirrors

What a strange weekend. I don't feel like we achieved much, but it was busy, nonetheless.

On Saturday we dragged ourselves outside and went for a walk around Rutland Water.

Not the entire 20-odd miles, mind you. Just four miles around the Hambleton Peninsula (which I always want to refer to as an island). Followed by lunch at the pub.

Sunday morning was spent at the local car boot sale, followed by a village-wide garage sale a few miles away. There are a couple of these sales in the area each year, and I always look out for them. You come across all sorts of strange finds - things that people wouldn't bother packing up and taking all the way to a car boot sale.

The big purchase was a bike. I was tempted by a couple of vintage bikes, but they weren't in great condition, so I ended up with a newer bike. Now I just need to remember how to use it!

And the thrifty finds for the day:

A little handbag mirror. My mum used to have a plastic version of this - it fold over and creates a stand for itself.

Flashcards! I've wanted some of these for ages. They are from the late-1970s.

And more tins. The collection seems to be getting out of control.

The weekend was rounded off with the fantastic, although extremely long, Canadian Grand Prix.

Linking with Her Library Adventures and Apron Thrift Girl.

yellow and brown

Hello to anyone stopping by after I linked from Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures and Thrift Share Mondays at Apron Thrift Girl. I've been exploring the links from these posts for a while now, and had been itching to join in!

I had a spare afternoon today, and as I was already in the area of my favourite charity shops, it made sense to stop by.

These aren't the colours I am usually drawn to, but spoke to me anyway. The little mug says April 1968 - I'm not sure what it is commemorating, and will have to do some investigating. And I wasn't sure how old the sifter was, but thought it would look nice on the kitchen shelves. Having given it a clean and seen how many year's worth of old cake was embedded in the seams, I think it is older than I guessed!

They are sat on sweet vintage skirt, which was even more of a bargain as it was half price on clothing today (I hadn't realised until the lady on the till told me).

tins and more tins

There seems to have been a theme to my car boot sale purchases this weekend...

Cadbury Roses Chocolates

Seidlitz Powder tin from Alex Parsons, a chemists in Manchester

And a sweet floral tin - I love the red and blue pattern on the side panel. They are all a bit shabby, but were to nice to pass up (and the Roses tin was only 50p!).

picnics and summer houses

With S's parents visiting this weekend, we decided to try a walk we haven't done before. Starting in the chocolate-box village of Exton, in Rutland, we headed off through the fields. After an hour or so we came across this...

Fort Henry is the boat house for Exton Park, and was perfect spot for a picnic. I would love to expore inside, but don't think you can get any closer than this - it certainly made a nice backdrop though.