bank holiday finds: volume one

This will be the first of a number of posts showing my treasures from the weekend!

First up, the charity shops in Norwich provided this little lot:



Biscuit tin (60p), tiny deer (80p), flower pot (80p) and owl mug (10p). I have no idea what I will do with the tiny owl mug, but couldn't resist his little, drowsy face!

This all came from the car boot sales: tatty Habitat picture frame that I am going to paint (20p), lamp base that I was going to spray paint a shiny red, but might now leave as it is (50p), Ladybird books (25p each), more little deer (50p for the pair), old suitcase (£1), Country Living book (50p) and lots of fabric - this is one piece of about five (£1).

A closer look?

The deer are salt and pepper shakers - and I fear they may turn into a collection!

Close up of the fabric - I have plans for this! I thought it was quite old, but it has 1988 printed on the selvedge. Do the eighties count as vintage yet?

Country Living - Shoestring Chic - a lovely book, which I will scan some pictures from at some point.

The rest of my purchases deserve a post each. Look out for Volumes Two to Five! (sorry!)

a day out in... norwich

What a fantastic bank holiday weekend. I really needed that extra day, and made the most of the weekend. As always, I am so sad it is over, and really didn't want to go back to work. Does anyone?!

We hit three car boot sales and quite a few charity shops this weekend. And they were some of the best ever! I got some amazing stuff - things I have been looking for for a while, and some others that are a bit strange (but I love them)! I haven't got round to taking pictures yet, as there are so many to take! But I will do soon, promise.

On Saturday we went to Norwich. It's about two hours away from where we live, so was a bit of a trek. But it was worth it. What a fantastic place! There are beautiful buildings, lots of museums, fantastic shops and lovely walks. And it was a gorgeous drive across Norfolk to get there. We only scratched the surface, and will have to arrange another trip back soon.

We started off with a walk along by the river, and round the back of the cathedral.

Past this enormous building, covered in ivy and wisteria. It houses the Print Museum. It is only open one afternoon a week, so we weren't able to go in, but I had a peek through the window at the lovely printers trays and blocks.

Then we hit the shops. There is a great mixture of high street stores and independent shops, and some lots of lovely cafes and restaurants.

But my favourite shop was this one: The Treasure Chest Centre.



It was essentially my dream shop. Full of everything you could possibly think of.

Can you see the rocking horse outside? Just behind it in the window is a rocking reindeer!

I only took one picture inside, which doesn't do it justice. There were tables of jewelry, piles of old ice skates, telephones, buttons, clothes, crockery, books, and so on, and so on. And there was a warehouse out the back full of furniture. It was beautifully displayed too. It wasn't themed at all, not by colour or subject, but it was cohesive, rather than just piles of stuff everywhere. Um, not that it appears so in this picture!



It was all a bit too much for me! Everything I had been keeping an eye of for in the charity shops was there, unfortunately at ten times the price (although it wasn't overly-expensive, just that I like a bargain). Rather than my dream place to shop in, it is my dream shop to own. Can you imagine it being your job to find all this?

What else did I do? I made some cookies, which are fast becoming one of my favourite recipies. We also did some jobs that have been hanging round for ages. S fitted his old CD player in my car, so I can now listen to my own choice of music. I am sure there will still be plenty of Radio 2, but its good to know the CDs are there when they are needed. One of the best things I did was tidy the airing cupboard! Very dull for everyone else, but I feel so much better now!

Back soon with pictures of the treasures!

currently reading

Standing in the Rainbow by Fannie Flagg

bird song

Singing (and posing) for us as we walked home from dinner.

blackboards in unlikely places

Blackboards are all over the design websites and magazines these days (have they been and gone, in fact?).

On Sunday I saw a novel alternative to painting your fridge door - how about the hood of your car!

In the very glamorous location of outside Sainsburys, up pulled an old red Escort-type car, complete with boy-racer driver. Unfortunately the blackboard had boy-racer type comments all over it (complete with 'rude' words), so no pictures were taken!

Picture from Living Etc

easter weekend

Easter weekend was spent with family in Hampshire.

S and I grabbed a few hours on our own to go for a walk. St Cross is one of my favourite parts of Winchester. The meadows and abbey are so beautiful, and I have a lot of happy memories of sunny days spent there as a child.

We decided to have a picnic on my favourite bench. It turned out to be a picnic (and a walk) in the rain. We were having a lovely time, eating our cheese sandwiches, and watching the cows and horses.

Then someone got a bit inquisitive.

And a bit more...



So we slowly moved out of his way.

But he wasn't giving up, and followed us round the corner.

We made our way back into town, past the Winchester College buildings - this part of town is hidden away from the main streets, and feels very old fashioned.





At the Cathedral, they have a regular book stall, tucked away under cover. For some reason, I have never had a look at it before, but it was fantastic. I didn't buy anything, but spent a pleasant 10 minutes browsing.

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!