Rock & Roll Sunday Fair...

Sunday. The local indoor Rural Market.

It is a market held 4 times a year to support local, independant, rural traders. It's all for sale, everything from Crafts to Chutney... Walking Sticks to sausages... and PaperFish likes to get involved!

I had a smaller stall than usual. I have been concentrating on new web business so i hadn't got such a huge stock to offer...

I also wanted space to set out a table for Children - you remember how it was when you were little? being dragged around places of a weekend with your parents stopping to chat every 5 minutes and you weren't allowed to touch or buy anything....? i hated that: children need fun :)

So i had an extra table and chairs next to me where children were offered the chance to make some exciting bracelets from various beads, buttons and ribbons... it was so much fun (as always!)

The bracelets were great! very imaginative and all quite different.

I was worried stupid about the huge needles we had to thread the felt beads - luckily, no major accidents and the results were worth it.

Sisters getting stuck in...

And my star of the day - Pretty Pollyanna, who managed to make a huge threaded necklace and matching bracelet. She worked so hard on it and talked non-stop the entire time. I barely had a bead left!

Of course, the advantages of helping set up the Market - is i get to choose which stall is next to mine :)

Naturally i chose the local Chocolate Makers (originally from Finland!) Their chocolate is amazing and the couple who run the business are such lovely people. We talked children and the politics of 'formal education'... it was all very continental.... and yummy.

A new lady at the market - it is a shame she has no website because her stained glass creations are just sooo lovely. There was a really high standard of good quality stalls and it was a great atmosphere.

My girl and me bought matching kitten friends and pottery mice for them to chase... (mine is pink, hers is blue)

And the lady with the knitted glories was selling her items for less than the materials used to make them... dolls around £3.50... kittens £1 a piece.....

I know, it DOES make life difficult for those of us trying to make a living from this.... but it is her hobby and her life. Who am i to criticise her pricing? she was colourful and fun to have on board.

Lastly and by no means least-ly (?) i popped The Fudge Man right in front of me...

Pardon?... are you accusing me of spending all my pocket money on handmade chocolates and fudge?... that would be very rude of you and simply quite untrue.

(They had freebie tasters of everything)

I sold a few pieces and took some orders for bunting. Then i went back to my parents and helped PaFish cook up Sunday Roast Dinner. A neighbour came round to talk with me about cars, randomly, and i finished the day watching Antiques Roadshow.
It ain't Rock and Roll Folks, but it's my kind of a Sunday.

Weekend Thrift-a-rama....

A typically English afternoon - bar one thing... it was sunny!! So, off to the local "Bric-a-Brac" sale in Dodford.
Cute Summer dress = check
Sunnies = check
Rogue Trader style 4x4 truck = check Super sweet vintage style bag = check
SmallFish...... = check... but WAIT a minute!!

Somebody wasn't too keen on a trip out thrifty hunting... "What's up PongoFish?"

"Mama, you forgot my purse and now i can't buy anything"....

Run back inside for the Little Hello Kitty purse = check!

She soon cheered up as we entered the Village Green - they had a full on BAND playing!! Cool! and oh so English. It was dreamy :)

So dreamy, i did forget to photograph all my purchases for you to share.... Herbs, a rug, some books, .... SmallFish's plastic turtle and 'Tigger' Cocktail stirrer....

Tea from a true Utility Wear 'Village Hall' cup and saucer (i wanted a second cup but they didn't sell their tea by the pot, mores the pity)

Dreamy dreamy cake... Victoria Sponge with real strawberries. OH be still my fluttering heart... this cake will make it to the Food Blog sometime, it was delicious.

The Plant Stall with Parasol - this thrift sale spilled out of the Village Hall, over the Village Green and away up the winding village road.

I sat in the sunshine, enjoying the band and swatting the wasps off my cake with this *new* old book (all about English gramar and punctuation - i could do with the tuition)

Oh English-ness, i did enjoy a warm slice of your pomp and circumstance this weekend. Thankyou for your eccentricity and love of Tea, Cake and thriftiness x x x

Cafe Sunday...

aaahh - a rare treat!
Sunday Coffee out with my Sister. Lucky us, to get an hour or two to sit and chat and Sunday browse... We went to Olney ***waves at Olney readers*** ("Local Craft Matters" is out now guys, go grab your free copy!)

That is my Little Sister, totally dreaming and worrying about what to do with her life.

And below, why tis me! Oh, I am wearing that Beret again... it isn't cosmetically sealed to my head, promise! It was raining and i need a haircut... why do i have an odd gurning grin on my face???

Olney, Rose Courtyard - it has a great little Craft and Art gallery and also a brilliant Craft / Paper / Stamping shop L.B.Crafts... it was raining when we sat in but the sky did brighten for a while on Sunday...

I managed to grab the Fruit and Veg Men in the Market Place just as they were packing up for the day. I filled a big bag with oranges / lemons/ limes and grapefruits for about £3 and then went home to 'Juice' them, mmmmm x

And my Sis holding up theeee cutset little Spring Cotton Skirt that i bagged in the Charity Shop for £2.50. What a find!? it is so sweet.

Cafe Sundays my friends... it's what the rest of the week was made for! x

A comfortable Sunday...

Off to HobbyCraft then Sainsburys...
The weather?.... hideous, damp, dank, grey, cold, miserable.... JUST the weather for the red beret! And it worked because other people smiled at the redness of the beret too (it has magic qualities and brings much joy)
One Gentleman even started singing to me "where did you get that hat, lalala..."
Unfortunately he was a homeless alcoholic who was trying to distract me whilst his friend attempted to steal the newly purchased bottle of Brandy from my shopping trolley. Ah well, i told him off and we all had a laugh about it, the Brandy made it home with me and so did the child and the beret.

Hobbycraft!? i know, i didn't mean to swear in my own Blog but... i needed some embroidery skeins very quickly x
On our return from the commercial abyss ... i got out my Gorgon Ramsey cookbook.... SEE? notice? and i quote "To Kirsty, Love Gordon" The photograph is my sister getting it signed for me in Selfridges. How cute is she? She knows i live in a fantasy world, in which Gordon and I are blissfully married...


NO, i didn't cook from that book. That is just for dreamy smugness and a quick 'Gordon fix' in my heart, no.... The Smaller Fish and I made chocolate FUDGE from Nigella's recipie (she's my best friend you know, in my fantasy world)
We 'improved' the recipie, like all good crafters should, and added the BRANDY (see, the beret story had relevance) and extra sugar.

And we made them in this heart shaped ice tray so we had HEART shaped fudge, how cute is that?
Then i invited my Mum and Dad for Sunday lunch. Brandy glazed and Bacon stuffed Chicken (Brandy again!) with dauphinoise Pots and carrots and Leeks in white sauce. Then followed by Vanilla ice-cream (the only thing my dad and daugter will eat for dessert) and Brandy Fudge.
It was, on reflection, a comfortable Sunday x