Wardrobe Waffle

Hello again ..remember me?
Well that was a whole big heap of gloom and doom now wasn't it?
Thank-you SO very much for all your lovely messages and emails about losing my much missed kitty Maude (she had quite sudden kidney failure) and waving goodbye to Florence too.They were really lovely and more appreciated than you'll ever know. x
(Lovely Lisa in Oregon..don't worry Basil and his buddies are doing just fine, as you can see from these photos they have been having lots of cat conferences putting the feline world to rights)

mind you, all hell broke loose after Ethel dared to stretch out a kindly paw to her mother!

 It all became a bit too much to bear to be honest so I spent some time in my spotty wellies wading in self pity and lots of tears..there were lots and lots of those...I was a little bit broken hearted I can tell you. I also had to leave my job in the little shop for various reasons which I wont go into, so Pete and I went away for a while to Devon for some blustery blue sky days to blow away the stresses and clear my head before I end up getting carted away by the men in white coats.

Well 'Old Flo' has gone to her new home, not far from here up in the hills. The chap was really pleased with her and will tow her behind his 1958 Landrover. He promised to email me photos of her renovation, so if he does, I'll let you see. He was thinking of painting the lower half of her in a pale 1960's turquoise-teal blue which funnily is the colour I was thinking of too. Great minds think alike hey?

(this was the curtaining I had bought for her..Hen I think you have some of this fabric too?)
I must admit I had a lump in my throat when she trundled off up the lane giving me a crafty wink with her half hearted brake lights.
The nice little bit of profit helped take away a bit of the pain though, pity £300 quid of it had to pay towards for the pointless damage done to my little car but hey ho,I suppose that's life (well, my often pants life anyway!)

Last month,as Florence's farewell treat to us, Pete and I went to Shakespeare country, namely Stratford-upon-Avon, for a drive out and a mooch about the shops and a properly British, award winning cream tea.The best cup of tea ever actually, they had a six page menu just for the different types!

I managed to find myself some pretty clothes to buy whilst we were there.Normally I struggle with clothes shopping as I can never find things I like, they always seem to show the bits I want to hide or I'm worried about looking like some old piece of mutton dressed up like a spring lamb.
Years ago the stinky boys wrote to Trinny and Susannah to try and cheer me up with a new wardrobe of girlie stuff..( I'd got a bit lost in the wardrobe stakes having put on quite a bit of weight and suddenly not fitting in my vintage clothes and favourite Levis) Whilst clearing out yet another stash of 'stuff' I came across it again:

  I found the letter and there was no way on this earth I would stand in that 360 degree mirrored cupboard in my bestest big knickers for all the world to see... or have Trinny poking my tits (or 'giblets' for that matter)...nope, nooooooo way so even though it was very sweet of them, it never got posted. How sad is this bit.."she buys party shoes but never goes to parties"
cheeky buggers!!
I was quite impressed with George's handwriting though!

Anyway..this pretty top I found at Stratford, has little birdies and fish on it, it looks lovely with that blue and green swallows necklace Pete bought me back in April. And a first for me, a couple of woolly berets to match my bargain found-in-the-sale Spring coat.(even though its now Autumn!)I confess to feeling a bit of a berk in a hat, like I'm wandering around with a large sign on my head saying 'lookey here folks at the size of my enormous bonce' but I'm sure I'll get used to wearing them.

I can't understand why I haven't been in White Stuff before last year.. I've never walked into a clothing shop and loved so many things, nearly all the styles are right for (hiding) my shape but also, most unfortunately, very wrong for my budget.
One thing I have discovered a love of again recently is leggings.
I wore them in the very early 80's with tulip-shaped wiggle dresses or ra-ra skirts and big turban-like bows in my hair and a strange fashion of black plimsolls with 'fall-down socks'..(remember those? they were like white surgical stockings without elastic at the top) Later I went on to the black phase much to my parents horror..loving The Cure, black hair,black clothes, black lipstick and studded punk belts before trundling off to Art college in another style..my old-man mac, stripey tights and Doctor Martin's with my trademark bright red lipstick. Art college is where I found a new best buddy and the next wardrobe phase..the 1950s..an era I still adore but my 26 inch waist has had quite a few more inches added and everything is heading south lately..it doesn't quite cut the mustard when you're 41 and a half, I'm more Hattie Jacques than Diana Dors these days!

lovely curvy Hattie

Luckily for me I have a husband who prefers the 'extra padding', it's just me and the rest of society who doesn't! Well,anyway,I know the rule of wearing things a second time round, but I braved leggings on the approval of both the stinky boys' rather gorgeous girlfriends and have fallen in love with them all over again, this time though with biker boots and tunic dresses. Dresses and skirts are something I haven't worn in donkeys years, probably since my wedding in fact.I didn't possess either...
I love this eclectic look for the Autumn; (not sure what the tea cup is all about though) I was a little bit indulgent and that lovely leafy tunic and some fairisle wrist warmers came home too.

There is nothing like a bit of retail therapy to cheer you up is there?
You do get to that point of wondering whether you're too old for some clothes though, it takes me ages to deliberate over things.. but I'm not ready for my blue rinse just yet so I think I might like to grow old just a little disgracefully..

Clothing is such a personal thing but I do love peeking at what's in other people's wardrobes...It must be the long past dream of being a wardrobe mistress in me.

Is there anything you've indulged in or discovered a love of again lately, I'd love to know?

Maude

My beautiful girl,

the gentlest of souls

with fur as soft as silk,

Sleep soundly my lovely Maudey, you will be missed sweet little kitty x
1998-2010

A letter

Dear sir
(man upstairs/creator of the universe)

I wish to make a complaint.

You see I'm having a bit of a bad time at the mo and I thought by the age of 41 things might have got just a little bit easier. I was promised that life begins at 40 and instead it seems to be falling apart at the seams slightly, like an old pair of well worn knickers.

I kept my promise to work hard and be nice to people and love all those creatures that come my way (although foxy is at the bottom of the list along with those spiders with the hairy knees that come out the plughole) So I am hoping in return you may do something for me..

Firstly, I would like you to send a large bolt of lightning down upon the person who did the damage to my lovely little new car. I thought that it was a tad spiteful to pull off the wing mirror and dent and scratch the door whilst walking past on Monday night and I really dont want to have to sell Florence to fund the £300 insurance excess, not after you helped me with finding her after all these years. I have grown quite fond of her and have just purchased some lovely 1950s fabric for her curtains.It would be a shame not to be able to use it, now wouldn't it?

Could you also see to my truck battery please? We have fiddled and twiddled with it and now it's making me a bit behind with my gardening and a little bit cross if I'm honest.

Thank-you for keeping the fox away, the poorly girls are now better and for making Mr Stobart understand about the stolen orange juice saga, even though Pete has been the brunt of many "looking well..must be all that vitamin C you've had recently " jokes.
Thanks also for letting me keep my sense of humour through all of this, I dont know what I would have done if you took it away.

I will, with baited breath,await your response.
your faithful servant,
Sairer x

P.s. I'm still waiting for a bum like Kylie's but I imagine you get a few requests, so I'm happy to wait a little longer, oh and it's the SATURDAY lottery we play..just incase you forgot. x

4th September edited to say;
Florence is for sale on EBAY if you are interested :0(

ooh lets have a bit of bluegrass...

Nature lessons...

::Human Nature::

Monday.
There happens to be some lovely people around these days.
In the shop where I work, a customer visiting from Scotland came in to purchase a birthday card and had left his money in the cash-point, he was pretty gutted, but I said that round here we're quite an honest bunch and he may find someone had handed it in at the bank.They indeed had, it made his day and in his words had 'restored his faith in human nature'

Wednesday.
My truck did not want to start. At all. Not a bean from the old beast. Turns out the battery was flat as a pancake and two of my lovely neighbours helped me sort it all out and charge it up and make me feel a bit less of a dumb blonde. Next week I'm learning to change a wheel...

Thursday.
After what happened last night, I think I really do have the best neighbours. I'm very lucky indeed.

Saturday.
Parcels.Oooh how I LOVE parcels.

There really are some nice people in the world, especially blogworld. A lovely lady called Ella made me this beautiful, beautiful cushion.Crochet is something I just cannot master, I end up casting on like knitting, but ask me to cast on to knit and I wouldn't have a clue! So when this lovely lady asked if she could make me a cushion for Florence, I leapt at the chance and as you can see it is just gorgeous.GORGEOUS.

Cheered me up no end that did.

Gave me one of those lump in your throat things at the niceness of a stranger, but really cheered me up.


::Mother nature::

Wednesday.
I do so love my hens and my cats and the old black dopey hound.
Far too much for my own good.
I spoil them and talk to them and just sit and watch them somedays, wasting precious time I shouldn't be wasting really.

Wednesday turned into a very bad day.

That pesky fox came back for his chicken dinner.
I was late putting the hens in,sorting out my truck, trying to cook some tea,answer the phone and feed the other animals when I heard the most awful commotion in the hen run. I knew instantly what it was ,the noise will haunt me for a long time. I ran barefoot across the garden to find feathers everywhere, silent hens in a state of shock lying across the ground and one poor girl crying out in pain.I panicked, I couldn't see properly as the light was fading and they are in the darkest part of the garden,under the big conker tree.
I was devastated, wracked with guilt and crying and there was no-one home to give me a hand.

My lovely neighbour came to her door in her dressing gown to find me in floods of tears clutching an injured hen in a teatowel. They were brilliant, I sat in her immaculate lounge with the chicken still in a teatowel, whilst her husband collected up my poor remaining girls,checked who was alive, who wasn't and put them safely away.The burnt tea went in the bin and a hot sweet cup of tea was made.I wasn't looking forward to the following morning.

Thursday.
The big clear up. Not nice.The injured girlie has a badly bruised neck but surprisingly survived the night.Hand feeding her is keeping her going but I'm not so sure I'm doing the right thing..should I do the decent thing or let mother nature take it's course?
Betty, my oldest hen refuses to open her eyes and Bessie has lost the majority of her tail feathers and refuses to move and big Elsie looks positively ragged.
Dolly and Violet unfortunately didn't make it.

I'm down to 5 and a half hens now, it all looks a little empty in the hen run.

Mother nature created a devious creature with the Fox.
Such a beautiful looking animal with such cruel ways. Sneaky ways.
A fox will destroy a flock in minutes and only take one for dinner.This foxy didn't get the chance for dinner and left over the 6 foot fence empty handed.Oblivious to the few seconds of chaos and the resulting horror.
I've no doubt he'll be back again so I'm off to shut them in extra early..

Next post I promise to be a bit jollier with some pretty stuff. x

A testing time (with added expletives)

Hello again, I guess you all get by now that I nearly peed my pants when I won that caravan then?(totally irrelevant silly cat photo of Basil in his 3D specs)

Blimey I'm getting more and more rubbish at this blogging lark these days and I wont even get started on my message skills..(lovespangle the reply to your eiderdown query is underneath your message on that 5 million eiderdowns post, I couldn't reply to you any other way!) oh and hello to all these new people that have suddenly found me on here! Also, I'm so sorry to the lady who sent me an email about the underground map cushions, I appear to have lost it somehow but they are teatowels I bought from an online London gift shop for a couple of quid..Google should help with finding those, if not Rockett St George has a rather fabulous underground map ready made one..(ooh I love that website)(photo borrowed from google)

Harry has the green one and it's really,really lovely (if a weeny bit expensive)

Right, it has been one of 'those' months..yep I knew it was too good to be true..I did say though didn't I? really I'm a size 10 underneath ..it's just the layers of thick skin I seem to have developed that makes me the mahoosive size I really am.Harry's naughty ginger bunny got taken by a fox one evening.Poor old Eddie, he was a nice bunny and we had had him for quite some years. I used to stroke his nose every morning which I really miss doing.It makes me sad to think of it as he was so friendly he would have no doubt gone up to the fox to say hello. The Fox has been snooping about since so we are extra vigilant in case he fancies a chicken dinner.Apparently the stinky boys need to 'mark' our territory to deter them..ewww!
Recently, quite out the blue and for no apparent reason,my debit card kept being declined,not funny when you have a weeks shopping bagged up in your trolley at the supermarket or you need petrol and your husband works away all week. Turned out some w*nker had cloned it and was swanning around using my name spending my hard earned spondoolies on wallpaper (£249 worth) and various other extravagant items all over the world totalling over £800. Luckily my bank had spotted it before I had and recognised that my identity had been stolen and I didn't lose any money.They blocked all the fraudulent activity as well as mine.Now we are getting strange phone calls instead from foreign sounding people that put the phone down when you start questioning them.ARRRGH.They obviously still have some of our details like our phone number and my kids names who they keep asking for.I wish they would just bugger off and leave us alone.
To top that thrilling week off I had to go in for a hideously painful biopsy which hurt so much this time it made me cry, the nurses thought I was going to pass out as I think I went rather pale afterwards.Harry and his girlfriend came with me to the hospital, just incase I couldn't drive home. He made me cringe with embarrassment as he asked in a very loud voice in the waiting area 'Mum have you just had a Chlamydia test?' I think that was the only 'girl thing' he could think of at the time!! Erm, no Harry I haven't!
It's times like these that I really miss Pete being around.Sometimes only a nice big man-hug will do to make things seem better. Teenage boys look at you as if your demented if you ask for a hug and tell you to 'stop being such a girl'. They just loiter a bit longer than usual to see if you're ok and make cups of tea. Tea solves everything in 'girlie world' (then they leave all the washing up for you)

Then...yes, there is more.. both the truck and Pete's car failed their MOT's within a week of each other..my truck which is normally fine, needed £500 worth of bodywork doing which the nice chap kindly let me pay for in installments, Pete's piece of sh*t Peugeot which is 12 years younger than my pickup truck has failed each year, it rattles and smokes and this time was the last straw. It really has been an sh*tty awful car and you wouldn't think it to look at as he kept it immaculate. So for our 13th wedding anniversary after doing lots of sums and umming and ahhing we did something rather scary, we bought a new car. A little pearly white sporty looking new car with less than 4000 miles on the clock and £35 a year road tax. I'm not really a fan of new cars but I'm quite taken with this one.It looks quite cheeky. Hopefully it's a reliable one. I'm especially impressed on how far you can go with just £10 of petrol! I dont think the boys were too impressed though. I was told it was 'ok, but a bit gay'. Strange how that word has changed meanings over the decades from meaning 'pretty or pleasant' in my parents generation to 'rubbish' in my childrens' via homosexuality in mine, a lady I used to garden for used to tell me I had a 'gay face' I was never quite sure how I should have reacted to that but seeing as she was well into her 80s I took it as a compliment! Anyway, I'm sure though I can live with the fact that my new car is a bit 'gay' even though it's probably very politically incorrect to say so.(no offence meant and I do tell them it's inappropriate to use that word for that meaning before you all hunt me down with dogs and pointy sticks)

The two stinky boys had some sad news too, when one of their young buddies was killed in a very tragic motorbike accident.If you live in Worcester or Malvern you may have read about it in the papers. I think it is every mothers nightmare to lose a child so suddenly.Pete and I have both lost best friends at a young age and it was sad to see them feeling the same way we did all those years ago.(another irrelevant Basil photo)

Last night I felt really unsettled, Wednesday evenings always seem to be horrid, we both seem to get 'middle week syndrome' but this one was particularly bad as I was tearful, irritable and comfort eating like it was my last day on Earth, I hadn't a clue why but I didn't go to sleep until after 3am but was woken up with a phone call early in the morning. Pete had had his lorry trailer broken into and some of the contents stolen, he woke up at 2am to find a Van pulled up along side and a gang armed with knives,slashing the side to get at the pallets of..wait for it...orange juice... inside. Stupidly he tried to get out of the cab to see what was going on, all bleary eyed and half a sleep after 15 hours of driving from one end of the country to the other.The gang saw him and tried to get at him in his cab, luckily they didn't as they would have wanted to make sure he couldn't get to the panic button they are fitted with and gawd knows what they would have done to him..six armed men against one. Scary stuff. The worse thing is that it's a sackable offence if your lorry is broken into, they have to get to a proper truck stop before they run out of driving time and the one he got to was full up so he was turned away. He's worried sick, so I hope Mr. Stobart understands his predicament. I guess you become tuned in to each other after 20 years and maybe that was why I felt like I did..who knows.Poor old Pete.
I'll be glad when he gets home on Friday.It's been a very long week indeed..

So, anyway, would you like to see inside 'Florence'..my vintage caravan?
There is quite a bit of painting to be done, some rewiring, a new floor, the glass replaced on the toilet window and all the soft furnishings, so it won't be even attempted for ages, we've got a whole list of other jobs to do first..(namely finishing that summerhouse, which Pete has now dismantled, leveled the base and put back together again..yay!)
There were all sorts of bits and bobs in it, loads of brand new cushions which all didn't match and weren't to our taste, infact everything you see in these 'before' photos came with her..

YIKES!!

needless to say,lots went to the charity shop and the poo stained porta-loo (urgh) went to the skip. After a clean and a clear out she looked just a weeny bit better..for now


The cute yellow frosted glasses were lying in the drawers, I think they are called 'sherbert' glasses or something.

She even had the original 1960s awning in a cupboard, as well as these odd bits and bobs;

A full first aid case, a working retro clock and a box of robin starch from the 1960s.The Bush radio was unfortunately well beyond repair.
There were also some strange framed modern prints of spacemen landing on the moon, so I'm guessing 'Our Flo' must be as old as me!
The recent paint job is really ropey, someone has practically troweled the varnish and paint on inside and out, we will just sand down and paint the inside all white to start with with add some nice little lights and some pretty floral curtains or maybe some gingham curtains or even some retro curtains! I can't decide.
I'd also rather like some bright coloured Formica worktops and a checkered floor. Still, I mustn't complain, It's just a few little jobs and for what we paid for her, she's pretty much ok otherwise.

I'm trying to wean myself off Cath Kidston at the moment, I loved it when it was something new and quirky back in the early 90s but now it seems like the world and his wife owns a bit, it all seems to have become a bit cheesy and mass produced.
That little original 1950s fabric washbag in the photo below is one such design that was tweaked and re-introduced by Miss K 40 years later.
Currently I'm going cold turkey, but it isn't working very well as I bought that scouty looking campfire/caravan badge blanket recently especially for Florence. Oops.As proof of why you should never throw anything out, I've found I'm drawn again to the things I liked 20+ years ago, 1950s things again and it was funny that I was only thinking how I'd like to hang an old swimming costume on a vintage Butlins coat hanger in the bathroom..I have some serious bathingsuit love at the moment...these two are recent finds to add to my old collection

and I was also thinking how I'd like to get some of my 1950s fabrics out the loft to sew some more funky atomic cushions when the most fabulous magazine fell onto my doormat with just such articles..
I'm absolutely loving Homes & Antiques magazine at the mo, I've been buying it for quite a few years and it just gets better and better each month (they are the fourth people to have asked me to do a housey feature thing but the house is really too unfinished at the moment..but how flattering is that?!!)Righty oh , I best go..especially after such an eventful bunch of tales I've left you with.. blimey what a misery guts I must sound but I'm quite a cheery person in real life -honest!
Hope you all at least have a good month!!x

The one where I nearly pee my pants...

Now, when lady luck shines down on my little patch, she shines brightly.
Not very often do good things happen in this house but they do happen now and again to cheer up our rollercoastering 'plodding along' lives.
I'm often wary that for the good things there's a bad thing lurking round the corner just waiting for it's opportunity to jump out and scare the pants off me..so the good things make me a little nervous..are you with me?

Well, this bank holiday, my sister from up north and her husband came to stay for a long weekend. It's very rare that people stay here, as our house is a tad small but the eldest stinky boy decided a spot of local stinky boys' camping was called for and we, for once, had a spare bed.

My sister and I are very similar even though she's the eldest and I'm the youngest of 4 girls, we have never had a cross word in 41 years...honestly,not ever, so her visits are always the best fun. As I was working on the Saturday all day, we decided on a National trust trip on the Sunday and the Giant Malvern flea fair on the Monday. All exciting stuff.
So on the Sunday after lots of mooching around the garden,sniffing roses and pointing at plants, eating croissants with proper butter in the (still lopsided and unfinished) summerhouse and chatting about my lovely visit to Devon and caravans and the like, we decided on a visit to
Hidcote Manor.Really it was a bit early in the year to appreciate all the beautiful flowers they have there and it was so packed with visitors we even had to wait until someone left to get a space in the car park .
Now big sisters can be a bad influence sometimes, they encourage you to put bids on exciting things you think you'll never in a million years be lucky enough to win. Before we went out for the day,I showed her something on eBay that was only a few miles from us and still at a sensible price. Something my family know I've hankered after for a long time and can bore people rigid over.

" isn't that just typical, pay day is a week away, my truck needs work for its mot and there that is looking at me at the bargain price of £125." I say.

Now the big sis tells me I should put a bid on it as I'll kick myself if the lovely thing goes for that amount and that she will help me out until pay day. There were lots of 'if it's meant to be' moments, the bid was placed and off we went to that beautiful area known as The Cotswolds...
to see pretty, pretty gardens..
Out for a meal (corr we really are splashing out!) and home again, where the said 'eBay thing' was almost forgotten about.....almost.

When I checked, I almost hyperventilated...noooooo it can't be true?

ME?.. the winner?

The owner of a little blue and cream CARAVAN for a mere £132? nooooo...

the VINTAGE one I had seen earlier???

The vintage blue and cream cheeky little 1960's one all ready to be towed behind The Beastie (my old pick-up truck) and only needing a bit of prettifying ???GORDON BENNETT!!!!Yes, when lady luck shines, she definitely shines very brightly!

little birdies

I'm sneaking back in hoping you didn't notice I was gone for so long ..and I'm also doing a little jig today (well a very strange kind of jig as I have just spent 4 long hours weeding between some block paving and now have a very stiff back) I have in my possession freeeeeeeeee tickets to the Malvern Spring gardening show again...Yay!
It's a good beginning to May as April was a pretty dire month to be honest.
It started of nicely with a trip to Woodstock, a 40th birthday present from my 3 sisters and brother last year that I never got to take because of George's accident. Just me and Pete and a swanky boutique hotel in the Cotswolds, posh nosh, pretty shops and gorgeous weather...lovely.We'll ignore the fact I had one of my 3 day migraines and spent the weekend doped up to the eyeballs with painkillers, feeling sick.(They annoyingly seem to pop up whenever I do anything different to my normal routine or travel anywhere for more than an hour)

Those naughty ducks had to go to a new home in the end.I was finding the 3 inches of sloppy mud that covered every available inch of my front garden just too much to bear, the chickens cats and dog were even depressed by it all as well as me. You couldn't walk on the garden and the hen run was swimming in ankle deep sloppy mud.I just wasn't prepared for their arrival really, I wanted to save them from slaughter but didn't really have the right duck house or pond or garden for them.They also ate everything in sight, including what the hens normally eat in a month, they could put away in a week.So Hilda, Stan and Lily have gone to a nice lady with a smallholding to swim on her pond on the one condition they were not for eating. I feel so sad that I let them down.Poor duckies.

Last week I looked after my neighbour's chickens for him whilst he was away for 10 days.
Posh, pedigree chickens in their posh plastic cube Eglu. The first night, the posh, naughty chickens would not go to bed and got in a flap because I really wanted them to go in so no mean foxes would come off the park and eat them.I've never known hens that like being out after dark.We spent a good half hour going round and round the pen, I got in a flap, they got in a flap, one escaped out the larger pen into the garden and another one flew up ,landed badly and broke it's leg. I was MORTIFIED. All this drama on the first day of looking after them. I had to crawl into the smaller Eglu pen to get her out which was not an easy task with a bum like mine to fit through the door.Phone calls to various emergency vets ensued but they didn't 'deal with' chickens and eventually our own vet told me what to do until the morning.
The poor little mite was put to sleep first thing.

There's also been the drama of my lovely mother in law who has spent 4 long weeks in hospital, very poorly indeed. All very worrying stuff.
No I wasnt keen on April, not at all.

So, on to the Birdies...
To distract myself from all these traumas, this month I've been finding pretty things to spend my hard earned block-paving weeding pennies on. Pretty little birdy type things (believe me after 4 hours on your hands and knees weeding with cramp in your hands, you need to treat yourself to something nice once in a while)The brass ones above cost me a couple of quid, ready to be sprayed 'Dottie Angel ' style. I cant decide on the colour though at the moment, so I'll just spray them with primer until I feel some inspiration.
I really love Daniella's online store, Acorn and Will, where I mooched about for ages and purchased some delightful vintage 1950's birdy brooches and that gorgeous cushion that was on the cover of Homes and Antiques.(I'd been hankering after that one for ages but knew it would go in a flash when it appeared in H&A) I did get a bit carried away with the birdy brooches, but who wouldn't when it comes to all those delicious vintage colours to choose from?
This gorgeous necklace was from White Stuff, (a dangerous place to visit unless you have very deep pockets!) well it was from Pete actually, for my birthday back in April. As well as the silver birds,It has beads in my my two most favourite colours, that lovely vintage green and a soft turquoisy blue.
I LOVE it. And so do most people who come into the shop where I work for 2 days a week when I wear it!

This mug was a pressie from the youngest stinky boy's girlfriend, I have a few of these now..thanks to Waitrose and at only £2 I dont feel guilty in purchasing yet more mugs.(like shoes and bags...ummm, and cushions, a girl can never have enough mugs) It's those lovely vintagey looking swallows that make them slightly nicer than ordinary.


And then there are the real birdies, the little Blue Tits chose the sensible bird house and not the caravan in the end.My goodness they have been busy in and out all day, pinching moss from the pots and feathers from the hens to make it home sweet home, I just hope the five sets of beady eyes (well 4 and a half as 19 year old skinny Winnie is now rather blind) that watch them daily going about their business are really just watching with interest and not secretly planning some birdy-like feast. I've told them they are all pensioners now and should know better.

The summer house is on hold at the moment as it has decided to sink to the right and the base needs to be sorted out....Great.But!.. my wall is finished and the trellis is not far off either, Ooooh I think I feel a gardening post coming on next time...although Pete and I are off to Exmouth in Devon next weekend, so it may be a while .
DEVON!!!! How exciting..proper seaside with real sand!!!

x

Cool caravans

Ok, ignore the bit where I said I would be able to blog more often! I've become a professional 'moper'. Moping around with just the hound and the cats for company eating cereal and biscuits...mmmm soooo healthy. I'm a tad lost without that husband of mine,even though we don't say loads to each other really, it's just nice when he's around, there to tell me to stop eating those biscuits and to have something more sensible for tea and I miss mucking about and being utterly silly with him, something that doesn't quite wash with the stinky boys (who are far too wrapped up with girlies to care what the dog looks like in a human outfit or the hilarious cringy 1970s trololol man on Youtube.
So, everything gets put on hold until the weekend..including the summerhouse, the wall, the decorating, the sewing projects..I could go on but that's quite enough about boring old me...
I've been ploughing through my book shelves and I thought you might like to have a peep at this book about a particularly favourite subject of mine...Vintage caravans.
'My cool caravan' has oodles of pictures of them from the 1930s to the 1980s and only a smidging of text..a brief description, a bit of background as to where it came from and it's owner and then some style notes on the other page (my kind of book!) The interiors, which are really inspiring, range from kitsch to retro to being completely original and their owners tend to match their quirky styled holiday homes on wheels perfectly.
It features British caravans, Dutch ones, a VW, a converted horsebox, a boat and a child-sized one that once belonged to the Royals.There is also a whole section dedicated to those fantastic gleaming silver palaces from the States.Even 'Constance' is in there in all her gorgeous retro glory.
This is one of my favourites..They tow it behind a 1940 dodge pick-up. How incredibly COOL.

If I had one criticism.. and there is only one little one, it's that some of the photos are a little bit dark, the rest of it more than makes up for that though.
I've added it to my 'bookshelf' in the sidebar as it's on a good offer at the moment if you're interested...160 pages of pure eye candy to dream and drool over.

Oh and Donna, should you happen to pass by and you didn't know already, your listed top of the list at the back in the sourcebook section!

I never got my long hankered after vintage caravan, but the birdies did;a Christmas pressie last year from my mother in law which I had to wait a whole year for, for it to be back in stock. The blue tits can't decide between the beach-hut or the vintage caravan but they keep checking it out so hopefully they'll go for a bit of kitsch camping in it.
This year we seem to have lots of birds in the garden, they must have realised that the cats are all in double figures now, getting old and lazy and really cant be arsed with all that tweeting and eating nonsense. Long may it last.