Christmas Trees

It wouldn't be Christmas without the Trees at Dalton Church -my unmissable event - each tree has been decorated in the hope that it will raise money for a charity and the whole effect is magical!  My little photos don't quite capture the atmosphere but the lights in the old church against the sandstone and the stained glass windows is enchanting

 here's a very small selection - each one depicts a nursery rhyme

Hopefully you can tell which ones!! 

  

And the centre piece

Baby not delivered until Christmas Eve!

 

Dickensian Weekend at Ulverston

I seem to be a week behind with my posts! Never mind - life has a habit of intervening!  This has been a week of the unexpected to say the least...Anyway a week ago we went to the Dickensian event in Ulverston - heaps of atmosphere and well worth a visit. Captured some of the characters on camera and did the rounds of the vintage fairs and shops, just like this crinoline lady below!

 Some photos of the big parade - no occasion complete in South Cumbria without St Andrew's Pipe Band

Lots of lovely people!

I succumbed to some vintage purchases ....

Lovely little evening jacket and fake fur collar (bought separately but they do go together)

And then this dress - very 1960's Jackie Kennedy  - just need  a pill box hat!

I'm coming up to a BIG birthday and I though would be great for the celebration...

It's also a great mother of the bride dress - but they're all married already....I could hire myself out for vintage events........

Hopefully if nothing else befalls our family I'll be  back soon!  

A Vintage Weekend

Another month has gone by ..... Its not that I haven't been doing anything - I just haven't had time to blog about it.

A couple of weekends ago  we took our vintage kids clothes to the Barrow Dock Museum Vintage Christmas  Event and we ( youngest daughter and I ) had a great time.  Not only did we sell loads we also had a bit of a spend. How does that happen? We go with the intention of being really frugal and then there are loads of lovely vintage things......  

My 2 best finds were the fake astrakhan jacket  (modelled here by Dolores the Dressmaking Dummy) and the little brooch. 

 I've hardly taken the jacket off since I bought it.  It's nowhere near as heavy as the real thing and it makes it more wearable.  The little glitzy floral brooch reminds me of one my mother had.  I've still got it but lots of the stones are missing.  
How often when you buy vintage are you trying to recreate the past as you remember it?  I notice lots of mums buy our 1970's clothes for their children, because that's the era they grew up in.  Personally I like the 1950's best...does that give away my age?

Dad has arrived!

Just looking back and it's over 3 weeks since my last post!! So much for thinking I was going to do this regularly!  
15th October was D day (Dad day) and he's now in my house with me.  Here he is on his exercise bike in the shed (excuse the mess)  -   88 and still keeping fit!!!
We had a bit of a family party to welcome him - catering by St Michael - I wasn't organised enough to cook properly.  All 10 of us squeezed around the table.  I'm in the market for more chairs and just before he arrived I found a lovely bentwood chair at a vintage fair at Bardsea.


  
Isn't the pattern on the seat fabulous?  It reminds me of the long gone Italian Ice cream parlour I used to go to with Mum when I was little....... 
Not keen on matching sets of chairs 

And at the same vintage fair I also couldn't resist this refurbished sewing box.  The interior is original and beautiful.  At the moment it seems to be full of dolls (thank-you grandchild number 2)   but soon I'll get organised and put my quilting in it.

Hoping I can get to the next Bardsea Fair in November -  need more chairs.........

Last Roses of Summer

As this Sunday is a grey and miserable day I was doing some indoor things and one of them was downloading photos.   I remembered I'd taken some pics in the garden exactly a week ago when the sun was shining.  I'm wondering now if that was the Indian Summer we hope for, or whether we'll get a second shot at it.....
Anyway, just to cheer me up here are some flowers that are still giving pleasure 

One single bloom of Graham Thomas - I love the way a lot of roses have a proper name, feels like you can get to know them, Graham is very robust.....

Madame Alfred Carriere, a blowsy  French Lady, keeps coming back just when you think she's finished






and here's Jude the Obscure in front of a hydrangea that's now in it's third garden - the previous 2 owners didn't like it! Their loss I think!!  
Jude has been a late starter this year but worth the wait as I always think he smells of Chardonnay!

Lastly  one of my triumphs - a dahlia the slugs didn't get!!!!!

Breaking news! Just caught a shaft of sunlight coming in the window - perhaps it's brightening up

Dad - the Arctic Star

This is Dad! or Grandad Stan to my daughters and grandchildren.  He's 88 and coming to live with me very soon and I can't wait.  Lots of people have said how difficult it will be - but I just don't believe them, he's perennially cheerful!  Among other things  I need to get back to cooking proper meals and Dad being here will make me do it!  

This picture was taken a couple of months ago when he got he Arctic Star, 12 crossings on the North Atlantic convoys !  We never heard him talk much about the war until he got his medal and then we were amazed at what he'd done!

We've already booked for a December trip to Center Parcs with the kids - he hasn't had a holiday for a while because he's been looking after his other half.  He's looking forward to getting in the pool.  Hope I'm like him when I'm 88, hope I get to 88 ........

Wet and Windy in Morecambe

You know when I started doing this blog - I thought it would be easy to do a couple of posts a week - Ha!  Its now 10 days since the last one - all sorts of garbage got in the way and some good things as well!

One of the good things was on Sunday we ( youngest daughter and I ) went to the vintage fair in Morecambe.  I freaked out on the Friday before because I read that North Western coastal towns would be hit by 70 mph gales on the Sunday and there would be structural damage.... not too keen on driving anyway... so had a bit of a panic on.  As it happened I got there OK before the weather took a really bad turn, met the daughter (Rachel), who came up from Preston and we got the stuff into the venue before it poured!  It did the cats and dogs while we were in there - but when we came out the sun was shining!  Sadly the weather had a bit of an impact on the number of people who turned up - but it gave us more chance to talk to people! and to be silly in the photo booth!

Other good things that have happened - Middle granddaughter started school and loves it! She's  so keen to get there it's upsetting, no time for the last minute cuddle..... but it's so much easier than if she didn't want to go.

The lovely little coat in one of the other posts has sold - I get attached to things - I could do a whole item on the things I really liked that I had to let go....but everytime something sells I cheer myself up by getting new stock in, retail therapy!!!

We've just started a Facebook page for the vintage stuff, of course Rachel set it up.   I am a complete imbecile on Facebook  I never know now whether I'm commenting as me or as my alter ego Edith and Rose - that's the problem with getting old, technology gets to be a mystery..... If I ever work out how to do it I'll put a link to Facebook on this site....

Duck Weather

At last - September brings the summer we are used to - rain!!!

Rain drops on telephone wires....

Duck's having fun....babies off their hands (wings)... having a get together

Muddy boots in kitchen and a good cup of tea!!!

Adorable!

Sometimes, while looking about for nice vintage items, you come across something absolutely adorable like this toddler's  Harris tweed coat from the 1950's, handwoven in the Outer Hebrides! 
I think I want to keep it - but common sense dictates it needs to go in the shop - shame......

Although it buttons both ways - don't you think it's more of a boys coat?- reminiscent of Prince Charles when he was little!

Quilting Group

 I've just got back from the quilting group meeting -  I haven't been doing this for very long. I've started a sampler quilt and I the idea was to have finished a block before the meeting comes around, but this month it didn't quite work out and I seem to be falling behind...
I love fabrics and I chose American Civil War designs which are a bit dark but remind me of cosy winter days in front of the fire.  Will be ready for winter 2014 if I don't get a move on.....
Here are some of the blocks I've finished.  Not sure what colour to use for sashing or borders, any ideas?

On the left is  Star Choice, on the right is Rolling Pinwheel - can you spot the mistake? I'll be unpicking it in a minute

This one is Tulip and at this moment it's my favourite, but Rolling Stone on the right - I haven't got enough contrast in the colours and it doesn't show up very well 

and these are the first two  I did, Streak of Lightning - easy squares and Rocky Road - first attempt at triangles....
Experienced quilters - any advice welcome.......

Little visitors

A lovely week has just gone by - no blogging because a selection of grandchildren came to stay.  They've gone back home now - so a bit quiet, but I do need a bit of sleep!

We did all sorts of  non electronic things

Like taking them round to bang on a friend's piano...

Exploring on Birkrigg Common - lots of lovely little paths in the bracken to disappear down

and running through the long grass, not to mention baking and painting and digging up potatoes

It's been a test of patience, for them, not me.....

They've had to cope with all grandma's films for kids being on video!  Waiting for rewind is sooo tedious

And only being able to get terrestrial TV!

Cooking from scratch so a long gap between I'm hungry (at 3 o'clock)  and tea

All toys are from 1980's (if not earlier) 

Only plain crisps available

We have to wait for the water to heat up for a bath

And considering all that they've still asked to come back!!

Morecambe Heritage Day

Well we're booked in for a stall at the Platform on the 15th September for Morecambe Heritage Day selling the vintage kids clothes. We've done fairs before and the ones run by the Vintage Village Hall are the best ones, lots of atmosphere, great vintage tea room and live music!
Quite relaxed about it at the moment but come the week before and I'll panic about everything left to do.  Am going with the youngest daughter and the eldest who has 3 small children will come along later to provide a crowd scene. The main difficulty is that it opens for stall holders at 8 am and starts at 10. Two hours seems like a long time to get sorted out  - but it certainly isn't when you're in the throes of it. ........
This one below is us setting up at the Dock Museum our last fair earlier this year- we had a great day and sold a lot - the one in the short skirt is my daughter!  I am cleverly hidden behind her - not keen on my photo being taken......

 The red thing at the back is part of the dock museum exhibit - a waterproof suit thing we weren't selling that!  We were under strict instructions not to touch the exhibit - unfortunately Rachel fell into it ....oops! 

Old shrub roses

Just done 10 rounds with the roses  in my garden
In July they looked like this

But some of them get so big they have to be cut right back every summer.
 I love them to pieces and the perfume is amazing - but they only flower once and then they look a bit sad.  The big white one at the top is Kiftsgate and the pruning needs to be done with a machete! Don't get one - I can only keep it under control because I can get to it from both sides...
P.S. photos carefully cropped to remove the weeds, wouldn't want you to get the wrong impression

York

Just been to York for a few days on a last minute dot com type of booking. Hotel was a bit Fawlty Towers but then again it was cheap, cheap, cheap!
This isn't a picture of the hotel, this is a much more impressive establishment!










Tried very hard to take photos in the city but it was so full of people I ended up taking shots above their heads - these are the only ones that worked out!

  

Went to the Quilting museum but couldn't take pictures inside because the lighting has to be low to keep the quilts in good condition, and couldn't take pictures outside of St Anthony's Hall because the gas company had dug up the pavement!

However I did get these lovely fat quarters with a sewing theme to make a huge bag to put my quilting things in