Gosh...holidays are tiring. Or is it just me? Aren't you supposed to come home feeling better than before you went? Ho hum...never mind.
I returned home to find that Lisa at Knitty, Vintage and Rosy (what a great blog name that is btw!) had given me the above award. An award! Me! I am without doubt surprised and delighted (hence the gobsmacked) Thank you Lisa. I haven't been at this blogging lark very long so for someone to do something so nice means a lot to me.
I also came home to a lovely bunch of flowers from my Mum. She and my dad house sit (but mostly Betty-sit) while we're away. We take Flo and Jack (his first holiday with us) but I've yet to figure out how to take a chicken in a caravan for a week...I'm working on it...
We splashed out on these lovely mugs and egg-cups from Brixton Pottery. I like to bring home a reminder of a holiday. Now, I don't normally spend a lot on everyday china as I am the clumsiest klutz you will ever meet but maybe these will survive a bit longer than usual. I'm very funny about mugs...I don't like large ones, I can only drink tea and coffee out of a certain kind etc...but these are very dinky and I think will be suitable for just about any beverage!Chickens had to sneak in there somewhere didn't they? The little doggy one reminds me of our 'Sticky' who we lost last year..strangely, he left us the day we came home from holiday to the exact same place.
I didn't get much in the way of thrifty bits last week but I can sniff out secondhand books from a mile away so...being me there was some books to be bought... There was a book sale in the local village hall and I ended up spending £7.50 and only two of them were for A! These are the nice ones...the rest are for reading.
I had some money for my Birthday and indulged in this little bottle of perfume (as well as pair of jeans, but they're not as pretty!) Red Roses...what else?
The inscription in the lid is really sweet....how poignant to think Winnie kept the bottle and the box all those years. She obviously treasured her gift (click on the picture to enlarge if you can't read it)
We also made a visit to Redwings where I met my namesake!
I really love Donkeys...don't know why, can't explain...just always have! My favourite book when I was young was Ned the Lonely Donkey and my favourite poem, The Donkey by G K Chesterton...very moving.
This is Austin...he was rejected by his mother...couldn't you just put him in your pocket!
He had several attempts at trying to get down to the grass to nibble but his legs are too long and his neck too short! He managed in the end though.
Look at those legs...reminds me of a whippet I once knew. More of her another time.
Ahhh...when my numbers come up, I'll be knocking on this door to make an offer!
Although I wouldn't turn down this farmhouse either...
I really wanted to visit this shop in Holt as I've been before. It's not open on a Thursday. Guess what day we were there?
Here's a smidge of Cath for all you fans...although I was eyeing up the dresser!
Speaking of CK, I must be the last person in the universe to get one of these bags, although I haven't been actively looking for one, admittedly. I don't use Tesco much but there was no sign of them anywhere until I wandered into quite a small one t'other day and lo and behold...squillions of them! No flowery ones though. I think I prefer the polka dots anyway. I have reproached myself for buying it...but well, it does make shopping a bit more pleasant and I look at like this..it's an investment!
Hopefully, I can catch up on reading blogs in the coming days...what a lot seems to happen in a week and not just in 'blog land'. I came home to a jungle where I thought I'd left a garden. We finally had some decent weather last week which made for a nice holiday but of course makes everything in the garden grow like billy-o.
I have a few more snaps but I'll bore you with those another time ~ not too many, I promise! Oh, and thank you for the nice holiday and birthday wishes too...I'm sure they contributed to our nice week.