...never work out do they? I thought I would be sharing with you some lovely pictures of Stamford and Uppingham which we visited on Monday but...it wasn't to be. It was A's birthday on Sunday but we decided to have a day out on Monday instead when it would be a bit quieter. We've visited before and particularly like Uppingham (in Rutland) as it's chock full of antique and junk shops. We had a lovely lunch there too so were looking forward to a return visit. Unfortunately, this place doesn't open for lunch on Mondays! Having particular dietary needs, as t'were, meant we were at a loss for somewhere else to eat so jumped in the car and hot-footed it back to Stamford, the Belgravia of the north... Ha Ha!! We must have walked around that place three times and could find nowhere to get a decent meal. Fancy boutiques? Yep. Poncey interiors shops? You got 'em. But a nice restaurant? Nope. We ended up gobbling down a (overpriced) panini and salad in a very average coffee shop. We were on the clock you see...Jack was with us but we had to be back for 4pm to put Betty away and it's a good 90 minute drive. Wait. It gets better. I found a foreign body in my salad....it was cellophane or some such thing. Now, I don't know if this has ever happened to you but why is it that when I complain about something in a restaurant they want to explain the why's and wherefore's to me? I don't care! It's not my problem! I'm not interested! Just deduct it from the bill! I had to listen to a long explanation about where it can have originated, which ended with the manageress fetching the bag of salad (yes, bagged salad) that she had purchased from Morrisons that very morning and opened in my honour! I should've known really when I saw the menu residing in a maroon leatherette folder and little pouches of salad cream and ketchup in a pot on the table. All in all, not a birthday outing to remember. We popped out later that night and had a very nice italian meal so all was not lost but still, it wasn't the day we planned. Needless to say, I didn't take one photo. I thought you might like to see my rainbow though. I was glued to the window anyway as there was a very dramatic stormy sky gathering when...it just appeared. I know what I wish was at the end of it and it's not a leprechaun sat on his crock of gold. That's what my (Irish) mother used to tell me when I was little! Anyway, it's been a while since I shared some thrifty finds with you although this is because I haven't actually bought much for myself....well, Christmas is coming isn't it? Says she that recently bought a piece of furniture that she didn't really need and hasn't really got room for. And that's without mentioning the cost...well, I don't sell on ebay for fun y'know!!
So, what do you think? I know at least one person who'll think it's tantamount to firewood. You can paint and distress furniture until you're blue in the face (and I've been doing that for a very long time) but it will never look as great as the real thing. And it is as tatty as it looks. In fact, it's worse! But, I LOVE IT. I really do have a very accommodating husband. It is, at present, in the dining room but may find a home somewhere else. I just wish I had one for every room in the house. By the way, please avert your eyes from the hideousness that is the carpet. I can't be rid of it while we have Jack as (bless him) he can't get up so well off a hard floor. So, unfortunately, I'm stuck with it.
I couldn't find these pics last night, I'd stuck them in some obscure folder on the computer...anyway, the pink curtains are from the same dealer I bought the chest from and it's just one of those rooms that when you walk in , you want to bring everything home. Everything! They're french and huge and I was so taken with the little bit of lace at the bottom. The smaller rosy ones I'll probably sell. I have no windows that size (although that never stopped me before...)
Oh, and I forgot to say, the french ones were £9.00!
I can never say no to Vern! Especially not a teeny one. (sorry, that's Vernon Ward for the uninitiated. You can't call yourself a vintage lover and not have a few Verns in your collection)
It's dangerous having to go to auctions in my line of work. Usually, I'm quite good - it's fairs and car boot sales where I buy for myself but the last auction I went to had a collection of enamel advertising signs. I was actually after a lovely blue 'Rinso' one but it went for too much so I bid on this one instead. I thought it fitting as Johnson was my maiden name. It's in too good a condition for outside but being so large we had trouble finding a home for it. It's ended up in the utility room where I can see it every time I come in the back door. And speaking of enamel, I got this collection of buckets, baths and galvanised pot's from various sources over the summer.
I've put winter pansies in some for a bit of colour through the dreary months ahead and narcissi bulbs in others for something to look forward to in the Spring.
Have a good week and Happy Bonfire Night to one and all!
So, what do you think? I know at least one person who'll think it's tantamount to firewood. You can paint and distress furniture until you're blue in the face (and I've been doing that for a very long time) but it will never look as great as the real thing. And it is as tatty as it looks. In fact, it's worse! But, I LOVE IT. I really do have a very accommodating husband. It is, at present, in the dining room but may find a home somewhere else. I just wish I had one for every room in the house. By the way, please avert your eyes from the hideousness that is the carpet. I can't be rid of it while we have Jack as (bless him) he can't get up so well off a hard floor. So, unfortunately, I'm stuck with it. 
I couldn't find these pics last night, I'd stuck them in some obscure folder on the computer...anyway, the pink curtains are from the same dealer I bought the chest from and it's just one of those rooms that when you walk in , you want to bring everything home. Everything! They're french and huge and I was so taken with the little bit of lace at the bottom. The smaller rosy ones I'll probably sell. I have no windows that size (although that never stopped me before...)
I can never say no to Vern! Especially not a teeny one. (sorry, that's Vernon Ward for the uninitiated. You can't call yourself a vintage lover and not have a few Verns in your collection) 
It's dangerous having to go to auctions in my line of work. Usually, I'm quite good - it's fairs and car boot sales where I buy for myself but the last auction I went to had a collection of enamel advertising signs. I was actually after a lovely blue 'Rinso' one but it went for too much so I bid on this one instead. I thought it fitting as Johnson was my maiden name. It's in too good a condition for outside but being so large we had trouble finding a home for it. It's ended up in the utility room where I can see it every time I come in the back door. And speaking of enamel, I got this collection of buckets, baths and galvanised pot's from various sources over the summer.
I've put winter pansies in some for a bit of colour through the dreary months ahead and narcissi bulbs in others for something to look forward to in the Spring.