Good home wanted for two old ladies....!

I have just uploaded lots of new items to This Vintage Life including these two wonderful old mannequins, one a Stockman. If only I had the room...!

There are also a few new bargains to be had in the Vintage Value category.

I recently got around to finally installing a new mailing list function to the website. If you currently receive a newsletter, you may find yourself getting more than one. This won't be for long, just until all the customers on my old mailing list have been passed over to the new one. It has automatically sent out an email to all my existing customers asking for a confirmation. If you wish to remain on the mailing list, please can you confirm by clicking the link in that email, otherwise after seven days it will remove your name from the list, permanently. Don't forget to check your bulk folders!

Here are a few more snapshots of beautiful Norfolk. Our time there always seems to involve a lot of water. Not the seaside kind (I can get that at home!) but the special tranquility of the Broads.

This is our usual home for the week (bottom right, gold car!)

This holiday was particularly poignant for us as it was the first time we have ever been away in our caravan without a dog for company.

Just before Christmas I sadly lost my darling boy, Jack.

Jack was such a fighter. I've never known anybody, human, canine or anything else show such stoicism. He truly made me feel humble in the way that he dealt with his adversity, all as a result of the treatment inflicted on him by previous owners.

He was only with us for the very short period of 21 months but of course, it was like he'd always been around and the house was just not the same 'after'.

These were taken during Jacks one and only holiday he had in July 2008. He loved all the attention he received when he had a little toddle up to the service point and back! Only a few yards but it would take him 10 minutes or more. Everybody would stop to say hello to him and ask if he had arthritis. There are always a lot of dog owners on caravan sites!

He wasn't very keen on being lifted up and down the step ....he did stop grumbling as the week wore on though.
And yes, we always take Flo. She spends the week sunning herself as you can see. I'd take Betty too if I was allowed to 'pitch' the eglu for a week! She is very lucky though as she has hen sitters who move in to the house specially to look after her (thank heaven for parents)



Jack would have been thirteen on the 28th of December. He was rescued by a great organisation called The Oldies Club who just re-home older dogs. They don't use shelters to home the dogs but foster them out to their army of volunteers so they are living with all the creature comforts while waiting for the right new home to come along. How fantastic is that? What wonderful, selfless people. Sadly, just one of many, many small charities up and down the country doing similar work, mopping up other peoples mess.

Trees, tins and fame at last!!*

(*That's Jack, not me. But more of that later! )

Things are starting to get Christmassy around here. I've being baking, cooking our Christmas dinner for the freezer and (unfortunately) shopping. But the real start to Christmas for me is buying the tree. For many years we resorted to an artificial one due to lack of space ~ and yes, sometimes funds ~ but for the last couple of Christmasses we've splashed out on a real tree. And how I enjoy the excitement of driving down to the farm to choose one! There was none ready cut that took my fancy in the barn so that meant a walk into the forest of Christmas trees to find one that came up to my exacting standards. Shame I hadn't put my wellies in the car...sea of mud just about describes it. Anyway, I finally found one that I felt I could live with ~ it can't be too broad at the bottom, due to it's position once we get it home and it has to be dense, not open. And most important of all, it has to be even all the way 'round. Yes, even though it's up against a wall and half of it isn't really on show! Picky aren't I? Do you remember that scene in 'Friends' where they're dressing the tree together and then Monica turns it around and her half is absolutely perfect? That's me! You wouldn't want to be in our house when the tree is being decorated. The air is a nice shade of blue I'm ashamed to say. It's easier to just let A do it. It's ok if someone else doesn't do it right but I'm very hard on myself!

We had an added problem this year as we only recently realised that we don't possess a practical Christmas-tree-transporting car anymore. A drives a saloon...no good at all and I drive the smallest car in the world; well, one of them. Luckily, we just squeezed it in, even though the top was tickling my face the whole way home. Good job it was only a five minute drive. So now it's residing in a bucket of water in the garage until the weekend. I've always soaked my tree for a week or so and have never experienced a problem with needle drop so I would recommend anyone to try this.
I'm very traditional when it comes to things like Christmas (what am I saying...most things!) The tree and decorations always go up twelve days before and come down twelve days after. I have put my advent calendar up though (see banner) which is a great excuse to eat chocolate everyday without feeling guilty.
I love Christmas but don't you find the anticipation and build up is the best part? After the day itself I always feel a bit deflated and sad. Never mind, another one always seems to roll around really fast.
Having been given some cash as a Christmas present I was out the door like a shot to spend it...at one of the many antique centres here. And what did I find but this complete set of Worcesterware canisters. I did have to put some to it (half actually...eek!) but I had to have it. I can't tell you how many years I've been searching for even one of these beauties that wasn't dented, scratched or overpriced, but they've always eluded me. And my next task is to find somewhere to put it...



And talking of having to have things...as soon as I saw these wonderful bit's I was smitten. You know how it is...some things have just got your name on them. This lavender sachet with the wonderful vintage Christmas image on it came courtesy of the lovely Kim...

...and the tiny skiier brooch was via the equally lovely Michele. How it's cheered up my winter woollies.

"Why are you showing us a picture of a doggy magazine, Deb?" Well, I shall tell you. I was recently contacted by The Oldies Club to ask if I was willing to take part in an article about them for Your Dog magazine. The lady that was due to take part had to pull out at the last minute and they needed someone fairly local, preferably in the county. And they thought of me and Jack. Great. But what can you do? It's for charity and a very worthwhile one at that.

I was dreading it as I HATE having my photograph taken and am certainly not one for seeking out the limelight so to speak but they were very gentle with us although Jacky (that's what I call him...it's perhaps just as well he's deaf) was exhausted by the end of it. I'm incredibly proud of him but what with this and being on the Oldies Christmas card too, I have to make an appointment to speak to him through his agent these days...

They really went to town and did a great article (we're only a bit of it!) about the merits of taking on a senior and I'm sure it will do the Oldies Club and older dogs in general a world of good. Let's hope so anyway.

You may notice I've chopped myself out of these pictures, so if you're at all curious (why wouldya be!) you'll have to go and peek at a copy of January's Your Dog, in shops now!

And last but not least, my thanks to Hen for this lovely award. I'd like to pass it on to Michele,

Jan and

Sal whose blogs I enjoy in equal measure.

Hello, my name is Jack...

...and I'm eleven. I have 'borrowed' Mum's blog today because I thought some nice people out there might be interested in my story and how I came to be living where I am now in my safe and loving 'forever' home.

For a long time I was a busy working dog in a place my Mum calls Ireland. I don't think I was ever what's called a pet. I worked very hard and then one day when I could work no more my owner decided that instead of trying to find me a nice retirement home, he would just leave me chained up outside. I had a makeshift shelter and my bed would get very wet. I have something wrong with my legs now called arthritis and I heard someone telling Mum they think it may have been caused by lying on this. I don't know how long I lived like that but one day when I was nine I was rescued and brought over to England by some nice people called The Oldies Club.

Mum says they are a charity (whatever that is) and they help older dogs like me who need a new home. I thought I had found my forever home when a nice lady took me in and I lived with her for a year. Then unfortunately, she got poorly and could no longer look after me and so had to give me up. I was soon on the move to a foster home. I was very fortunate to be looked after by the Oldies Club as they put all the dogs they're trying to help into lovely, comfy foster homes and not kennels. All this upheaval is not good for an old chap like me but within a couple of months Mum and Dad saw me on the Oldies website and thought I sounded just like the sort of dog they wanted. (They had rehomed two ten year old dogs before so knew what they were taking on!) I've only been here since March but I think I might stay...

Apparently, they weren't planning on having another dog for quite a while after both of theirs went to somewhere called heaven last year but they just couldn't resist my handsome face. So here I am in my forever home at last! Mum says I will never have to live anywhere else again. I am a very lucky chap ~ I have everything I could want now. A comfy, warm bed that's all mine and I'm never hungry or cold or lonely. There is a nice big garden for me to sit in and I have my own toys to play with.

I even love going for rides in the car. I have two new friends called Betty and Flo but they don't look like any dogs I've seen before. Betty tries to pinch my biscuits....


Tess and Misty visit sometimes but although I like them they're not too keen on me. Women!
This is me with them and my 'Grandma'.



I can't walk very far but I still try and follow Mum everywhere even if it's from one side of a room to the other. I like to make sure she's not going to leave me. Mum waves at me a lot as I am almost completely deaf and she says I also have something called a heart murmur. I make sure I am a good boy and I hear Mum tell everybody I am no trouble at all. Of course, I'm a bit set in my ways. I don't like having my feet wiped very much and I don't like anybody trying to touch my food. I'm also not too keen on having my photograph taken which is strange considering I am such a handsome boy! I also don't like men as much as ladies but I think Dad understands.

(I spend a lot of time doing this)

I am lucky to have found my forever home but there are still a lot of oldies like me who haven't. Apparently, we are not wanted as much as cute, cuddly puppies but I'd say we are easier to live with. We know everything we should know like where to go the toilet (not in the house you know) We will give you extra love because we are so grateful to be taken in and we don't ask for much, just a warm bed, a bit of food, the odd short walk and some company. We might even be able to play ball with you! So if you are thinking of adopting a rescued dog (Mum says they are the best kind!) then PLEASE consider rehoming an oldie. Get in touch with the Oldies Club ~ I'm sure they will be very happy to hear from you. Tell them Jack sent you. Thank you for reading my story, love and woofs, Jack xx