Teacup ♥

Linking to Faith Hope and a Whole Lotta Love, My Little Drummer Boys

Case of Vintage

Recently I have had some lucky finds - the sort that set my little heart aflutter and leave me slightly breathless with glee after handing over the cash and wandering off with my treasure - none more so than this vintage suitcase in navy leather with a near spotless red lining.  It called my name from it's spot on a market stall and was marked at £4 which the lovely seller promptly knocked down to £3 when he saw whose 'Mrs' I was - i.e the guy who bought a bureau from him then borrowed a sack trolley to wheel it back up the hill to his lady fair. 

I'd envied some gorgeous vintage cases found by other thrifty bloggers but until today I hadn't come across one of my own and was super excited when I found it came complete with it's key and a fittingly retro Snoopy keyring.  Previously property of Mrs E. Patchton  (if you're reading this Mrs P rest assured it could not have found a more willing home).

Another vintage something I'd been hoping to come across was a fan of some description, it was just by chance that I spotted an 'everything £1' box outside one of the antiques shops in town.

Inside was this battered fan with it's birdie/floriental design. Pure love.

China has been scarce in the charity shops of late and when it has made an appearance the prices have been a touch rich for my blood.  A pristine cake plate for £1 came as a welcome surprise!  I'm mentally debating whether to christen it with flapjack or cheddar biscuits.

Ten vintage postcards tied up with string were my next happy-making purchase for £1.50 - in my book you can never have too many, they're a friendly window into the past.

I'm more intrigued by the cards written in haste with plenty of blotting and the odd ink spill than I am by those with perfect, slanted penmanship, prim and proper sentiments.

Lastly, a non-vintage hand mirror I picked up in the Salvation Army for 40p.  It has sparked my inner collector - I'd like to pick up a few wooden hand mirrors to hang in a group above my chest of drawers rather than a traditional mirror, in my mind it looks interesting and different - will have to try it and see! 

Hope you've all been having a lovely weekend ♥

Linking to Her Library Adventures and Magpie Monday

The Little Things

I ♡ the end of day feeling I get from seeing chairs like this, or stacked on top of tables.  I like watching people close up shop - wiping down tables, counting change, flipping the closed sign before they run a hoover round to whisk away the footprints of the day.  

Homemade sloe gin in a lovely bottle with a witty label.  It was T's birthday yesterday, friends came over and took us to dinner on Wednesday evening before we all came back to chat away and sip some of this delicious rocket fuel.

I ♥ Doors

I've always had a fascination with locks, keys, letterboxes, door knobs and door knockers - the best places to find them all at once being doors themselves.  From the most ornate, grandiose entries to the simple, functional ones painted a cheery colour - I can't stop myself seeking them out whenever I'm wandering down a street.  There's a line of course; PVC are not my cup of tea visually speaking, but they're not without their own stories.  It's nigh on impossible for me to spot an interesting something about a door and not want to take a picture or fabricate a history of it's character or the people who use it each day; is it obstinate and only persuaded to budge if you lean your full weight against it and jiggle while you turn the key?  Who lives or works inside? 

Before I sound too much like a burglar casing the joint and planning a break-in I'll tell you my theory: that doors are like books, there is a world behind each one - only as people come and go the story evolves, more fluid than finite ink on a page.

Bath Take Two

One of the most striking sights in Bath is Bath Abbey - it looks imposing by day but possibly even more so when lit up at night.

On our second day we took an open-topped bus tour of Bath, a city tour of around 40 minutes and a skyline tour about the same length.  It was on the city tour that we clocked the location of the Jane Austen Centre!  Tristan and my Dad shared a grimace but they both came with Mum and I to visit the centre, listen to the talk about Jane's life and her relationship with the city of Bath and wander round the exhibits on the shooting of Persuasion (a neck and neck favourite with Pride and Prejudice for me) and of regency life.

I found out plenty of things about Jane's time in Bath and about her family that I hadn't known before and the centre itself is beautifully put together with friendly, knowledgeable staff and also a fabulous gift shop.  Well worth popping by if you're also an Austen fan. 

Beautiful Bath

Before last week Bath was somewhere I'd passed through, fancied seeing more of, but had never spent any time.  Most of my Bath knowledge was gleaned from Jane Austen when reading Persuasion and Northanger Abbey - brilliant novels but no Lonely Planet guides! For starters it was much closer to the Peaks than I'd thought at just under 3 hours drive and the surrounding countryside was lovely, all lush greenery and rolling hills.  It's safe to say I was totally under it's spell within minutes of pitching up at the hotel and couldn't wait to go exploring.  Going to apologise in advance for what'll be a picture-heavy post; I couldn't help snapping away, I was smitten.

You all know how much I love tea and the ritual that comes along with it - well there have to be more tearooms in Bath per square foot than anywhere I've ever been!  In an ideal world I'd have popped into every one but there was so much to see in two days.

Everywhere I looked there was something gorgeous or inspiring.

Even the pavement was welcoming.

We did more walking and exploring than shopping but the shops on offer were such a mixture of traditional, designer, high street and many independent retailers.  I'd like to make another trip for retail therapy alone!

Will post the second batch of snaps tomorrow,