Friday 28 December 2012

Didn't it fly by? ;-)





But...a very fine time was had...
















by all!




I hope that your Christmas was good, too ! ;-)






Monday 24 December 2012

Happy Christmas! ;-)



Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas!

;-) x

Tuesday 18 December 2012

Something to ' digest' ! ;-)



Does anyone remember these little books and magazines?

They were published by Home and Freezer Digest.

I loved them because they were small and easy to handle!

As I was tidying my old school desk, yesterday, I came across this

copy, from December 1987.

I'd forgotten that it was in there...along with umpteen other things!




Anyway, this prompted me to rummage around the cupboard

 where I keep my cookery books....

and lo and behold this was the first thing I laid my hands on:




Armed with this one and the other books above, I sat down to briefly browse.




I wish this little mag still existed; you can't even find old copies!

There was so much useful info contained inside.




Which bird for Christmas, for instance.... and how to...deal with it!





I'd love to know if anyone remembers these magazines!


Meanwhile...

 Mr S and I have just enjoyed a weekend away.

We love Wells!

And Sunday morning in Wells was quite delightful.

We had our usual stroll, taking in the sights,

sounds and sunshine.











The day before we had taken part in the lovely Vintage Bazaar fair

at The Cheese and Grain, Frome.

Full of the usual vintage flavour, the stalls were a feast of fun

and included a wonderful mixture.










Oh it was a very fine weekend indeed! 

;-)




Thursday 13 December 2012

One of our 'not so good' days out!! ;-)



Off on a day trip to Bath : a leisurely train ride, first class, of course;

a non stopper, no less!

Or so I thought...until we arrived at Newton Abbot Railway Station

to find that our train was... cancelled. Or rather...it just didn't exist!

Great!


The day just went dismally downhill from that very moment. ;-)

I mean, if you book something then you expect to receive exactly what you've booked...

DON'T YOU?!

But oh no...read the small print and somehow companies like First Great Western

will try to cover themselves.

Never mind that they have my email address and could have informed

me that the train would not run.

RUBBISH!!

Moan number one!

;-)


We got there in the end but the journey was rubbish and whoever it was on the staff

of FGW who said that a ton of rugby supporters (whose train had broken down), could hijack

the first class carriage, making it even more unbearable because..well..

I am as charitable as the next person but...

 PEOPLE NEVER HAVE ANY REGARD FOR ANOTHER PERSONS

 PEACE AND QUIET DO THEY?


Thanks for that!

Moan number 2!

(Am I getting old or what?)






Bath Christmas Market...never again!

I couldn't move and I couldn't see anything... much!!

Just the tops of a few chalets!!;-)

There were a handful of stewards trying to shepherd people

in an orderly fashion...some hope! ;-)


Moan number 3! ;-)






Hmm, before you are wondering what 'moan number 4' might be,

 there were some high points during the day!

Just the one or two!





People were doing their best to enter into the spirit of Christmas

and add their touch to the mood in the city.





And I met a lovely person called Emma...'Emma's Soap'





But I have to say that the best bit was leaving Bath... and arriving home!

Once more, our train was cancelled! 

The journey home was a nightmare

and when we finally reached Newton Abbot,

I said to myself...'NEVER AGAIN!'

(Until next time!!)

LOL!!




Finally...

On Saturday, I will be taking part in the fabulous

Christmas Vintage Bazaar.

This takes place at The Cheese and Grain, Frome.

It's a wonderful fair and must not be missed!!

So..see you there, hopefully!

And after that we are off to Wells!!

Now then...none of this involves a First Great Western Train 

and hopefully, I will return to my blog next week

with a much bigger smile on my face!! LOL!

;-)


Monday 3 December 2012

Use of the word , 'Vintage' ! My Monday protest!! ;-)




What does the word 'vintage ' mean to you?

I ask... because this has irritated me for ages ...and ages!

Yes, really!

Incorrect use of the word ' vintage ' really annoys me!;-)

Firstly, let's look at the origin of the word ,'vintage'.

Did you know that the word "vintage" is a combination of the Latin of vinum, or "wine,"

and demere, or "to take off"?

 A "vintage" was originally the yield of a season's harvest at a vineyard.

  • Today in wine-making, "vintage" means the process of picking grapes
     for the purpose of producing a finished wine product.
     A bottle of wine's "vintage" is the year in which the grapes that
     produced it were originally harvested.

    And now, moving on...

Vintage is a word that can have a variety of meanings.
 Primarily it means, ' Of old, recognized and enduring interest, importance or quality."
 Either as a noun or as an adjective it is usually associated with the quality of aging, enduring or improving over time (a bit like some of us!!)


During the nineteenth century, the word "vintage" began to be used to signify  something being old, 
old-fashioned, classical, or "from another time."
 Thus, objects other than wine began to be referred to as "vintage,"
This  included furniture, books, cars, clothing, musical instruments etc



    • Nowadays , "vintage" is generally used as a euphemism for "old" or "old-fashioned." 
      However, in antiquing, an item is considered "vintage" if it was manufactured between 1830 and 1930. In car collecting, a vintage car is one made between 1919 and 1930.

      And so...all that considered...why are people using the word 
      " vintage" in the name of their products, shops, organised fairs etc...when, in truth
       what you get is modern or reproduced copies which  simply is,  'pretend' and there
      isn't a true vintage item in sight?!!

      That's what really gets my goat!!;-

      It seems to me that everyone wants to jump on the "vintage" band wagon yet they haven't taken the time to find out exactly what is meant by the word  "vintage".

      The phrase, ' trades description ' springs to mind!!

      And so...I say to all those people who are snitching the word, 'vintage'

      and mis- labelling whatever they have to offer....go and find your own word

      to describe your modern 'copies' but leave the word ''vintage''

      well alone!! 


      What do you think?



      :-) 


Wednesday 28 November 2012

All of this in Devon, this weekend!! Way hay!! ;-)




An  'overnight jolly' in Torquay is on the agenda for Mr S and myself,

 this weekend!

I can't wait ; after such a busy and stressful few weeks it will

be a real TREAT! ;-)


Who else is coming?






I am!!


I'd better round up the rest of the gals!!




Oooh...we will!!




And us!









Here we are, all ready for the off!

Not far to fly!






On Saturday, I'll be taking part in this Christmas fair

'All things Vintage and Lovely' at The Imperial Hotel, Torquay,

which is not too far from where I live!

This is something new for me but from all accounts it promises to

be the most wonderful day!






And that's not all!!

On Sunday, we'll be meeting up with

our lovely friends for a visit to an Exeter 'jolly jam'...

This:






Finally... look at my 'find', this week!!

Ha ha...don't be fooled!!

I haven't stumbled across a box of vintage decorations!;-(

This is actually wrapping paper!!





 ;-)


Saturday 24 November 2012

Christmas Crafting!! ;-)




I stumbled across these cute, vintage, Christmas decorations, recently

and they now adorn some lavender pouches, which are about to be packed for

a vintage experience in Torquay, next Saturday.

More about that later on!












Meanwhile, it's a wet Saturday afternoon, it's a rugby on the box

 and so what better way than to surround oneself with a few, delightful,

Christmas, craft books, whilst one's other half (who takes up his role as England's 

rugby advisor in January!!!) enjoys a Saturday at home!





I've picked out these to inspire myself and hopefully, you too!

I've had a long spell away from serious crafting due to all sorts of other

pressures but I do love my books!





Here are some snippets:




If you are searching for a lovely Christmas present

 for someone special then this one's a delight!





As is this one, below; even though it is about 30 years old, I love it!






And you can't fail to fall in love with this delightful book:





First published in 1972, this book below was a wonderful resource when I was first teaching.




A brilliant book for finding out all about Christmas around the world 

as well as some making and creating!





And this one below, is brilliant!




Ooodles of ideas.... and templates if you require them.




Similarly...





'The Christmas Book' has plenty of food ideas, craft ideas

 and so much more to whet your appetite.





And if you fancy some folding fun...