Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Library Sale

This spell of warm weather has made all the little flies appear again. One is just flitting around in front of the computer monitor making "V" signs at me - that's what it feels like anyway - buzz OFF!

Some more catching up to do -

Tony and Penny came over to join us at the Crafts Centre near Tarporley last week. They hadnt been before so we showed them the delights of the candle shop, ye olde wishing well, pet shop aquariums etc. Hazel was busy so she just stayed for lunch in the cafe and then went home to do college work. We also looked round the antique emporium and bought some postcards.

Two boot sales on Sunday at Hartford business park and Witton Albion. Got a few films including High Fidelity and Woodstock (directors cut). Archie got a few things including some nice Ladybird books and a dial and a light switch. Hazel got a few bits of crockery and other bits and bobs that will no doubt turn up on her collections blog shortly.

Archie is making a stop motion animation with his friend Hannah upstairs . We watched the rushes of the first one the other day and it looked hilarious , even without a soundtrack.
Nice that he has found some creative arty friends at the new college he goes to.

More bargains at the library sale today including a nice book about Signwritten Art with lovely old shop fronts in. The other day I found some DVD's for a quid including Gainsbourg about Serge that looks interesting though not too keen on his music. Also a triple CD of Island label stuff from the 60's and early 70's. Nice to hear Dr. Strangley Strange again!


Wednesday, October 05, 2011

More Postcards From Home

A little behind in our orders - said the shop keeper to the boy sitting on the bacon slicer. Those were the old days ofcourse when they HAD bacon slicers on the counter in corner shops. Like the one Mrs. Turpin had down Hamlet Court Road in Westcliff - not far from where this picture postcard was took (See bottom card ). My mother lived nearby also for a few years - two roads back in Second Avenue.
This and few more postcards were purchased recently from the antique emporium avec le Crafts Centre which I can never remember the name of. Anyway, we always like a to buy a few and sometimes a nick nack or two if the price is right. We are spoiled rather by charity shop and boot sale prices so anything over a pound sounds extortionate!



This one was from the Oxfam . I collaged it afterwards for the Flickr group "Post Collage". Funnily enough found some of my own postcards there last week too. So did Archie's friend Hannah who knows a bargain when she sees one. She asked Archie " What's your Dad's name?" and when he told her she told him about the postcards she'd found and was keen then to see the original collages. So that was strange. I found out a few more to give her. I still have tons of "The Arses of England" somewhere but they have been buried in a cupboard or the shed or somewhere I expect.

Anyroad. Catching up with the news. Had a proper haircut. Won't need it doing until Xmas! Hooray! Will and Adela came over for dinner. They told us all about their wedding preparations and the Bear festival thingy at Brereton ( this Saturday ). Also saw them in the Cheshire Open Studios last Sunday which was fun. We bought one of Adela's lovely etchings and watched Will chase a fly with a giant wooden fork.

Went to the "Stuff A Bag For A Pound" sale at the Age shop. Got all kinds of junk - they really shouldn't let us in those places!
making a guy for Will and Adela's welding celebrations. They won't tell us what it's for but not to burn they said. So making an effort to make mine as interesting as possible. He has a papier mache head now and ready for painting.
Also compiled and sent of the Issue 22 artist book assemblings which have haunted me for the past few months. Glad to get shot of them! I sewed all the spines in the end which was a right palarva! Never again!

Went to Imperial Wart Museum North with Hazel and some of her 1st years who all seemed very nice. Took a lot of photos which you can find on Flickr. Also saw the small Andy Warhol exhibit of "Divas" which was ok but seen it all before really. Got the tram back to Piccadilly and the train home.

Hazel's old school chums Tracey and Mark came over via Manchester to take their daughter Daisy back to college. They live down in Cheltenham I think? Had tea and cake and nice chat - showed them round the house as they had never seen it before.

Phew! it's been very warm lately - a real Indian Summer which is nice though a bit too hot at times. Poor confused plants and trees think it's spring and started flowering again!
Its a bit cooler today thankfully and more like Autumn.
Went on a nice walk with Hazel to Anderton via Carey Park ( see Flickr ) and had coffee and shared cream scone in the cafe overlooking the River Weaver. Saw lots of strange sights including a book shop narrowboat pitched on the tow path, a boat that sold coal, oil and kindling, a baby toad and poor lost baby swan.