Blakemere

This mornings browsing round the local antique emporiums looking at all the stuff we couldn't afford and had no room for anyway. Hazel bought a wooden file box to store her notebooks in for £15 ( haggled down from £20). Home in time for lunch.

Tattenhall

Nice sunny day for a trip out to Tattenhall and environs to see Beth and Simon. Drove to the antique place but no bargains. The cafe there seemed a bit chilly and uninviting so Beth suggested the Poffee place behind the post office in Burmurdsley? Lovely tea garden at back with glorious views of the Cheshire countryside. Deliciuos toasted brie on ciabatta with roasted vine toms that spit juice everywhere when you peirced them with a fork! Also wandered around the village to see the little church and graveyard. Back down the scary Corkscrew Lane - luckliy a tractor was in front and cleared the way for us.

Antique Fair

Nice wander round the big antique fair on the Cheshire Showground this morning. A bit muddy but the sun came out for a while. Hazel got a few weird objects - a tiny silver brush thing, a metal domino shag container, and a cabinet to put her notebooks in. We shared a portion of very nice chips for lunch sat on a grassy knoll ( or was it a hummock?) . I didnt find anything but enjoyed watching Hazel's face light up as she spied something curious.

Frodsham and Lady Heyes

Nice wander round Frodsham's charity shops this morning. Got a few bargains - mostly DVD's for £1 or less. A Mike Leigh boxed set in Spanish. Lincoln with old thingy. Laurel and Hardy. etc. Hazel found a long mirror and a stained glass window. This photo is from a previous visit when they had a big book shop - now an antique empoium at Lady Heyes. Cloudy at first but soon brightened up and then blinded by sunshine as we drove home!

Blakemere Woods and Antiques

Nice wander around Blakemere Woods and the Antique centres this morning. Lots of fungal growths of various shapes, sizes, colours. Some like tiny parasols, others like dirty bagels, and others like aliens from another planet! Non of them edible probably - anyway we didnt take any home to try! I got a postcard of Westcliff seafront from the 60's ? for a quid. Last of the big spenders! Hazel bought some naughty seaside postcards and one to send to a friend of our sons who collects postcards of people sleeping or dead? One is never sure. Hazel also bought some flowerpots - old crusty ones with strange markings on.

Antique Fair

Yesterdays wander round the antiques and collectables at the Cheshire Showground - the last of the year sadly. Not as busy as previous fairs. A bit pricey so we didn't buy anything not even some chips! We took sandwiches along and some hot chocolate in a flask but were finished by 11.30am so went home for some lunch. Some unexpected visitors so had to make some soup. Luckily had time to cut up some root veg and boil it up in a large saucepan. Delicious with sour dough toast although I do say so myself!

Tattenhall

Nice day over at tattenhall near Chester visting our old neighbour Beth and taking back the dolls house gallery we borrowed for the Curious Things exhibition at Special Collections in Manchester 3 years ago! Nice wander around the town/village and the local antique shop. Found a rare copy of Charlie Gillett's book "Making Tracks" - perfect holiday reading! Had fish and chips from local chippy.Ate it in Beth and Simon's garden. Lovely sunny but breezy day. I had to keep hold of my hat!

Cheshire Showground Antiques Fair

Nice day for a trip out to the Cheshire Showground - about 3 miles from us down some pleasing windy lanes. The sun came out which it improved it a great deal. The weather has been very changeable just lately. Didnt find any bargains but had a good rummage through all the junk. Had some expensive chips from a stall for our lunch sat on a grassy noel. Hazel found some metal number stamps for £10 which she seemed pleased with. Will be an early birthday present to herself.

Antique Fair - Cheshire Show Ground

Short drive over to Pikemere to the Antique fair in a big field. We got there too early so had to wander around pikemere for 30 minutes unti 10am when the price of admission was more reasonable. Looked for the lake but couldn't find it. The sun came out and it became quite warm. 200 stalls to look round. We found a few bargains incluing a nice tin monet box from the Festival of Britain 1951. A bit worn but has a certain charm - the image of the Shot Tower on one side and the Skylon and Dome of Discovery on the other - a dial to show how much was inside - a little door at the botoom that is supposed to pop open when 30 pennies are accumulated. Hazel found a tiny pen knife gadget, some joke eye balls, some goofy teeth and some jars and bottles. We had chips for lunch from a van - very nice chips too - rustling like Autumn leaves.

Blakemere

Drizzly morning. Had to drop off my prescription at the docs and then on to the post office so Hazel could post a packet. Then a short walk between all the rain drops to the park via the conk conk path ( now re-named Dog Shit Alley for obvious reasons!) . Hazel saved a snail on the path from being squished. Home for some collaging and lunch. In the afternoon we ventured to the antique emporiums of Blakemere. Not many bargains. I was on the look out for some old mags to cut up. Found some 60's "Practical Mechanics" that had been reduced. Now only the size of a postage stamp. No, they were reduced in price £5 down from £10 - so snapped them up. 11 copies in all so only 45p each ( my maths was never that good!) . Interestingly the top mage was the least attractive visually. Had the owner used one of the other they may have sold better the first time round!

Blakemere

Sunny walk in the woods behind the miniature railways at Blakemere and a rummage inthe antique emporiums. Hazel bought me a stack of old 50's DIY mags to cut up for collage. Some great covers - bright colours. Some great adverts inside too. Could not resist for only 80p each. Peepeltree was closing down and having a sale so Hazel bought some cheapo smelly cones - for the cone sniffer. The fun fair was very quiet except for the horrible disco music. Home for mushroom pate on toast.

Blakemere Antique Emporiums

Doodles and Frodsham

FRodsham this morning - early start. Found a few DVD's in the various charity shops inc. a boxed set of jean-Paul Belmondo £2-50, Arthur Askey boxed set of avi. fuzzy films that some devotee had put together. Not sure I'll be watching much of that as it is a bit too blurry being 4 films on one CD. I thang yow! As Arthur would say. Hazel got a few bits and bobs including a spool of green thread, a plastic letter opener and a box of joss sticks that smell like a hippie commune. Then to a friendly antique shop where the owner amused us with tales of propelling pencils etc. Hazel bought one with a penknife attached for some reason. She obviously fell for his disarming patter! Then off to Lady Hayes antique emporium for more rummaging in piles of tat. Not much there really. Gone down hill from it's glory days of the noughties. Home for some doodling and tofu and egg seedy bun.

Congleton Antiques and Junk

Pleasant wander around Congleton today with old chums Tony and Pene just back from OZ and NZ where they managed to avoid any fires thankfully. Not many bargains at the antique emporium but did get a big heavy book about John Peel's Sessions for the BBC which I look forward to perusing at my leisure. Lunch in the cafe on the top floor of Victoria Mill. Cheese and onion toastie and side salad. Toasted tea cake later after a wander round the charity shops in the drizzle.