Bridport here we come!!

As you know I have recently joined the Vintage bloggers, and having had a fantastic day at the V&H fair, decided to visit the Bridport Christmas market. We travelled down visiting Honiton & Beer & Lyme Regis on the way.

Items that we found on the way, my cousins & I had one of these horses & spent hours on it as children,(destined for Malvern) and although a little shabby the footstool is gorgeous.

Since the last time that we stopped in Lyme there are a few new really nice shops selling vintage & vintage inspired lovelies, however being so excited I didn't take pics & have forgotten the names, however if in Lyme Regis, put your back to the sea and walk up the main shopping street, up the hill, and they are on either side of the road! In one of the shops I met a couple of ladies that I knew from Chipping Norton, isn't it strange when that happens! Moving on......Michael was getting peckish ! After a pasty on the Cobb, we set off to West Bay where I announced that we should gather driftwood, mmm under a cliff face that had had a very recent landslide, in rain, wind & failing light, good idea....????

driftwood booty

This piece is prized & will be made into a coat hook!

Having started the next day at the Beachcroft B&B (http://www.beachcroft-westbay.co.uk/) in Westbay, an exceptionally clean & welcoming B&B with very pleasant hosts Sue & Peter. Michael was stuffed to the gunnels with the f.e.b. we went off into Bridport.

I have never been to Bridport, bypassing it for Weymouth where my son has dived many times and we have spent many wonderfully exciting hours driving a rib out at Lulworth & around Portland Bill. So I was very happy to find such a lovely town with lots of individual shops, galleries & cafes, I think this one was "The Green Yard"(?), where we had the first mince pies of the year, almond & carrot (so good that we bought 2 jars & Michael has promised to make some soon)......

.....AND a great Saturday market lining the streets, part of which was similar to a French street brocante. Obviously I found things to buy, a lovely floral chest of drawers, a great tea towel, some retro design cards, baskets (for my Spring garden stand at Malvern flea).

Beautiful shop window displays, we bought Florence's Chrissie pressie here, a nautical neckerchief, ready for Brixham hols!

Retro hair salon with original dryers!

At the end of the market was the Church hall which was full to bursting with the ladies and their vintage wares. I haven't any pictures as I am sure that the ladies will be posting their own!? I bought some soap wrapped in vintage fabric and a beautiful sea shell decoration, and a yellow fabric covered box from Lizzie (http://www.thewasherwoman.blogspot.com/).

I had a lovely chat with Elizabeth Baer, who had some beautiful French textiles (http://www.elizabethbaertextiles.com ).

Michael was recognised by Sue (www.dairyhouseantiques.co.uk), was it that she remembered selling the Union flag to us or that she has seen the photo's of him eating his way around the tea rooms of England?!

Sue is very friendly & helpful, when we travelled over to The Dairyhouse on Sunday she gave us lots of info of places to go (& more importantly let me use the loo before our long drive home!)

The Dairyhouse is a lovely building filled with all sorts of lovely things, this most fantastic dresser which, had my mum's kitchen renovations started would have looked great .......

Bridport had a lot of hidden mooching places, and somewhere behind the Church was a yard with a number of warehouse type buildings, all with furniture and interesting bits & bobs & one shop full of clothing, I really recomend it for a lovely weekend break.

Thank you Dorset

Signposts to have a laugh at...!

When I travel, I am always taking photo's usually of old rusty metal, or peeling paint, you know the sort of thing, occasionally I come across strange signs & sights so here are a few to brighten up a very dull afternoon....The first one speaks for itself, the shoe one hangs on my back door! I put the one of the little boy on the end, to remind us of the children of the world and to cherish our own even if they do drive us to distraction!!!!!

The Vintage & Handmade Fair

Oh how I had looked forward to this day, not just your usual fleamarket or antiques fair or even carboot where you usually have to have your wits about you and eyes in the back of your head, no yesterday it was like walking into a sweetie shop (though much better)!
My chap Michael (George Clooney look alike !?) who has only recently been introduced to the delights of vintage, having led his previous life engrossed in work (electrics) and sport (mainly football), is happy to travel with me to the local carboot, or to Totnes market or Malvern Flea or Bridport (first visit for both of us), he doesn't argue mainly because he knows that I navigate firstly to where I can find interesting things, and secondly where I know that you can buy good tasty food.

Yesterday in Chipping Sodbury we were an hour early so found a cafe oppostite the hall where the full English was consumed with gusto! There were two great butchers shops, we came away with sausages, faggots & oxtail, which my mum is as I write this roasting to make one of her lovely stews (we will tell the teen angel that it is beef). The farmers market provided us with strong cheddar, an almond & raspberry tart, and some veg. At this point we joined the queue at the town hall......

Considering Michael is not the most observant of people he whispered, "I can see the girl fromTotnes" and sure enough there she was, I can recognise the Shabby chick stand in Totnes or Shepton or where ever and never fail to buy..... we got chatting with Amanda's mum (?), who is far more helpful than the tourist info as she could give me the dates of the Christmas Totnes, (we will see you there, as we are having English seaside hols this year), as usual I couldn't walk past without buying, A small chest of drawers (I collect) and some St. George bunting. I located the cakestand which Henhouse had so cleverly shown on her blog, (I REALLY needed it for my tea time china) but it then turned out tricky to choose between the three that she had! Next my "piece of resistance" was the union flag! (Most people call it a union jack, which is technically wrong as the jack is what the union flag is hoisted on, not to split hairs though!) I was so disappointed as I had been searching for ages for one that was reasonably priced, and another customer was haggling with Sue (Vintage to Victorian). When I came back later the first lady had not bought the flag and so I could, over the moon! Sue was lovely to talk to and I bought a lovely big m.o.p. button for mum, for a cardi. All of the stalls had lovely things, I couldn't get near Niki (Nostalgia at the Stonehouse) or Lizzie (The washerwoman) and only managed to say hello to Jane & Michele, everyone seemed to be busy.

Last stop was the tea room, 2 cups (vintage china) and slices of chocolate & pecan traybake & orange & almond cake (delicious) sorted us out before the drive home.

I hope that everyone had a good day, I certainly did!!! Michael kindly donated the last sausage for Flo, as we had left her behind and she had missed her usual carboot burger that they usually share on a Saturday morning (uurgh)! (some footballers habits never change !!)

Its raining again.......

Yesterday I promised Florence a nice walk, however by the time that I tore myself away from the blogs of the V&H gang, the heavens had opened & we didn't go. We have just come back, in the drizzle, and she has had to have a wash & brush up! When I go away I always take my camera because I love taking pictures, anything colourful & textural, however close to home I don't generally bother, but today I did.

We used to have a lovely old plum orchard here which appears to have disappeared overnight, they may replant?! It did look like this old cider apple orchard where Flo likes to chase the windfalls & I bring some home, I thought that I would make an apple, toffee & cinnamon bread & butter pud for tea today.

So as I did have my camera I started to look and there were no end of interesting (to me) things, a broken gnome that someone had thrown on a bonnie, peeling rusty paint & one brightly coloured choisia. I hope that you like them, sometimes things are right on your doorstep!!