War

My darling girls,thank you so much for your encouragement and words of comfort.I would reply to you all but blogger is buggering about and won't let me so I will keep trying but in the meantime,still not feeling anything but exhausted so am going to potter tomorrow and take refuge in housework and hope to feel a little less overwhelmed.Decluttering is supposed to clear the chakras....

This week end was war weekend in Pickering and what a weekend.We had over forty thousand visitors over the three days, we had wall to wall sunshine and a terrific atmosphere.Our vintage tearoom was busier than ever and we had people queuing on the stairs just like little Betty's and it was so nice to hear people saying that they didn't mind the wait as it was well worth it!!Many thanks to Cheryl for helping out. For some reason don't have a photo of myself or Cheryl, which is a pity as she looked so much the part.
Here are some photos most of which were taken on Sunday.....

The workers...Charlotte and Jenny

Cheers !

A special visitor...Helen /Henhouse looking fab as usual....
The photos are not that great....my newish camera is not as good as my old, less expensive one....
More tomorrow
Anne x

The doldrums..

Cripes,has it really been a whole month since I last posted? Well just coming up for air after a gruelling start to the school year.I honestly don't think I can go on.I am sooooo tired all of the time and energy levels are non existent.All good intentions:

'I will eat a proper breakfast instead of standing in the staffroom shovelling mueller light yogurt into my mouth two  minutes before the bell.I will eat lots of soup and exercise more and become if not thin ,then certainly thinner.I will tidy the kitchen before I go to bed and I will keep on top of the housework  by rising earlier  and doing a bit each day instead of a bucketful at the weekend.I will take my cod liver oil tablets and I will use my rescue remedy when I feel I am about to come apart at the seams....I will watch less television until Downton abbey returns and I will spend an hour a day after cooking, ironing,marking,planning doing something I enjoy and the list goes on....good intentions

Seems like a lot of twaddle when I re read my good intentions which are a tyranny to which I am unable to uphold.The kitchen looks like a student squat,I am comfort eating for England and I am still shovelling yogurt into my mouth two minutes before the bell and I am swigging rescue remedy like there is no tomorrow and I am finding Downton Abbey somewhat disappointing.....
The doctor it is then....

Will try to post something more cheerful at the weekend. In the meantime a little advice that I must heed.
                                                             Enjoy your week,girls.
                                                                          Anne x

A very nice Sunday....

The night before a new school term, I always go to bed too late in the hope of putting off the inevitable,(that's not to say that I don't love teaching) it's just that I am increasingly reluctant to get back on the hamster wheel which is my life, during term time,the travelling every day, the stresses and mental fatigue akin to being pecked to death by hens and the fact that I have to do a professional job with exacting standards( which my pupils deserve) and dress in a way that is alien to me(yes we have a fairly strict dress code).All of this is at war with my yearning to head for the hills and live in a shed where I can create,draw sew or make whatever I fancy and live in my dressing gown.
On the plus side, the beginning of the autumn term is my new year.I have a new school bag and coat and new shoes.I am full of good intentions to write menus for meals so I can write sensible shopping lists in order to not waste food and have things mouldering in the fridge long after their eat by date.
I will eat a proper breakfast instead of standing in the staffroom shovelling mueller light yogurt into my mouth two  minutes before the bell.I will eat lots of soup and exercise more and become if not thin ,then certainly thinner.I will tidy the kitchen before I go to bed and I will keep on top of the housework  by rising earlier  and doing a bit each day instead of a bucketful at the weekend.I will take my cod liver oil tablets and I will use my rescue remedy when I feel I am about to come apart at the seams....I will watch less television until Downton abbey returns and I will spend an hour a day after cooking, ironing,marking,planning doing something I enjoy and the list goes on....good intentions...all achievable if only I didn't feel so tired after about three days and the good intentions pack their bags and bugger off to torment some other poor soul..Anyway I digress..back to my opening words.Procrastination in my best friend,I am an expert in the field of denial so today-instead of doing what I really should.I dragged my poor Mum(Poor Jules is laid up with a nasty flu virus) off to Thirsk to Homemade and Vintage, run by two lovely ladies called Jackie and Sarah.The fair was on both today and yesterday and was quite delightful.I don't know how on earth they managed to organise everything so brilliantly.It was such a lovely way to spend a sunday morning and it all looked so beautiful.I had to part with a few pounds and will take some photos when the light is better.I did however take some photos of the room to give you an idea of how fab it was.

                                  Loads of pretty vintage kitchenalia and furniture....

Lots of pretty sewing

China to hire for a vintage tea party..

China to buy...

Lots of ideas and suggestions about how to make your home beautiful in an imaginative and thrifty way...I love the flowers in the Tate and Lyle syrup tin....

                                                     Homemade cakes , jams and chutneys...
Very clever ladies who must be exhausted by now.Jackie and Sarah are having their next Vintage & Handmade on 4th December at Coxwold near Ampleforth.

Here you can see Cheryl and Maxine(Cheryl's Mum ) enjoying their coffee.(Sorry it's a bit blurry).Cheryl is the clever girl who organises the Homespun and Vintage fairs in Pickering with Linda.Cheryl has invited Jackie and Sarah to take a stall at Pickering  on October 29th for the Christmas Fair...something lovely to look forward to....
In my next post I will tell you about the Rural Arts at Thirsk which was the venue for today and which was totally inspirational...I must log off now and pack my school bag and polish my shoes. or shall I read You magazine??.Have a great week...

Anne x

Seasons of mist ..........

Dan and I went for a walk and all the signs heralding the autumn were very evident and very early...

Sloes,sorry Im just getting used to my new camera....

We found a lovely crop of blackberries.......

Throw in a couple of Bramleys and a good eater...

A spoonful or two of brown sugar

Line a 20cm loose bottomed tin with half of crumble mixture ( 250g plain flour,125g ground almonds,125g caster sugar ,250g of really cold butter so it moulds into the tin )

Spread apples and blackberries over the base.Sprinkle second half of crumble mixture with zest of orange or lemon and voila you have blackberry and apple streusel. 

 Add a dollop of finest ice cream and you have a little bit of autumnal heaven on a plate!

If you eat it with your eyes closed there are no calories in it , honest!!

As it was also a tad chilly,on return  I whipped up a very comforting pan of leek and potato soup.

( Saute finely chopped onion,three large leeks and two medium potatoes for thickening,chuck in one and a half litres of stock,simmer.When cooked, liquidise and add milk to make it more creamy.Season to taste.

Now what to do with the plums?????Watch this space......

Anne x

Patchwork

Love the zingy colours of this gorgeous throw and cushions,courtesy of Silly Old suitcase.......

Such pretty  fabrics that make your heart skip....

Look at this fabulous bunting with crocheted edging.Such patience and such lovely fabric...Sighing again...
All very inspirational.............

 

A little adventure........

Once upon a time two middle aged but beautiful sisters set off on an adventure....They left the brooding foothills of the Moors in the land of the North early in the morning and ventured down the length of the country in search of the Middle lands wherein there was treasure to be discovered and claimed.....ceramic treasures.....from the house of Burleigh and Bridgewater............

Their journey was speedy and brilliantly navigated and they were there in the blink of an eye.....The house of Burleigh stood before them with a dire warning...

What lay inside they wondered as they entered the house with trepidation.....?Oh my...

Oh my, acres of blue china of all hues......Their little hearts were skip, skippety beating and singing hymns of joy.....

Which pattern? Plate,cup or teapot?

Omg don't make me choose....

The two sisters dug deep into their pockets and purchased beautiful blue treasures and then continued on their journey........

They searched for a pretty little, bijoux eaterie, a quaint vintagey tea room but their search was in vain , not a one anywhere and in need of sustenance, they lit upon a very popular hostelry selling burgers and milkshakes and were left with no choice but to eat said burgers and milkshakes.....not really something one wanted to blog about but the fair maidens were by this time faint with hunger and their principles rather compromised.......
Feeling stronger they cast their eyes into the distance and were dismayed to see no pretty little shops full of gorgeousness, oh, no.No wool,no fabric, but a landscape awash with vast houses, full of wares for little pixie people,Topshop and New look and Next, Primarni and places which were totally alien to the two middle aged but beautiful sisters who loved fair Cath and Laura.........They decided to head for their resting place for the night....A Quality hotel....sadly with the softest mattresses which were like sleeping on jelly...in fact so soft that the sisters thought they were waterbeds!!

That evening in search of a nice meal as recommended by a lady who worked in Marks and Spencers. They discovered, nestled between a disused carwash and half an acre of scrubland, opposite Mecca bingo and the Casino and just down from the lap dancing club, a proper pub,typical of the Middle lands...fearing that it may be full of fruit machines and toothless old men the sisters hesitated and deliberated.....
As this was an adventure they decided to be adventurous and entered the hostelry....(heartened by the note pinned to the door advertising the place as the best steakhouse for miles around run by Rob and Jane since 1993)....well dear readers...the steak, the wine and the homemade cheesecake were all exquisite and served by a delightful young man....the sisters ate their meal with gusto and retired to their jelly beds, sated and satisfied if not a little worse for the ruinous drink...which allowed them not to really bide or heed the noisy wenches next door who were shrieking their heads off through most of the night........at first light the damsels hot footed it out of the fair town of Hanley and  sped off in search of the House of Bridgwater for a factory tour and much purchasing of china at 50% discount....What a lovely day they had.....................

                        Lots of slipping,sponge fettling,dibbling, dunking and bottom wiping going on here......

lovely ladies doing the spongeware.....

The new sampler range which is so complicated...

One you all know,though I have never loved the spots range very much,but seeing it en masse at lunch it does look lovely and cheery.

Ladies doing the transferware......

25.000 pieces to dunk in the glaze per week...

The glaze is a hair's breadth....

The fair maidens had a go too....

Stars and spots...

All in all I can now appreciate why Bridgewater is priced at it is.The whole ethos is excellent, keeping British craft alive and well and using nothing but British sourced raw materials.

The two middleaged but beautiful sisters then went shopping.

This is your life....

Start creating......

Have a good weekend...