Homespun and Vintage fair,Pickering.

Can't wait until next Saturday.Cheryl and Linda are holding their annual Homespun and Vintage Christmas fair.I am lucky enough to be able to have a stall there and have been  making bits and pieces and sourcing lovely vintagey stuff.Hope you can make it as it promises to be a lovely experience and it's now at Hallgarth which is much closer to the town and those handy cash machines!!!!
Hope you can make it and come and do some Christmas shopping with  difference.

More war weekend..

Just wanted to share some more photos with you.I just loved all the clothes that people were wearing.During the weekend you actually feelout of place if you don't dress up....here are some candid shots which I took on Sunday I had to be quick as everyone was on the move.There are some headless ladies but I was focusing on the clothes honestly!Although I do find the abundance of dead animals draped everywhere a little bit alarming 1ol!

two veterans having a snack...

This really needs a caption....any ideas?

Simply elegant..

Young love....

family love....

A bit of street jive...

Eric, Jenny's dad a true veteran...aged 92..looking good Eric..

The German occupation of Le Visham takes place over the weekend and here is an officer who has strayed with a nice young nurse....

This lady attracted a lot of attention and I think she really suits the look...

Hope you can make it next year!

Anne x

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