Jumble in a Box...

Well it's been a long time... so long in fact that we have skipped from one season to another in my absence. Spring has begrudgingly turned a corner this week into something resembling summer.. 

Blue skies and a rather bright orb in the sky have been celebrated here with lots of leafy walks ...

Young Minnie is sporting her very jaunty new Summer look... Gone is the hairy hound and in her place is a slinky skinny Minnie.. so much cooler dahling!!

It is hard to believe that it is nearly a year since we moved to this pretty village on the edge of the Wiltshire and Somerset border ..

Any visit to the great metropolis.. the nearby city of Bath.. makes me feel ever so slightly jittery.. Too many cars.. too many people. I feel much more at home with the chattering of Sparrows and the traffic of the Swifts that race overhead...

I relish the peace and endless beauty of this place as it changes every day and offers a serenity that I have never known before....

Though I have not exactly signed up to Jam & Jerusalem as part of my initiation into village life, I have made some lovely friends and enjoy the teasing banter amongst the various folk in the local shops. Wanting to contribute something to our new community, The Vintage & Handmade fairs have added a new venue to their roadshow... and this coming weekend, June 15th, will hopefully bring a flurry of interest when we hold a vintage jumble sale in our local village hall...

If the sun doesn't promise to shine on Saturday.. there will be plenty to brighten up the place with a host of fabulous vintage stalls all offering some tempting vintage bargains.. So please come along if you can ... and when you have finished shopping.. take time to walk around this lovely village and maybe you will understand why my heart is firmly rooted here now.

Come hell or high water ....

Despite a prediction of climatic gloom delivered by the nice weather man on television last night.. the show will most definitely go on! Tomorrow we will be piling the tables with vintage goodies at the Rangeworthy Village Hall and welcoming visitors from 10.00 a.m until 1.30 p.m.
Put on your thermals and come out for a nice cuppa and slice of something delish and a good rummage amongst mountains of vintage jumble wares. Something to  warm your cockles this chilly weekend!

A Spring in the step....

Another grey and distinctly damp day has dawned again and all thoughts of dusting off the deck chairs or  wielding a trowel in the garden, still seem a long way off ..

This winter has been a long dark haul and I for one, will welcome warmer brighter days and some splash of colour in the garden, to brighten the scorched earth look of our patch. There are some signs that the seasons are willing to move on, with the discovery of some very pretty Hellebores and Primroses and the dark jewel like flowers of the Crocus.

When we moved to this house last June, the Spring flowers had long faded and we were left with a wall of green.. mostly shrubs..which we ruthlessly dispatched to the great compost heap in the sky.
  I was keen to unveil the beautiful stone walls that surround our small garden and provide a wonderful stage for some good old fashioned favourites... climbing roses, Clematis, Honeysuckle and anything else that I can persuade to grow vertically that can earn it's keep with some pretty blooms.

As the summer never really got off to a good start.. or any start at all come to think of it, I have not had the pleasure of seeing our new garden in full bloom.

Climbing roses were purchased and placed at the foot of a long dead apple tree, along with a Clematis Montana. A climbing rose which promised blousy fragrant blooms, was placed against a stretch of bare wall and fingers were kept firmly crossed for a swan song of flowers at the end of the summer.

 Sadly after weeks of persistent rain.. any blooms that were brave enough to open, were soon drenched and bedraggled. This year I hope we will be rewarded with not only a swathe of fragrant flowers but also some warm sunny days to sit in the garden and take time to smell the roses!
I am afraid you will have to make do with last year's pictures when the garden still showed some signs of life and new plants had been planted with hope in my heart that they would flourish.

Now as the Easter weekend approaches and some of you may have the urge to purge... Spring cleaning will start in earnest. We at The Vintage & Handmade H.Q.. have been having a bit of a sort out and will be taking our vintage chattels down to Rangeworthy village hall on Saturday 23rd March for another popular vintage Jumble Sale.. If you thought the Six Nations Rugby tournament had the best scrums.. just wait until you see the action at the jumble.  Hope to see you there for a good old rummage!

Happy Mother's Day

Anne - Marie Lobert

To all mothers everywhere.. and absent ones too...
 Wishing you all a very
Happy Mother's Day.

The Vintage & Handmade Texile Fair

Now hear this ... now hear this...
On Saturday 23rd February 2013 at 10..00 a.m sharp.. the doors of Chipping Sodbury town hall will open once again to The Vintage & Handmade Textile Fair for another jolly jamboree of fine vintage and handcrafted wares. Tables will be piled high with a colourful and mind boggling collection of vintage Hungarian linens from Beyond France, pretty and practical haberdashery from Donna Flower, funky silver jewellery from Hazel Sutton, beautiful hand-bound books from Mud Rabbit, finest antique textiles from The Washerwoman, Sallie Eade and Geraldine Shepherd and many many more wonderful stalls. There will be oodles of quality vintage merchandise all comfortably housed in this attractive venue. Do come along if you can and join the happy throng.. and take the weight off your feet and purse with lashings of tea and yummy cakes all provided by the wonderful W.I ladies.  Doors close at 3.00 p.m Be there... or be forever wishing you had!

Snow snow quick quick snow...

I have just turned my head to glance out of the window.. and lo.. it is snowing again.. and don't we just love it.. well yes we do!!

Last Thursday night after retiring for bed with a head full of weather reports.. I slept fitfully.. as a child would on Christmas Eve anticipating the excitement of the morning ahead. Some time around 3.a.m I dreamt that I woke up to a grey city with rain soaked pavements.. and feeling some relief that it was only a dream.. I peeked through the curtains, only to be bitterly disappointed that the landscape looked pretty much the same as the night before.. i.e No snow!
At 8.00 a.m I was delighted to wake to a pristine scene outside.. Snow.. and lots of it!

For Minnie, the experience of snow was nothing short of hilarious to witness.. the snuffling, snorting and romping in the snowy wasteland of the hills around our home kept us all amused and delighted.

I am sure this talk of weather is all a bit passe now.. but we at Cowboys & Custard just love the stuff... well most of us... at least.

 Looks like the fun will be here for a few more days as the flakes continue to fall..

Happy New Year to all..

Before we turn our backs on this year.. may we reflect on all the good times that 2012 brought to us.. and may the bad times become a distant memory.
Wishing all of my blog followers, friends, family and four legged friends.. the best of times in 2013!

With love

Michele xx

It's beginning to feel a lot like......

Well here we are again on the eve of Christmas and I can hardly believe a year has passed since the last Christmas eve.. and oh what a year it has been!
We had earmarked just the right spot for the Christmas tree to stand, down to the last bauble  .. but then the arrival of our four legged friend somewhat scuppered our plans as to have a tree with all of the trimmings...

1 playful cat + 1 delinquent puppy + Christmas tree + fairy lights  = Disaster!

 

So we have had to compromise with other sparkly decorations hung around the place and everything vaguely chewable, elevated to new heights!

With the fire lit.. the mince pies warming in the oven and tummies rumbling.. we are ready to welcome another Christmas day!

 From all of the 'Custards' and Mr Pickles and Minnie the Minx.. we would like to wish you all a
very  
         very
                                        Happy Christmas and a very good year to follow.
                                            
                                             Wishing you warmest wishes of the season.

 Have a wonderful time!

Never work with Children and Animals .. part II

The last four weeks have been a steep learning curve for our family.. and may I say.. our long suffering Mr Pickles. Minnie the Minx has got all of her four paws firmly under the table and has transformed our every day lives as we once knew them.   If Minnie is not busy chewing an illicit toilet roll.. she is chewing an illicit vintage teddy bear snuck from my office, or chasing a weary cat around the house or barking at the hoover for having the audacity to make a louder noise than herself. Minnie is certainly not a mouse.. and it has to be said.. she is a small dog with a whole of lot of attitude and a massive character.

    A Moment's Peace

 
Whilst juggling card orders in the run up to Christmas and trying to craft some festive sparklies for The Vintage & Handmade Fair I have been  attempting to keep some kind of order and equilibrium with our dear little girl .. no easy task. Every box of vintage fayre destined for next Saturday's fair, has been elevated to a safe shelf or table where Minnie can't get her muddy little paws on them.. It has been a lesson in patience, cunning and persistence as we are both as stubborn as each other when it comes to staking  a claim to a vintage toy.
I hope that all will be safely packed and priced and ready to take to the fair by Saturday 1st and if Minnie isn't careful.. she will be the fairy on top of the tree at Chipping Sodbury Town Hall next weekend.

If you want to find that extra special vintage or handmade gift for this Christmas.. for your loved ones or just yourself then put on your warm hat and coat and come along to our Christmas Fair and get into the Christmas spirit next Saturday.

Never work with Animals or Children....

 

Take 1

 

Take 2

Take 3

The Vintage & Handmade Winter Jumble Sale

Rangeworthy Village Hall

Saturday 3rd November

10.30 a.m - 2.00 p.m

Free Admission

Teas and Cakes from Rangeworthy W.I

Puppy not for sale!