Wow, it seems that summer is really here, what a fine few days it has been!
We've been making the most of it with exciting trips to a couple of beaches on the bus (Iris loves to go on buses), having proper bucket and spade days with ice cream and bouncy castles and paddling in the shallows with her friends. Then there's been trips to The Field, for weeding, watering and picking - why just yesterday we picked sugar snap peas, strawberries, salad and asparagus. Just lovely.
Today, of course, it being Sunday an' all, was time again for carboot sales. We went to one in the morning and another this afternoon. The first one was magnificent! At the very first stall, I scored so many ....books! Ha! But the best kind of books, Picture Puffins and Picture Lions. I have them all spread at my feet right now. I have been trying to catergorise them but there's too many!
Oh, and some more Young Puffins naturally.
It's been so much fun buying with the shop in mind! Not to mention the swaps, at the moment I'm working on offerings for Artemis and Laura.
So it hasn't been ALL books but lots of other delightful things as well. I haven't managed to photograph everything today so I'll show you some more tomorrow. But here's a little glimpse (all bound for the shop, well, more or less!)...
Also, thank you all so much for your lovely encouraging comments about the shop, they made wonderful reading and have spurred me on. So it's back to the coalface for me for a little while longer tonight!
Ah, it's been a lovely few days. We've been on an adventure. We took Iris to the zoo for the very first time, had sunny picnics and barbecues, hung out in the park, spent time with my mum celebrating her birthday and goodness! we even managed to squeeze in two carboot sales! Happy days indeed.
So I have a few treasures to share with you..
Sweet Avon scent bottle - now isn't she the fanciest cat you ever saw?
Nautical drinks vessel - this will work nicely as a vase I think.
Melaware butter dish, there's a bit of a blue theme emerging I fancy.
This darling little framed picture of a girl and a bird. 
Beautiful and amazing Picture Puffins - just look at these covers!
Unearthing Magic at Midnight literally made my heart sing! Such wonderful illustrations!
The lady i bought this from sold it to me for 20p instead of the standard price of 10p because 'it's a bit special' Oh yes, isn't it just?
There's a few more bits and pieces so I'll show you those tomorrow perhaps.
Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post, and in particular, Flora, Brent, Artemis and Laura, c'mon, let's swap! I'll go first so if you send me an email with your address then I'll aim to get on with it! Wheeee! Excitement!
Oh and here's Iris at home at the zoo. That is such a great mask. And a sun-dappled peacock that followed us everywhere. More on Flickr
For someone out there... Have you read about any good swaps recently? (send me a link to the post if you have). I keep reading about swaps, coveted packages of loveliness sent through the mail from one blogger to another, like this or perhaps this and certainly like this and I keep thinking, 'I want some of that!' So, my dears, who wants to play?
If you think you'd give good swap then leave me a comment below and I'll pick a name at random in a few days time and we'll get swapping! Fun!
Thank you all for seeing and appreciating the romance in my previous post and commenting accordingly. It was very sweet and lovely of you.
This was my gift...
I had spotted her a week or two ago and weirdly, had not bought her. Then on Saturday at the market, seeing that she was still there, I dropped a very heavy hint - much like this but with some emphatic pointing - 'THIS would make a perfect gift for our anniversary'. And lo, I found a little package waiting for me on Monday morning. Paul said that the man who was selling her had said that nobody else had shown the slightest bit of interest in her. So we can only deduce that she was waiting for me. In other news - Boots have stopped stocking Polaroid 600 film and I'm so upset. Would or could anyone check their local Boots for me? I'd be so very grateful. And be willing to show it.
Then I'd be able to take more photos like this. Or, perhaps, even better ones.
Yesterday, we went to see Katie, a dear friend who lives in Bristol. She has two lovely girls, a ridiculously amazing house full of wonderful treasure and a keenly well-honed eye for a bargain. We talked endlessly about beautiful things and how much we like finding them. Sigh, how perfect. She also took me to one of the most amazing shops I've ever been in. We only had 10 minutes! But I bought this sheer blouse - and some embroidery hoops.
Today, true to form, I bought books. Here's one of them. An early 1980s reissued copy of The Golden Bunny, written in 1953 by Margaret Wise Brown , illustrated by Leonard Weisgard.
My goodness, she was incredibly prolific, and her love of animals and nature is really evident in this book. It's folky and eccentric and whimsical.
Margaret's life and works are really fascinating, she sounded like an extraordinarily creative and interesting woman. I loved this - taken from her biography - She lived extravagantly off of her royalties, including buying a street vendor's entire cart of flowers with her first royalty check. After having them delivered to her upper East Side apartment, she threw a party for her friends to enjoy her purchase. She would, at times, sell a story to buy a coat, car or airplane ticket to Europe. How marvellous!
Yesterday, the market was tiny due to inclement weather, so we spent most of the afternoon at The Field, sowing salad in the polytunnel and preparing beds for aubergines and chillies.
Then today, the carboot sale was cancelled. It's been a rainy windy sort of day, so I made tomato soup and a kind of basil pesto with almonds instead of pine nuts which was delicious. Then we ate a handful of cherries. Then we put up some little shelves in Iris's room to house burgeoning treasure collection. And looked at what was growing in the garden.
I thought I'd post some uplifting images of brighter days from my archive. Of course, now the sun has kind of come out and we're going to venture out for a little walk. 
Oh, that pesto was sooooo good. 
The first rose of the year. Raggedy and pink, it smells delicious. 
The proper sort of pink. 
On this date, five years ago, we lit a fire on the beach. 
Lovely. 
*Oh, and of course, I still managed to find a few bits and pieces against all odds.
Books - are you bored of books? Not me. I can't get enough.
Pretty girl silhouette.
The treasure-laden shelves.
