These Foolish Things

On January.....

2012-01-24T20:09:00.000Z

Oh January.

Month of new beginnings,allegedly.

The feverish pace of Christmas behind us,not even a sliver of tinsel remaining to remind me of the festive season,all packed away for another year.Dark mornings,candles in the kitchen and coffee.Lots of coffee.

I started well,made a list of things to do,started the big declutter,eating healthily,going for long walks to blow the cobwebs away,but Oh My life,I feel so weary.Flat.Life is very quiet,almost silent.I am not complaining,merely observing.I need to motivate myself.

Or do I?

This week Lucy is off school poorly,so I have been confined to Barracks,I have been working,but not as much as I should have,instead I have slept a little later than usual,snuggled with my child and watched TV,today it rained,I baked scones and we had afternoon tea and watched Blithe spirit,I played around on pinterest,looked through the seed catalogues and planned my summer garden.I cant wait.

Maybe my new beginnings can wait a little longer.

On clearing the clutter,letting go and looking forward....

2012-01-08T21:14:00.001Z

As anyone in this business will tell you,it is possibly the most thrilling feeling,searching and finding beautiful vintage pieces.Indeed it is quite the loveliest of jobs,not always easy I hasten to add,but one that I love so much it has almost become an addiction.I simply cannot resist the lure of a long loved item nor the sweet scent of nostalgia,it makes my heart beat just a teeny bit faster and often has the ability to completely make my day.Sounds wonderful doesnt it? Well yes.It is,apart from the fact that sooner or later it gets a wee bit out of hand.When I had the shop,the love of my life as you may recall,I had lots of space to indulge my compulsive buying habit,but now of course,although I have a large storage unit,there are times when certain items sneakily find their way into my home.Lots of them.Added to which,it would seem I have a compulsive clothes buying disorder.I know not why! I read somewhere that a cluttered home equals a cluttered mind.Amen to that one Sister!

Therefore I have started this new year with a cunning plan! I need to get rid.To not allow myself to become personally attached to items I find attractive,if I do not have any use for the said items,they must be sold.This week I have decluttered the kitchen cupboards,from now on they will house only useful items,as utterly delightful as the vintage teapot in the shape of a crinoline Lady is,I have never used it,nor will I to be honest,she needs to move on and so do I.

Today I undertook possibly my hardest task.The wardrobe.Oh sweet baby Jesus what a task that was,when in Gods name did I think I would wear the leopard print skirt or those boots with tassels? The words mutton and lamb even sprung to my own lips! I have been ruthless,if I havent worn it in a year I probably never will,so out they have gone.I feel free.

I do not think I am in any danger of becoming minimalist,however I can feel something shifting,it is more than a clearing out of junk from the house,it is the realization that 'things' cant make me happy,not for long,I am letting go,sorting the wheat from the chaff,so to speak and it feels good.I have a long way to go,wait till I start on the books! wow now thats a bit scary! but Oh how good am I going to feel and how tidy will my life be?

Looking forward......

New beginnings..............

2011-12-31T20:28:00.002Z

A very Happy New year to all of my lovely blogging friends and readers!

May 2012 be the best ever year for us all,filled with Good health,good friendships,sunny days,plenty of laughter and may our hearts be filled with Love.

Gena xx

The post festive Limbo.....

2011-12-30T21:15:00.000Z

So! How was it for you? I am of course talking about Christmas.That one day of the year that we all rev ourselves up into a complete frenzied state over.Every year.

I imagine for most of us it was a pleasant enough day,lovely for those with young children,there is nothing more enchanting than hearing those squeals of excitement on Christmas morning,letting all and sundry know that " HE HAS BEEN!!!!" For some of us the day may have been tinged with sadness,missing loved ones whom we have lost.But generally we make the most of it,stiff upper lip and all that and we soldier through the day wearing a party frock and a pinny.

And then....Boxing day,hurrah more food and drink,the tree is beginning to wilt and Oh My God people are becoming mildly irritated,teeny little frissons of disagreement are starting to surface,over who OWNS the REMOTE CONTROL!!! Gods sake!and then a whole week of not doing that much, I am turning to drink mid afternoon because my mantra for the season has become " It must be six o clock somewhere" and whilst sipping a glass of bubbly,I reflect on the weeks,nay months I spent,shopping, organizing and frankly resenting.I didnt use to feel like this,did I ? and then my thoughts turn to my body.My poor God forsaken body.I have been shoveling food and drink down my neck like we are approaching Armageddon (actually thats another worry) and suddenly I feel the urge to go jogging and eat salads,Right now!! because I am panicking,but of course I dont,because I will do so immediately in the New year! wont I?

I am not sleeping properly,I do not like being out of routine,I am struggling to concentrate and therefore find it difficult to immerse myself in any of the books I have stacked up by my bedside.I am thinking about next year and what it will bring,I want somebody to tell me it will be great.It might be.It will be.I want it to be here now,I have done Christmas,bring it on.

It is this state of Limbo I have found myself in you see,Whilst I am loving having my family around me,there is a part of me that just cant relax,my mind races sometimes,my feet are in the starting blocks for next year,I want to run and yet I know we should be thankful for each waking day,I am truly,I continue to count my blessings.And yet...I seem to be suffering from some kind of post festive blues.This will pass,I know it will,but until it does....A chocolate anyone?

Oh Christmas tree!........

2011-12-12T21:57:00.000Z

So....its two weeks before Christmas,as regular followers will be aware,for me personally Tis the season to be totally disorganized and this year...with bells on.You would think,having given up the day job (see prev posts) I would have more time on my hands,therefore presents should be bought,wrapped and stacked neatly around the tree.The tree.Oh Holy Mary Mother of God.

Daughter and I bought the tree on Friday afternoon,it was standing proud outside of the local greengrocers,gleefully we handed over our cash and then stood staring in abject fear as we realized how utterly enormous it actually was and how small our car appeared in comparison! After struggling home with it,exhausted we attempted to hide it in the dining room until we could muster the energy to wrestle it into the stand.Fast forward to Saturday,tree too big for stand,Irate husband wielding a blunt hacksaw,me lugging a bucket of soil into the sitting room.Deep Joy.

But I digress,By now, Cards should be written in flowing gold script and tossed in a gingham lined basket,ready to be posted on a cold and frosty morning.Homemade mince pies ala Nigella, cooling in the mad pink kitchen.Nay.Nay,Nay and thrice Nay.I am a complete slut in the festivities department,Hence,at this point,panic is starting to set in.

The trouble is...I truly dislike shopping,I know,I know..I am a woman its supposed to be my reason for living,but its not.I find it tedious in the extreme.Big stores are soul less places to me,I derive no joy whatsoever from shopping malls or their ilk,all very impersonal to me,I prefer to give small thoughtful gifts any day,handmade wherever possible, or a carefully chosen book perhaps,I love to incorporate old with new,a pair of beautiful vintage champagne glasses filled with handmade chocolates and a mini bottle of bubbly,or perhaps a 'cosy afternoon basket' one of my favourite gift giving ideas,pack a small basket with a lovely old movie(Mrs Miniver for fellow vintage girls buy for pennies on Amazon) good quality hot chocolate and a vintage china cup,homemade shortbread(or bought depending how sluttish you are this year)a pair of fluffy socks,and Bobs your Uncle! who wouldn't love it? beats a M&S voucher any day.

However,I will get there,it will all come together,probably on Christmas Eve,when I will be telling anyone who will listen that next year it will be different,I will be better organised,infact,I will buy my cards in the sales and write them out in January! Ha! Watch out for flying pigs folks!

And its getting better! ......

2011-11-17T14:17:00.001Z

I ask you,what more could you ask for on a chilly November afternoon? And yes,that book is Christmas at Cold comfort farm,those of you who know me will already know that Cold comfort farm is one of my very favourite books of all time,penned by the glorious Stella Gibbons.I almost fainted with sheer excitement when I spotted this on the bookshelves in Asda this morning!

Happy happy days!

Decisions Decisions .....

2011-11-16T17:46:00.001Z

Well Hello! Tis me again,the invisible blogger,but for those of you who do still follow me (and I thank you for that I truly do) here is a little update on my so called life at the moment. It is infact going extremely well,after months of ridiculous procrastination,I took the Bull by the horns and resigned from the day job,it was surprisingly easy,all that faffing about and worrying and I swear to you the Company did not give a hoot.So anyway,I did this in order to concentrate on my little Vintage Emporium www.thesefoolishthings.co.uk

I attended the Newcastle vintage fashion fair on Sunday,had a good day and met some wonderful people,I am spending my days sourcing more fabulous vintage lovelies,photographing them and soon will be updating the site.For the life of me I cannot fathom what took me so long!

In other news,It is horribly dull and decidedly chilly here in the bleak North,whilst I embrace the cosy candlelit evenings,I am not so fond of stepping outdoors,mainly because of my complete lack of appropriate clothing! How I loathe and detest getting wrapped up and wearing jeans and jumpers for what feels like forever! So I am swanning around in Vintage furs and high heels for the moment,not so sure what the dress code will be when the snow arrives.

I am still searching for alternative storage facilities for my Vintage stock,at the moment it is housed in a storage unit,which is fine in the summer,but Oh my life...the winter,it is like a huge refrigerator,I am slightly reluctant to take on another shop,but I would dearly love to rent space in somebody elses shop,just a room would do,mainly for storage and perhaps to use for my photographs.Friends in the Newcastle area keep your eyes open for me please.I am sure there is the perfect little home for me somewhere.

So! The times they are a changing for me,its all good,I feel happy and blessed and am looking forward to the next chapter!.....you will keep reading with me wont you?

Vintage fashion fair

2011-11-08T22:05:00.001Z

I will be here on Sunday 13th November selling some of my vintage lovelies,should be a good day,if you are in the area please pop in and say Hello!

Happy Halloween.

2011-10-31T07:38:00.000Z

Have a fun filled Happy Halloween folks! This year is a first for us,no trick or treating! instead a scary Movie and Halloween themed snacks.The times they are a changing!

The cocktail hour.

2011-10-30T19:22:00.000Z

Being a lover of all things Vintage,it should come as no surprise that I possess a much loved Cocktail cabinet.Oh how I recall the excitement(well on my part) the day the above little beauty found its way to Chez King.Finally a home had arrived for my beloved glass collection and the kitsch bar items I had hoarded for so long.1930s cocktail umbrellas,1950s Ladies,snowball glasses (urgghh! who remembers Warninks Advocaat snowballs?) Edwardian crystal champagne saucers,so beautiful and fittingly twinkly for the most glamorous of beveridges.I am,believe it or not,not a great drinker,A glass of chilled white wine or two is about as exciting as it gets,but like everything I eat or drink,presentation plays a big part.What is the use of owning a house full of vintage loveliness if it is just to sit there? I say if you love it,use it,we have pretty vintage quilts on our beds,mismatched china in the kitchen and the walls are adorned with Edwardian prints.Ah tis the vintage life for me! But back to the cocktail cabinet,God I dont half waffle on! It dates to around 1910,I know this because the original receipt from Waring and Gillows was wedged in the back,the mirrored panel in the centre rotates to reveal a bottle storage area! this alone thrilled me more than I can say! there are glass shelved areas to either side and the top section lights up.Think of the Larkins in the Darling buds of May,with their strange and exotic drinks made from Pops fabulous light up bar!

Time to resurrect The cocktail hour methinks? what do you say?

The Letters.....

2011-10-26T23:16:00.000+01:00

I wonder if
you keep the letters still,
spidery and blotted
now, like old days
just withered away.

I remember sunlight bursts
that inspired
those winged words,
the spirit of spaces
flying paper aeroplanes of love.

I picture us then-
a perfect summer’s night
calligraphy of stars
burning Indian fire

and I wonder if
you keep the letters still.

By Eileen Carney Hulme.

The season of change.....

2011-10-25T21:36:00.002+01:00

And all of a sudden it is Autumn.Unpredictable weather,darker evenings,chilly mornings and a weariness I find hard to shake.But shake it I must,for the days are rushing by,for the most part they are good days,I have decisions to make,and here I falter,afraid to make the wrong choice,security versus creativity,my mind in constant argument.Exhausted by the demands of the 'day job'. Something or someone will come along and

set me on the right path.Wont they?

I do not care for the colder months,I miss the sunshine and the long lazy days of summer,

pretty dresses and sparkly sandals,tea in the garden and early morning reading on the doorstep.

My garden is going to sleep,everything is dying back for the winter,I console myself by ordering old English roses and spring flowering bulbs for next year.And yet,I embrace the cosiness of the season,because i must.I light candles and scent my home with cinnamon,I don a pretty pinny and cook,because food is love and food is comfort,and often I am in dire need of both.

I spend way to much time online! it is a fact,social networking is taking me away from real life and I must start and reign myself in,from becoming involved in heated discussions about trivial tv shows to constantly checking my messages,I should stop,whilst it is lovely making new friends and keeping in touch with old ones,surely the world will not go into a holding pattern should I decide to give facebook a miss for a while.

It will pass,this restlessness,I do know this.

I also know that it is up to me to enforce change.Wish me Luck.

The Orange........

2011-10-10T22:50:00.001+01:00

Have I told you I love oranges? I also love Wendy Cope,imagine that,one of my favorite contemporary poets wrote a poem about my favorite fruit! Outstanding Ms Cope! simply outstanding!

The Orange.

At lunchtime I bought a huge orange

The size of it made us all laugh.

I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave

They got quarters and I had half.

And that orange,it made me so happy

As ordinary things often do.

just lately,The shopping.A walk in the park.

This is peace and contentment.It is new.

The rest of the day was quite easy.

I did all the jobs on my list.

And enjoyed them and had some time over.

I love you.I'm glad I exist.

Wendy Cope.

Twenty pieces of absolutely useless information about me...

2011-10-06T20:39:00.000+01:00

I am in pensive mood this Evening,today has been cold and dark and I have flitted from task to task,not really achieving much,but wanting to do so much more, Went food shopping,met some mad people (as usual) came home,lit some candles,updated the website,chatted on facebook for a while,went to see my Mammy,picked Lulu up from School,dropped her big sister off at work.The usual stuff,the stuff that my days are made of. Pretty average huh? I love average,I love my life,it is an awfully big adventure,we are all totally unique,how amazing is that? there is nobody else in the world like you or I,what makes you who you are? and me? Hells bells I dont think the best shrink in the world could work that one out! But here just for fun,are a few random facts all about me!

1) I am as you can guess a complete bookworm,I read anything and everything.I am never without a book to read.

2)When I was pregnant I played Puccini and read poetry to my unborn babies.Yeah! weird.

3)I have a massive collection of Vintage pinnys and I wear them.

4)I am a foodie! I love to cook and I love to eat,typical Taurean I like good food and good wine.

5)I have a book inside me,somewhere,I know it.

6)I hated school but I loved my Art lessons,my Teacher wanted me to study it when I left,but I got a job.

7)I am afraid of water,cant swim,its real terror.

8)I wont get out of bed each morning until I have thought of five things to be thankful for.could have a bit of an ocd!

9)I love Terry Wogan.Ok so shoot me! he makes me smile!

10)I collect old sepia photographs.

11)I cried at Toy story three.

12)I truly detest tights and refuse to wear them.

13)Colouring in calms me down.Strangely.

14)My favourite book and film is Gone with the Wind.

15)I love to have a candle lit bath with a glass of bubbly! Lilac candles in summertime,cinnamon in winter.

16)I have an allotment.It is Heaven.

17)Albertine roses are my favourite bloom.

18)My favourite piece of opera is Oh Mio Babino Caro followed by The pearl fishers duet,both make my heart soar.

19)I always longed for a career in Fashion,I sort of ended up there,albeit Vintage fashion.I live for it.

20) I love the internet! I have made lots of true and good friends here...and I love you.

So....you nodded off yet?

On book addiction and Internet love.......

2011-09-11T19:45:00.001+01:00

Hello everyone! how the devil are you? what splendid pursuits have you enjoyed this past summer? Me? well nothing truly amazing to report,I longed for a lovely hot summer to be spent wandering on the beach,catching up with friends,quaffing martinis in the garden by candlelight. Didn't happen,weather was appalling.
Anyway.....
Tis the early days of autumn and yet again I have succumbed to my usual addiction....buying books on Amazon.I have a huge pile of books waiting to be read and four more on the way,there are frankly,not enough hours in the day to read the aforementioned stash,I start one book,catch sight of another start reading that one,you know how it is,I seriously need to discipline myself.
Aside from the book buying problem,life is good,as you all know I organised and held a Vintage fair in July,Get Me! I felt like a headmistress with fashion sense! it was so lovely,not just the event,but the whole journey leading to the fair,I met so many fabulous people,largely down to my big love...The internet.I make no apology for my total adoration for the online community and its social networks,facebook and twitter have brought me into contact with some pretty wonderful people and it was absolutely amazing that so many of you came to my fair,my heart was truly fit to burst!
I sort of feel that changes are afoot and I am kind of excited but scared! Another fair planned for November,local friends please come and see me! If you dont like the fair I can always lend you a good book!

On the last days of summer......

2011-08-27T20:19:00.002+01:00

Hello again dear blogging friends! so here we are, at the end of possibly the rainiest August I personally can recall for quite some time,only a week left of the school holidays and soon the nights will be getting darker,the days cooler,the pretty floral dresses packed away and the wool shift dresses back in business.I am already stocked up with enough reading material for the next six months,looking forward to cooking up a storm in the mad pink kitchen,trying not to think about Christmas,making plans that may or may not come to fruition,and wondering.....always wondering....what's next?

Summer sale at These Foolish things.....

2011-07-27T08:31:00.002+01:00

The phrase 'Cant see the woods for the trees' was surely written with me in mind!

My Vintage stock is getting a teeny bit out of hand and I need to have a major sort out and get it all on the website so I am giving a 25% discount on everything for a limited period,in order to fill it with even more pretties,so go on! pop over and bag a bargain!

Update.....

2011-07-20T18:15:00.004+01:00

Hello! how the Devil are you all? Me? borderline psychotic today could all change tomorrow.

So....its my big day on Sunday! I am as you know hosting a Vintage and handmade fair! Hurrah! its going to be fabulous! will report back as soon as its over and I am off the Valium(joking)

So what else is new? Well,I have a new cooker! Oh happy happy days! if I could sleep on the kitchen floor next to it I swear I would! it is indeed a thing of joy,although it is huge and I did lose two cupboards,plus the old oven housing unit which resulted in tiles being replaced,repainting etc. But hey! love it.

The weather here in the bleak North has been....well,bleak.Its appalling for July,haven't been to the allotment much,therefore I will no doubt be in for a bit of grief from the allotment police,AKA 'The committee'

I am hugely looking forward to the big school holidays! lazy mornings with my girls! Bliss! I would love a little nice weather so we could go to the beach.

I am loving 'The killing' on ch4 on thursday nights,thoroughly enjoying my latest amazon delivery 'How to be a woman' by Caitlin Moran(soooo funny) still hopelessly addicted to facebook and twitter,fighting raging hormones,having weird dreams and eating too much cheese.

Loving life. How about you?

Love after Love ........

2011-07-10T10:14:00.004+01:00

The time will come when,with elation

you will greet yourself arriving

at your own door,in your own mirror

and each will smile at the others welcome.

And say sit here,eat.

You will love again the stranger who was yourself.

Give wine.Give bread. Give back your heart

to itself,to the stranger that has loved you all your life,

who you ignored for another,

who knows you by heart.

Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs,the desperate notes.

Peel your own image from the mirror.

Sit.Feast on your life.

Derek Walcott.

It's a Fair cop!

2011-05-15T16:42:00.003+01:00

Oh I do so apologise for my short absence of late dear friends! However there is a very good reason for this,I have been organising a bit of a do! namely a delightful little summer soiree or Vintage fair.I have been thinking about organising such an event for a little while and finally have taken the plunge and put myself out there,so to speak,Lordy! what a surprise! the interest has been immense! I am so thrilled and excited! I wanted to veer away from the traditional Antiques and collectables fairs and make it a little more interesting and to appeal to a wider audience,so I am including sellers who sell hand crafted items including a delightful Lady who sells fascinators made with vintage fabrics.There will be vintage clothing,textiles,collectables,kitchenalia,hopefully gardenalia,shabby chic items,art work and lots more.I am to say the least,A tad excited!

If you are a seller and you are interested in taking part,please contact me by email at gena@thesefoolishthings.co.uk

The fair will be held at The Royal station Hotel,Neville street,Newcastle upon Tyne,right next to the railway station and metro,lots of parking nearby also.

Wish me luck!

My secret retro past......

2011-04-19T18:26:00.002+01:00

I must be getting old.It is a fact.More and more often in my line of work I come across items described as 'retro' as opposed to 'Vintage' I look at the afore mentioned items with slight contempt I fear,because to me,they are all too familiar,relics of my childhood that I did not particularly care for then...or now,but hey,each to their own.

I was growing up in the 1970s,youngest child of a working class family,My Dad worked in the shipyards on the Tyne,my Mum a trained dressmaker,worked in the corner shop to fit in with family life.The corner shop was owned by a Mr and Mrs Swan, a very nice couple who seemed to be just a cut above us.My Mother,as well as working part time in their shop,also did a spot of cleaning for them,sometimes she took me along,they lived,very comfortably above the shop.I recall the Lounge(we had a living room),which had a bar in the corner,I thought this to be the absolute epitome of luxury,it was padded faux leather and had high stools around it,I was told they entertained a lot.They had a leather three piece suite and a sheepskin rug.At one point,on the G Plan coffee table they had a Lava lamp!!!! Mrs Swan would serve up 'Elevenses' in little pyrex glass cups in orange plastic holders,I swear to God I thought I was in Heaven! snippets of conversations revealed that 'The Swans' dined out a fair bit,usually at 'The golf club' all very sophisticated to me at the time,even more glamorous was their teenage Daughter Barbara,lovely girl,complete with boyfriend named Ken(true,I jest not) and a bedroom with fitted wardrobes!!!! they had louvre doors and my childish heart almost burst out of my chest at the sight of them.They also had a pale pink bathroom with two sinks!!! can you believe it?and a rather large sunken bath.Ours was a tub with feet,Oddly enough when we moved into this house I paid silly money for an original claw foot cast iron bath to be installed,it remains my best purchase.Oh how the other half lived.

And yet.....we lived a little differently,no faux leather,sheepskin or louvre doors to be found in my family home,a little bungalow with leaded windows,a garden full of roses,sofas covered by my very clever Mother in sanderson floral fabrics and patchwork quilts on the beds.Dogs running in and out of the busy kitchen,the radio playing and My Mother clip clopping around in kitten heels,Dad in his favourite armchair reading the paper.It was such a cosy life and though I was fascinated by the thoroughly modern lifestyle of the Swans,I never really envied it,No wonder I grew up loving the vintage lifestyle.

Oh blessed happy days,I would not change these memories for all the pyrex coffee cups in the world!

Elizabeth Love.........

2011-03-23T19:28:00.003Z

Oh saddest of days! the glorious creature that was Dame Elizabeth Taylor has left us to go to that great movie set in the sky.

I have always loved Elizabeth, from being a young girl I was inspired and totally in awe of her beauty,but as I got older and my fascination continued,I became aware that behind the often hedonistic lifestyle,the boats,the planes,the diamonds,Elizabeth was just a woman, a woman who like most of us craved love and affection and a happy ever after.

Elizabeth Taylor will be remembered for her beauty,her men,her work in the movies and for her tireless charity work,but you know what I loved best about her? She lived her life in glorious technicolour,she loved she lost,she got right back up and lived and laughed and loved with seemingly reckless abandon.

They just dont make them like that any more.....do they?

On Sundays,Sinatra and sleep(or lack of)

2011-03-20T10:37:00.002Z

So here we are again Sunday morning,copious amounts of coffee and Sinatra singing 'Witchcraft' and me looking like hell in a housecoat due to lack of sleep.Soon I will shower and dress and paint on a smile and tie on a pinny and prepare myself for another ride on the strange rollercoaster that is my life at the moment.

It has been a topsy turvy week this past week,Like everyone in this world I have been absolutely horrified by the devastating events in Japan and the unrest in Libya has me troubled beyond belief,I am afraid I am like an emotional sponge and I seem to absorb all this negativity so that it becomes a lead weight to be carried around with me.

I know,lighten up Gena,count your blessings ( I do! I swear) but its real hard to watch such suffering.

Ok! enough of that,what else has been happening? after a disappointing start to the week (wont bore you with that one) the weather finally picked up and Lo! sunshine! hurrah! what a difference it makes,my garden is slowly coming to life and I am so looking forward to sunny days and lighter nights. I am signed up for a few vintage clothing fairs in the near future(sadly few and far between here in the North) and yesterday purchased another beautiful Vintage wedding dress.It was Lucys Birthday on Friday,my baby is twelve already! how did that happen? I feel as though life speeds up as you get older.

It is a full moon this weekend,in virgo actually,perhaps this is why I have felt slightly crazy all week? full moons signify powerful emotions and changes and I do believe that some things really do need to change,so bring it on Universe.I am ready.

My weird and totally unpredictable sleep patterns remain a mystery,I am reluctant to see a Doctor for fear of a) being diagnosed as mad/paranoid/depressed.I am not. or b) being offered sleeping medication which I fear is a slippery slope and I dont want it. I have tried almost everything,my Mother says as you get older you dont need as much sleep,cant believe that I am wrecked half the time!

Anyway! onwards and upwards! I am looking forward to next week, waking the dead on BBC1 tonight and tomorrow,I have the new Kate Atkinson book from the library(cant put it down already) and I have an interesting recipe for cheese and marmite scones to try out!

Its the little things isnt it?

Vintage Love .....

2011-03-13T09:53:00.004Z

I am a fickle girl at times I am the first to admit.Part of me hates clutter and yet I make a living out of selling all manner of vintage paraphanalia! I love nothing more than coming across a terrific vintage find,I love laundering vintage clothing and linens and become almost dizzy with joy to see them flapping about on my washing line.Handbags are a particular delight to me,often I will find an old shopping list,a cinema ticket or even a letter or an invatation to a wedding,the flotsam and jetsom of another womans life,not that different from my own.

Vintage weddings are currently in vogue,it seems many of us are hankering after a more subtle and meaningful Wedding day,not just the clothing but everything from the table linens to mis-matched vintage china.How absolutely lovely.It was with this in mind that towards the end of last year I launched a vintage China and linen hire service.

Will I ever tire of this love affair with all things from a time gone by? I really dont think so,do you?

Somethings' coming..........

2011-02-23T11:06:00.004Z

TONY
Could be!
Who knows?
There’s something’ due any day;
I will know right away
Soon as it shows.
It may come cannonballin’
Down through the sky,

Gleam in its eye,
Bright as a rose!
Who knows?

It’s only just out of reach,
Down the block, on a beach,
Under a tree.
I got a feelin’ there’s a miracle due,
Gonna come true,
Comin’ to me!

Could it be? Yes, it could.
Something’s coming, something’ good,
If I can wait!
Something’s comin’, I don’t know what it is
But it is
Gonna be great!

With a click, with a shock,
Phone’ll jingle, door’ll knock
Open the latch!
Something’s comin’, don’t know when,
But it’s soon--
Catch the moon,
One-handed catch!
Around the corner,
Or whistling’ down the river,
Come on -- deliver
To me!

Will it be? Yes, it will.
Maybe just by holdin’ still
It’ll be there!
Come on, something’, come on in,
Don’t be shy,
Meet a guy,
Pull up a chair!

The air is hummin’,
And something’ great is comin’!
Who knows?
It’s only just out of reach,
Down the block, on a beach.
Maybe tonight.

*******************

Oh how I love West side story! and on a day when my glass feels half full,how I love this song!

Somethings coming.Please God.

Just how much is too much?

2011-02-12T08:11:00.007Z

As anyone in the Vintage trade will tell you I am sure,what started out as an interesting little sideline,more often than not has the ability to invade not only our lives but our living space also. Whilst initially,bringing the odd interesting piece home seems like a good idea,the day may come whereby it all becomes a little too much.

I fear my friends that day has come.

Although I very much doubt that I will miraculously transform into a minimalist,something has to give and frankly I do not know where to start.I hasten to add that I also have a storage unit for the business,also packed to the rafters.

The living room is not too bad,although the cocktail cabinet may need to go.Too many cushions of course.

The Kitchen.How I long for clear bench tops.

And Oh Holy Mary Mother of God.The Dining room.I cannot show you a picture of the entire room,for trust me you will have nightmares.Still housing the remnants of a shop that I left four years ago,it is my own personal Hell.

How do I tackle this people? Have you faced a similar dilemma?

I want to run away.Really.

Tales from a surburban housewife part two............

2011-01-20T18:29:00.003Z

So the new year has begun,the weather has been slightly kinder here in the bleak North,but despite the feeling of optimism I am currently cultivating at the moment,so far life is slightly hum drum.Oh dear.

I feel that change is ahead.....but I feel both heady excitement and abject terror at the thought,hmmm.

In the meantime,I do what I do best,I plod on,I get on with the day job because it pays the bills,loving it some days hating it others,but remaining thankful for the income.I would like to know what lies ahead for me,but I simply cant,some days I wonder if I am on the right path and where it will lead.

I am aware that this year I need to be a bit more attentive to my own needs and look at the bigger picture.I need to make some choices this year,I love my Vintage business but sometimes its just darned hard work when juggling a day job and family also,but can I give it up? and Good Lord whatever would I do with all that stock?

On a brighter note...spring will soon be here,I can tend my garden,visit my allotment and eat salad.

This year I am going to actually celebrate my Birthday ( I dont normally,dont ask am way down on the agenda) I am going to learn something new(not sure what just yet)I am going to make a list of all the books I simply must read and reserve them at the library.

My 'to do list' is quite simply endless.

But top of my list is....I am going to be brave.

On Resolutions.........

2011-01-08T18:07:00.005Z

Is it just me or has the New Year filled you with the kind of reckless enthusiasm usually reserved for the Top shop sale? are the Christmas shackles finally off? no more losing sleep over planning what seemed like a military operation,when actually it really was just a Sunday lunch with gifts thrown in.

Ah me! it feels good to be free.

Are you looking forward to 2011,To better weather(couldnt be worse frankly) hopefully a long hot summer,will you fall in love,find your dream job,finally learn to meditate?

Have you made New Year Resolutions ? Hmmm always tricky methinks,I do so hate mine to involve the words Diet,Detox,Gym etc. because,well life is just to darn short! wasnt it Shirley Conran who coined the phrase " Life is too short to stuff a mushroom" and I so know what she meant,so for 2011 I really feel that its time to get happy,to have that extra Martini (fear not I am not about to turn into Blanche Dubois!) to take a few more risks,follow my heart and not be afraid.Life really is a huge gift and how blessed I am,I look at my children every day and offer up a silent prayer of thanks,but sometimes,just sometimes I catch a glimpse of myself and I have to ask " Oh!...... who are you again?"

Its time to find out.

So! here we go,in 2011 I am going to........

1) Eat more takeaways!......It wont kill them to do without home cooking once a week.

2)Throw away some of that huge pile of ironing.Its the only way.

3)Stop buying trashy magazines BUT replace them with fabulous bargain books from Amazon,you know it makes sense.

4) De clutter my wardrobe and keep only items which make me feel fabulous.

5)Wear high heels every day.Why not?

6)Spend much more time with my girl friends,whether it be coffee or cocktails,these women keep me afloat.

7)Invest in a pair of Chanel sunglasses.I will do without food if I have to.

8)Watch my complete set of Sex and the city DVDs from the start.I need to release my inner Carrie Bradshaw.

9)Drink Martinis at least once a week,perhaps learn to like olives.

10)Live,love ,laugh.......often.

What do you think? is it going to be a good one?

You bet it is!!!!!!!

New beginnings................

2010-12-31T16:15:00.004Z

So.....2011 is almost upon us! out with the old and in with the new! I feel as though the next year is going to be a good one and I am going into it with a hopeful and happy heart, the new year is a blank page and I hope all of us fill that page with an amazing story or two! May 2011 be everything you hope for dear friends,be healthy,be happy,be loved.

Happy New Year! xxxx

Christmas love.................

2010-12-24T07:41:00.002Z

Wishing all of my lovely friends a Happy Christmas and a healthy and abundant New Year.

My wishes for all of you are that in 2011 all of your dreams come true,that you and yours remain safe and healthy.......and that you are loved and cherished every single day!

Thank you for being my friends.

Gena xxx

So this is Christmas.....

2010-12-22T17:59:00.008Z

Unraveling.......

2010-12-03T15:05:00.002Z

It is that time of year again.The time when slowly but surely.....I come undone.

At this moment I am indoors whilst outdoors rages the coldest whitest winter I have ever seen,I have not been able to work,my stress levels have soared and reached an all time high,the day job is impossible to do in this weather and I am panicking.

It is twenty two days until Christmas,I have not done ANY Christmas shopping,I have not wrote a single card and the thought of decorating the house fills me with no joy whatsoever.Bah Humbug.I had a big disappointment this week which made my mood plummet,but hey ho.

I am aware of course that I seriously need to cheer up,count my blessings,think of those less fortunate than me etc. and I do.Truly.Sometimes.

I read a very useful exercise in grattitude this week in a book I got from the library,it suggested that for every negative thought you have you should replace it with something positive that you are thankful for,so in an effort to become a better more festive person,here is my grattitude list,Hell before you know it I will be dressing like a sexy elf and singing carols!

I am grateful for.......

1.Epsom salts.No I am not joking,throw a box in the bath and you will feel virtuous I promise.

2.A glass of bubbly in a candle lit bath,even if it is just cava brut!

3.My new sparkly bracelet.It makes my arm green but I couldnt love it more.

4.Facebook...yes I know! but I have some lovely chums on fb and we have such fun!

5.Desperate housewives on Sunday night,I so want to live on Wisteria Lane!

6.Text messages ........thrilling! however did we do without them before?

7.Finding beautiful,stylish well made vintage clothing...it still takes my breath away.

8.Cath Kidston tea towels...nuf said.

9.Baking a big fat fluffy Victoria sandwich cake!

10.Hope.The belief that its all going to be ok....eventually.

See....I am feeling much more chipper already!

On smiling on the outside..........................

2010-11-24T10:50:00.002Z

OH DEAR GOD!!!!

Yet again,Christmas is looming and I am slowly unravelling.I have not done any shopping,due mainly to lack of funds,lack of time and frankly....lack of interest.I am deeply ashamed that I do not embrace the festive season the way many people do,how I would love to be the type of Woman who had it all wrapped up in October and spent the rest of her time participating in homely,crafty pursuits.But,alas....I am not.Whats in it for me? very little,lots of running around for one bloody day! Bah humbug!

I am so busy these days,where has this year gone? On the upside,I have been sourcing some wonderful vintage goodies for the website which never ceases to thrill me,I am ashamedly addicted to 'I'm a celebrity....' (dont start me off on Gillian Mckeith!) I have developed a penchant for candlelit bathtime with a glass of bubbly and as usual at this time of the year,have sucumbed to a rather bothersome satsuma addiction. I am keeping a journal,making wishlists for 2011.....and waiting,always waiting...and smiling....on the outside at least.

Through the keyhole...............

2010-10-23T21:02:00.006+01:00

Do you remember that TV show called 'Through the keyhole'? Lloyd Grossman took us all on a tour of a mystery celebrities home and the panel of guests on the show had to guess the identity of the celeb.Blogging is a bit like that,we all love looking at other peoples living space dont we? so because it is a dreary wet weekend here,armed with my trusty Nikon I snapped away at my leisure,how different ones humble abode becomes through a lens!

The silly pink kitchen......

The raspberry sofa unusually vacant,normally taken over by Daughters and dogs.....

Crystals and candles because I love all things sparkly...

A special boy waiting for his Master to arrive home...

Beautiful sepia photographs of my parents and grandparents...

Hmmm.....who lives in a house like this?

Myfanwy

2010-10-19T12:02:00.003+01:00

Kind o’er the kinderbank leans my Myfanwy,
White o’er the playpen the sheen of her dress,
Fresh from the bathroom and soft in the nursery
Soap scented fingers I long to caress.

Were you a prefect and head of your dormit'ry?
Were you a hockey girl, tennis or gym?
Who was your favourite? Who had a crush on you?
Which were the baths where they taught you to swim?

Smooth down the Avenue glitters the bicycle,
Black-stockinged legs under navy blue serge,
Home and Colonial, Star, International,
Balancing bicycle leant on the verge.

Trace me your wheel-tracks, you fortunate bicycle,
Out of the shopping and into the dark,
Back down the avenue, back to the pottingshed,
Back to the house on the fringe of the park.

Golden the light on the locks of Myfanwy,
Golden the light on the book on her knee,
Finger marked pages of Rackham's Hans Anderson,
Time for the children to come down to tea.

Oh! Fullers angel-cake, Robertson’s marmalade,
Liberty lampshade, come shine on us all,
My! what a spread for the friends of Myfanwy,
Some in the alcove and some in the hall.

Then what sardines in half-lighted passages!
Locking of fingers in long hide-and-seek.
You will protect me, my silken Myfanwy,
Ring leader, tom-boy, and chum to the weak.

Sir John Betjeman.

Kitchen love...........

2010-10-03T09:51:00.005+01:00

It is Sunday morning and it is raining cats and dogs.Nothing new there,this seems to becoming a rather wet Autumn here! However,although when I am out traveling at work,I curse the heavens for opening their arms on such days,the days when I am at home become rather blissful for me.I love nothing more than being ensconced in my rather silly kitchen(yes those are poodles on the blinds) and putting on a pinny(pinny love theres another whole post) lighting enough candles to torch the place to the ground,listening to radio four and cooking. I have a rather weird relationship with food,I eat sporadically,often forgetting to eat myself,but always longing to cook.I do however crave good food I love traditional cooking,my Mother has been my best teacher,but I also love to try new exciting recipes coaxed out of friends or read in a magazine.

So today..........fairy lights on,candles lit.....fresh coffee and the Sunday times or a good book this morning....

Then this afternoon,perhaps a spot of baking,what do you think? is it going to be a good day?

Tales from a suburban housewife part one.

2010-09-19T09:09:00.004+01:00

Well Autumn has clearly arrived and my brief romance with summertime has come to an abrupt end,the flimsy dresses packed away in my rather fetching leopard print suitcase under the bed,along with all the plans that I never actually carried out,such is life. Lucy has started high school and hates it.More stress.I continue to juggle my lot with the dexterity of a Billy Smarts clown,the days are racing by,cooler days,we have had a freakishly mish mash of weather here,one minute terrential rainfall,next sunshine,often followed by the most magical of rainbows,which is a rather apt analogy of life at the moment,nature continues to astound me and confound me in equal measures. Life seems to be teaching me some big lessons these days,I travel this road one step at a time and am strangely excited for the future.

I have had some truly heart warming experiences of late, I rediscovered an old schoolfriend on facebook( I simply love facebook for this kind of thing) and then perhaps only a week later bumped into the same friend in a supermarket! how amazing,serendipity,I love it.

I can almost feel a shift in my mood as the seasons change,spring and summertime are my favourites,all that new life in the garden coupled with sunshine and lighter evenings,I confess makes me completely giddy,but as Autumn sneaks in through the back gate,I become qiueter,my nesting instincts kick in and making life as comfy and cosy as possible becomes my religion.When the rain is pouring down outside,how utterly blissful it is to be alone in the candle lit kitchen which becomes my haven,cooking,baking,listening to Ella Fitzgerald and dreaming........

Are you embracing Autumn as much as I am?

The last days of Summer...............

2010-08-28T16:38:00.004+01:00

It is the end of August and already Summer seems like a lifetime away.It has for the best part been a good one,I am of course comparing it to last Summer,when you will all remember I lost my Dad,the summer of hot tears and bearing up,but here I am a whole year on and I have survived.This Summer has been the Summer of hope,the Summer of dreams,I have made some lovely new friends,I have partied perhaps a little too hard with old ones! I have worked hard and relaxed too little,I didnt have as many barbeques as I planned,I did not get to spend as much time at my allotment as I would have liked,but I have awoke each day with hope in my heart and a feeling that something good is just around the corner.I have loved my garden this Summer,it has been a beautiful secret fairytale world,I have loved the School holidays despite being so busy,I love the lazy mornings and my sleepy girls.I have rediscovered Donna Summer and she is my chosen soundtrack in the car just now,I have loved reading A streetcar named Desire and watching 'medium' late at night.Only a week left and its back to School and soon Autumn will be here.I am sort of excited!

Wish list............

2010-08-07T14:31:00.002+01:00

It is a dull rainy day today,I do hope we see some more sunshine in August.The day did not start well,I awoke with a headache and a grumpy disposition,shouldn't have had that last glass of wine last night.Went out to the car thinking a little jaunt to Sainsburys would cheer me up,only to discover I had a flat tyre,waited an hour for the breakdown service to come and change it and then tootled off to the aforementioned supermarket and bought lots of unnecessary items,returned home only to be plunged into a power cut for another hour,however Hubby had very decently tidied up whilst I was out so its not all bad.We all sat around like helpless fools whilst the electricity was off,the children completely dumbfounded without the television or computers,Thank God it was only off an hour otherwise I suspect they would have slipped into boredom induced comas.Myself,I relished the peace and quiet and to amuse myself,I made a mental wish list.....................here goes;

1. I wish (obviously) this headache would go away.

2.I wish my life was easier/less complicated/without drama(or are these all the same?)

3.I wish most of my shoes didn't hurt my feet.

4.I wish I was fabulously wealthy/beautiful/thin.Yes I am very shallow.

5.I wish that Saturday night TV was better.

6.I wish I had a warm chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream .

7.I wish Hello magazine would put some decent celebs in instead of Z Lister's like Katie Price and Kerry Katona.

8.I wish I had a real Birkin bag.

9.I wish it was a hot sunny day.

10.I wish I could have stayed in bed all day.

Had enough yet? yes me too all this wishing has left me weak and craving chocolate......wish I didn't like chocolate.

Distractions!

2010-07-18T10:22:00.002+01:00

I am,by neccesity,a fairly organised person.I plan ahead,I mark my calender with forthcoming appointments and events.I am a working gal and so meals are planned,chores are attended to.................sometimes. However, whilst I can juggle my responsibilities with the best of them,Oh Lordy I am easily distracted! I appreciate it is important not to live our lives without ever stopping to smell the roses,but Hell,there are times when I am not merely stopping to smell the roses,but am picking them,de-thorning them,hunting out a suitable vessel to put them in and sprinkling a few rose petals on the bed!( I am of course speaking in metaphors here!) But you get the gist? I wander off very easily,I start to do something,for example tidy the Enid Blyton bookshelf I recently created,easy task,but no, five minutes in and I am lying on the sofa with the Rilloby fair Mystery! Or when I periodically decide to have a clothing cull( all day job this one) I end up trying on dresses I either forgot I had or bought in a sale...yaddah,yaddah.re organising the cocktail cabinet,oh dear that was a lost afternoon, Updating my ipod with tracks from cd's?checking facebook? lets not even go there.

So you see my friends I am very easily distracted......what was I doing again?

Those lazy hazy days of summer.................

2010-07-03T07:13:00.003+01:00

"Summer Afternoon............the two most beautiful words in the English language" (Henry James)

Summertime is my very favourite of all the seasons and I totally agree with the above quotation,the very idea of a summer afternoon conjures up all manner of lovely sunny images.

For me at the moment,life is busy,a crazy roundabout of work and play, but also about making time for lazy lemon coloured mornings drinking tea in the garden, catching up on reading a little at a time.School events! goodness but they cram a lot into these last couple of weeks! listening to Elvis singing 'kentucky rain' in the car and Oh bliss! strawberries picked early morning in the garden! Balmy nights spent lying on top of the bed as opposed to in it,and dreams.....always the dreams,writing in my journal,devouring 'love letters of great men' because my inner Carrie Bradshaw has been resurrected with the release of Sex and the city 2! crying quietly in my car now and then because I miss my Dad,pulling myself together and buying spinach and pine nuts,because life goes on and dinner must be made.Looking forward.....not sure what to,but coveting a feeling that something good is just around the corner, supper in town with the girls, a glass of wine in the garden of a very dear friend,lunching on ceasar salad and the Sunday Times.Treasuring my Daughters chatter every single day,loving growing my own produce at the allotment................these are good days.

I am blessed.

happy summertime friends!

Vintage housekeeping.....the Brocante way.

2010-06-17T19:10:00.002+01:00

I am my friends an addict. It's official.I cannot go through the day without checking in to my favourite site www.brocantehome.net If you are already a Brocante affecionado,then you will no doubt be familiar with the delightful Alison and her Lavender scented world,I have been visiting for around four years now,it remains my favourite ever place to be online.There is very little in my life that has not been Brocanted,if you are puzzled by this statement,then take a look,learn ,if you please how to brocante your handbag,your fridge...........your life. Wallow in a world made just for us,Vintage girls who love our homes,our children,our back gardens,sit back and read about Alisons daily dramas,nod your head in agreement or wipe away a tear at her searing honesty,delight in her puttery treats which indeed make life that little bit lovelier,trail through the archives at your leisure and discover a whole new world,a world which can only be described by a favourite word of Alisons as...............................Scrumptious!

Text

2010-06-13T17:28:00.003+01:00

I am a huge poetry fan as you know and you may have noticed I have posted a few poems by the contemporary poet Carol Ann Duffy,who is of course Poet Laureate,she writes of life and of love in a language that is simple yet profound and often her poems deeply resonate with me.This week after a little splurge on Amazon,I became the owner of 'Rapture' by the delightful Ms Duffy,it is a collection of love poems,described by 'The Times' as "Brilliant,beautiful and heart-aching" I couldnt put it better myself! and my choice to share with you today? for its simplistic beauty............Text.

Text.

I tend the mobile now

like an injured bird.

We text,text,text

our significant words.

I re-read your first

your second,your third.

look for your small xx

feeling absurd.

The codes we send

arrive with a broken chord.

I try to picture your hands,

their image is blurred.

Nothing my thumbs press

will ever be heard.

Sunday,Sunday..........................

2010-06-06T08:03:00.002+01:00

Because there is simply no such thing as a lie in at Chez King,I am sat here blogging at what does seem like an unearthly hour.My head feels a little fuzzy,still lingering are the effects of a two day migraine which happily seems to be on its way.Soon I will go into the silly pink kitchen and make strong coffee,I am in a Sinatra mood this morning,crooners were made for Sunday mornings and late nights.The sun is not shining yet,the day seems slightly cooler,I may bake lemon drizzle cake later on and perhaps some cheese scones,I need to go to my allotment and plant sprouting broccolli,I am filing unwanted thoughts of paperwork to the back of my mind,already a 'to do' list is forming in my thoughts.I dont want 'to do' I want to read.The Sunday times,later perhaps a thrilling novel,there are so many on my list.I want to shower and smell of lemons,sit in the garden and listen to the constant chatter of my girls.It is Sunday......

On being alone.......

2010-05-25T16:38:00.009+01:00

I want to be alone,as Greta Garbo famously pouted all husky voice and heavy eyed.I know exactly how she felt,whilst I truly am grateful for my wonderful family and friends,there are days when I do just love.....being entirely alone! and this is my favourite place to be when life is too noisy,when I do not wish to open the mail,think about what to cook for dinner,worry about the unpaid bills or indeed be constantly reminded that yes,the ironing pile is actually taller than me.

My Allotment,bolt hole,place of worship....take your pick,here I can be.Just be.Here I dig and weed and plant and let my thoughts ebb and flow,

Here is where the magic is, teeny tiny baby cherries on a tree planted just last year.

Gooseberries,like glistening beads in the sunlight!

Is'nt Mother nature just the very best Teacher!

Catching up......................

2010-05-11T15:59:00.003+01:00

Good Lord am I tired!

It seems like the weeks are just whizzing by and I am getting very little done around the house,despite being in perpetual tidying up mode,but what with the day job,kids,blah blah blah,you know how it goes.

However,not one to appear as a glass half empty person,I do actually feel a little shift in my mood at the moment,I am loving the lighter nights and the vanilla coloured mornings,although it is still quite chilly here in the North,I am loving wearing slightly summery clothes(cardi still required)and at last! hurrah! flip flops!(fitflops,not all they are cracked up to be) I am absolutely loving desperate housewives,Lewis and the re runs of The hairy bikers,I have a pile of books by my bedside that I dip in and out of,but nothing is really grabbing me right now.I am feverishly excited at the thought of picking fruit at my allotment again and have decided to grow spinach,sweetcorn and courgettes as well this year.I have lots of lovely vintage stock to add to the website soon and as always am behaving like a lottery winner when I stumble upon a wonderful vintage find,speaking of which,my latest personal acquisition is a Vintage statue of Jesus which I love but frankly doesn't look right anywhere and is presently situated on the stairs,where no doubt he will come a cropper if I don't find a suitable place very soon!

So there we go! how has your week been?

Tagged!

2010-04-23T19:20:00.003+01:00

Well waddya know!!!

Lovely Elaine from Ted and Bunny has bestowed upon me this glorious tag! apparently the deal is,that I list seven things that you do not already know about me! Ooooh! thats a tough one! I have bared my soul blogging for some years now,first on typepad and now here at my new home on blogger,what else is there to know? hmmm,lets think.............

1) I look forward to getting dressed every single day! I have to look the best I possibly can, its a self esteem thing,being well groomed keeps my spirits up.Bizzare.

2) I have a very strong belief in the afterlife although I am not terribly religious.

3)I adore spinach.Mmmmm.....

4)If I had to have a song as my personal anthem it would be 'Unwritten' by Natasha Bedingfield.

5)I suffer from bouts of unbridled sadness (hormonal me thinks) but I do bounce back.

6)My all time favourite Actress is Vivien Leigh.

7)I have two tattoos!

There you go! seven useless and not that interesting pieces of information about me!

Thank you Elaine!

On my wish list................

2010-04-07T17:05:00.003+01:00

I know,I know of all the things I could wish for at the moment,I am seriously coveting a pair of fitflops, yes thats right,not your average flip flops,but these babies,which apparently give your bum,thighs and calfs a good old work out just by walking about in them! fabulous isnt it! I mean whats not to like? Do any of you ladies have a pair? and if so opinions please! before I shell out the fifty quid!

Bits and pieces

2010-04-05T09:06:00.001+01:00

My creation
Originally uploaded by These Foolish Things

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T09:25:00.003+01:00

Wishing all of my blogging friends a peaceful and Happy Easter!

Billie Holiday and chocolate cake...........

2010-04-02T18:33:00.004+01:00

Today has been a good day.The first day of the Easter holidays was spent firstly shopping with my Mum,then home,pinny tied on and knuckling down to some serious kitchen time with Lucy.Candles scented with macintosh apples and Billie Holiday singing 'I'm a fool to love you' and the smell of Heaven drifting from the oven.................

Chocolate cake and Devils food cupcakes............

smartie cookies.......Bliss!

After the lunch...............

2010-03-31T07:44:00.003+01:00

I heard the delicious Miss Dahl reciting a snippet of this last night and was once again reminded, how utterly splendid a poet the lovely Wendy Cope is...........

AFTER THE LUNCH

On Waterloo Bridge where we said our goodbyes,
the weather conditions bring tears to my eyes.
I wipe them away with a black woolly glove
And try not to notice I've fallen in love

On Waterloo Bridge I am trying to think:
This is nothing. you're high on the charm and the drink.
But the juke-box inside me is playing a song
That says something different. And when was it wrong?

On Waterloo Bridge with the wind in my hair
I am tempted to skip. You're a fool. I don't care.
the head does its best but the heart is the boss-
I admit it before I am halfway across

Wendy Cope

My latest love..........

2010-03-22T19:48:00.007Z

Ah me! Is there really anything better than hearing the soft thud of a cardboard package from Amazon landing on your doormat of a morning? Methinks not.

I am totally besotted with my new purchase,it is called 'Eat me;The stupendous,self raising world of cupcakes and bakes according to cookie girl' to be honest it was worth buying for the pictures alone,cookie girl is clearly a genius,but a genius with a pink fluffy soul! this book is so girly! and so me! with recipes for all kinds of lovely frothy cakes and bakes for each season,such as white christmas cupcakes for winter(obviously) lemon finger cookies for spring,margarita cupcakes!(hurrah!) for parties,I fear I may never stop baking for the rest of my days!

It is my day off tomorrow, Cookie girl and I will be in the kitchen...........cant wait.

Running away with the Gypsies..............

2010-03-20T13:17:00.002Z

When I was a child,my Mother in times of stress and in a rather dramatic fashion,would declare "That's it! I am going to run away with the Gypsies!" of course she never did,I never took it seriously at all because I knew it was just Mother letting off steam and of course if she was serious then she would have took me along too and frankly I quite fancied it,all those swirly colourful skirts and huge hoopy earrings,who wouldn't? but I digress.Lately,I have felt like running away with the Gypsies myself,I so know how my Mother felt.At the risk of sounding like a born moaner I do feel that sometimes the Gods just aren't on my side,yes I know,Gratitude is the attitude! and truly I practice this every day,I do,I am very grateful for all that is good in my life,but Hells bells cut me some slack would you? It was Lucy's Birthday on Thursday and as fate would have it she came down with a horrendous cold,therefore Birthday plans were put on hold until today,when Lo! now I have it! I feel like Hell! that,coupled with a rather nasty letter from the bank,mot due on the car and a day job that just ain't going too well,has me feeling a little less than chipper! the phrase one step forward and two steps back springs to mind at the moment.However,one must soldier on,so I have liberally doused myself with vic,downed the paracetamol and am bracing myself for an afternoon at Pizza hut(eurgggh I cant even think about pizza) followed by Alice in wonderland in 3D,surely Johnny Depp will lift me out of this misery guts persona I have adopted of late.

Tomorrow is another day,my inner Scarlett O'Hara is saying,yes indeedy Miss Scarlett,but perhaps I should retrieve those rather large hoop earrings from my jewellery box.......just in case!

My Lovely Lucy...............

2010-03-18T12:40:00.003Z

My beautiful baby girl is eleven today! can you believe it? already,woosh! where did those years go? Well,we did have a fun day planned,but unfortunately she is off school poorly and we are therefore housebound,poor Lucy! However,all being well at the weekend we are going to the cinema with big sister Katie and best friend Marni,to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D,eeek! I am more excited than the kids!

Happy Birthday my little Cherub and be well again soon,we love you very much.xxxxx

In a Bath Teashop.....................

2010-03-17T09:14:00.003Z

Let us not speak,for the love we bear one another-let us hold hands and look,

She,such an ordinary little woman;He,such a thumping crook;

But both,for a moment,little lower than the Angels in the teashops inglenook.

John Betjeman.

Just because I love it!

Guilty pleasures........

2010-03-02T17:10:00.002Z

Oh me oh my! some days I am just plain bad!

Today is my day off work and though I did plan on a houseworkfest of the highest standard,I failed miserably from the outset! instead I had my legs waxed,bought shedloads of chocolate,visited a psychic,ate the afore mentioned chocolate and now here I am at 5.15 in the afternoon,glass of chilled pinot grigio in hand,blogging! Its a slippery slope my friends!

Here for your perusal is a list of my 'guilty pleasures' please feel free to comment in the vein that I am not really so bad!............or am I?

1.I eat marmite from the jar,yep,stick my finger in and suck.

2.I sometimes sneak an hour in bed in the afternoon when the house is empty,bliss!

3.I have a really bad sunglasses addiction,cant stop buying them.

4.ditto shoes.

5.ditto handbags.

6.I love watching Columbo re runs!

7.Sometimes I eat the unhealthiest of foods ever,yesterday lunch was a mars bar and full fat coke.

8.I am obsessed with 'come dine with me' actually most cookery programmes.

9.sometimes when I am alone I listen to Abba!

10.I constantly bare my soul blogging!................

Tomorrow I will be better!

21 years ago..........

2010-02-21T15:28:00.002Z

I find it absolutely hard to believe,but tomorrow is my babys 21st Birthday,who knew it would go by this fast? 21 years ago today I was weary,heavy with child and afraid,and rightly so,the pain of childbirth now pales into insignificance compared with the many life hurdles I have encountered with my children,none of the many baby books I read all those years ago prepared me for the all consuming love I feel for my babies,or the worry,the joy,the FUN!! that parenthood brings! Katie is an amazing young woman,we could not be more proud of her,she has been and remains an absolute joy,I love her more than words can ever say and despite the high heels and short skirts,I still see the tiny peach coloured bundle with a flash of black hair that was handed to me in the maternity hospital 21 years ago,I knew then that my life had changed in a heartbeat and I still thank God for that every single day.

Happy Birthday Katie Scarlett.xxxxxxxxxxx

On being a Mother

2010-02-03T14:34:00.003Z

I swear to God nobody told me that I would feel the vast range of emotions that I do about my children,I thought that all I had to do was hold them in my arms and love them with all of my heart,I looked forward with great joy at watching them learn and grow and still to this day,I am in absolute awe that these two precious souls are my Daughters.But I was very naive,I did not see that when they hurt....I hurt twice as much,this was brought home to me again today at my eldest Daughters college,I sat feeling helpless as her Tutor reprimanded her in a rather unpleasant tone for a minor detail,My daughter is twenty years old,but I looked in her eyes and saw the sheer frustration she was feeling and once again she was five years old and someone had been mean to her in the school yard,I absolutely raged inside,I wanted to say "dont talk to my child like that!" but I didnt I had to let her deal with it,I got into my car with a heavy heart and rang her when I got home to check on her.Ridiculous arent I?,but then,I got an email from my friend Debbie containing this linkhttp://katherinecenter.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/defining-a-movement / pop over and watch it,It just says it all for me.

You..................

2010-01-23T19:20:00.002Z

Uninvited, the thought of you stayed too late in my head.
so I went to bed, dreaming you hard, hard, woke with your name,
like tears, soft, salt, on my lips, the sound of its bright syllables
like a charm, like a spell.

Falling in love
is glamorous hell: the crouched, parched heart
like a tiger, ready to kill; a flame’s fierce licks under the skin.
into my life, larger than life, you strolled in.

I hid in my ordinary days, in the long grass of routine,
in my camouflage rooms. You sprawled in my gaze,
staring back from anyone’s face, from the shape of a cloud,
from the pining, earth-struck moon which gapes at me

as I open the bedroom door. The curtains stir. There you are
on the bed, like gift, like a touchable dream.

Carol Ann Duffy.

Cosy afternoons,candlelight and cakes!

2010-01-05T18:52:00.004Z

What can a girl do when the scene from her window resembles a shaken up snowglobe, the 'to do list' cannot be done,an evening out with the girls is cancelled due to the afore mentioned snow and frankly the brand new year is just not happening.
She puts on her prettiest pinny,sweeps back her hair into a makeshift chignon,bestows a handful of kisses on the cutest little daughter...........and bakes! Yes indeed,in the silly raspberry painted kitchen,dotted with candles and Ella Fitzgerald singing 'They cant take that away from me' They mix,they spoon,they wipe flour from their noses and for a little while all that Heaven allows reigns over the little house surrounded by snow.

I never professed to be a domestic Goddess......but if the pinny fits.....

Snow time!

2010-01-03T16:29:00.004Z

Yes indeedy! it has been very wintery here up North lately and I must be honest,although Lola loves frollicking in the white stuff,I am absolutely terrified of snow! weird I know,as picture pretty as it looks from my window,I totter around in it like a pensioner,my job is a lot of driving and in and out of housing estates so I have been a nervous wreck whilst out at work.Roll on springtime!

The days before Christmas.......

2009-12-23T16:02:00.003Z

Are a little bit different this year! I am going through the motions,shopping,cleaning,cooking,decorating,but I feel like I am doing it all on autopilot,I am not excited,I am weary,my workload has been heavy these past weeks and I am ready for a few days respite.We are having my Mum here for Christmas...her first without my Dad,the very thought of which actually gives me chest pains,but I will make it a good day! I will delight in my girls opening their gifts at an ungodly hour,I shall don my sparkliest earings ,eat chocolates before lunch(possibly for breakfast)I shall wear my favourite Christmas pinny and make my Mother sit in the kitchen and drink sparkling wine whilst I cook the most delicious feast,I will listen to the Queens speech and stifle my inner anarchist,I will start to imagine my sitting room without the Christmas tree which half blocks the tv,I will silently swear to myself that gluttony is the most heinous of sins and therefore I shall drink litres of water for the next week and eat frugally,I shall laugh and probably cry too at the Royle family Christmas special ! I so love Caroline Ahernes writing! anyone see 'The fattest man in Britain'? I wept like a baby! and finally...it will be over,very soon it will be another year,Gosh how I have changed this past year,what a journey! I have had to deal with hubbys unemployment,losing my Dad,me finding a day job...and yet...I am still standing,next year will be better,I know this.

Arent I doing good Dad? xx

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas........

2009-12-13T09:34:00.004Z

Yesterday morning,much to the delight of a very excited little girl,we hunted down the perfect Christmas tree,the smell of pine needles is surely the very essence of Christmas! eventually after a teeny struggle getting the darn thing insitu,we were ready! nibbles on hand,home alone on DVD and a little festive drinky poo and boxes of decorations deftly retrieved from the garage by a slightly stressed Husband,we were ready to roll!

So off we went,tinsel in hand and decorated Chez King with all manner of sparkly kitsch! not for me you see are the colour co-ordinated Christmas Trees often seen in windows around these here parts,Oh no.I realised long ago it is no fun at all for a child to decorate with only two shades of baubles,carefully chosen to match the colour scheme.It is just thrilling to see Lucy retrieving a rather glitzy vintage Santa we bought for pennies,whilst out thrifting many moons ago,or to rediscover the homemade Angel,carefully crafted at School,even though her Halo has slipped a little,and the tinsel! Tinsel,who knew a few metres of silver tinsel could invoke such joy!

Of course I may not be gushing about it quite this much in a weeks time when I am constantly sweeping up pine needles! but for now,welll yes!.......Its beginning to look a LOT like Christmas!

Housebound.....and loving it!

2009-11-30T14:58:00.003Z

I am at present,shall we say 'indisposed' albeit temporarily,due to the fact that just over a week ago I underwent a little 'surgery' I was told by my consultant that the down time after the procedure would be two weeks,so here i am confined to barracks and now that the worst is over I am actually enjoying it!( mind you this time last week had you offered me a gun I would have shot myself) But there is something very liberating about being stuck indoors,I have not been taking Lucy to school,her lovely big sister has been doing the honours,I have been unable to work and my brain has sort of slowed down! i could get used to this,I putter around the house all morning,I make lists of what needs to be done,I make tea in a teapot,as opposed to a quick teabag in a cup jobbie,I am catching up on my reading,watching 'The darling buds of may' every afternoon on tv and tomorrow I have 'Brideshead revisited' lined up on dvd! You know life has been so hectic for me this year that I sort of fell out of love with my home for a while,I just had so many other things going on that I forgot how much joy I derive from being in this humble little abode,but this past week when I have been forced into doing nothing much,I have rekindled the romance,I have cleaned and polished,vaccumed and waxed,lit candles and scented the rooms with cinnamon and orange oils,all done,I hasten to add,at a most leisurely pace.Back to work on Thursday i am afraid,once again I need to venture out into the real world and make a living,but Oh how much I shall look forward to coming home!

Love after love......

2009-11-16T20:26:00.003Z

The time will come when,with elation,
you will greet yourself arriving at your own door,
in your own mirror,
and each will smile at the others welcome,

And say,sit here,eat.
You will love again the stranger who was yourself.
Give wine.Give bread.Give back your heart to itself,
to the stranger who has loved you all your life,
whom you ignored for another,who knows you by heart.

Take down the letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs,the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror,
Sit.Feast on your life.

I am reading 'The Time travelers wife' this poem is at the very beginning of the book,I read the poem and loved it instantly,I am probably one of the few people who have not seen the movie,but the book is amazing and I am relishing every page,it is one of those books that reminds me of the absolute power of clever writing,and the reason why a good book is as essential to my wellbeing,as is a decent meal.

Read it and weep.

Keeping busy....

2009-11-11T13:38:00.004Z

Do you ever have one of those days,or one of those weeks in my case,where there just does not seem to be enough hours in the day? sure you do! but today,I did what works best for me,I made a list which included watching ' The Holiday' (above) Lovely! whilst wrapping some orders from my website,I also tackled a little project,see below;

Tell me honestly,can you tell it is made from a childs Marks and spencers school dress?(99p from a charity shop,bargain!)I also managed to flick a duster around,do some laundry and get some shopping for my Mother.

Superwoman or what?

The flotsam and jetsam......

2009-11-07T19:17:00.013Z

It is unfortunately the most difficult of tasks for me to declutter my home,I fear that my hopeless addiction to buying...well basically anything that catches my eye,will be the undoing of me,I have read all those life laundry books,I know that if I do not rid myself of the clutter in my home then I can never truly have an uncluttered mind,I have dabbled with Feng shui and yes my yin and yang are probably all to Hell because instead of a clear walkway in the entrance to my home,there is infact a range of footwear to rival any shoe shop known to mankind,strewn along the hallway.And yet,is it not part of me this mad frippery that adorns my living space? is it wrong to find absolute joy in a battered old piece of enamelware bought for pennies,or to drape polka dot bunting where I see fit?

As for the books...Mother of God there is just no hope for me in that department! and yes,the eagle eyes amongst you will notice I even have duplicates of some vintage hardbacks,why? incase I lose one? highly unlikely really isnt it? but I love them.....

Its not harming anyone,this vintage-buying-disorder-thing,I blame it on the fact that I once had a shop and had to keep buying stock,however I no longer have the shop as we all know,just a little bitty website and I really do need to downsize a little......

But perhaps not this weekend.....before Christmas...huge clearout,I promise!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T11:03:00.002Z

It is rather unusually here in the bleak North,a glorious mild,sunny Autumn day,I am hoping the temperature remains kindly for tonight,when as usual we shall participate in a spot of 'trick or treating' I remember last Halloween being absolutely frozen to the bone! so fingers crossed.
Whatever you have planned for this eve of all Hallows,I hope it involves eating delicious nibbles,a glass of something cheering and lots of fun!

Be afraid.....be very afraid!

Retail therapy!

2009-10-27T20:31:00.010Z

I love shopping! who doesnt? but often I find myself hankering after some ridiculous frivolity,that I neither need nor can afford,but isnt it just super when you stumble across something that just screams "buy me! buy me!" and you can! well here are my latest "gotta have it" buys, it started with the union jack door mat....

Followed by the cutest polka dot reindeer...I know...a tad early,but had I not bought it I would have lost sleep!

Finally....and indulge my eccentricity here, Jesus plasters! could I NOT have bought these!

Ok, tomorrow I will buy regular stuff,toilet rolls,milk,coffee etc...maybe a few tins of barbie shaped spaggetti !......No,there is no hope for me!

Website update......

2009-10-25T07:43:00.002Z

Rainy days....

2009-10-21T13:55:00.003+01:00

Boy is it raining here today! and as they do say in these here parts "It never rains but it pours" yes indeedy,My oven is on its last legs,the back garden fence is coming down,the bath needs re enamelled and the dogs need their hair cut.I am starting to shift into panic mode because it is only 9 weeks!!! until Christmas and I have not even attempted to start my Christmas shopping (have you? do tell! even if it will make me feel worse) I think I may have one of those seasonal disorders,you know S.A.D,because on dull days like today I sort of feel a little crazy!

Please let there be sunshine tomorrow!

Pretty pictures....

2009-10-03T14:37:00.002+01:00

Autumnal ramblings....

2009-09-30T17:54:00.003+01:00

Yes indeed...Autumn has arrived my garden is strewn with quite the prettiest of leaves,I have a snuffly child lying on my sofa and after two days playing nursey,I am surely rambling! however there is something oddly comforting about being forced to stay indoors on such a blustery day,afternoon tea on a tray,home made cheese scones shared with my poorly cherub and idle chit chat that we would have otherwise not had.Its not all bad.

Last year you may remember,I organised a wintery day basket,probably prompted by lovely Alison at http://brocante-home.blogspot.com/ I ordered a selection of vintage movies from Amazon(amazingly cheap)The ghost and Mrs Muir,Mrs Miniver,Blithe spirit,The major and the minor and a few others,I stashed them in a pretty vintage basket along with a cosy cashmere cardigan,some lovely edible(non perishable)treats and a few seasonal glossy magazines,all ready for afternoons when I neither had the will nor the inclination to go outdoors.I feel another visit to Amazon coming on! this year I fancy an Alfred Hitchcock season! think,Rear window with James Stewart! or North by Northwest with Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint! To catch a thief with Cary Grant and Grace kelly! Vertigo,Psycho!(yikes!!!) the birds!....you see where I am going here? its only a matter of time before I am sporting a Grace Kelly type headscarf,pencil skirt and tottering along to School in kitten heels!

Best stay off school as long as you can Lucy.....Mummy is indeed rambling!

Welcome to my new home!

2009-09-29T18:14:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone!

Well here I am over in bloggerland! I have been meaning to do this for sometime,but honestly,I am incredibly dim when it comes to faffing on with backgrounds and headers and such like! it has taken me ages! but I follow a lot of people on blogger and you all have such snazzy blogs,so be patient with me,I am still learning!