On falling in love........

Every now and then Dear readers,I fall madly,completely and unashamedly in Love.It stops me in my tracks and causes my shaky little heart to do somersaults.And the object of my feverish desires? The written word.A line in a book,a poem discovered on a blog,a song heard on the radio,all have the ability to make me smile or make me cry...or make or break my day to be honest,and yet I hunger for these little gems,always have and I guess I always will.The need for me to find beautiful words is as essential to me as wearing clothing,without them I am naked.On a daily basis I am hunting down little snippets of wisdom to cut out of newspapers and magazines,often carrying them around in my purse all day like a lucky talisman,believing those words have been sent to me by a kindly universe,who surely senses every one of my hearts longings and provides me with such signs? Serendipity.

And so it was at the weekend,whilst browsing at the local flea market,the very first thing I spotted was a vintage Grays pottery saucer with wording around the inside,I bought it for pennies,a saucer sans cup is quite worthless.Except to me,for in the space left by the cup I saw the perfect home for a little lavender and geranium candle,whilst whispering to me with its words of wisdom,a gentle reminder that I am what I am,I do as I do and this life is what it is.......

The script says ;

"When this you see remember me.

And bear me in your mind.

Let all the world say what they will.

Speak only as you find"

Go Now....

Go Now

Like the touch of rain she was
On a man's flesh and hair and eyes
When the joy of walking thus
Has taken him by surprise:

With the love of the storm he burns,
He sings, he laughs, well I know how,
But forgets when he returns
As I shall not forget her 'Go now'.

Those two words shut a door
Between me and the blessed rain
That was never shut before
And will not open again

Edward Thomas

On January.....

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....

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..............

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.....

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!........

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! ......

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 .....

 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

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.

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.

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.....

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.....

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........

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...

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.......

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......

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.....

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.....

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?