My goodies!

Phew! Im just taking a five(twenty)minute break to chat in beween dashing round the house in a mad cleaning, decluttering, spree! Not quite sure whats come over me but i do feel better for it, and Mr P is still at work so i figure i may as well make the most of my pottering time!(By the way he's fixing the gearbox in my 'new'(to me) land rover discovery we bought this week, see how much this puppy is costing me already??!
So, here are the photos of some of my CL xmas fair purchases.

Hopefully most of you already know of the fantastic work of Stephanie Ponsard *my sweet fairy* blog and Etsy shop? One of my first posts was about my first fairy bought from her, which resides above my bed, sleepily dreaming on a glass bauble. The following photos or courtsey of Stephanie, this was her stall at the CL Fair in 2007, (click to enlarge) i just wanted to give you an idea of how wonderful it is....as you venture in you notice all different fairies all over the place, they really captivate me and i cant resist them.

This isnt the exact fairy i bought but i couldnt show you that as he's all wrapped up as a crimbo pressie for our newest family member baby charlie, i chose a blue baby fairy on a green macaroon, sooo sweet. I alo bought my girls a fairy with a little net skirt scattered with flowers as a crimbo gift, shes stunning and i cant wait to see her hanging from their bedroom ceiling.

These next treasures are very special and i'll always treasure them as they were bought with my mummy, she knew how much i wanted a linked silver bracelet like this one and treated me to it even though it was reeaally pricy. I LOVED the ring too and ummed and aahed for ages but bought it as i didnt think id see another one like it and it is so lovely.

Now, you remember i said id share more of my lulu and jane goodies? Well, this is their lovely card for you to have a look at....
And this is the back(click to enlarge)...

Wanna see what i bought from them?..... Im soooo toooottallly in LOVE with my new wristwarmers, they just jumped into my hands and before i knew it, cash had been exchanged and my goodies were being wrapped in mint green tissue paper and popped into a bright pink paper bag, what d'ya think??

The ones above are my grown up, sensible stylish, cable knit mummmy ones, and below are my funky LOOK AT ME! Ones, fab huh? and only 8 pounds a pair(yes handknitted)!

Of course, i was naughty and visited Joules too, well ive hankered over these for ages and, and,....well im just plain greedy if im honest with you but i dont care, i work hard, i dont drink or smoke(or socalise much)so why not?? AAH chocatoodles!

Greengate anyone? Thought so! 2 tea towels, a pretty bird for xmas decoration and a bottle of handwash for the kitchen in a posh bottle(NOT FOR MR P'S USE!!!!!!) Red spotty for xmas kitchen and blue paisley for summer kitchen, mmm pretties.

This metal duckling had such a lovely expression, i thought he could keep me company when im sat out the front bench gazing at the view.

I couldnt leave the show withut adding to my china collection, I got two crochet mug warmer things,the green one below the other is pink. A cute home sweet home mug from lulu and jane and a tiny cup and tea light holder from Caroline Zoob, i had to buy something with a Robin on as i adore them and it was either these goodies or a ceramic heart with a robin from Jane Hogben pottery, maybe i'll get that next year.

I also got this tiny tipple of Raspberry liqueur, only 22%!!!!!!!

I hardly drink but this was so tasty. Do you think i could take it shooting with me as a little tipple??

My other Joules treat was this beautiful necklace, the huge cherry like beads speak to me and ive even caught my mum holding it up to herself-hands off!!!

So, all in all a great haul. Got a couple of other stocking bits for the kids from dot.com giftshop and a couple of family gifts, there wasnt tons there that you couldnt get elsewhere but you cant beat the atmosphere and we had a real sense of adventure as we took the tube part way into london which was such fun(we got some strange looks from fellow commuters!)

Hopefully i'll now get a bit more back into my blogging swing, lost it there for a bit, blame the house, its taking over my life!

Hope you are all well,

Kirsty xxx

Soft-top Sunday!

Hi all, well here we are, stomping into week 2 of the summer holidays, i think maybe if we all pray for a little sun the spirit of the blogging community will surely lift these dripping gry clouds?

Id love to mow the lawn and potter in the garden but i dont fell like getting chilly out in the elements!

Anywho, hope you had a great weekend,i did, it was a bit different. I didnt go the carboot sale on sunday as usual, you see, my dad had invited me to 'soft top sunday' at Goodwood racecourse in chichester. He thought i might like a little trip out with him as when we're in the car together(pictured above, his Austin Healey 100:6) he can put his foot down a bit, my step mum gets a bit nervous when the top is down and lorries zoom past on the motorway. Isnt she a beauty? I had to wear my scarf tied round my head and sunglasses when we were driving along, knotty windswept hair just would not do!(i wont dare post a pic, i looked quite silly rather than thelma and louise glam!)

It was an early start but i didnt mind, taking in the vistas of the glorious suxssex countryside is no laborious task! We took the quick way there-motorway, and the scenic route back-heaven!

We joined a couple of hundred people at this event and enjoyed a lovely morning taking in the fabulous collections of vehicles, as well as partaking in a tasty and hearty breakfast, comprised of saussages and bacon organically reared on the goodwood estate!

There were families and young and old there, it was free to get in,which is a huge bonus, the pleasure is showing off your own vehicle and admiring the ones brought along by others.

i loved this Jag.....and look who had sneaked in the back for a ride?...

This was my ultimate favourite car, i think its a Porche roadster, yes i could just see myself in this one!

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I had to take a quick pic of this lovely phone box too, i want one in my garden!

HOW cute is this? Obviously i was drawn in by the gorgeous fabric, not very neatly upholstered i must say but the pattern went fantastically with this little beauty of a car. Shame you dont see these around anymore.

Of course i had to show you a tractor! A 'baby' one so im told, but it looked pretty big to me! It was towing a little trailer giving people tours round goodwood, how lovely?

The weather was fab, there were lots of beautiful old cars to see and some not so beautiful and modern(smart cars!). I just had a really great time wandering around with my dad, we dont spend much quality time together as work/family commitments get in the was all too often but it reminded me of when my brother and i were little and my dad would take us to MG(his other vintage car of choice, he has a red one) meetings and shows...hope we can do it again soon!

Love Kirsty x

The excitement is building!

Hi all, thought id share a little bit of excitement with you which is slowly building....
To me, villages are quintessentially english, and i think im so lucky to live in the beautiful county of Hampshire which has so many to swoon over. Yesterday afternoon/evening was spent ploughing with Mr P in the the gorgeous little village of Michlemersh near Romsey. It has many pretty houses, old wooden signposts and a huge hill(not easy for a tractor with a giant plough on which isnt weighted down enough attached!) dotted with perfectly manicured gardens.

I love how each house is different, each has its own little bit of character, maybe with a beautiful thatched roof, beautifully painted in pastel colours or perhaps a garden overflowing with old school cottage garden plants such as foxgloves primroses and forget me not and a vintage car in the drive, yet they all nestle together to form a beautiful haven of tranquility.

I love the summer with Mr P when i go to work with him harvesting or bailing and he manages to squeeze his giant Claas forrager through the narrowest lanes in the tiniest and prettiest villages ive ever seen(he's sooo skilled at it!). Sometimes go for little drives to places ive never ventured before and am amazed how many little places there are tucked away, so pretty and well cared for by the inhabitants, it gives me immense pleasure just to look at them all and get that creative buzz.

Be ts a lovely dovecote on the front lawn or a beautiful wysteria draped over a porch, the pleasure of the images stays with me and i find myself dreaming of what my ideal home would be-incorporating all these little snippets.

The main highlight of my year is held in a village which is local to me, a little place called Downton.

Downton is a large ancient Wiltshire village with a population of approximately 3,000, situated around 6 miles south of Salisbury. It straddles the River Avon just outside the New Forest National Park and is surrounded by water meadows and chalk downland.

Every year an estimated 20,000 visitors decend on this little place for an event called the Cockoo Fair(the website isnt very inspiring i will warn you!!), the whole village street is closed off to cars, and stalls are set up. A field up the road is set up as the park and ride bas,e and a couple of buses drive people to and from the village all day.

There are craft stalls and tents, a fair, plant sales, livery shows fresh baked food on sale, so much going on its a wonderful pleasure to stroll round for the day. There are always morris dancers and a brilliant live band and singers on a huge stage set up outside the main pub.

Lots of local people set up little stalls on their front lawns, selling boot sale type things, or handcrafted items(hearts!!!), or furniture. Lots of people bakes cakes and other fattening goodies to sell too. There are some charity stalls, such as st johns ambulance and cat and dog charities so i always try and buy something from them.

One of my fave stalls is run by a couple who sell garden items-not just run of the mill pots and statues, oh no, im talking old galvanised milk churns and cast iron baths planted up with lavender and the like... Old enamel bowls and funnels begging to be snapped up and displayed in my garden and lots of quirky things like old butter paddles, its heaven for girls like us! (seriously im daydreaming about it all day long, very distracting!)

I really cant tell you how excited i am to be going again this year, now that ive shared this little gem of a secret(?!) with you, hopefully i'll see some of you there! I shall of course have lots of scrummy photos to share next weekend so keep your eyes peeled!

Enjoy your weekends xxx