Saturday Chatterday

Greetings blogtastic ones!

I do hope you're all well and that the sun has been shining on your day.

We're fairweather car booters and we were grateful for this morning's pleasant weather to indulge in one of our favourite Saturday morning pastimes.  Well.  One of those which can be divulged before the watershed at least!  Fnar fnar.

My friend came with us today so we were able to travel up there in (free) style.  I'm not sure whether any of you recall my rant about car boot parking a couple of weeks ago, but today, to add insult - I found out that the car parking on site is actually FREE and not 50p per parking space as I had originally imagined - so there's even less excuse to park on the road.  But as usual the one horse road was still lined chockablock with vehicles!  Gah!

Ah anyway - car booty bargains today comprise as follows:-

Couldn't resist this chicken!! *snigger*
Aw - she was only 50p.  How could I leave her there?!

Three gorgeous large terracotta pots complete with saucers for a fiver.  I was so impressed with these - you can never have enough pots and in the local garden centre these are around £7 each!  As usual there were plenty of plant stalls, selling bedding plants, shrubs and veggies.  I purchased a tray each of Love Lies Bleeding, some Asters and some Stock for a quid per tray.  Hopefuly these will sit nicely in the pots and give some much needed colour into the garden, the stocks scenting the evening air when I sit outside with my cuppa.

The pewter colour photograph frame is lovely and heavy and features my favourite autumnal theme - I'm a sucker for anything remotely autumn flavoured!  This was as new and boxed for a quid.  The little Barry M collection (lip gloss, eyeliner and nail varnish - all new and unopened) were 50p for the lot.   The varnish is a pretty pink colour look!  S'cuse my very badly painted nails (and my fat sausage-like fingers! )- I just wanted to try the colour for size!!   The Sanctuary body butter and hand cream smell divine.  Brand new with the wrapping still on for £1 for the two.  Whoohoo!!! Adore Sanctuary products!

More candle holders!!!  I can't resist!!  This is another Partylite product - the iced crystal trio.  I sold these by the bucket load during my time as a consultant at an eyepopping £28.00 for the three!!  My kit sample got damaged in transit a long time ago and I was delighted to find this perfect set  today for a rather more modest £1.50!!  They are the best votive holders I've ever used.  As I only usually burn Partylite candles then I know their votives fit these holders perfectly.  I'm burning spiced plum votives this evening - they're divine and just these three are scenting the whole of the house.  I love how these candles liquefy as they burn - they're beginning to look like rose wine with a flame on top!  Yum!!!  

As we were heading back towards the car, I found this lovely cookery book.  I really don't need another cookery book but I can't help myself!  The price for this was just 10p!!!  I couldn't quite believe it and had to ask the vendor twice!!  She was laughing at my reaction but said that she just didn't want to take it home.  I'm so glad I asked about it!  It's a beautiful book with gorgeous, very 'Country Living' style photography and lots of vintage tips in it even though it's a new book.  There are loads of yummy recipes as well as having a decent section on preserving and foraging too.

We got home at around 12ish so whilst Mr B went to bed (he'd not slept since coming off his night shift early this morning) I sat in the garden reading my new recipe book and adding a line to my ripple blanket.  I was quite industrious!  Charlie, however, decided that it was all too much for him.

Minnie sheltered herself from the heat under the shade of the hydrangea.

The veloceraptors chickens laid waste to my alchemilla as usual.  One of the buggers pecked my toe this afternoon!! It made me jump I can tell you!  That will teach me for wriggling my very brightly pink-painted tootsies in the sunshine won't it?!  They've had some redcurrants this week - perhaps she mistook it for one of those.  Ah I must tell you readers - I have butterfly-chasing chickens!!!  If you're a chicken keeper - have you seen any of yours do this?  I thought I was seeing things this afternoon when two of them charged off at great speed after a couple of hapless butterflies!!  SO funny!!  I wish I had been able to video it for you!

I felt the the need to bake things this afternoon as my little china hen was full to egg popping!! 








Raspberry and white chocolate muffins followed.  I also used my new cookery book's recipe for a Victoria Sponge.  This is theirs.................

This is mine!!  Not bad eh?!!   They use the old fashioned method of using four eggs, plus their weight in butter, sugar and flour.  Just a little vanilla extract is the only other addition, plus of course the usual jam and cream (in this case sour cherry preserve from Aldi and whipping cream sweetened with a little icing sugar).  I'm waiting for my Chief Tester to give his verdict!

We're settling down now to a nice relaxing evening watching Rammstein in concert then Saw II.  

Yay!! How rock and roll are we eh?!  hehehehehe....

See you very soon!!