FOUND!! Young Bruce. . .known as Ned!

After Bruce's episode of over-exuberant high jinks,

I decided to seek professional help (psychiatrist!!) with his training

as we were obviously not on the same wavelength.

Quickly assessing the deteriorating situation Kirsty set us

team building and bonding exercises reinforced with a

more positive approach to  schooling.

Overly protective about lameness recurring

I was being far too lenient with his workload!

Schooling has produced dramatic results as we've both

found better balance and co-ordination and as he

builds muscle tone in all the right places, Bruce has rediscovered

the most AMAZING, floating paces- something forgotten during

galloping and jumping of his 10 years hunting!

Determined to find out about his past, I set to work

tracing his early years in Ireland.

Registered with the Irish Sports Horse Society as

"Look Who's Talking"

(he obviously ALWAYS flapped his lips about!)

I tracked down and contacted

an earlier owner, who was overjoyed at receiving

info of a horse she parted with in 1999.

Hilary bought him when he was 4 to produce

as a show cob. He won many prizes at country shows,

was placed 3rd in his class at the prestigious Dublin Show

and subsequently sold to an English dealer.

She fondly remembers him "having a fantastic step

and being very light to the ground"

and enclosed the above photo taken when he was 5. . .

and his name was Ned!

been busy!

Preparations are getting into full swing for

Vintage at the Village Hall on May 9th,

and giving a refreshing facelift to some

items for sale has been really enjoyable

outside in the lovely sunny weather this week. . .

The gaudy gold of this 1960s cheval mirror

has been tempered with a fresh off-white,

rubbed back to reveal a shabby glimpse

of times past

I love the ornamental scrollwork, and I can just see

a DELICIOUS pair of shoes being displayed

on the drawer at the base!

This old travel trunk was covered in rather tired blue vellum

so I've turned it into a Map Chest with panels from

Vintage 1950s travel guides, lightly waxed

for added protection

it has brass capped corners and clasps, metal studs and

nautical rope for handles.

There's a useful lift-out tray inside which also got the map treatment!

This dinky little pine scrub-top table means

even the smallest kitchen gets the Farmhouse Look,

and best of all the legs un-bolt for ease of transport!

The legs and skirt have been painted and waxed,

the top simply sanded and left bare.

I've not removed the old ink stains and signs of pre-love-

we all know it's what makes these vintage pieces SO unique :)

I'd better get back to work now. . .

Bruce in the buff!

Sun shining. . .birds singing. . .breeze gently breezing. . .

cue Bruce's first day out in the field without wearing his

warm and waterproof rugs!

Mind you, come rain or shine "room service" still has to

transform his bedroom from this. . .

to this!

(which reminds me the sitting room floor

STILL needs vacuuming- maybe if Bruce lived indoors

housework might get done!)

"Visitors"

To say I'm ridiculously sentimental would be

a gross understatement.

Keeping family treasures and mementos is acceptable

but how do I justify an irrational penchant for

the mundane things unknown people have written?

Ordinary people. Ordinary things.

Shopping lists. Comments in the margin of completed recipes.

Thankyou notes. Diary entries. Postcards.

Inscriptions on the back of photographs.

So when I found this Guest House Visitors Book

at Shepton Fleamarket last year

I knew fate had placed us together-

true love across a crowded stall!

With leather-bound spine, faded board covers

stitched pages and and marbled fly leaf,

the front is simply inscribed

"Visitors"

(my fingers linger over the gold blocked letters as I type!)

and the inner page is dated 1928

She ran a Guest House; People left a comment.

A moment in life captured forever

Some struggling with the inkiness of the pen

some neat no-nonsense comments, some expert calligraphy,

politeness, gushiness. . .

what was the significance of the leaf pressed

twixt two pages?

did "Anita" stay the weekend?

(and was she wearing her best gowns furs mantles and lingerie)?

Many visitors returned year after year on the same dates,

a testament to both extreme comfort and routine!

some lodged during the working week

and went "home" at weekends

but every comment praised comfort

kindness and attention to detail.

These were unsettled years leading to the start of WW2

and the Guest House finally shut it's doors

at the end of November 1940

did He get his call-up papers?

did She feel she couldn't manage alone,

lighting the fires. . .cooking breakfast

(how did Wartime rationing work away from home)?

The world had changed irrevicably since

those heady days of opening the front door

and opening The Book!

Part of me wants to know what happened next.

Part of me doesn't. . .

Sandie at Rag Rescue

one of my very first eBay customers was the lovely Sandie

 and although we've never actually met,

over the course of 10 years we've chit-chatted via email

before discovering eachothers blogs

Last year I bought a huge bundle of smocked dress panels

from the estate of a lady who made children's clothes

for Liberty of London in the 1950s

and who better to see the potential of these works-in-progress

than Sandie, who runs the most amazing on-line shop

Rag Rescue

Not only does Sandie sell a dazzling array of

re-cycled old fabrics and vintage embellishments,

she also felts

and used little smocked panels to make up the birds in

this wonderful picture for her grand daughter- 

more details and pictures are on Feltissimo

I just SO love it when something old

begins another life as something new!

to most, it would appear to be. . .

to most, it would appear to be

just a shabby old wooden fence

fallen into a state beyond repair.

But to me, it's an invitation to imagine

all the grand carriages that would have have majestically swept

through ornamental gates to the house beyond. . .

Storecupboard Staples are a Girls Best Friend :)

On early morning autopilot making sandwiches/drinking tea/answering emails

Ted says it's Pancake Day, will you make some later?
yup no problem

On early evening autopilot trying to finish the too-many things I've started before curfew time/drinking tea/answering emails

Ted says ooh pancakes for tea isn't it
err. . .yup. . .no problem. . .if you cross your fingers when you lie it doesn't count ;o)

For a chuck-it-in-and-hope-for-the-best cook like me, I summoned Delia's batter recipe and I did TRY to follow it to the letter, honest!
No one told Martina we needed large eggs and she's still on wintertime mediums so I splashed in some extra milk.
Savoury pancakes would solve the what-to-make-for-supper dilemma so I added a sprinkle of chili flakes.
(Now I'm back on familiar territory hoping-for-the-best!)

Pancakes cooking on the electric ring, between flips time for a scout around the larder.
Oil into the wok, sliced broccoli florets, spring onions, punnet of mushrooms.
Half a tub of hummus, black olives, crumbled feta cheese.

Fill the middle of each pancake, fold the sides over and put in an ovenproof dish.
Pour half a jar of pasta sauce over the top, sprinkle with grated cheese
(I only had Edam so it was more a splat than a sprinkle!)

Served with avocado and watercress salad.

If I say so myself it was blimmin' lovely, with enough batter to have lime and icing sugar pancakes for pudding. . .yes, I admit it-
I forgot to get lemons and caster sugar doh!

a new career?

Just like the hippo
he so resembles
Bruce LOVES
to roll in the mud. . .

which is fine. . .

because if he continues
to be
so naughty
out riding. . .

he can always start a new career. . .



as a male model :))

eventually, the Giveaway Winner was picked. . .

I asked The Boys if they'd like to do the

Giveaway Prize Draw,

but they couldn't decide who would choose,

and who could actually read the winning name. . .

so I asked Henny but she said no, she'd done it before

and Martina had been so jealous she'd sulked for a week. . .

Kit said she was FAR too comfy to even bother

with the pieces of folded paper

(the look says it all). . .

and Bruce ate them (then wished he hadn't). . .

so. . .

I asked around for someone to

pick a winner. . .

(hmmm. . .)

and then decided best do it myself. . .

. . .the first name out of the hat (or saucepan, to be entirely correct)

to win the Birthday Giveaway prize. . .

is. . .

Ivy Black

please email me your address and the package will be on it's way :))

Thankyou so much to everyone who entered,

and for all the kind comments

left on the giveaway post xx