Summer days....

Well, finally here in the UK the weather is absolutely  beautiful. Sun, fluffy white clouds and a light breeze, it's sensational. Hard to believe that I was wearing a woolly hat and winter coat last Sunday afternoon! You may well wonder why I am sitting inside writing this blog rather than enjoying every last ray: well, my day started very early with a car boot sale, and I've been busy in the garden doing chores since then, so I've popped in to cool down for a bit. Plus, everyone is out doing various things, so it's chance to snatch a quiet moment and a glass of something cool....only water! 

The car boot sale was huge and packed, the biggest yet this year. I had some interesting finds this week. Some 50s curtains, embroidered tablecloths, fabric remnants, old patterns and a simple blue Lovatts jug:

Cannot wait to get this camp bed set up. It's made from khaki canvas and dates from the 1960s. It just looks brilliant. The seller said he wanted to keep it but his wife had made him get rid of it. I plan to pile it high with cushions for some summer lounging and once I've figured out how to assemble it, I shall take a photo. 

Something else that made me happy today was a little Noah's Ark. I love the old Victorian children's Arks, and would love to own one some day. This isn't especially old, but I did think it was sweet:

Two by two...

I also found a tiny cradle, which I shall enjoy fixing up, and some more plants. 

I love this quote, from Alan Hollinghurst's book, The Stranger's Child, which sums up an English summer afternoon for me:


"The front door stood open, in the summer way, into the shadowy hall. Beyond it, the garden door too stood open, the afternoon light glinting softly on polished oak, a china bowl, one could pass right through the house, like a breeze..."

Welcome, summer.