Just Singing Away

Oh, isn't she a beauty! 

Walking past one of the antique shops in Holbeach a few weeks ago, I spotted one of my 'must buy' items that I have always wanted to own.  There it was, on the floor by the front window.  I stood, with Mr Teen and Hubby, staring at it with such love and affection.  "I'm buying it" I said to the two of them.  Only to be knocked back by Mr Teen who told me in his straight talking that I had too much tat in the house and weren't we meant to be decluttering to sell the house.  Well, I hobbled away, quietly upset and we went home.

Little did I know that they had decided to buy it for Mother's Day and later on went back to the shop.  They were very lucky to buy it as there were two other customers who had also spotted it and had gone down the road to get the money.  It was destiny!

My Grandma used to have one of these and I used to look at it and its steadfast engineering.  They certainly don't make them like this anymore.

Inside, the musty smells of the contents where it was once stored are a symphony to my imagination and inquisitiveness to what the machine has made in past such as post War wedding dresses, mini skirts, mending hems etc etc. 

I have traced the date of the machine's production as 1949, not as old as my Grandma's one but certainly as steadfast and beautiful as she was.

Now it will be in retirement, a tactile object to carefully touch and turn and to just look at.  It's place with be eventually in that book lined room overlooking a lake and mountains - when I find that place of course!!

Have a wonderful week, it's going to be a busy one.

The Peterborough Christmas Fayre

I am being enveloped by all the different sensory experiences of Christmas.  The sights, sounds, tastes and smells of Christmas are all around now.  The busy, rushed appearance on everyone's faces as you go around the shopping centres, streets and small alleyways of shops.  The childrens faces as they are being pulled along with their loved ones trying to capture all the wonder and excitement around them.  It is a wonderful time of year.  The sense of expentancy of what is to come.  To make everything perfect.  And, as a mum, making sure everything is perfect!!

I absolutely love with all my heart the Victorian era.  Christmas as it should be I feel.  Not the materialistic frantic shopping and stress for one day.  Rather the looking forward to spending time with family, having 'time out' to reflect on those who are the most important to us and showing this with all our love and affection.  To raise a glass to those loved ones who are no longer with us and looking forward to spending time who have now come to join us. 

Usually on Christmas Eve when the shops have closed, the presents are wrapped, the food preparation for the next day is done, the children have settled down and a sense of calm is restored, I like to put anything to do with the Christmas Carol on the TV.  This year it will be the one with Jim Carrey in.  The detail in that film blew me away last year, and I will sit with some egg nog and start to think of my January/February crafting...namely the Old Curiosity Shop (my dolls house).  My thoughts are always very much into the Victorian era with that project.  I think I mainly do this project during the winter months because it is cold and dark and I feel with the dolls house this is how I want it to reflect.  It's personality is an old this and that shop set in the back streets of the Victorian East End of London.  It has to be a bit rough around the edges!

My hands (as I feel probably are yours) are sore from all the crafting I am doing along with gift wrapping, christmas card writing and tapping on the computer keyboard trying to find unusual gifts. So it was lovely to step out of my office and walk across the precincts to the Cathedral to see their wonderful Christmas fayre.  Such sights, sounds, smells and tastes. Yes, Christmas has finally arrived, and in a Medieval/Victorian theme!!  My camera could have burst with the amount of photos I took.  I wanted to capture every sight and smell and all I can think of is that you need to have a stick of cinnamon, a nutmeg and some star anise nearby  along with a log fire to try and capture the smell of this walk around (also some mulled wine and mulled cider of course!).

Where do I start?  Well let's start with day time.  The fair is being held over four days so I have started with the light of day and then how this looked at night.  The backdrop of the Cathedral is such a perfect and majestical setting.  I love this place and I am very privileged to be working in close proximity to this.

How can it be Christmas without the hot roast chestnuts...(this picture made me laugh when I put this on, it looks as though there is a tinsel adorned sack having a crafty cigarette!!)

The costumes were wonderful, and I was so pleased when I captured this marvelous jolly stall holder.  Isn't he FANTASTICl!

There were costumes everywhere!

This Victorian lady was lovely...

The blacksmiths were hard at work.

And different eras merged together.

This lady was extremely knowledgeable and had made real ginger bread from a bygone era.  It was very sticky and extremely yummy.  She also had quince jam which is like a clear jelly, but equally as good.

Next to her were two stew pots slowly bubbling away with some very appetising contents.

The items that were being sold were not your usual 'run of the mill' stock.  There were fantastic helmets...

And some very sinister swords...

Beautifully colourful masks...

Exquisite pots and jugs...

Harps...

and, look what I found...hearts...

As well as what was going on in the precincts was a Morrocan market.  Just look at the beautiful colours and array of goods.

This pot pourri bowl was probably the largest I have ever seen!!

Just by the side of Cathedral square was an angel statue.  Very very still until a child put money in her pot and then she would slowly blow them a kiss, beckon them over to have their picture taken by a very happy parent.

And then we go to night.  I love the Cathedral in the cold, dark evenings.  It is such as beautiful and comforting place, and looks so warm and welcoming compared to some Cathedrals that I have seen.

This very knowledgeable 'soldier' walked with me while I took in the lights, felt the warmth of the little fires and feasted my eyes on all the wares in the tents.  It turned out that he lives near where I used to live in Essex!  It's a small world!!

This was one of the tents at night with it's lovely welcoming fire outside and it's tent still containing an array or pots and jugs.

And then through the arch to the Cathedral Square where the Moroccon Market was still trading.  The lights above are spectacular.

So much information was taken in.  So many ideas and plans to make and get for next year.

So, why are my fingers so sore?...well here is my front door wreath creation.  It started with creating fabric parcels, crochet stars, hearts and flowers.  And to keep the wreath warm, a nice crocheted cover. I am so pleased with this but my hands really feel as though they have been tightened in a vice.  So a little breather over the festivities I think.

and, now in its place on my front door...

Ta dah!!

Have a lovely week everyone...don't get too stressed!! xx

Ooops...forgot the Carol Singers....

The Festive Shopping Begins

How has your week been?  Eventful?  Fun?  Personally, this has been one of the quickest weeks I have had in a long time.  Extremely busy at work and occasionally infuriating at home when trying to re-vamp my blog.  Thank goodness for Sandra and Meg  who saved me from frustration on how to put icons and links together!!  Thank you so much for your advice...it worked! xx

And now on to what has been happening in my little world.

The Christmas lights have now been switched on in Peterborough, don't they look beautiful?  When you walk under them it is as though you have a cloud of stars above your head.  This photo was taken from the Norman arch that contains the oldest pair of working gates in England (they date back about 800 years to the 13th century).  This is the gateway to Cathedral Square and the Cathedral itself.  

This is the view looking the other way...well I had to didn't I?

Now back to the lights...avenues of light covered trees...

and of course the Christmas tree itself which had the Mayor put the star on the top.

The early evenings here are, as you could just see, now looking very festive.  Crisp, dark evenings envelope the busy shoppers laden with their colourful bags full of exquisite surprises.

My own shopping so far has been the warm and comfortable kind.  A nice cup of sweet Yorkshire Tea, a comfy desk chair, a warm and happy dog pleased to have her owner sitting down with her and a mouse in my hand clicking away for those gifts that will take a slightly longer time to be delivered. 

All done on that front now, received and hidden away so it is time to head to the shops and get the little nick nacks that fill up stockings and boxes.

One of the shops that I have been going to (a little bit too) frequently is Sweet Perfections in Peterborough.  It is a beautiful old fashioned looking sweet shop.  I went in this week to get some aniseed twists for the office (we have a slight addiction to them).  They are weighed out and put into lovely little sweet bags (can you remember the sound of hard boiled sweets being gathered up with the metal scoops and put onto the weighing scales - cosy memories!).  So simple but so lovingly done.  While I was there I noticed little candy canes and home made chocolates wrapped in shiny festive foil.  Well it would be rude not to buy wouldn't it??!  It is truly a beautiful, comforting shop with happy and helpful staff.  It makes me feel like a child again going into a proper hand made sweet shop to get a perfect tooth crumbling sweet!

On the way home a couple of times now, I have taken to a quick rush into Hobbycraft to get some bits and bobs for my Christmas decoration masterpieces.  It's the perfect time to 'pop' in, no crowds!  I plan on putting the decorations up when the children are at school on my day off next Friday and then see what they think.  Watch this space!  We have had the same decorations for a number of years now, so I feel it is time to bring in the new, however I will still bring out some of the older pieces that are full of memories for us.  Such as the 'Christmas Elf' who would sit next to the TV to watch for any bad behaviour and then mysteriously disappear on Christmas Eve to report back!

The bunting is so tantalisingly close to completion, I can't wait to show you...in fact I will!  So close, and as my hubby would say 'we have all the tools' to finish the job.

The baubles have their bells on, Mary Bendy Legs and Robin are getting ready to sit on their nest and the hearts are ready to fill in the gaps...

Just some shiny happy decorations to get and we will be all set to complete...can't wait!!

Have a wonderful, crafty weekend xxx