Chuffed

As you know, I love old books so I always have to have a good rummage through all the boxes of books whenever I'm in a charity shop, or at a jumble sale or flea market!

Just over a year ago I bought a 1949 edition of Dorothy Whipple's Because of the Lockwoods - you might remember me blogging about here. It's taken me a while to read it, not because it's a difficult read, but mainly because the only time I read is at bedtime and I tend to fall asleep, which is most annoying! Anyway, such was my enjoyment of this book from the outset that I vowed to look out for more of Dorothy Whipple's work. I have since purchased the Persephone edition of Someone at a Distance, but I really like to get my hands on old editions...there's just something about the old ones! So you can imagine how chuffed I was to come across this one recently at a local fleamarket:

No dust jacket and a little bit of damage to the spine, but I'm not bothered about that...I'm a book lover, not a book dealer! It has an inscription inside the front cover: "To Dad, With Best Wishes from John - Christmas 1941", which just makes me love it all the more! And, at 50p, I was even more chuffed!

I couldn't resist bringing home the needlework and dressmaking book - again 50p! It was a text book at Bingley Grammar School for Joan, Kathleen, Mary and Barbara, girls of Form 5A - I cannot be sure when, but the book is the 1937 edition. It is full of useful information, as well as snippets that make me smile, such as the advice when choosing the style and colour of a garment: "The Stout should always avoid bouffon style. Taffeta, for instance, is never a suitable material for a stout woman"!

I'm home alone today so, if I finish this now and speed through all my chores, I must just have time to read a little without nodding off!

Back soon,

Rebecca

x

Must try harder...

I really must try harder with blogging! Yet again, it's been more than a week since last my last post - where does all the time go? Note to self: "Be more organised"

I didn't make it to the auction last week - something to do with us waking up late, which always seems to happen here at the end of the holidays! However, I did make it to a fleamarket, where I found these lovely Anchor tapisserie wools and embroidery threads for 10p each!

After brief blurry moments at Christmas, my camera has now given up completely so I had to use our old Canon digital camera to take the above picture. When I say old, I mean one of the first digital cameras - it takes great photos (if you take time to tweek all its settings) but its battery only lasts five minutes and it's huge to carry around. I've been looking at new cameras but there are so many, I just cannot choose - megapixels, optical zoom, memory, this battery, that battery - I just want to point and shoot to capture the moment and take appealing pictures of things that I make!

I wonder what will be next - these things usually come in threes in this house. The lawn mower went out with a bang just before Easter - well, it was more of a whine, actually, with a couple of bits flying off mid cut and a puff of smoke!! Hubby always listens to his MP3 when mowing and, apparently, the mower went out to "Sex on Fire" by Kings of Leon - I can't hear that song now without thinking "Lawn mower's on fire"!!

Well, I must get back to the kitchen to bake cakes and flapjack as all the tins are empty and that just won't do! Let's just hope it's not the Kenwood next!

Bye for now, x