The End of Summer.

Somehow I haven't blogged for the best part of 2 months. Mostly because when I have had a moment, the last thing I have felt like doing is sitting down to write.
Things have been very stressy at work, very. Also I'm horribly aware the time to try and find somewhere new to live is looming ever closer and I'm freaking out just a wee bit about actually finding somewhere, let alone moving again. There's been family stuff too, so, yeah.

Oh and the prognosis of the doctor is I have achillies tendonitis in both feet so special exercises 3 times a day, anti-inflammatories, shoe inserts and no more Converse low tops *weeps*

Anyway it's not all worry and doom I have been doing fun stuff to and shopping of course!

August I had to participate in not one but two team building days at work (due to stuff going on at work we currently sit across two teams) The first was the quintessentially Oxford pastime of punting, followed by a picnic and then games in University Parks. We were allocated to punts to make us mix with people we didn't know, which I hate having to do. Thankfully everyone was so crap at punting it took us way too long to get back from the picnic and we were too late to play games - huzzah.

The second day out was a treasure hunt at Cotswold Wildlife Park which was also followed by a picnic lunch. This was much more fun as it was just the original team I started out in. My group came in second place, lunch was lovely and we got to amble around the park properly afterwards.

As you can see it was another one of those super hot days. I've never got to see the red pandas or the wolverine (top two pics) before so it was quite cool to see them, even if it was spark out in the heat!

August bank holiday was time for the annual trip to Stonor Park craft fair with my Mum. I enjoyed it much more this year, the variety was back, though there was still way too much expensive jewellery, and there was also a new talent tent of young designers which was very interesting.

I bought this tartan bag and quirky bird necklace.

Now for about 18 months my Mum has been bemoaning her wardrobe and saying she needed to sort it out but then has never got round to doing it (maybe this is where I get my procrastinating habit from!)
 So back at Mum's I tricked her into showing me something in her wardrobe and then made her sort through all her clothes as we were there with the doors open.
She ended with a huge pile for charity and I took another pile home with me to try on Ebay for her. Well the whole bloody lot only went and sold didn't it!!
I was cursing my offer to list it for her as I lugged bags of parcels into work on the train and then to the post office in my lunch hour. Anyway she now has a nice little wedge to spend on new things to fill the space we cleared.

September meant our annual getaway to Bournemouth.

The first day was grey and showery so we just ambled about ducking in the shops when it rained and taking a brief stroll along the beach when it stopped. The next day we had planned a walk from Corfe to Swanage along The Purbeck Ridgeway. We hadn't got a plan B so we had everything crossed the weather would clear up and thankfully it heeded our wishes and the next day was bright and sunny.

On the way to catch the bus we cut through the gardens and took time out to feed the squirrels. Himself thought this was hilarious as of course at home I curse at them and chase them whenever I see them, yet here I was feeding them by hand.

Basically I had bought 2 kilos of plums because they were only £2 without considering we were about to go on holiday and Himself doesn't eat them. I ate as many as I could but the squirrels got the rest

 We caught a bus to Swanage and then the steam train to Corfe.

Corfe itself was super busy with tourists so other than a toilet break we headed straight off.

The walk was not too strenuous and the scenery stunning, I have to say it does the soul good.

As it was just under 11 miles and I have a 10 mile tea limit by the time we got back to Swanage I was gasping.
Himself said we'll just walk back to the station and check the bus times then go for a drink, he wanted a pub not a cafe. So I threw a strop, refused point blank and in the 15 minutes it took him to get there and back I had found a cafe, ordered a pot of tea and basically inhaled the whole thing. Impressive even by my standards. I then insisted on an ice cream before finally agreeing to the pub.

The next day was meant to be rainy so my friend Alison and I had planned to go to a new Antique Centre in Longham whilst Himself was at the cinema. It was lovely to catch up again and the Antiques Centre was amazing! Really lovely items and fantastic prices I could have bought loads but I restrained myself to a brooch and 2 bags.
I fell in love with this cabinet

It was £85 and had I been travelling by car and not train I would have bought it there and then, it's EXACTLY what I want to display my handbags in. All I could do was sigh and take a picture.

So the next weekend Soo came over and we did the charity shops and would you believe it I found another cabinet!?!
This one was £35 and in my home town, Soo offered to collect it in her car so I bought it. I then spent the next couple of hours whilst we had lunch and finished looking round the shops having a complete panic about whether it was the right thing to do or not.
Anyway we picked up the car and with more hindrance than help from the 2 old chaps in the shop, loaded the cabinet in.

Until I get rid of the knackered old single mattress and take the bed frame apart in the little spare room it's got to live behind one of the doors in the conservatory shrouded in a sheet to stop the sun bleaching it.

So not a great picture at all but you get the gist. It needs a thorough clean, but has two glass shelves and is lined with a cream satin effect fabric with a bamboo pattern which I will most likely keep. I will confess it will now probably stay exactly where it is and in exactly the same state for the foreseeable future. There seems little point sorting the bedroom out and getting it all just so if we have to move very soon and I have to pack it all up again anyway.

Finally I also had a day out in Stroud with my friend's Liz and Simon.

I absolutely must go back, I was very aware there were shops I would have loved to go into but Simon most definitely would not. I did nip into the one open vintage shop whilst he and Liz  were in a book shop and bought a fab orange bag. The man who owns it was lovely, very chatty (but it turns out he thought he knew me so perhaps not usually so chatty!) but I literally flitted round as time was short.

We had the most delicious lunch in what the lady in the bookshop dismissed as "the old ladies cafe" frankly I'm not surprised all the old dears go there it was delicious and very cheap. 

Anyway that's it. I'll finish with a few purchases.

The white & black beaded bags in the top picture came from the antiques centre, the white one is not a genuine Corde but it's in lovely condition so a welcome addition to the collection. The little black one is a genuine 1920's purse not in perfect condition but only £4 so a must have because  for £4 who cares?

Just one or two brooches...

and finally a magpie frock, who could resist? not me.