setting sail....

.....well,I did it,I set off on my little journey on Tuesday-the rain poured,the wind huffed & puffed & the sea swelled,but I was not deterred from my mission.I knew it was a special day,a day I will always remember!So now I have started out on my chosen path,I shall happily reveal my destination.... 

....yes dear reader,here it is my hearts desire-a shop! My shop....mine,which means that I,yes me...I will be a shopkeeper!I will stand behind a counter,I will wrap things in tissue & put them in bags,I will stand on my doorstep & look up & down the street with my arms crossed-like you do when you have a shop....

.....just like Arkwright in 'Open All Hours',except my partner in crime will not be G-G-G-Granville it will my mama! This dear little unloved shop is in Marazion,a town which is just over the sea from the small island where I live-I pass it several times every day & have done for years-on several occasions since it was empty,pressing my nose against the glass & doing some 'shopgirl' fantasising! It is in a lovely spot,set back from the main square on the end of a row of rather splendid 4 storey town houses-next door is very posh,with splendid  pillars-we are a little shabby just now but some fresh paint & a shiny new door will soon help us to fit in! The building is over 200 years old,the landlord tells us back then it was a coach house & possibly a house of ill repute-fabulous-our little bit at the front would have been the bar I guess,in more recent times it was an estate agents & before that a denture makers! Inside we decided it was worth doing a proper job of things,so we ripped down the bobbly wallpaper with glee & Mr M ripped out a very dodgy sink which was lurking in an arched alcove,we also tore up the dusty carpet & of course made things look even worse! But after making a flying start,full of enthusiasm,things are looking much better already...

....this wall is in for a little treat,it is getting some Cath Kidston wallpaper-just 2 rolls,at that price!I have spent some time there painting today & I feel so at home,it is so sunny & you can hear the birds in next doors garden-you can also hear the old boys TV upstairs,football...loud football!This space has been waiting for me all these years & I didn't know it-how could I,yet it now makes up the third point of a triangle of some places in the town which have made up my history...I am always fascinated that four walls can mean so much,some places we will never enter & some we will spend many hours within.I will no doubt spend many hours looking out of this...

  

....ok,I have already spent a little time looking out of it,seeing the same faces passing by,several times a day some of them,nearby is the Post Office,corner shop,chemist & bakers (with pasties!)-also 2 pubs,so there is lots of spying to be done,I am already on waving terms with some of the locals!I also have several dear friends very nearby,so it really is the perfect spot-oh & how could I forget,the charity shop is a stones throw away,if I can just get there before my friend Louisa who is a regular!This promises to be a very happy chapter in my life,it all seems so right,I will try not to bore you with shop talk-but I will keep you up to date,we hope to open at Easter...for now,I am so very tired that I must to bed & dream some more of my pretty little shop,you see dreams do come true-sometimes...

 

....'you gotta have a dream,if you don't have a dream,how ya' gonna have a dream come true' (Happy Talk-Captain Sensible)! ....night night.x

collections part 1.....

.....another afternoon,idled away in the sunshine....bliss!

(click on my flickr photostream-right- for descriptions)

the call of the sea....

.......another day,bathed in that magic light which heralds the coming of Spring,except today also brought a wild sea which threatened to engulf our tiny island! Sitting safely cocooned in my car waiting for the 'water-bus' to ferry me home I watched the angry waves,which seemed so at odds with the sunshine-the wind catching the top of the white horses created an ethereal sea-spray & the rushing sound-just like that from a pink lined conch shell. I am all too aware of natures powers,after all I am surrounded by the sea for most of my day- I guess an island cut off from the mainland for 16 hours in every 24 is not the obvious choice of home for someone like me who is rather afraid of the sea! After a visit here as a small child,I had a recurring nightmare of the place-always the same dream,standing at the entrance to the island I watched,helpless-with those legs you get in dreams,the ones that won't work (& the voice with no sound!)-as a giant wave engulfed me,my mama,the whole island! Terrifying & doubtless,highly significant.....yet as a teenager I was drawn back to this lifesize sandcastle in the sea,to take a summer job in the restaurant-(resplendant in a sailor top & deck shoes,much to the dismay of my 15 yr old demi-goth self!).So for several years,college holidays would find me here-serving cream teas & ice creams to the hoardes,never imagining that I would meet my husband here & make it my home one day! Given the chance to live here,those childhood nightmares were put to bed,the lure of this magical place was too strong to resist,rooted as it was in my romantically inclined heart-the roaring waves,craggy rocks,howling winds & isolation,straight from the pages of a classic novel! But still,my fear of the ocean never leaves me & I must confront it on a daily basis,on a calm day of course I am in love with its sparkling,glassy beauty-but on an angry day like today,it sets my nerves tingling knowing I am at its mercy,bobbing along until the safe harbour is reached on the other side.So today,I sat & watched knowing that in order to reach the home I love-so near & yet so far,I must first face the enemy....& here I am,I lived to tell the tale & make another cup of tea with shaking hand & pounding heart,it was a bumpy ride,but I've had worse-much worse.

Now,on to tomorrow & the start of a new journey on unchartered seas-no matter,I have a compass & a trusty crew,through the storms I will reach my safe harbour eventually & so,in the morning I set sail with a hopeful heart....land ahoy!      

eye candy 2....

.....I got nothing much done today but I had the loveliest time doing it!

dusty day.....

.....a  crisp,frosty day with the most glorious luminous light-perfect for photos without a flash.Also perfect for exposing a winters worth of dust,did I get out my feather duster? Did I heck I got out my trusty old camera instead! These were taken around my workroom,in the tidy spots! So many treasures....

Something around the corner...

....some 'beguiling sunshine' is headed my way,I can catch a glimpse just around the corner!Spring is hastening like the eager bulbs peeping out from their earthy blankets. Something is afoot & I have a little spring in my step,carrying me along lifes path on the 'lightest feet'! Dear reader,I am making preparation for a journey,but just now I shall not reveal my destination,not until I have set out on the road 'brave & smiling'.I forsee a fairly steep climb ahead,but I will not travel alone & soon enough we will round that corner & feel the sun! 

Sweethearts....

....I am blessed & lucky indeed to have many sweeties in my life whom I love very much. X

Song of happiness.....

.....a little bit of advice from Aunt Kate on a Monday-hope its been a happy day for you dear readers! I spent the morning with my lovely mama,that always makes me happy. Sadly,I will not be serving up a steaming dish of 'Brown Stew' tonight,though it is certainly dumpling weather here again! Those babies fluffy woolens made from rabbit wool sound divine-chubby little 1930s babies in bonnets & bootees-adorable! 

Busy doing nothing.....

......trying to find lots of things not to do!!! I am beginning to feel that I have taken early retirement,life this week has taken me on a very leisurely stroll along a path paved with cake & conversation,culminating in a coffee morning at mamas this morning! Mama has reintroduced these happy little gatherings in the last couple of years-they were a regular feature during my teenage years when I was a willing or reluctant little helper-depending on the hormones that day! Usually game for a laugh,at the end of the morning I would entertain the 'old dears' whilst they did the washing up & counted the takings,by dressing up in the leftovers from the clothes stall-a typical ensemble being;a brown nylon zip up catsuit with giant lapels,a pair of moonboots & pompom hat-cue much raucous laughter & several coughing fits! Always in aid of animal charities but not always encouraging charitable behaviour in the ranks,I have born witness to many a silver haired set-to over the pricing of cuddly toys! Today we were raising funds for Shelterbox with lots of lovely ladies ranging in years from 30-odd to 80-odd, I have been promoted to the 'produce' stall-playing shop again,no dressing up but lots of laughs none the less! Of course I did not come home empty handed;2 books to add to the holding bay-love the covers,Spring flowers I won in the raffle,2 more Alfred Meakin plates,some sweet retro cocktail picks & lovely cards made by my mama,also coffee & walnut cake (not pictured here-for obvious reasons!). It has been a self indulgent week of sweet nothings,I am a lucky girl,but all good things must come to an end-back to the job in hand-no regrets....well,I do wish I'd kept that catsuit!!

Daytrippers.........

.....a day trip to St Ives today with my bestest friend Lulu & we had the happiest of days doing the things we like to do best;window shopping,talking & reminiscing,eating cake & laughing,always laughing! St Ives out of season makes for a grand day out-in Spring & Autumn its beaches are breathtaking,in Summer it belongs to the tourists & the seagulls-today was grey & drizzly but still there was its unmistakable light,glowing sands the colour of seaside ice cream & sea blending into sky. You cannot fail to be charmed by the narrow back lanes & alleys with the tall,higgledy-piggledy houses crammed into corners & spilling out of them,its not so hard to imagine how it must have looked in the artists heyday,when at every turn there was a picture in waiting. The town itself is awash with surf shops & so many cafes & bars,all having a little snooze before the rude awakening that is Easter! The little shops we crept into today were a joy to behold,my eyes feasted on so many glorious things I felt I would burst,oh we do live in such a pretty world-when we choose to see it that way & it gladdens the heart to know that some things are created simply for sheer delight & no other reason. So we satisfied our hunger for eye candy amongst pretty dresses,ribbons,books,cloth,china...so many darling pretties that I shall dream shop dreams again...Our desire for cake was satiated by taking tea at the Tate,with hypnotic views of that vanilla sand & we headed for home full to the brim......     

 

........this dear little 'confectioners' has been here just as long as I can remember & it always makes me smile,I love that it remains unchanged-holding its corner & proudly displaying its wares.....also on offer today-'frozen rabbits',a snip at £2.50-we resisted!