worlds end!!!!!

 

....sorry,I mean Lands End of course!! At the risk of causing offence here,I have to say that this is possibly THE most joyless and inappropiate tourist attraction that my beloved Cornwall has to offer,infact when you are engulfed by its 'attractions' you could be anywhere in the country-were it not for the signs,and there are plenty of those! You feel like you are on a film set,the buildings appear to have been temporarily placed-they are so at odds with the beauty mother nature has bestowed on this toe of land dipping in the sea! The 'shopping village' is an evil emporium,peddling amongst other delights-London buses and pencil sketches of Michael Jackson! The cafe even manages to vulgarise the humble pasty and serves a cream tea that surely was once labelled 'display only! We visit once a year,for one reason only-I am ashamed to say,not for the views (that also turn their back on this blot on the landscape) ,as I hate heights (even more,I hate to see my children near the edge!!) so I keep well back-no,we go only for Georges pleasure,Lands End is also-randomly-home to a rather sketchy Doctor Who exhibition,complete with dodgy mannequins displaying 'actual' costumes from recent series! I was momentarily cheered by the site of the swoonsome David Tennant (who has that geek thing going on),ok not him but his stripy suit,which I noted was alarmingly small-skinny whippet! Anyway the little fella' loves it,so we grin and bare it,all its gore,the scary creatures in their ill fitting costumes,the dodgy sets with bits falling off and Im not talking about the Doctor Who exhibition here! 

shopgirl in a whirl....

....well what a wonderful whirl of a week its been since we opened last Sunday-I feel that my feet have hardly touched the ground...business has been good,but that almost feels like an aside,I have had the best of times and have been truly overwhelmed by frienship and kindness! I have had the pleasure of treasured friendships,the kindling of new friendships and the joy of  fleeting friendships,like the charismatic Canadian lady in her 60s and on a cruise who I met last week! She was a delight and we shared a happy half hour chatting away-she was carrying a lovely 'purse' fashioned as an airmail letter which she opened to show me her Kindle (electronic book),I want one! and a lovely wallet she had which was made from the a laminated page from a 'real' book,a copy of Little Women,she bought a notebook from me,made by mama,covered with a print taken from a vintage girls annual-it all seemed to be about books-before she retired she had taught childrens literature. She flagged down her passing husband (of just 3 years) to ask his advice on the notebook,which was a gift for a 12 year old 'Goth' whose family they were going to visit,this debonair Scottish gent was most pleased to note that I had been a demi-'Goth' myself once,'Och',he said 'theres hope,she may turn out like you one day then!'-poor kid!

I have also been showered with kindness this past week,I have been given some treasures which I will share with you on another day and kind words have been spoken here and here -so sweet,Lucy at Blue Door brought a tear to my eye as did my dear lil' sis Sofi who wrote this-thankyou to you all-you've made me a happy twirly whirly shopgirl!x 

Servants' Undergarments

Servants' Undergarments
Originally uploaded by LES® is more photography

.....this made me laugh today!!!!!! A friend was searching Flikr and found this picture,which just happens to be our washing on the line in our back yard! I am so pleased that I had hung my pretty pillowcases out to dry that day,this is a really popular spot for taking photos,people often look shocked when the gate opens and out we all troop! This is why I don't peg out our 'undergarments',though it would be great to hang out a line of giant bloomers and y-fronts for the tourists!!

virtual shop tour.....

....well I made it,I am now a shopkeeper-a dream come true! It has been a mad couple of months making this special journey,but I can well and truly say that it has been worth the uphill climb and I now have a shop to share with my family and friends and it already feels like home! Last week is now a blur,Saturday night and Sunday morning felt like an episode of 60minute makeover,dashing about like a headless chicken and true to form I was I finished just minutes before the deadline,still making price tags at 1.45 when the grande opening was at 2pm! The sun shone in through the window all day long and we all enjoyed a selection of Mr Kiplings finest and prettiest offerings, and with so many special people around us it felt like our wedding day all over again,a delightful and memorable day that warmed my heart and killed my feet! When Monday morning came around I couldn't believe I was going to 'work' for the first time in 5 years-but of course it doesn't feel like that at the moment-this is the honeymoon period I know-I am surrounded by lovely treasures, treasured friends pop by for a chat and I am a very proud parent when customers admire my cute new baby! Today was my second day at the office,spent tweeking and fiddling,with a little bit of selling and a lot of nattering,tomorrow is my day off-its Wednesday...car boot day-so my mama is shopgirl for the day,Im sure she will undertake to chat on my behalf! For now,less of the chat lets get on with the tour,no more words,just pictures-hop to my flikr page later if you fancy a more detailed guide to the Fine and Dandy emporium....be lovely to see you any time!

I will start from the door and do a full sweep!

....hope you enjoyed your visit-opening hours are 11-5.30 Monday-Friday,closed Saturday,11.30-5.30 on a Sunday,

our address is;

Fine and Dandy

Melville House

Marazion

Cornwall

TRI7 OAP

Tel:01736 710611

take a peep....

....just a little look at the Finest and Dandiest shop in the land! Still plenty to do-like add some stock,but I knew you'd like a preview before the big day on Sunday! No blogging now until after the event,but I will be thinking of you my blog friends in far flung places,thankyou for all your lovely words as I have realised my shopgirl dreams! I will take plenty of photos for your virtual tour and will be back very soon to share....

P.S do you recognise the chair from an earlier post,it had a makeover!x 

booty shots....

.....just wanted to show off yesterdays treasure after they had a bath this morning!Sorry I can't stay to chat,I really should'nt be here,so much shopgirl preparation still to be done......x