But seeing some sunshine at last, after the torrential rain of yesterday, made me want to wear something light and bright and a little bit girly.
It wasn't quite warm enough for bare legs though, and my legs are still in winter mode - the world isn't ready for the sight of them yet.
Just checking my petticoat is in place. A girl always needs to check up on her undergarments.
I went to a Jumble Sale preview on Friday night. There was a time, B.C. (Before Children), that a Friday night was always a Big Night Out, but times have changed...
Still, the opportunity to go to a Jumble Sale preview along with the dealers in-the-know was not to be sneezed at. How I got invited to go along is like some bizarre Six Degrees of Separation spoof involving a friend, her sister, and the sister's ex-butcher, but I won't bother you with the details. Suffice to say, I was there in the queue at 9pm outside a Scout hall in a leafy suburb on the outskirts of Sheffield, ready for a rummage.
I did OK. The system seemed a little haphazard; everyone dived in, picked up whatever they wanted, shoved it in bags or boxes which were then left in a pile while you went back to search some more. When you'd done, the man in charge tipped out your items, ran a cursory eye over your selection, and came up with a fairly random figure. Some dealers were haggling; I just paid, without really knowing if he was overcharging me or not. It turned out I paid an average of 35p an item, which is fine with me.
So obviously there is too much to show you everything, I'll pick out the highlights. There was actually some vintage - yay!
Burn, baby, burn - Disco Inferno! 1970s blingy disco frock.
1970s frock, I think it will look fab with tan boots and my green hat.
Another fantastic 1970s dress with a cape front and back. It's too small for me so to Ebay she will go.
Aquascutum wool wrapover coat. It's a bit big for me, and I tend to look like a sack of spuds in this style of coat, but Aquascutum? For 35p? It's a shame such a historic firm has just gone out of business. I'll probably store the coat till winter, then Ebay it.
Love the print on this duvet cover.
Who remembers Champion the Wonder Horse? These annuals are from 1957 and 1960.
1970s pomander.
This has to be the most curious item I found. I'm not certain, but I think it's an egg (ostrich?) It's quite big, with a hole in the bottom, and an African village scene painted on it.
Goodness knows what to do with it, but who wouldn't want a painted ostrich egg in their home?
Although the egg is the Oddity of the Week item, my Star Find sadly didn't actually end up coming home with me. I spotted a leather hat box/vanity case, possible 1940-50s, lurking under a table and snaffled it, adding it to my pile. A little later, I noticed a woman taking it off my stash and adding it to her's. When I approached her, the hatchet-faced harridan with a Croydon facelift started shouting at me that she'd seen me take it from her pile, and yelled "I'm not arguing with you!" in a really aggressive manner, Err, really?
Short of kicking her in the shins, snatching the case, and running away with it to hide until she had gone back to whatever hellhole she inhabits, there wasn't much I could do. Should I have engaged in some unseemly tug-of-war over it? I am imagining a Melanie cartoon version of this, which is making me chuckle! She was lying - I knew it, and she knew it. But she left with the case. And I was left with my integrity and my dignity intact, but feeling pissed off.
What would you have done?
Oh well, it's only stuff.
After all, I'm a lady, not a fighter!
xxxx
