....mission impossible.....

...at the beginning of the week i ran away...

....i could see the rest of the week

was going to be manic....

...so decided to escape to our house in 

lyme regis...

...it was definitely therapeutic...

....although the sun was struggling to

break through those clouds!

....but i had a list of jobs that also needed

ticking off whilst i was on my 'jolly'..

....it really wasn't my day...

...nothing was going my way and it felt

like a mission impossible...

....so i called in to see my lovely friend

at ruby rockcake 

for a bit of moral support...

....oh and these goodies!

...yes whilst bemoaning my despair 

my eye was distracted by a lovely 

new delivery from dicky bird..

(squirrel!)

...so that made me feel a bit better

(thank you caroline)

..time was running out so i decided to cut my losses in lyme and head for bridport...

...a quick dash into the vintage quarter...

(loved this old fairground duckie

but he wasn't what i was looking for)

.....this is my favourite shop in bridport..

cornucopia is a vintage haven

of clothing, fabrics, kitsch....

....hats!

....thought this would be cute

with my new orla kiely dress

bought on ebay at a bargain price!

(hat sorted!)

couldn't resist this little chap either...

you know me....

...things were looking up..

i also foraged this pretty tablecloth...

....lovely colours and all those stitches...

....and this lovely statue of a little dutch boy 'bartje'.....

...but i never did quite tick 

all those boxes..

...and some of those jobs

which seemed so vital on monday...

...somehow don't seem to matter so much today..

...i am up early this morning 

as i have the busiest weekend of the year ahead and my mind is too busy for sleep...

...fingers crossed for some sunshine

as i have 200 people for lunch on saturday!

..have a lovely weekend

and do pop over to the shop

if you have a moment

as i have restocked my shelves!

x

....they say if you want to get ahead..........

...get a hat!

..and there must be some truth in that....

...some of the best people just wouldn't be the same without theirs...

....but lately there has been a change..

..every year we attend a 'hat function'.....

...but gradually, year on year,

the hats have disappeared!?!

...i love to wear hats...

..and i love to see people wearing them too..

...they make a special occasion 

really special...

..but nobody seems to want to wear them any more....

...so now at this function...

...i sit alone in my hat...

...determined never to give in...

..but despite the compliments

even i am starting to question myself..

...do i look silly, odd....

...heaven forbid....OLD FASHIONED?

aaargh...

...i agree that these rather stiff looking

creations are not what i'm pining for...

..this year i wanted something 'gatsby',

...a soft, pretty straw hat...

...not too big or formal...

...but can i find one?

...because sadly the impact of this trend..

...is that hat shops are very rare.

...my other problem is that i actually already found the perfect hat....

...i tried on some beauties at the 

eridge country living fair...

...made by the talented

gil fox

...they were perfect....

..but just a tad beyond my budget...

...so for now i have this option...

...which is vintage and cute

... but a bit tight...

...or

i go bare- headed!?!?

now that would cause a stir!

X

...everybody needs some bunny.....

...meet baby bun and his yummy bunny mummy...

...rescued from their flooded warren...

...the vanilla squirrel has stitched

 a little baby blankie...

....added some matching ribbons...

...and a few vintage embroidered flowers

 for mummy's apron...

...and with a fresh carrot to nibble

...they are ready for a new life....

 ...adoption papers for lost buns

...available in my etsy shop!

X

..when is enough enough???

..or 'when does love become obsession'?

...when you have a squirrelly gene...

(like many of us do!)

...it's just second nature to hoard away

items we fall in love with...

...'collecting' if you prefer..

..it starts with a 'coup du coeur'..

...like this darling tin i found on ebay...

...i saw it and knew i had to have it...

...i loved the illustration...

...and there were those red shoes of course...

...and then a few months later...

woo hoo!!! i spied THIS one...

....red wellies and cute piglets 

running around the sides...

 ..well it matched the other one..

...and it felt almost too good to be true...

...oh and then...

..you've guessed it...

...another one to add to my growing hoard/collection....

when to stop?

even i can appreciate that space is running out...

...but i know if i find another one...

i won't be able to resist...

...is it love?

...is it obsession?

when do you know when to stop?

maybe just move house!?!

X

.....making a quick getaway......

....we didn't go far....

....just down the road in fact....

....but it felt like a million miles away...

...a husband's birthday 

and a well timed night off prompted this 

happy little jaunt to dorchester...

..the town is undergoing some major new development....

...upcycling on a massive scale!

just a stones throw away from the high street

the old, beautiful brick industrial buildings

are being given a new lease of life...

...with a modern twist...

...clever architecture linking the old 

with the new....

....creating a lively new heartbeat...

...we sipped frascati as our children

skipped in and out of the fountains...

..oh yes...it wasn't just the children...

(how many glasses of frascati?)

...this looked amazing as it got dark...

...and they changed colour too...

...there was quite a bit of this...

(oops sorry diet!)

...and it felt really quite cosmopolitan

sitting here with coffee and antipasti..

....a real treat and just a little bit exciting too....

.... we stayed overnight at the

 spangly new 'premier inn'....

...allowing for more pootling around town..

....more coffees...

...and a hop around my favourite

dorchester curiosity centre ....

for some lovely lucky finds...

...we had such a fun time...

...and i am looking forward to the completion of this challenging development...

..a new arts centre, a large hotel, shops

and more residential buildings...

...of course there are worries for 

the old town...

...but i can't help thinking it will

be a wonderful addition to the whole area.

p.s.

....just thought i'd pop these vintage buttons

on at the end to share with you...

...i'd forgotten i'd bought them...

...so was doubly pleased to open them

when they arrived!

X