Sunday 31 July 2011

Cottage Tea Cup

Because it was so warm, I wasn't really in the mood for charity shopping!  Shock!  Horror!  Have you noticed that some charity shops get a bit, well ... how can I put this ... smelly in warmer weather?  Recently, everything that I have seen that I liked has been (with a few exceptions) overpriced, so I wasn't expecting much!


I'd almost given up on finding anything that I liked at a reasonable price when, tra la .....    I found these little beauties!


I already have some in this pattern, I wrote about them ages ago here.  But I like them so much, that I wanted a few more pieces to make up a set.  Love the little cottage and garden - so cute!


There they were, just sitting on the shelf, very, very reasonably priced, so I snapped them up!  Restored my faith in bargain hunting!


Been looking for a tea cosy like this for ages, this goes so well with my kitchen and was only £1.50 from Tesco!  Last time I saw one I liked in a charity shop it was over four pounds and it wasn't half as nice as this, although someone had marked "vintage" on the price tag!!!!!!  Good excuse to bump the price up!



Looking forward to seeing what you've found this week over at Flea Market Finds!

Love, Liz

Saturday 30 July 2011

Lovely Sunshine!

It's so warm here today, but I feel absolutely drained!  I have no energy!  Its not often we get a few days in a row of really sunny weather - just not used to it!  I'll apologise in advance - photos have nothing to do with post - they are of a dockside crane and I just fancied putting them in!


Overheard in a charity shop - sorry Scarlett (check out her blog for some great "overheards"!), its not often I hear anything worth reporting, but this was a classic! 


I think we've all noticed that charity shop prices seem to be on the rise - this woman was most put out!

I was just minding my own business when I overheard the woman, who was looking at the textiles rack, tut and mutter -
"£15 for wan curtain - that's £30 a pair - ridiculous, could buy new for cheaper!" 
I made the mistake of smiling in agreement with her, which prompted further revelations - it doesn't take much for Greenock folk to "share" with strangers! 
She indicated the skirt she  was wearing - emerald green in some sort of clingy material, and she wasn't a slim chick!
"Ah sweat a lot in this weather, so ah got this skirt in here yesterday, cost £4!  Then ah went tae Primark an' got wan fur £3 - brand new!  These places are gettin' terrible wi thur prices!"
What could I say - so true, I had to agree, but the sweaty bit was far too much information!
I promptly left (empty handed) before I was the recipient of any other personal information she might wish to share with me!
(Hope you understood the Scottish accent!)



Anyway, off to do housework  (if I can find the energy) - elder son and daughter in law arrive tomorrow for a week - so looking forward to seeing them!

Have a great weekend.

Love, Liz

Wednesday 27 July 2011

A Dangerous Year For Women!

What a dangerous year 1926 was!  I was reading through "These Tremendous Years 1919-1938" and came across practically the only page in which all the pictures were of women.



 
Some women really lived on the edge!


Cloche hats caused rashes - remember to ventilate the space behind the ears, ladies!


Immodest grannies could wear short skirts!  (Look out, Nelly!)


Dancing the Charleston could seriously damage your health and, as for jazz - that was barbaric!

Don't know why, but I love this picture!
And as for this woman - Anita Loos (writer of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) - what a dreadful effect she had on the morals of the British public!  I googled her and she seems to have had an amazing life - must find out more!

Anita Loos

So, girls, lets raise a glass to the women who defied convention ... and had a great time doing it!

Go girl!
Or as we say in Scotland - Gaun yirsel, hen!
Love, Liz

Tuesday 26 July 2011

Greenock - My Town

I think I must walk around my home town with blinkers on!  I only recently noticed these interesting pieces of art on buildings which I pass a couple of times a week!
 How could I not have noticed them before?  So, I got my trusty camera out, and feeling a bit like a tourist, took some snaps to share with you.  All these photographs were taken in Cathcart Square in Greenock. 



These lovely ladies are on either side of the carriage entryway to the town hall.



These decorate another entry to the town buildings.




These are above windows on a former bank building in the square.  Obviously they celebrate Greenock's great maritime past.


Now for some things I had actually noticed!  This is the Lyle Fountain.  One of Greenock's main industries was sugar refining (you may remember from another post about the ruined sugar refinery).  Abram Lyle was born in Greenock and provost from 1876-1879.  His company was joined with that of Henry Tate & Sons in 1921 to form Tate & Lyle, which still operates today, although not in Greenock.

This is the Victoria Tower, it was completed in 1886 and is part of our municipal buildings. 


I hope you've enjoyed this wee look at my home town.

Love, Liz

Sunday 24 July 2011

Ladybird Books - Bargains!

I love Ladybird books, but much prefer the older versions.  Found these in my favourite second-hand bookshop recently.



They cost just 10p each!  Five of them have dust jackets.  I think they are all from the 1960s.




Two, Julius Caesar and Robert the Bruce have the name of the publisher Wills & Hepworth on the dust jackets.



Three - King Alfred the Great, The Story of Nelson and The Story of Captain Cook - have this logo which I've not seen before.



My favourite is The Story of Ships - just love the illustrations!



Think I've done quite well for 60p!


Hope you got some good bargains this week.

Love, Liz

I'm linking up with Sophie Isabel at Her Library Adventures for Flea Market Finds

Friday 22 July 2011

Hearts and Flowers

I had totally forgotten about this little dish.


I bought it ages ago and it was in a box in the cupboard.  It's too nice to keep hidden away, so its new home is going to be on my desk and its new job is to hold all those little bits and pieces, like coins and paperclips which always seem to lie around!



Love the flowers and the little heart shaped cut-outs.



Hope you have a great weekend.

Love, Liz

Thursday 21 July 2011

I Love Hidden Object Games!

Ok, this is difficult to admit ... are you ready ...

My name is Liz, and I'm a hidden object games addict!


Even the little cat look embarrassed!
There, I said it!  They are my favourite time wasters fillers!  Have you ever tried them?


My all time favs are the Mystery PI games.  As in all hidden object games, you are given a scene and a list of objects which have been cleverly hidden.  You then have a certain amount of time to find all the objects, usually you can get hints if you are really stuck, but sometimes you have to earn these.  I've even managed to get a couple of friends addicted to enjoying these games!


I always thought computer games were for kids and nerds, but once I tried one of these I was totally hooked!  There are sites online where you can try out games for an hour for free.


Another favourite is the Dream Day series - Dream Day Wedding, Honeymoon, First Home etc - these are most definitely aimed at us girls!  I've only tried the freebie hour on these, as they are very difficult to obtain in games shops.  I've made it a mission to go into games shops and ask for them, the look on the (usually) geeky guy shop assistant is priceless - a (middle aged) woman asking for a game he's usually never heard of - outrageous!!!!!!!

So there you have it, that's my conscience clear for a wee while.  I only just last week discovered FreeCell ..... more distraction!

OK, come on girls, admit - what's your favourite pc time waster?!

Love, Liz