Shepton Mallet Flea Market

Treated ourselves to a weekend away for August Bank Holiday.

Glad we did, as the sun shone and we had a great time. 

Main destination was Shepton Mallet Flea Market.

Quite a few friends who are very reliable with recommendations said we 'had to go'. They were right.

Can't begin to describe this amazing event. A seemingly endless sea of stalls as far as we could see. Each one a gem. So much individuality. There really is something for everyone. 

We commented that we could have fitted out a whole house. Furniture, bedding, kitchen items etc etc and it would have been fab. Still gutted the car was too small to bring home a row of old cinema seats.

One of the few photos of John without a purchase...

Quite a few journeys back to the car....

Kevin contemplating how said purchases are to fit into said car. To quote Victoria Wood, it was a bit like a challenge on the Krypton Factor...

Somehow it all went in. 

The weekend had other highlights. Return visit to the National Trust gem 'Tyntesfield. House and gardens are wonderful. Clevedon was a new discovery. Loved the town, and particularly the pier. The only Grade 1 listed pier in Britain. Also Portishead. The Marina area is brilliant. Would move there tomorrow.

More travels planned soon. Lots of plans for the business as well. Watch this space.....

Summer Road Trip 2017

Cow & Ghost Summer Road Trip 2017

Day 1. 8.8.17

Salisbury. The Cathedral and Mompesson House.

Loved the shop at Mompesson House in Salisbury. Lovely project by the National Trust. When the last owner was restoring the house in the 1950's, he created a sort of bed sit in the old laundry. Wallpaper, curved false ceiling etc are original. After years as a store room, the Trust decided to restore / conserve it. 50's theme. Shelves specially commissioned to look like old larder cupboards and room dividers. A unique project, and it's WOW.

Day 2. 9.8.17

Mottisfont House, Chichester and the Cathedral.

Mottisfont House in Hampshire is beautiful. Set out as it would have been in the 1930's. Walled gardens are beautiful. House is built around the remains of a Priory, so unusual features galore. Tucked in a niche in the garden and all too easy to miss - we did at first - is this magnificent mosaic angel. Created by Russian artist Boris Anrep in 1947 and based on the then owner of the house Maud Russell.

Day 3. 10.8.17

Rye.

A return visit to Rye. It's as lovely as ever. Walking the streets there is like stepping back in time. Something to see at every turn. Added bonus of some rather nice antique shops, and one particularly brilliant vintage shop specialising in mid century items.

 Day 4, 11.8.17

Rye & Winchelsea.

The sun shone. Fantastic circular walk from Rye. Half way point was Winchelsea. What a gem of a town. Very much like Rye. A beautiful church which is well worth visiting. Also a rather nice pub....

Time to revisit Lamb House, home of  E F Benson and pay tribute to Mapp and Lucia.

Day 5. 12.8.17

Scotney Castle & Sissinghurst.

Scotney mansion was lived in until just a few years ago and still has the feeling of a home. Thrilled to spot a Welsh blanket, and loved the vintage kitchen. The ruined castle and garden have a wonderful romantic feel. Thrilled to have an hour to revisit Sissinghurst Castle Gardens afterwards. Hadn't seen it in summer. Home of Vita Sackville-West. Visit led us to watch the BBC film of her novel 'All Passion Spent'. Wonderful.

Day 6. 13.8.17

Looking for Enid.....

A fascinating old hotel in Tunbridge Wells. A recent book says Lord Lucan was hidden there before being smuggled from the country. We didn't see him...
On to Beckenham. A great walk around the town spotting the childhood homes of Enid Blyton. There are several. The family moved a few times. Just two doors away in one case.

Day 7. 14.8.17

West Wycombe Park.

A beautiful yellow house. The BBC have made it home to Lady Ludlow in 'Cranford', and more recently a hospital in the brilliant 'Man In An Orange Shirt'.

Day 8. 15.8.17

Hughenden & Bekenscot

A day of contrasts. Hughenden in the morning. Home of Disraeli. On to Bekenscot Model Village in the afternoon. More Blyton. Model of her now demolished home 'Green Hedges' and the recently rediscovered sundial salvaged from the rubble when the house was pulled down.

Day 9. 16.8.17

Ascott.

Not the races. The country residence of the Rothschild family. A gem to end the holiday on. Can't recommend house and garden highly enough. It really was a case of end on a high and leave them wanting.....

Lots more trips planned for Cow and Ghost though, and one very soon.... :-)

Brilliant Day

It's hard to know where to begin...

What can I say about the first fair we've hosted....

It was a brilliant day. Busy from start to finish.

A huge thank you to the friends and family who worked so hard and too the stall holders for making the hall look so wonderful. We can't begin to describe how everyone pulled together to create a fantastic atmosphere we'll never forget.

Support from every direction. The village and neighbouring villages turned out in force. Lots of familiar faces from fairs we have had stands at who came long distances to say hello. The posters and adverts did their job too. Great stories from people saying where they'd heard about it.

Thrilled to see so many ladies and gents in vintage costume. Added to the atmosphere beautifully.

Lots of the day is a blur, as it was so busy. We tried to take photos when we had a chance, but they don't do it justice.

The day has inspired us to do more.

Watch this space.....

A few photos of just some of the stalls. Hope it gives a flavour of the day.

and us :-)

All go.....

A very busy time at Cow & Ghost.

Just a week to go until we host our first fair. Lots to do, but also a lot done.

We have been busy delivering leaflets door to door, and have adverts in several local publications. Posters and flyers on display in local shops. Everyone has been so supportive when we've asked to display them. 

We were thrilled to get mentioned in a National magazine. We love 'Reclaim', and can't thank them enough.

Lots more to do before the 5th. Crossing fingers for a dry day.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Work & Play

A very busy few weeks at Cow & Ghost Towers.

Promotion for our fair is coming on a treat. Articles and adverts in a selection of local magazines. Leaflets distributed far and wide. Posters going up in shops and public buildings. We wanted to make a list, but there are literally too many to mention. Planning to leaflet the whole village this coming weekend. We feel it's an individual invitation to everyone in the community to come along. Really excited.

We have also had 4 fairs in 5 weeks, so things have been a touch hectic at the weekends.

As a well known horror film once said - "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". Couldn't risk that.... Treated ourselves to a day at Hampton Court Flower show. It was WOW to say the least.

Our favourite display was by a company selling the most amazing sheds and greenhouses. They had dressed them in vintage style and done it brilliantly. They looked like they had evolved over many years.

After all this we were exhausted to say the least. A little drink was called for. Lots more to do over the next few weeks and enjoying every bit of it :-)

Shiny Happy Motors

The sun has been cracking the paving slabs at Cow & Ghost Towers, so a jaunt out today to a vintage car show to hand out leaflets for our August event. Hoping to have a small show of vintage cars and bikes on the field behind the hall.

We love looking at them and talking to the owners. The passion and enthusiasm is catching. We always come away saying how much we'd like a vintage vehicle... One day, one day...

Lots of leaflets given out and lots of fun had. Round two next Sunday.

As we were leaving, spotted this on a lamp post. Had to include. Did make us smile.