I really can’t believe that six months has gone by since my last blog. As well as attending fairs and running my Etsy shop, I have been busy in the garden and enjoying a few Cornish breaks. Here are my monthly highlights …

Back in April I attended a watercolour workshop at the O2 in London run by the very talented Eleanor Tomlinson. She was the illustrator responsible for the very poignant picture of our late Queen with Paddington Bear that went viral. I have experience of using watercolour pencils but have always wanted to try using paints. Eleanor was such a lovely lady and I can thoroughly recommend the course. Later in April she released the “Coronation Capers” collection of prints and homewares featuring a variety of regal canine scenes. I couldn’t resist adding one of her coronation mugs to my collection.     

I was down in Cornwall on the day of the King’s Coronation at the beginning of May. I really enjoyed watching all the pageantry on tv and celebrating with family.

In June I attended the wonderful Chiddingstone Castle Summer Vintage Fair here in Kent. I booked a bigger pitch than usual and persuaded my husband to drive me and all my wares to the venue in his vintage Campervan (affectionately known as Desmond). I usually use Mabel, my little Fiat 500, but stock space is very limited! I was even able to incorporate a few small furniture pieces into my stall and thoroughly enjoyed curating a larger display. Thank you to all those of you who visited – it was a very successful day and I hope to return in 2024.

In July there was a very important birthday in our family. My dear cat Boots was 17. I know that some cats can reach 20 plus years but Boots is now the oldest pet I have had. He suffers from arthritis and his fur is not as thick and fluffy as it once was, but he is still gorgeous! When I had to source some vintage props for my daughter who was planning a coronation inspired corgi photoshoot I asked that she take the photo above of “King Boots” to celebrate his special day too!

In August my husband and I reached 35 years of marriage which is a coral wedding anniversary. We are both huge fans of the rock group Queen so celebrated by visiting the Freddie Mercury Exhibition at Sotheby’s and seeing the We Will Rock You musical in London. Both were amazing!

Now we are nearing the end of September. The days are getting shorter and most of the flowers are fading in my garden – except my colourful cosmos! My grandsons helped me grow several cosmos plants from seeds that I had purchased at Kew Gardens. My husband bought me a mini greenhouse for my birthday back in March so we started them off in trays in there and then transferred the seedlings to individual pots when they were big enough. We had so many successful plants that the boys sold several for pocket money to local neighbours and friends! The ones I transferred to my garden have been stunning and are still flowering now.

As we enter into Autumn l start to plan for my Christmas fairs. I’ll be selling virtually on instagram with @thewealdenbazaar on Saturday 21st October and in person on Saturday 4th November at Penshurst Village Hall in Kent. As always I’ll be popping some Christmas stock into my Etsy shop too so keep a look out for some seasonal homewares and festive makes!