Gems

Bought Today.

Hockley Charity shop...

2 round blue and white tea plates
A blue and grey Betty Jackson Black bolero type cardi (with swinging balls). Perfect with long skirt and booties.

Then did the scenic long way back to Rochford...Lots of pastoral views and one contraflow.

And into the Faith Hope and Charity charity shop in Hedingham Place. Much more space and light with a new face behind the counter. A tall guy sporting a serious Mohican. "He's ok" said his silver haired colleague. He stooped under the weight of a thousand boxes.
I smiled knowing this was going to be a good shop.

I bought:
1 pair of blue and white gingham curtains. Really way too long for my wants but with a steady hand and sharp scissors I should be able to refresh the kitchen window. With the off-cuts will make a curtain to hide the bins and if there's any left might cover a cushion. We'll see.

1 heavy cream lace tablecloth. I swooshed it around looking for holes which shouldn't be there, but I found none, it was perfect.

2 large hardbacked recipe books. One a Hamlyn baking bookm the other devoted to British fare. Cullen Skink and all that.

Also leaving the shop with me was a small cardboard backed picture. It is of an old house by the sea and on the still sea a brown wooden boat and in the boat a boy in a red cap. The picture measures no more than 3x4. It was partially hidden in a box of other 'free' items. Items like leather bound black Bibles and red covered New Testaments and posy pictured pamphlets about Love.

The wording under the pretty picture was:

Kindness.

I shall pass through this world but once.
Any good thing that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow-creature, let me do it now, let me not defer or neglect it for I shall not pass this way again.

A satisfactory morning made even more satisfactory by a visit to the fish shop for a piece of freshly fried Cod Roe ...and bit 0' banter with Stavros. Innit.

:)