Friday 19 April 2013

Crawling out of the woodwork

Yes, I've finally surfaced.  Whaddya mean you hadn't noticed I'd been away?  Cheeky.  It's all this going to bed early mallarky.  It leaves me no time to do anything.  Blogging included.  Yeah, I know, I'm such a saddo.  I need to get a life.

When I've not been an A1 dullard, I've been taking photos of my recent jumble sale spoils.  Wanna butchers?

Four of these blue dishes for 30p:



A cute Holkam pottery lidded bowl for 50p:



My new compost bin (50p):



Two single sheets and two pillow slips in this:


A handy jumble sale tip.  It's always a good idea to keep stalking the bric-a-brac table/s as sometimes, new stuff gets put out or you simply spot something that you didn't spot the first time round - often because it was lurking underneath something else.  Take this little beaut which I spotted on my second trawl around the bric-a-brac.  It was covered in cutesy animal figurines (they were horrid) and all I saw was this:



Once cutesy and horrid ornaments were removed and lo and behold, it's a fabulous glass covered tray with a Vernon Ward print.  A mere 30p.







Another handy jumble sale tip is don't be scared of grubby.  One of my favourite purchases, my large enamel colander which I use as a fruit bowl was, on first sight, not pretty. 


Scrubbed up a treat though.
Neither was this:


I'd been searching for a mirror to go into our not so newly wallpapered loo for ages.  Mirrors on ebay cost far too much especially when you factor in delivery and I really didn't want to pay a lot.  Anyway, this mirror was lurking in a box under the bric a brac tables and not only was it hideously grubby but it was sticky.  Readers, I'm not squeamish but it was seriously sticky.  Eeeewww!  So sticky and grubby in fact that I baulked at the 50p the helper wanted to charge me.  Well, Mr J and P was more than happy to pay 50p for it and after a good scrub, it's not half bad. 




We went away for a week over Easter to visit Grandpappy J and P in the Lake District and one of the topics of conversation was who was the most embarassing parent. According to Little Miss J and P, little old me is the most embarassing * shock horror*.  Mainly because I'm, in her words, "always singing and humming." In public too. Perfectly normal behaviour in my book.

Grandpappy J and P (aka Mr J and P's dad) was definitely the most embarassing parent according to his offspring. When Mr J and P and brother lived at home, Grandpappy frequently used to take himself off for a walk wearing his dressing gown over his clothes and clutching a cup of tea.

Mr J and P's bruv told me of the time that Grandpappy turned up at his school to some event wearing the shortest of shorts (as was the fashion in the 70s), a wide brimmed straw hat (probably a woman's) and smoking the stub of a cigar. Classic.

Grandpappy, I salute you.  After all, we embarrassing parents must stick together.

How about you?  Are you an embarrassing parent and, if so, why?  How did your parents succeed in embarrassing you?  Do tell.  I want to hear all the gory details.   xx


23 comments:

  1. Love the woods ware and the sheets of course. Yep I'm a very embarrassing parent....I make it my ultimate goal in life, and my girls know it....poor things! :) x

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  2. I am an embarrassing parent because I love to dance in public and I have purple hair!

    Hope

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  3. Great finds Loo ... I love Woods Ware and use it as my every day crockery now. Oh you can't be scared of the grubbiness and stickiness ... that's where the bargains lie!

    I'm definitely the most embarassing, I always say the wrong thing and at occasions like school plays, etc, all my children said they spot me straight away, I'm the one in the audience looking over-excited, with a manic grin on my face ... oh, well, we can't all be cool, can we? Love the story about Granpappy!

    Whereabouts in the Lake district did you go? I'm only a stone's throw from the Lovely Lakes.

    Have a Wonderful Weekend

    Love Claire xx

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  4. I've got to admit, I sort of struggle to think of the most embarrassing things my parents did, I've never felt that embarrassed by them - I guess that's a good thing?!

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  5. Fab finds Loo! I was put off my one jumble sale experience and have never set foot in one since. One lady tried to give us a box of free in the newspapers DVD's and CD's. Um, no thank you.
    I love the image of Grandpappy in his short shorts!
    Embarrassing stories? I went school uniform shopping with my nan who said in a very loud voice to a shop assistant, "We need some of those PE Knicks!" Knicks being her word for knickers. Andy's mother took him Dr Marten shopping when he was a teen and asked the woman in the shop for some Dr. Whites .....

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  6. What brilliant bargains, love all the enamelware and fabric. Grandpappy sounds quite a character. My Dad totally embarrassed me by turning up at the youth club disco to collect me at 9PM!!!! I mean, it finished at 1030, now I am an adult I realise how lucky I was to have parents that cared.

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  7. I'm on a high from today's jumble sale! Nobody is in the least bit interested in my kind of stuff so I use the other punters like a sieve - stand back, let them grab all the high street stuff and then the old stuffs left for me.
    Love the pot with the cats on top! xxx

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  8. I love woods ware too, im collecting the green ones, and the compost bucket would have come home with me too. My grandad had a robin reliant, i used to beg him not to pick me up from school! You just dont see them thesedays so im sure they will become cool one day! I sing and hum too, luckily claud is still of an age where she sings her way to kindy too!

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  9. Your bathroom wall paper is amazing! I love it.
    My mum told me recently that when I first started secondary school, she came to meet me at the station with a brolly, as it was raining. But when I came out with my friends, she hid in a bush... as not to embarrass me :) super cute!

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  10. Great Woods Ware finds Loo, especially as the blue is not as common as the green. You certainly did well at the jumble

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  11. Nice finds, Loo, loving the tray and the mirror (now it's non-sticky...)
    Grandpappy sounds quite wonderful. I am the most embarrassing parent, for any number of reasons (public singing, dancing, loud laughter, mad clothes) but do I care? I do not. It's good for them. And secretly they are proud of me, I'm sure, it's just a very very well-kept secret.... xxxxx

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  12. ooh I love seeing jumble sale bargains, sadly there aren't too many my way but at least I get to go to car boot sales on Sundays-can't wait and hoping for bargains of my own.

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  13. looks like you found some fabulous bargains!

    Nikki x

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  14. Oh the wee container with the pussy-cats on is so very cute. I love the new wall-paper in the loo and said un-sticky mirror looks fabulous.
    I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.
    love V

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    1. The mirror clean up well! It looks perfect with your fabulous wall paper. You really got lots of great items, my favorite (besides the mirror) is the Holkam pottery lidded bowl, so cute!!!!
      I was part of the embarrassing children club that then became an embarrassing parent as I should!

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  15. Fab post for many reasons.
    Love the new finds and such a great story about Grandpappy's style way back when!
    Lisa x

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  16. LOVE your scores! Yes it's always worthwhile having a good scrounge around and a second look!! That tray is awesome. The Iris plates are beauties.. 4 for 30p!!! Bargain!
    I love the bathroom mirror - perfect with your wallpaper!

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  17. You got some great stuff! I really love the compost bin - yes weird, but it's brilliant. The bottoms tend to rust away - ooh er, so it's great to find one complete. Love the kitties and the simple blue dishes too!. You're back on form!

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  18. Great jumble sale finds!
    Mandy x

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  19. Brilliant finds love the little cat pot and I am loving your wall paper in your bathroom that is gorgeous. dee x

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  20. nice to see you back! lovely finds xx

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  21. I'm president of the embarrassing parent club according to mine, it's a badge I wear proudly. They embarrass me too (sometimes)
    I love your mirror Loo (perfect against that gorg wallpaper) and I know what you mean about sticky (years of grime sticky - if you think about it too much while you're scrubbing it off, you'd probably vomit, right?) Grandpappy J and P sounds a. ok to me - he can join our club too!
    x

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  22. Lol, I love reading your posts, they always make me giggle.....oh and you and your Jumble finds! You are indeed an expert! Karen x

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