Wednesday 28 August 2013

The Lost Weekend


Bloody hell, where have the last seven days gone? 


Last Thursday we headed off to the Upton Festival for the Bank Holiday weekend, experienced almost every type of weather known to man, met Pat Sharpe, watched (and danced to) the most bizarre line-up from Chesney Hawkes, The Wurzels, Toyah Willcox, Neville Staple, Bucks Fizz and Bad Manners and flogged vintage clothes galore to some fantastic people including the lead singer of the Brotherhood Of Man and her mad mates.


There's very few photos 'cos we were hard at it from 10am to well after midnight each night, not just trading but because we were on wee watch. Camping in the main arena meant poor old Gilbert was a prime target for surreptitious pissing. Our stall was a draw for vintage clothes, impromptu hairdressing (mostly for the under 10's who all wanted twin buns like mine) and drunken chats with revellers who seemed to find us fascinating.


So we can go out and play this Friday night we decided to get everything sorted for Saturday's Antiques & Collectors fair once we'd got home on Monday evening.

This is how the dining room (aka the room of doom) looks right now. That sunflower & stripe 1950s Horrockses blouse is a beauty, isn't it?
After taming our tremendously overgrown garden, tending to a starving stray cat who turned up on the doorstep (I'm going to adopt him if he comes back) and catching up with 96 unread blog posts, yesterday afternoon and today were spent putting up trestle tables, sorting through bags of donations and helping to get everything ready for the monthly jumble sale.


Not all work though, we managed to find ourselves some groovy vintage bits and pieces whilst we were at it.


There's more but it's either in the washing machine or hanging up outside. (Poor bugger, it's been on constantly since we got back, all my unsold stock gets rewashed after a festival.)


 Here's some household bits I'm keeping - Foreign-made pink china poodles, a plant stand in dire need of a makeover, a pretty vintage towel, a 1950s bevelled mirror, a vinyl pouffe and two pairs of groovy 1970s curtains.

Carol Classics of New Zealand maxi (Courtesy of the fabulous Op Shop Mama), Yellow corsage (99p, Scope)
This morning was the first time in 13 days I've managed to squeeze in an exercise session, for  underachievers we seem to be working rather too hard! 


No rest for the wicked though, it's the actual jumble sale tomorrow and Joan's put up her prices - 70p for a dress, 40p for a top, 50p for trousers and £1 for a pair of curtains. I predict a riot or at least a stack of abuse from the disgruntled Black Country Grannies!

Thanks for the amazing feedback on my last post. I hope I've managed to visit anyone who was kind enough to leave a comment.

See you soon.

Wednesday 21 August 2013

Rock 'n' Roll Underachiever



Over the weekend we were part of an audience with Julian Cope, the former singer/songwriter from legendary Post-punk band, The Teardrop Explodes, and now a political & cultural activist, expert on Neolithic culture and occasional dabbler in the occult.


He's highly articulate, outrageously dressed and considered by many to be slightly mad but, on describing himself as a rock'n'roll underachiever, a person who doesn't give a toss about making it big, remaining true to who they are and living each day as it comes, I felt like he could have been describing me.

No sodding bucket lists, people-pleasing or whoring your arse for world domination.



Many people will see me as being slightly weird about not having some big life plan. After being pushed into a career I hated and fighting the subsequent depression it caused I've spent the last 14 years just being glad to be alive. I live within my means, sell vintage to pay the bills and as long as I can afford to travel and attend a handful of music festivals throughout Summer I'm happy for Kinky Melon to stay the two-bit enterprise it is.


I want for nothing, I don't endlessly trawl the internet looking at stuff I can't afford, subscribe to magazines that try to brainwash me into hankering after a wardrobe full of fashionable clothes with a shelf life shorter than a jar of jam and avoid blogs which post wishlists of unattainable stuff like a spoilt kid does at Xmas. If you want it just shut up, save for it and share it once you've paid for it.


I don't have a tick-list of things I need have accomplished before I reach some magical age. I don't consider myself a failure for never having skydived, juggled or bungee-jumped. I fill my time doing things I want to do, not stuff to impress others with.


I started my blog in 2009 as a creative outlet for the dialogue in my head, not for freebies, for fame or to be a poster girl for an alternative 40-plus/frugal lifestyle. The friendships I've made in the last four years are a wonderful and unexpected bonus. I'm still hugely touched that anyone reads my ramblings let alone bothers to leave a comment or to send an email.


I'd much rather receive a second-hand find from thoughtful fellow blogger (like Emma who spotted these additions to the Wall of Misery whilst at a car boot sale in France; the Hawaiian dress I'm wearing and the purple midi and brown maxi behind me from op-shopping queen, Linda in NZ and the charcoal Berketex maxi from lovely Lucy in Wales) rather than accept a handout to promote a company with dubious ethics.

It may sound boring but I'm happy as I am. If my life didn't change for the next 20 years I honestly wouldn't mind.

Honolulu-made 1970s midi dress worn with woven suede belt (Age UK, 50p, 2009), Bertie leather boots and Alpaca, Mexico silver choker (both from car boot sales) and a heap of silver jewellery from India

Cope reckons that an underachiever would make the most of being unexpectedly stranded on a desert island whereas overachievers (like his antithesis, U2) would be planning an immediate escape.

So, what would you do? Are you one of us?

Kinky Melon is off to the Upton Festival tomorrow, see you next week!

Monday 19 August 2013

We've Gone Green, Man!




Oh yes, it's Vix & Jon at yet another festival.


A photo-heavy post featuring unwashed, dishevelled folk, having the time of their lives.






This time we were revellers rather than sellers so an entire four days of uninterrupted 14-hour drinking sessions, crazy dancing, listening to the best in Indie, psychedelia and folk music whilst absorbing the magic of the Black Mountains.


The Green Man Festival, the pride of Wales.


 Surely the most gorgeous location in the UK. 


And only one afternoon of rain!


Check out those ominous clouds coming in from the mountains.


 Here's the entrance from live-in vehicle camping to the main festival site. 


The obligatory self-portrait.


Sunshine, cider, sounds...Summer doesn't get much better.


Highlights? John Cale, Patti Smith, Kings Of Convenience, Edwin Collins, Half Moon Rising, an audience with the legendary Julian Cope. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Ben Howard, too (although it could have been the gin's influence).


Loved the outdoor drum'n'bass disco (as you can probably tell).


It wasn't all hedonism, mind you. We managed a four mile ramble along the banks of the River Usk


Dressed in our usual rambling attire.


And spent a wonderful afternoon in nearby Crickhowell.


 Explored the town's charity shops (Jon found himself a vintage jacket to die for).


 And ate chips in the shadow of the castle (built in 1121).


In hindsight maybe an eight-mile walk with an arthritic hip wasn't the greatest idea but after a can of gin and tonic and a couple of ibuprofen I was ready for Saturday night.


It didn't half get cold after sunset. Thank goodness for the festival camp fire (and the 1970s Indian quilted block-printed jacket I snaffled from a car boot sale a couple of weeks ago).



The Green Man is ritually burnt at Midnight followed by a spectacular firework display. 


What a weekend! I can't wait to go back. 


I've a billion blogs to read, a mountain of washing to tackle and another festival to prepare for but sod that..there's a dial-a-pizza on the way and a couple of cats in need of a cuddle in front of the TV.

See you soon!

Linking to Patti's Visible Monday - a day late.

Wednesday 14 August 2013

Charity Shop Gold - Vintage Emilio Pucci



Hmmmm...what was it I said about no more shopping this side of the Green Man? I take it all back. I had to pop into town for some safety pins and couldn't resist touring the chazzas on the way back.


Just when I didn't think I could top my Ossie Clark maxi from a fortnight ago along comes an Emilio Pucci jacket! 

Turquoise cocktail ring (Miss Magpie) and bad ass lime green nail polish (Our Em)

I found it's twin on a swanky US vintage website HERE for the bargain price of $795. Much as I love a bit of vintage psychedelia I love to travel a whole lot more so this jacket will be making it's way to Kinky Melon's stock room after I've had my fun.


I'm not sure what's going on but despite a drunken night out (which may explain the fuzzy tone to these pictures, Jon's head still isn't quite right) I'm already packed, ready for an early getaway to Wales in the morning.

'scuse the headscarf, I managed to dye my forehead as well as my roots and no amount of nail polish remover seems to be able to shift it.
It's a rarity to have no stock to load so I'm taking full advantage and packing a bastard massive amount of clothing. It is the UK and our weather is a bit schizo to say the least. I've got to allow for torrential rain, plummeting temperatures, boiling hot sunshine, gale force winds, mud, trekking across fields, negotiating portaloos in the dead of night, all day drinking and dancing like a nutter.


Obviously there's also wellies, a waterproof mac, sandals, gloves (my hands get frozen gripping a pint late at night), a feather boa, over-the-knee rainbow socks, fake flowers, garlands and bands for my hair, an array of tights in neon colours, a parasol, a heap of jewellery, sunglasses, some knickers and an umbrella.


Jon reckons his car-booted 1970s tracksuit fits the bill for a weekend of hardcore festival-ing, I'm not so convinced myself.

Emilio Pucci cotton velvet jacket worn with 1960s Janice Wainwright for Simon Massey maxi, jumble sale scarf, Krista made pendant and orange suede platforms from rock star Helga
I'm off to Asda to buy my body weight in cider, fancy cheeses and olives.
Have a fantastic weekend (seems a bit odd saying that on a Wednesday) and see you next week!