Booty Call - The Return of the Midweek Car Boot Sale

It might be freezing cold but Spring is definitely in the air. The Wednesday car boot sale is back on and Jon & I can get our weekly shopping fix. Yesterday, with a pocketful of loose change and the alarm set extra early we wrapped up, grabbed our bags and headed off to the countryside in pursuit of a few bargains. 

Jon got off to a great start with a vintage car horn for £1.

Amongst a heap of shoddy high street synthetics this vintage cotton velvet & chiffon maxi dress stood out a mile. The elastic in the cuffs needed replacing but that took all of ten minutes to tackle.

It smelt a bit musty so I bunged it in the tumble dryer with a lavender bag on the delicate setting for 20 minutes and it came out much fresher. The only time we ever use the tumble drier (which we inherited) is for reviving non-washable clothing.

If you're wondering, this is the remains of the Edwardian summerhouse that stands in the garden of my parental home (more here). In my childhood it rotated to face the sun but these days I reckon one over-enthusiastic push will result in a pile of timber suitable only for the wood burner. We've removed the stained glass windows for future restoration.

Isn't this scarf gorgeous? Louis Armstrong & Louise Brooks, shame it's not my colour.

Vintage brooches galore. They'll be heading to Kinky's stall next weekend in Nottingham.

These two dresses were filthy but, despite the raw silk one having a Dry Clean Only label, I threw them in the washing machine on a 30 degree wash with a sprinkling of soda crystals and they came out fine.

As you know I'm a huge fan of Samuel Sherman's vintage Dollyrockers label. Sambo Fashions was his original line, established in the late 1940s. With the Ace side zip, this one would date from the 1950s.

Car boots aren't just about the second hand shopping, there's also bargains to be had with fruit & veg. A bagful of carrots, mixed peppers, cauliflower, red onions, potatoes, tomatoes, coriander and chillies came to a grand total of £3. Roasted veg with Lidl's Haloumi for tea last night, veggie burgers this evening, carrot & coriander soup for lunch for the next couple of days and a huge pot of Aloo Gobi (my South Indian gravy is already made and I'll add freshly cooked cauliflower & potatoes) to last us through the weekend.

Berketex maxi dress (£1, car boot sale), Victorian silver hand mirror pendant (inherited)

They weren't all great finds, though. I also managed to pick up a stinking cold, my first in years. Hopefully a heap of Paracetamol and an early night will get me right for the weekend. I don't do ill.

See you soon.