On The Road Again - The Classic Car Boot Sale,King's Cross, London

We made it, but only just! On Friday Jon took Gilbert to fill up with fuel only to break down and have to call the RAC out to tow him back home. The problem was a dodgy fuel pump but, as luck would have it, Jon had a spare in the shed and was able to replace it (no mean feat in Friday's torrential rain) so Gilbert lived to see another Classic Car Boot Sale.

Gilbert's an air cooled bus which, to the uninitiated, means that he has no heating. We left home at 3.30am and with temperatures well below the seasonal average, we progressively added more and more layers during the duration of our three hour journey. By the time we reached King's Cross we were wrapped up like Egyptian mummies. 

Jon's wearing: 1960s leather car coat, black skinnies & brogue boots (all charity shopped)

The minute we pulled into our allocated trading space, despite the Met Office promising us a dry day, the heavens opened. Thank goodness we were prepared with waterproof matting, a Lidl overhead shelter and a heap of tarpaulin sheets from Poundland. We set up our pitch, took a seat in Gilbert and enjoyed tea and crumpets before the gates opened to the public at 10am.

I'm wearing: Vintage pleated maxi dress, fake fur trimmed maxi coat, 1970s platform boots and a 1960s felt hat (all charity shopped)

Despite the atrocious weather business was brisk. Other than nip to the loo neither of us left the stall all day, selling vintage clobber to people from as far afield as Finland, Greece, Japan, Korea, Spain, Germany, Malta, Sweden, Canada, the USA and Australia. 

Photo courtesy of The Classic Car Boot Sale's IG page

Friends & neighbours' pitch, Suzy Loves Milo Boutique (photo pinched from their IG page)

Photo courtesy of Suzy Loves Milo

When the gates closed at 6pm we locked everything away in Gilbert and joined mates Suzy & Rob and Teddy, their cute terrier*, for a brisk walk and a Greek dinner in a sweet little taverna in Bloomsbury.

*The Classic Car Boot Sale is dog-friendly. 

By 9pm we were done in, we said our goodbyes and made the short walk to our accommodation for the night, The County. At £67 (including breakfast) we were surprised to discover that our budget room was in fact in a rather lovely Art Deco era hotel complete with stylish mid-century furnishings - check out that snazzy carpet and the rocket lamp. Not that we spent much time admiring it, we were in bed for 9.30!

Photo courtesy of Classic Car Boot Sale

After a leisurely breakfast we checked out and walked back in King's Cross for the second day of trading. 

Jon's wearing: Vintage 1960s three button tweed blazer, black skinny jeans, brogue boots (all charity shopped)

No rain but goodness me, it was bastard cold.

I'm wearing: Vintage 1960s Sportaville, London psychedelic catsuit & suede coat (both Second To None, Walsall); Felt hat (charity shop); Electric blue boots (retail, sale!)

It didn't take long to set up so Lyndsey Boomerang (pitch below) and I went for a wander before the gates opened at 10am.

Photo courtesy of Boomerang Vintage's IG page

Our friend Paula at Mint Vintage makes these earrings, aren't they fab?

To be honest with you, I was so cold I couldn't think straight. I failed miserably on the photo front and even passed up a gorgeous 1970s suede shoulder bag for £5 - by the time I'd regained my senses it had sold (although I did buy the maxi of my dreams, thanks to my amazingly eagle-eyed friends, Jo & Drew from Retro Bambi).

 By the time I'd got back to the pitch we'd opened to the public and Jon had already sold a pile of stuff. We'd done really well sales-wise on Saturday and I'd resigned myself to Sunday being a slow day. It was for a lot of traders but, for us, it was brilliant. It was really sweet to see some of the customers who'd bought from us last year as well as people we'd met the previous day and had come back with friends to introduce them to us and our stock. 

The rain had addled my brain on Saturday and I never got a photo of gorgeous Style Sixties Sarah but I managed to get a picture of my friends Michelle and Fay, who were meeting up for the first time after becoming Instagram friends. How cold do we look?

At 6pm we packed up, said our goodbyes and started the three hour journey back home to Walsall only to break down 15 minutes from home. Thankfully Jon's a mechanical whizz (you have to be if you drive a classic car) and by torchlight he found the loose connection and we limped home, greeted the cats and collapsed into bed with all our clothes on wondering if we'd ever be warm again!

What I came home with! The sleeve of dreams from my latest new old dress and some doll's house donations from my friends

It was a fantastic weekend but now we're absolutely ruined. We've managed to get into town to bank the cash, unpacked the van and put what's left back in the Kinky shed. The plan for tonight is a delivery pizza and a bottle of rum. Normal service will be resumed shortly.

PS Linking to Patti & the gang for Visible Monday and Judith, The Style Crone, Hat Attack #58.