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Hooray! Life's almost back to normal or it would be if the thermostat at Walsall Gala Baths hadn't broken during the Xmas shutdown which means no swimming until it's been repaired. There haven't been any Spoons breakfasts either, although that's not to say we've not been into our favourite pub, popping in for a cheeky pint on New Year's Day and meeting up with the gang for food, drinks and a catch-up the day after.
On Monday I wore an Indian block printed cotton dress with my chazza-shopped Timberland boots, a tribal pendant and Chanel sunglasses. I should have taken a photo of us in the pub but once the chatter and the beer started flowing I'd completely forgotten to take my camera out of my bag.
On Tuesday on the way to the shops we popped into the accountants where the receptionist announced...you look awesome! Thanks, lady!
Another day, another Indian cotton block printed dress, worn with second hand Doc Martens, my £3 suede coat and a Monsoon fedora.
The chazzas were brimming with fabulous stock. Our first shop of 2023 was so good we ran out of bags to stuff our finds into!
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Clockwise from top left: Topshop cornflower blue blanket coat; POP Boutique mini dress; 1980s Italian silk dress; Indian cotton block printed top; 1980s leather waistcoat; 1970s Snugcoat fake fur jacket; 1980s St Michael aviator jacket; 1970s raincoat; Per Una fringed mohair cardi; 1980s Stefanie midi dress.
On the subject of shopping, here's this week's Lidl groceries. The £1.50 Waste Not box included white onions, plums, a sweetheart cabbage, nectarines, an apple, an iceberg lettuce, a punnet of baby plum tomatoes, a bunch of spring onions and a seasonal roasting mix. Lurking in the Waste Not section of the fridge were roasted red pepper dip (20p), extra virgin olive oil houmous (20p), cottage cheese (48p), low fat houmous (20p), roasted veg couscous (20p) and a two-pack of garlic and cheese stuffed Portobello mushrooms (90p)
We've eaten some of the nectarines, plums and apple with yoghurt for breakfast, heated the roasted red pepper sauce, tossed in some broccoli and served it with the stuffed mushrooms and some Kenya beans (both them & the broccoli were reduced to 20p in the Co-op). This morning, as we were expecting guests, I baked some cheese & olive scones and filled them with humous. Tonight we'll have a quarter of a Lidl artisan pizza (embellished with the seasonal roasting mix) with some of the couscous, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, cottage cheese & Spring onions.
Liz came round with her brother, Rob. Like the characters of the BBC hit comedy show, he's keen amateur detectorist and wanted to search our garden for treasures.
His metal detector went wild! The deeds to our house date from 1750, back in the days when a large part was Walsall was farmland and Stonecroft was a single-storey dwelling & home to three farm labourer families. The famous Staffordshire Hoard was discovered eight miles from our house, would there be a Stonecroft Hoard..... Saxon gold, Bronze Age axe heads or Roman toga pins?
Alas! We won't be retiring on Rob's finds just yet but there were some interesting bits. This shamrock ring is Rob's first proper silver find and very apt as he & Liz are half Irish.
I loved the patina on the Victorian railing finial (above) and the peacock escutcheon (below) from an old cupboard is gorgeous.
A baby's feeding spoon?
Another escutcheon...
You can never have too many coat hooks!
Not one but three coins, Victoria, Edward VII & George V (thanks for the update, Rob!)
And finally a Meccano No.2 Constructor Car circa 1933!
Liz and I were very helpful assistants, assisting with the digging, washing the finds and Googling anything that looked interesting before we wandered off and got distracted by the Kinky Shed and art projects. I borrowed the TopShop coat from the stockroom, it's secondhand anyway, another owner's not going to hurt!
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In other news I read 74 books in 2022. They're in date order, I couldn't possibly pick a favourite!
1.The Second Sleep - Robert Harris
PS Help a detectorist out. It's a struggle finding land (or a wild garden) to investigate, if you own any and live in the West Midlands/ Worcestershire area please drop me a line and I'll put you in touch with Rob.
OOoh, am I first?!??!
ReplyDeleteYes! Today's prize goes to Kezzie!
DeleteYES, I AM!!! AND second!
ReplyDeleteToday's runner up prize also goes to Kezzie.....
DeleteAnd now for my proper comment now I've bagged the podium places! I love your finds from the charity-shop- the Indian blockprinted top is a bit of alright!
ReplyDeleteYou look really lovely in your suede jacket outfit- I love the combination.
I was reading with bated breath to see what they found in the garden! That's a pretty interesting haul! I dropped a load of pennies in my raised bed as a slug deterrant (cheaper than buying copper tape) so maybe someone else will find those in a century.
You did well in the Lidl hauls- I must have a look when I get out of school on Friday to see what I can find! The scones look good- I don't really like sweet scones but I'd gladly give a savoury one a go.
Hope all is well with you and the swimming pool gets sorted soon!x
Hello! I often bump into the same people when I'm charity shopping and we all know each other's tastes, the lady rummaging next to me on Tuesday found me that Indian block printed blouse and the ethnic chain belt and I found her an Urban Outfitters cap sleeved cat t shirt (she runs a cat rescue charity!) and talked her into a planished brass floor mirror which I loved but had so much I couldn't carry any more.
DeleteI bet someone will dig up your garden in years to come and wonder about the pennies!
Lidl seems to be best for bargains between 9.30 - 11am (there's not much early on).
Savoury scones are delicious especially slathered in houmous although Jon prefers lashings of butter.
I'm missing the swimming! xxx
Vix, you ALWAYS look awesome. You are the poster woman for awesomeness. And dang, even your food is awesome. Best wishes for a speedy dental recovery xxxxx
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Ratnamurti! xxx
DeleteHope your teeths and gums are OK - if not, nicely numbed by rum lol
ReplyDeleteOh how I loved your crop of Westworld into vestworld - now that I'd watch for sure. I find so much sci-fi to be up itself - Vestworld would be AWESOME. Robots in vests - it's a winner.
So envious of your detectorist visit - did you have a go, Vix? Our backyard would be a bleeping feast of hairgrips and washers - however, every man and his dog had a sneaky pit around here. Sadly most pits became flooded (water table v.high). Also, our deedholding specifically states that any coal or useful mineral found is the property of The Duke of Bridgewater (it's OK he died in 1803) and his estate. Must be loads of spades and claypipes and greyhound remains from the days when there was a nearby greyhound track.
I got a haul of Gosh vegan falafels and pakoras from Lidl - I think they overestimated the take-up of Veganuary amongst the locals lol. We never get anything like the quality of your £1.50 boxes.
Right, kettle on - take care all xxx
Thanks, Elaine! The anaesthetic wore off really quickly so I was able to drink my rum unaided...yay!
DeleteVest world might be a better title, I do worry about those poor Hosts, they spend far too much time naked.
I didn't have a go but it was so exciting I'd be very tempted to take detectoring up myself. There's a bit of a tradition in working class families to smash up stuff and either burn it or bury it, I know it was a thing in my Dad's mining family. That Duke of Bridgewater sounded a right one - our neighbourhood's Georgian landowner was the Duke of Bradford, I wonder if there's any clauses in the deeds saying similar, I find that copperplate handwriting so hard to decipher!
That vegan score sounds impressive. Wouldn't it be ace if they reduced all the booze because of those crazy folk doing Dry January? xxx
I often see detectorists (great word) looking around in schoolyards, but we don't have a very long colonial history here in Victoria (barely 200 years), so there aren't as many treasures to find. What a lovely haul Rob found! I love the wee car!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed perusing your books - I have only read ONE of them ("Frog Music" - many years ago for Book Club). Westworld season 1 is excellent, but be warned of diminishing returns after that - Season 2 is okay, season 3 is terrible, and season 4 was okay. JoJo Rabbit is a fantastic movie - Taika Waititi's work is awesome. I recommend the movie "What We Do In the Shadows" as well as the series based off it (easily in my top 5 all time); plus of course the short and hilarious series "The Flight of the Concords". Oh, and "Our Flag Means Death" is the best gay pirate show I've ever seen!
Good luck with your root canal, Vix! I've had 3 and they are not fun...but gotta take care of those chompers!
Apparently they get rather irked by being called "Metal Detectors"! It's a great hobby, isn't it? It's amazing to think that you're handling something last touched by a previous owner over a hundred years ago!
DeleteFrog Music was a great read, I love Emma Donoghue's writing. I discovered her after watching Room, a terrifying film if ever there was one. Thanks for the heads up on Westworld, I shall give seasons 3 and 4 a miss. I hate it when successful series go on too long - Lost was the same, thrilling at first and dreadful when they introduced black smoke and polar bears. You're not the first of my friends to recommend "What We Do in the Shadows", I've scribbled it on the to watch list along with Flight of the Concords and Our Flag Means Death....keep the suggestions coming!
Argh...three root canals! The work on this one seems endless, I'm back in six weeks when hopefully it's all healed and I can have a cap/crown fitted. xxx
Love the way you manage to dress up sensible boots!
ReplyDeleteI'm all about the sensible boot! xxx
DeleteI do love how you styled your Indian block printed cotton dress with Timberland boots and a statement tribal pendant. I also love the outfit where you paired your block printed dress with doc Martens. I've been wearing mine too! Perhaps for cold weather.
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll be able to enjoy swimming again once they fix the thermostat.
From your book list, I only read 2: The White Queen by Philippa Gregory and Blood on Snow by Jo Nesbo but I enjoyed them both. Le Carre sounds like a great way to start 2023!
Thanks, Ivana! Like I said to Alex, I'm all about a sensible boot especially with floaty dresses, it stops me looking too ladylike! I love seeing you in your Docs!
DeleteI love that we've read two of the same books. Every time I think I've read every La Carre, another pops up in the charity shop. Such a great writer! xxx
Watch out for Illyrian Spring by Ann Bridge in your chazzas if you haven't already read it. It's a charming romance, but the best part is the captivating description of the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic. I read it under the borg blanket my parents brought home as a souvenir from their trip to Yugoslavia in 1975 or thereabouts. Happy New Year, Betty
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Betty! I've just had a look at Abebooks (best secondhand book website ever!) and found a copy for under a quid! That sounds like something both me and Lynn, a friend who also loves a travel book, will enjoy! The description of you reading it under a blanket sounds very romantic! xxx
DeleteWow! you read a lot of books. I just a new book from library...Anne Frank's Tales from the secret annex.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I thought of getting his and her metal detector.
Coffee is on and stay safe
Hello Dora! We took a few beach holidays last year, I read loads when I'm in the sun!
DeleteYou should get some metal detectors, I was envious of Rob's. For history lovers like you and I they're a fab hobby! xxx
Happy New Year from another Betty! what a great idea to get some land for your detector friend to explore via blogland! hope it turns up some interesting people/land/finds. I think metal detector def needs to go on my list of things to do when I retire! Your top shop coat is such a beautiful colour it needs to stay in your wardrobe - goes with all your dilli grey dresses. We watched Slow Horses series 1 on sky it was brilliant (we don't have apple tv unfortunately for series 2)... impressed with your LIdl boxes, despite writing to Lidl to ask if our branch could handle the goods more gently and maybe not put 20 rotting swedes in the boxes but more variety, they did better for a short time but are lapsing again. It's such a nice way to give something back to customers but nobody wants rotten veg. Sad to see how very busy the foodbank opposite my workplace is, there was a queue yesterday.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, other Betty! I think I'd like to be a detectorist, too. Rob gets so much enjoyment out of his hobby and we were so excited when he found so many interesting bits, he'll definitely have to come back, there's loads of garden still to investigate.
DeleteSlow Horses is brilliant, I'm so pleased you enjoyed series 1. Track down the Mick Herron books (or download them) if you can, they are so well written and very funny, too.
What a shame about the Lidl boxes near you. I've pointed them out to a few other shoppers, one lady, a nurse who'd just finished her night shift was really happy as she'd never heard of them.
There's another foodbank opened in town and it's heartbreaking to see families standing in the cold waiting for it to open. It does make you realise how fortunate we are. xxx
I bet you would never find such treasures!! Paul watches a program on you tube were ametur dectorists find wonderful treasures, I think it was on channel 4 a while ago, but he loves it.
ReplyDeleteWe don’t have to go to go food boxes as the grannies hoover all the reductions up and god help you if you get in their way!! at 7 pm In our local department store which has a very nice 2 food floors the grannies are there in their packs scooping up everything.
I don’t have a clue how many read books I read but they kept me sane during 22 and I will continue into 23 . Ian rankins latest was amazing I am still blown away. Elly griffiths not so much sadly. Love and hugs Allie
It was such fun! Has Paul seen the BBC 2 series The Detectorists? Jon was giddy with excitement for weeks when he saw that there was a Xmas special this year! I'll have to find that series.
DeleteFunnily enough, you don't get the Black Country Grannies in Lidl but I remember what they were like at jumble sales, deadly!
I still haven't read any Elly Griffiths, there were a few in the clearance chazza last week but the covers didn't look very enticing (never judge a book by it's cover!) Love Ian Rankin, both his books and him, he's really witty and well into his music. Loads of love! xxxx
That’s it!! I feel asleep watching it. Ohh Tokyo grannies are lethal, they have that age supremacy thing over here so don’t you dare get on their way!! I got shoved out of the way when I was pregnant with kato and you could tell as well as you get this tag to wear on your bag. Over a piece of Salmon. You would think it was gold!!!
DeleteElly is really is really good. Ian I met last year at a book festival I was star struck and Val mc dermid was there too, both love writing. Because of Ian I have got a lot more into music. Love and hugs Allie
Rum through a straw sounds like the perfect way to get over a visit to the dentist :-)
ReplyDeleteThat spoon looks more like a tea caddy spoon than a baby's spoon to me, I used to love my Nana's and Aunties when I was little and was always playing with them ... I know, I was a strange child!! Some amazing finds there from your garden.
What a lot of good bargains both clothing AND foodie ones, you have had a very good start to the New Year. And I loved Westworld the series, it was so much better than the original film which I went back and re-watched after watching the series thinking I would love it all the more ... I didn't.
A caddy spoon! Of course! You weren't weird, I loved the one in my Dad's tea caddy, too (he refused to buy tea bags!)
DeleteYou've answered my question. I remember watching the original Westworld with the fabulous Yul Brynner years and years ago and was wondering whether it would merit a repeat viewing...thank for saving a couple of hours of my life! xxx
Wow, look at that hoard! Some really interesting pieces there. I'd love to know what's in my yard, my house was built in 1910, and there's a dent in the front wall from a piece of shrapnel from the Scarborough bombardment. My yard is so small though, I think it wouldn't be much of a search. Thank you for your kind New Year's wishes on my last post. Happy New Year to you and Jon too, I can't wait to read all of your adventures this year. Those scones look delicious! 74 books, that's amazing! So much more productive than scrolling social media or watching TV. I hope all goes well with your root canal. xxx
ReplyDeleteIt was so exciting, we left Rob to it and kept dashing out with trowels when we heard the detector bleeping! That's fascinating about the shrapnel shard in the wall. I bet you'd be surprised what might lurk under the yard, often the area where previous families had a washing line yield great results from coins falling out of pockets! xxx
DeleteThere is shrapnel all over Japan like Tokyo which they rebuilt and Hiroshima were I was born. Every time I go to the peace dome I cry
DeleteWell that's one way to get your lawn scarified for free! Great haul.Also great hauls in charity shop and Lidl. I got a new Phillipa Gregory from one of my sons for Xmas 'Tidelands'?Also recommendation from same son re tv-to-watch 'The White Lotus ' but I don't have Sky and have just cancelled Amazon. xxx
ReplyDeleteI know! the birds were having a feast this morning with all the worm activity from the disruption. Tidelands was excellent with all the witch hunting paranoia. Phillipa Gregory was promoting the sequel, Dark Tides, when we sent to see her a couple of months ago. I'm hoping it'll turn up in the chazzas soon!
DeleteWe watched The White Lotus before Xmas, a lot of neurotic and entitled Americans on an all inclusive holiday, a bit trashy but entertaining and it certainly confirmed our opinion that all-inclusive holidays aren't for us!
I think Amazon are doing a fortnight's trial for 99p, worth it if there's something good on! xxx
What fantastic yard finds. I can see those all lined up as decor, or hanging on some kind of background for display. I'm also very attracted to that gorgeous green suede coat. What a beauty! My Seattle home was built in 1916 and the most interesting thing we've found in the yard so far was a buried bathtub and a car windshield. In the unfinished basement we found an old overcoat with paranoid induced writing all over it with markers. I hear the man who use to live here use to hide in the bushes with a machete and scare people as they walked by! Fortunately for the neighbors now, we're a little bit more pleasant!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Joni! The description of the man who used to live in your louse made me laugh out loud, he sounds like someone from a horror film! xxx
DeleteEven worse he came back one day and tried to get in after wandering away from his nursing home. Scary!
DeleteWow, some amazing finds in your garden....that 1930s car is cute! Watch out, you'll have all sorts of random detectorists knocking on your door. I periodically feel tempted to get one, don't you? I bet it's really addictive. Over the last 12 months, there are quite often detectorists in the woodland behind our house. One claimed to have found a Roman coin, which wouldn't surprise me as there was a discovering a few decades ago not too far away. xxx
ReplyDeleteP.S Hope the root canal treatment wasn't too horrendous. Good job you already scoffed those delicious looking scones!
I always fancied Time Team coming over and digging up the garden. Wouldn't it be amazing if there was a Roman mosaic lurking beneath the lawn? We're so close to Watling Street I wouldn't be at all surprised.
DeleteI wondered if any detectorists had investigated your wood. I'd love to have a go, too. I wonder if our friend George from Rhodes would let us loose in the family olive grove?
The dentistry was fine, thanks! I managed to eat my tea and drink rum without dribbling! xxx
We love the Detectorists series!
ReplyDeleteYour haul from the chazzas looked exceptional indeed :) and I wondered if that small spoon was a sugar or coffee spoon (the circular shape) rather than a child's - but that is half the excitement of these sort of discoveries - wondering what they were/are!
Isn't it a lovely, gentle watch? We were getting ready to do a gold dance but it wasn't to be. I think you and Sue are right about the spoon, it's a sign I know nothing about babies! xxx
DeleteThat peacock is fabulous. I'd love to have a go at detecting. I follow a couple of mudlarkers on youtube and they find some incredible stuff. Have you watched the Digging for Britain series on the i-player? I look forwards to its return every January. Arilx
ReplyDeleteI really fancy a bit of mudlarking, too! Big fans of the Digging for britain series in this house, Jon especially, he loves Alice! xxx
DeleteFirst of all, I'm hoping your root canal surgery went well ...
ReplyDeleteI'm really impressed by the number of books you've read, by the way. I've been rather a slow reader this year and must definitely do better.
What a haul at the charity shops, and I really must convince Jos to check out Lidl. it's a bit out of the way for us, so we hardly ever go there.
Fantastic finds in the garden too. I'm particularly loving the peacock escutcheon and that 1930s Meccano car! xxx
Thanks, Ann - the tooth seems okay (touch wood), I'd forgotten all about it this morning and was a bit perplexed when Jon asked how my mouth was!
DeleteI think the heatwave and several beach holidays helped speed up my reading last year, here's to more of the same in 2023!
Lidl is so good, really good quality and so much cheaper.
I was so excited by those finds, Rob'll have to come back in the Spring, there's so much more garden he can dig up. Who knows what else lurks beneath? xxx
I'm so glad to hear (above comments) that the tooth went ok.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot of reading. Good for you!
Have a happy New Year
Happy New Year, J! Yes, the tooth seems to be behaving itself..phew! xxx
DeleteLove your indian block print dresses and fab jewellery and accessories!, and love that photo of you with your friend Liz both looking so gorgeous!.
ReplyDeleteTotally amazing that you find all these things around the house, so interesting!.
74 books in a year!, that's a lot of reading and I'm admiring it!. I'm lucky if I manage to read 30 books a year, but I browse through many more and reread many others.
Glad to hear that your tooth is behaving!
besos
Thanks, Monica! I blame the heatwave on my reading, I'm solar powered!
DeleteIt was fascinating to find all those treasures in the garden. xxx
I think I would be tempted to invite Liz's brother Rob to dig for more treasures Vix x
ReplyDeleteHe's coming bcak in the Spring, he reckons there's treasure somewhere! xxx
DeleteHappy New Year! Wow your very own treasure trove! How fabulous. Brilliant chazza finds. So far, there's only been tat on my rummages and I've bought 2 pairs of earrings since 2023 began..I managed 98 books this year; I think I read more last year...
ReplyDeletexxx
Exciting metal finds Vix :) Great idea to have Liz's bro scour your garden. Monsieur & I recently binge watched The Dectectorists and absolutely loved it!!! Toby Jones is one of our favourite actors and Mackenzie Crook is such an amazing writer & director (we loved Worzel Gummidge too) xXx
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