Talk about a rude awakening! On Saturday morning, the alarm went off at 3am and, less than an hour later, we were on the road, knees draped in blankets (Gilbert's heating system is non-existent) heading towards Kings Cross, the destination for Hemingway Design's Classic Car Boot Sale in London.
Gerardine, Wayne Hemingway's wife, greeted us and directed us to our pitch. We parked Gilbert, popped his top, unloaded our stock and in less than an hour we were set up.
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| Lyndsey & Steve of Boomerang Vintage & Retro's fabulous stall |
Freshly brewed mug of tea in hand we spent an enjoyable hour catching up with the other vintage traders, many of whom we hadn't seen since before the festival season, whilst awaiting the Classic Car Boot Sale to open to the public.
Lyndsey and I left the boys to it and went for a look round before the hoards arrived. Not only was there some incredible stuff to buy but the cars, location and the people were rather splendid to look at, too.
As you know, I dress the way I do all the time. When I've worn the psychedelic Ricci Michaels of Mayfair number I wore on Saturday in Walsall I don't think anybody batted an eyelid, but the number of people in London commenting on my outfit and asking if they could take my photo (& the many more who did it surreptitiously) was utterly mad. If I'd have charged a fee I'd have gone home a rich woman.
We sold a groovy 1960s Crimplene shift dress to this super cool Mod mum & daughter. They're fellow traders and regular visitors to our pitch when we trade in London.
This beautiful teenager is a model and insisted to wearing the Barbie pink catsuit she bought from us for the rest of the day.
The boss, Wayne Hemingway. I've been a fan ever since I saw him chatting to Terry Wogan about reselling the second hand clothes he'd bought at jumble sales (back than vintage was only used to describe wine) back in the early 1980s when I was a teenager doing the same thing. We never did get to speak - maybe next time.
Mother of Reinvention blogger, aka the truly fabulous Kelly, dropped by to say hello on her way to the Grayson Perry exhibition. She brought me a fantastic tribal belt.
At 6pm, after locking our stock away in Gilbert for the night, we started the ten minute walk towards our budget guest house stopping off at a cool looking Greek restaurant on the way. Dinner was delicious but, with a couple of pints of pale ale each, ended up costing more than our accommodation. At £6.50 a pint if we lived in London we'd have to go teetotal.
After collapsing into bed on Saturday night at 9pm, the following morning we strolled back towards Kings Cross relaxed and refreshed in the glorious September sunshine. We unpacked Gilbert and while I set up for a second day of trading Jon cooked veggie sausage sandwiches & brewed coffee- the joys of campervan ownership!
Sunday's weather forecast had looked pretty iffy all the week but although the predicted rain didn't set in until late afternoon, the early morning sunshine had disappeared behind the clouds and the strong wind made the day feel really chilly (and a freak gust shattered our full length mirror into a billion pieces). By the time we opened I was back in my suede coat.
The regulars had told us that trade would be brisk on Sunday but - possibly due to the predicted weather and several events going on elsewhere in London - business was rather slow, although trade was helped a little by a visit from a regular foreign buyer who always hunts us down when we're in London.
I'm pretty useless at recognising famous faces but knew these two immediately, British actors Martin Freeman....
And his mate Jason Watkins, who I loved in Line of Duty and Taboo (sadly no sign of Tom Hardy). I couldn't believe it when they popped over to chat to us.
After I'd gone for another look around with Lyndsey, Martin Freeman came back, introduced himself to Jon and spoke with him for a bit longer.
After I'd gone for another look around with Lyndsey, Martin Freeman came back, introduced himself to Jon and spoke with him for a bit longer.
How fabulous are Tina (in the jumpsuit) and Lucy? I was thrilled to see quite a few women (and men) sporting psychedelic era clobber - usually it's all 1940s and 1950s types at vintage events.
Faye popped by to say hello, she reads my blog. Don't she and husband Jamie make a stunning couple?
We had a fantastic time, met some brilliant people, smiled for photos until our faces froze and spent far too much of our takings on stock. The dining room table behind me is currently hidden under a mountain of clothing - in fact, not so much a mountain than an archive, with dresses dating from the 1930s through to the early 1970s.
See you next April, Kings Cross!
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| Courtesy of Yotam Kellner |
That's it for a fortnight - our Autumn fair season kicks off on 1st October (click HERE to find out where to find us for the rest of 2017). Let the charity shop shopping and Wetherspoons all-dayers commence!
Linking to Patti & the gang for Visible Monday.
Some incredible professional photos of the event HERE and HERE.
Linking to Patti & the gang for Visible Monday.
Some incredible professional photos of the event HERE and HERE.
