The trusty van is a bit poorly and in need of some professional attention, it lost the capability to continue about half an hour after we left Shepton Mallet on Sunday evening after three days selling goodies to the people of Somerset. Thirteen hours and four tow trucks later we arrived back in Ipswich on Monday morning, tired but so happy to see home!
Being without a hammer in my hand has given me a great opportunity to reflect on the last few months, as I sit here munching baclava and drinking tea I have been thinking how glorious the weather has been, as an outdoor trader I use the met office app as much as I do Twitter or Facebook and I feel incredibly lucky at how many brilliantly sunshiny selling days we've had, both myself and the Rusty one have some superb sandal tan lines and faces so brown we look slightly Essex in origin!!
There have been some amazing events this summer, a real highlight was TractorFest in Kent, it had a small village fete feel to it and was by far the friendliest most quaint place we've ever set up our stall.
We've met some brilliant people over the last few months, we've recently enjoyed drinking rum with travellers who told stories of their long traditions and how sadly 'My big Fat Gypsy Wedding' isn't a true reflection of their culture.
We've travelled thousands of miles, wee'd in many service stations, had long conversations about display (our favourite thing to obsess over on long journeys).
We've had some awesome new making ideas and of course we've bought a puppy each! Bettie and Brigitte have changed our working lives dramatically, we have to take puppy stuff everywhere with us, they need walking, and feeding and lots of attention but they are truly awesome, they really bring people in and are two super cute furry additions to our stall.
These guys were also super cute and furry and now both sold, they have been my favourite taxidermy we've had so far!
Its been a great summer, we've had so much fun making and selling and as thoughts turn to winter boots and wooly socks i'm excited to see what the next few months bring. We've just been invited to put our stock into a beautiful boutique on the Waterfront in Ipswich who are choosing an Autumn theme for the window display, so today we've been selecting tartan and sack pieces with warm coloured books to create a cosy asthetic .
