Girls

Today, we've had a fab girls' day out - Mum, Amanda, Shannon and I have been to Blickling Hall National Trust property near Aylsham for their spring craft fair.  The aim of the day was to get some ideas of how to dress our craft fair stalls later in the year, but I think we were probably just using that as our excuse to go and have fun, eat cake, drink coffee and have lunch out. Add a bit of retail therapy to the mix and we're on to a winner.

All the stall holders were really friendly and happy to tell us how they ply their trade and give demonstrations of what they do.  I'm sure that, given that all their prices were so reasonable, not one of them can be doing this as a profession - there's no way that mortgages would get paid on what they make.  What they all shared though was a love of what they do and joy in spreading the word to others.

We did lots of oohing and aahing as we walked around the marquee and smelt practically every soap, lotion and potion as we went round.  Amanda and I even had a hand massage and moisturising session halfway round - my hands have been permanently cracked and bleeding for ages - I'm not sure if it's because it's been so cold or whether I'm just whipping them into a frenzy with my knitting and crochet - but handcream at the moment does not soothe at all.  It just stings and hurts so I haven't been using it as much as I should.  Which then makes my hands even more cracked and painful.  So a hand massage was not high on my wish list today - however I couldn't resist the sales pitch - and this stuff is magic - it's made of Himalayan rock salt, elderflowers, rapeseed oil, sunflower seed oil, apricot kernel oil, jojoba oil, with essential oils of lemon, lime, spearmint and lemongrass.  My knitting is going to smell divine! 

We stopped after the first circuit for coffee and cake - exhausting work, this! - and to write up our blurb for a new online craft and lifestyle magazine coming out in June.  We have been asked to contribute to an article called "Meet the Maker" and had to come up with 250 words about ourselves and what we do.  I had managed 70 words on my own so was in desperate need of some help.  It's so hard to blow your own trumpet and, as a family, the Long women are famously self-deprecating, which doesn't help.  But I think we've come up with something that the editor will be able to use - we did chuckle when we worked out that, between the four of us, we have 150 years' experience of knitting and crochet! 

After another circuit of the craft fair, we headed outside towards the lake to the Vintage marquee - and it was like a treasure trove of kitsch and crochet!  The fabrics!  The knitted tanktops!  The brooches!  It was fab.  The button lady was doing a roaring trade at the entrance - in fact, Mum and I spent quite a lot of time - and a little bit of money - there.  I've had some bag ideas and found some beautiful green and gold buttons which I think I can put to use as embellishments.  Amanda and Shannon had been long gone - saying afterwards that the marquee smelt of old ladies and wee!  Mum and I didn't notice - we were in vintage heaven! 

Next stop was the plant stalls - although we didn't hang about very long as it was pretty cold again today, despite the sun being out.  So just one more craft fair circuit - just in case we'd missed anything on our previous two perambulations - and then a drive up to Reepham for lunch and more retail therapy at Reepham Station, the converted railway buildings selling all sorts of beautiful arts and crafts for your home.

We thoroughly enjoyed our day out and have vowed to do it again - although Mum has requested that we don't do it too often in case Dad gets suspicious.  I'm not sure what of - and we never did get to the bottom of it!   We already have a date in our diaries for the end of June - for Southwold and Aldeburgh - and to ensure that Dad doesn't come with us, Amanda has got him to babysit Sid for the day.  Sneaky!