Sunday Finds.

A day out in Sarah 'Otto's' van round recycling centres in Devon helped us acquire these lovely new (old) things:


Our latest obsession is finding nice old jars to store our dry foods and spices in, we had a couple more but they met a sad end before we even got them home thanks to a clumsy van exit by Tom; oh well, easy come easy go... They are sat on a sweet little deco wooden tray also found today.

Tom found himself a sturdy little wooden aeroplane.

Tom got this for it's amazing leather saddle, but upon closer inspection is actually a really quality late 60's East German racing style bike and will be done up and sold at some point. It will keep Tom out of trouble for a while anyway.

This little chap was one of a few sad looking toys in a damp and dark shed; I am a sucker for sorry looking toys and so he is now safe and warm and will now be making friends with all my other waifs and strays this evening. His name is Budleigh bear, after the little seaside town tip he was residing in until today.

A fetching deco looking fire-screen, the wood came up lovely after a linseed oiling and is ripe for a bit of a creative make-over. I am not quite sure what to do with the panel; decoupage perhaps? Any suggestions welcome. We ended the day with chips by a slightly drizzly seaside, what a great Sunday!

Our Bikes

It is amazing there has not yet been a bike post since Tom is actually obsessed with bicycles; the weather had finally cheered up enough so that we could take ours outside and take some nice pictures of them. Mine is a 1942 ladies Raleigh Sports, and due to it being a war-time bike has a complete absence of chrome, though whilst doing it up as my birthday present there has been a few touches added such as the lights and dynamo; apparently it is a very rare thing to have a matching set of Miller lights and dynamo. We had a massive stroke of luck in that a Brooks B18 ladies saddle, with the embossed leather flowers detail, came up on eBay for quite a lot cheaper than they sell for on the Brooks site! I also purchased a hand-made leather saddle tool bag from a chap who makes them to sell on eBay. I have named her Clara.

Tom's bike is a 1950 Raleigh Superbe which was about the best bike you could get at that time, she is called Edith. She has a 4 speed Sturmey Archer rear dyno-hub in stainless steel wheels and a Brooks B66 saddle and Glenbrook saddle bag. She has two lights at the front rather than an ordinary one! The pannier bags both mine and Tom's sport are actually army surplus radio bags, I dyed mine black but it has come out a nice bottle green colour instead; they make perfect panniers and are really cheap and hard-wearing, the perfect size to carry all the picnic food you could want and a bottle of wine.