Monday 9 March 2009

Good Things, Not so good things

Just popped in to catch up with you all. It took me an hour to read through all the blogs I follow so forgive me if I haven't left many comments.

This is my new bag that I had last week. About a month ago we went to our local auction house to have a look at their items for the next sale.

Hubby who loves fishing has been wanting some polarised sunglasses for ages and called me over to look at a box full of sunglasses in which he had found one pair of polarised.

They were the same glasses he had seen for 15 pounds.

We couldn't attend the auction so we well actually he - left a commission bid of a tenner - the lady said we would be notified by the end of the week if we had been successful.


The week came and went and hubby was disappointed not to win. A couple of days ago we had an invoice through the post from the auction house to say we owed them four pounds plus commission & vat - another 88p for said box of sunglasses.

Apparently they had overlooked notifying us - I'm not really surprised - its hardly worth the phone call for that price is it?

We had to dash to get them with hubby in a great state of excitement. He went in and fetched the box and we sat in the car looking through our treasure.

We had his polarised glasses, about ten pairs of Posh Spice glasses which Miss T has distributed amongst her friends, a Disney Cars Bag (brand new in packaging), about ten pairs of Bob The Builder glasses, Bratz and Disney Princess glasses, folding storage containers, two toiletry bags, several joke shop items, dog collar - all still brand new - and then the treasure at the bottom - this lovely Union Jack bag still tagged from Accessorize !!!! Was I a happy girl.

So the moral of the story is just cause it says its a box of sunglasses it doesn't mean there aren't treasures lurking. We are off to browse the auction again tomorrow and I will be the one emptying the contents of boxes onto the floor to see just what is in there !!



I've managed to fit a little bit of crafting in - I made this Union Jack pin cushion with matching needle case and this flower needle case.

I'm not sure which I prefer - they are for an upcoming project that I have on the go.




























That the good things taken care of. The not so good was when hubby went to feed his girls this morning (our 6 chickens) one of the Bantys called Violet was dead in the nesting box.
They are only four so it was a bit of a shock especially as she had shown no signs of ill health.
Hubby managed to bury her before he got upset, Master T had a little weep but Miss T was inconsolable tonight.

Its the first time she has experienced death - luckily we haven't lost any relatives since she has been old enough to understand and this is the first pet death.
She loves animals and used to sit on her swing with the chicken on her lap going back and forth - all the chickens seem to really enjoy it.
I talked to her about the happy life she had as a free range chicken and that at least she died peacefully in her sleep.

I've thought about suggesting she paint a pebble to use as a little marker of the grave - maybe with some flowers or Violet on. She is ten and I remember that it was around this age that I became aware of death and was terrified of going to sleep - I don't want it to turn into the same nightmare for her.

Any thoughts or ideas gratefully received.

To end on a happier note - I am so looking forward to checking out the auction tomorrow - hopefully there might be some good lots - its really only bric a brac - but that's what I love.

Well bric a brac, biscuits, George Clooney, buttons, magazines .................

31 comments:

Pixiedust said...

I'm drooling I Love your union jack pin cushion and needle case !

Sorry to hear about your chicken :o(

Take Care
Pixie xxx

Beki said...

I'm stamping my feet, I want that bag and I want one now lol! It really is lovely.
Your pincushion and needle case are lovely, i'm in the process of trying to makae a UJ cushion.
Sorry to hear about your chicken, the pebble idea is lovely though.
Have a good week.
Hugs
Beki xxx

Claire said...

I'm dying to know where the auction place is (I'm local) I only know the one in Newport.

Sorry about your chicky :-(

Flossie and Tom said...

Hi Claire

Thanks for your comment - I tried to contact you to let you know about the auction - we went for a look round Newport today - but it is the fine antiques sale tomorrow. If you want can you invite me to look at your blog then I can let you know.

Sara

Beck said...

Gee it's nice to read your blog..even though I was sad to hear about your chook, Violet. It sounds like Violet had a happy and contented life & I'm sure your daughter will feel better when she is over the shock of it. Loved the little needle cases and pin cushion, gorgeous! Lucky you re treasure in the bottom of the bag, how fun x

Shsjndkdns said...

Well done on your fab bag, I was lusting after that in Accessorize! Love your pincushion and needlecase too you should be selling them they are fab! - I am on a bit of a union jack phase at the moment. How did you do the flag part it looks really good :)
Sorry to hear about your chicken XX

Claire said...

Thanks Sara, I think you should be able to see my blog now.

Shabby Chick said...

Wow, the bag is amazing! What a great find, sounds like everyone was happy with that box of goodies :)

Loving your pin cushion and needle cases, all gorgeous.

How sad about the hen, I think the pebble painting is a good idea. Sounds like you handled it very well. One of my major regrets is that my Mum and brother told me about my Dad dying right in front of my two girls and my eldest remembers my reaction and still talks about it now 11 months on :(

Mel xxx

Hollypop's said...

Enjoyed reading your post. What a great find in the bottom of your box - lucky you. I love auctions, all those boxes of treasures - you never know what you may find.
Sorry to hear about Violet the chicken, but I did smile at the picture of your little girl giving them a ride on the swing. I was around 10 when I had my first experience of death, our dog was ran over. I think the pebble idea is lovely.
The union jack pin cushion and needle case are great.
Take care
Nickyx

MelMel said...

Hello....sorry to hear about the chicken....that's sad, children feel things so keenly....
The pebble sounds like a sweet idea......:>))

xxxx

Country Cottage Chic said...

I have that bag too! I bought it with 70% off at the Accessorize sale & was very pleased with myself!

I'm sorry to hear about your hen - we've had two die so far, the same as yours - just dead in their house in the morning - apparently they can have a heart attack so it can happen at any age.

Josie-Mary said...

I love that bag, I was going to buy it in the sale but changed my mind 'cos I've got too many, wish I'd brought it now :(
Sorry to hear about the chicken, I think the pebble idea is excellent. My cat died when I was 11 & I did the same thing. Just after my 30th birthday my sister told me the cat wasn't burried in the garden & my parents had left him at the vets.... I was gutted but I tried not to show it, sisters can be so mean some times

Ali @ Betty and Violet said...

Love your bag ~ what a fantastic surprise to have!

I think your union jack pincushion is so cute ~ I've tried making them and filling them will pure wool to get a nice firm finish, but all the woolly strands kept poking through the fabric! What do you fill them with to make it look so nice and plump?

So sorry about Violet, I dread having to tell my little one if one of our cats finally loses its 9th life or even if we find a dead mouse or bird in the garden, and as they get older they ask so many more questions about it!

The sewing room said...

Love your great finds well done sorry to hear about your chicken when my mom died ten years ago my littlr girl was five and my son was seven and what we did was to write a little message on a card and attached it to a balloon and let it go, it seemed to work.Have a good week best wishes Pat

Floss said...

I love your story about the box of delights - it's what everyone who shops second-hand dreams of, isn't it?

I was with my mum in an antique shop in the 1980s when she went mad and offered the owner £100 for a large cardboard box in which she'd just spotted antique Chinese embroidery. Her gamble paid off, and she got several complete Chinese robes, plus other stuff, but I remember wondering what she would have done if it had all turned out to be rubbish...

Very sorry to hear about your chicken and your daughter's sorrow. We are very 'insulated' from death now, aren't we? In the past, and in some countries today, it wouldn't have been possible to encounter it for the first time aged 10.

From my point of view, I just think that we need to talk to our children about the naturalness of death, and that it's not actually something evil to fear, but just what nature requires - as new things are born, others are going to have to die to make room for them. But you know for yourself if that would be a good way to talk about it, or not, with your daughter. Marking the occasion with the pebble sounds just right.

Country Bliss said...

Love the union Jack bag and pincushion.
Sorry to hear about your chicken, so sad.
Yvonne x

Tilly said...

So sorry to hear about your hen. I'm just about to do a post on pretty much the same subject - one of our guinea pigs died a couple of weekends ago. Chloe was very upset and shakey at the time. That took about a week to go away by which point she was more philosophical about it. We had to have a burial ceremony and put it in a hole in the garden and that seemed to help. We also had a chat about how small animals tend to live shorter lives and that Sophie (the piggie) did have a good life with us. She seems to be ok about it now and hasnt mentioned it since.

Taz said...

What a brilliant haul from the auction. I wish we had an auction house anywhere close by :(
So sorry to hear about your wee hen, I remember how upset big one was at around the same age as your Miss T when her hamster died. Love the pebble idea, we tend to plant a flower bulb where a pet gets buried so there is something pretty to remember them by. Think I will keep your pebble idea in my head though for the long long away day when we lose one of the dogs. :(

Kitty said...

Fantastic 'lot' you got there from the auction: I'm off to a car boot this coming weekend, for a rummage in some boxes!

So sorry to hear about the hen :-( It's a painful lesson to learn for kids isn't it? Did you have a little funeral for the chicken? We did that for our cat and it seemed to help the kids. Mind you, since then I have had to 'perform' funerals for a wood louse, a snail, an earwig and a worm. But it serves its purpose - they understand that it's a celebration of a life.

x

Thecraftytrundler said...

Love the Union Jack pincushion, and needlecase!! The Kaider Chiefs concert was great!!! Im really enjoyed it!! I think Callum will be saving to go to another with all this money he'll be earning!!!
Really sorry to hear about your chicken : (
At least she had a good life when she was with you. I remember when our first dog Rosie got run over, my daughter (who was 3 at the time), insisted that she'd "gone to Milton Keynes"!!! Don't ask me why she said that, but at that young age, we went along with that. Don't little ones come out with strange things at times? Cute though!! ; )

SHARON XX

saraeden said...

So sorry to hear about your little chicken .
The parcel arrived today , thank you for all of it !!!
I hope you have great fun with the packs !!

I love the book i keep going having a look when i should be sewing ;0)
The pin tin is going in my holiday box to hold my buttons while we are away ... yes i even take sewing with me !!

Sara x

bex said...

your pincushion and needles books are lovely. sorry about your chicken. whenever pets dies when i was young we used to get a bush/rose bush plant and put it in a pot in our back yard(we didn't have a garden!) the stone idea is great
thanks for subscrbing to my blog
xx

Poppy said...

It sounds like you got some lovely goodies in the auction, I’ve never been too one!
Lovely pin cushion and needle case!
We are all animal lovers in our house; I think it’s a lovely idea painting a stone.
Love too you all Lou xxx

Anonymous said...

Oh poor Miss T, it must be so hard to take them through their first pet death I'm sure.


The auction sounds great and congrats on your win!

Cherry x

Ragged Roses said...

What a wonderful bag, can't believe nobody had spotted it at the bottom of that box, amazing! Sorry to hear about Violet, it is always so hard for children to have to deal with. Take care
Kimx
Love the pin cushion!

Lace hearts said...

What a lovely story about the way you acquired your bag. I want to go to an auction now!
It's sad when animals die, but it sounds to me that you handled it so well, and a painted pebble is a lovely idea.

The Queen of Fifty Cents said...

I think the book "The Tenth Good Thing about Barney" by Judith Viorst is a good one to share when a pet dies. It's short, and takes very seriously the grief we feel over our pets. I like the discussion the family has about the different beliefs people have about what happens to us after death--a great chance to explore feelings and talk about your own beliefs.

Carol said...

What lovely things you have made. I really like the needle case.
Sorry about poor hen. I would love to keep some myself but just fo not htink I copuld cope with looking after much more!
Hope you have a grand week, and good luck with the auction.
Carol xx

gayle said...

We have a lot of death here on the farm as lambs can fail to thrive. It is not easy as they are so cute and the kids do like them. I find that being quite matter of fact really helps. They do mirror our reactions and if they think I am devastated they could follow suit. Obviously the first experience is more traumatic than the next, and each child is different but I do try and play it down a bit. I do like the painted stone idea.

Kim said...

So sorry about your chicken, no matter what the creature they are part of your family and it is hard to explain the loss to children. well done on your finds, however.
kIM XX

OhSoVintage said...

What a great find, I love that bag!