Shopping in London ~ Bermondsey Square Antiques Market

Bermondsey Square Antiques Market may be the most fantastic place to shop ever! Or, at least, in the English-speaking world . . .  

This weekly market has been around since 1855. These are the things to keep in mind:

First, it's a dealers' market. It opens at 5:00am. The vendors start arriving around 4:00am. Get there early! This is the real "you snooze, you lose" market. It closes before 9:00am so shopkeepers can take their newly acquired finds to their shops to sell. Sure, there are the ordinary dust-catching tchotchkes  you'd find anywhere, but there are also tables heaping with Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian antiques.

During my trip, I got up early, heated a cup of yesterday's coffee, hailed a cab and arrived as dealers were setting up. My jaw dropped when I saw a dealer pull milk carton crate after milk carton crate out from under his table and dump crate after crate of sterling silver on to the surface. Yowsa! Fantastic.

You'll find art of all kinds ~ oil paintings, watercolours, sketches, ephemera like sheet music, post cards, unframed etchings, theater tickets and programs, glassware, china, furniture, etc.

If you'd find it in an antique store or second-hand shop, you'll see it first at the Bermondsey Square Antiques Market.

Listen to the voices. Dealers from all over the world cruise the aisles in search of treasure. And, to quote another, "it's a mecca for serious collectors."

Because, as you know, I'm traveling and on a budget, I look for small things; in this case, canister shaped demitasse cups. I love the eclectic look of several different patterns out for coffee or cocoa after dinner. It's fun to see how each is chosen. My friends all have personal favourites they always select.

While it is true, I love Portobello Road antique shopping, there is something very cool about getting up really early, throwing off your jammies, throwing on your clothes, and heading off to shop while it is still dark.

Talk about hidden treasure!

http://www.londontown.com/LondonInformation/Attraction/New_Caledonian_Market/a544/

Day 24 Everyday Grateful ~ Ramses and I are going

for dinner at Barb's.

Misty morning. Sunny afternoon. Thankful.

Spring in Seattle

What a lovely morning. I'm getting ready to go my friend, Barb's house for Easter brunch, but I just had to take a walk in the garden again this morning.

Last fall, when I bought forty pounds (or, was it eighty? I forget. Anyway, it was a lot!) of King Alfred daffodils, I imagined how wonderful the pots would look in the spring. As I've said before, planting bulbs shows faith in the future.

Now, we are seeing the results of that crazy idea. It's a daffodil riot outside. And, best of all they are just starting to open their heads. I love the way they respond to the sigh of the wind as it moves through the garden. 

Atmospheric. Transcendent. Hopeful. Beautiful.

My friend, Karen's husband Ron came by yesterday. He's the pressure washing king. He got all the Seattle winter moss and slime off the back deck. We are now ready for breakfast and dinner over looking the back yard.












I love this time of year. Each day, we are gathering light. The ground is warming. The energy of returning life is everywhere.

This next week, let's chat about garden art.

Happy Easter

Day 4 Everyday Grateful ~ a long, laugh-filled phone call

from The Bear.

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning . . .

Another reason we live in Seattle! I suspect the reason we tell everyone it rains all the time here is so they won't move here ~ and, make the traffic worse than it is!

But today . . . oh, so utterly gorgeous! The sky is robins egg blue and not a cloud in the sky. The sun casts deep, dark shadows across the lawn. The air is soft and clean. The leaves sparkle as they move in the breeze. This day has all my favourite things ~ the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, someone is mowing a lawn, a couple of dogs are barking, parents are walking their babies up the street under my window, you can just hear the wind chimes like very quiet, small bells and a group of kids are laughing and playing next door.

Talk about Everyday Grateful! This is one for the list.

As I was walking in the garden this morning and feeling the sun on my face, I am reminded of why I think of the garden as a lovely scented room. And, as we all know, the thing that makes a room is the accessories. In this garden, I love the dozens of pots filled with bulbs just beginning to open; their full heavy heads nodding in the breeze. There are pots of perennials; pots of annuals. Amazing pots. Plain vanilla pots. All working together to create a personal space of comfort and beauty.

As I've mentioned before, if I buy something, I look first at salvage and used. I've been very fortunate to find fantastic things for pennies on the dollar. I gravitate towards an eclectic mix that has an acquired look. The strength of the "acquired look" is it is visually interesting and benefits for the occasional addition to spice up the whole. It isn't necessary to go out and spend hundreds of dollars getting all matchy-matchy pots. Add a single "star" every year or so and the result will be more interesting.

Don't forget to add your found objects that can be used as garden art. This garden has a wonderful metal heron in a bright green glazed pot, a bamboo ladder leaning up against the wall and a black metal pergola with a floor of salvage cement tile from Singapore covered with moss, add your own acquired items to personalize your garden.

Parts of the garden are still sleeping. The mulch covering the beds is warming in the sun. The perennial peonies are just poking their soft red leaves out of the ground. The new leaves on the roses are soft, furled and a deep oxblood colour. Things are beginning to stir.

 

 Spring really is just around the corner.

Day 3 Everyday Grateful ~ Seattle in the spring.