Gamboling in the country.

This weekend Jack and I went out shopping in the country, it's always good to shop outside of London and I got quite a haul, though I haven't photographed all of it.I've just captured my favourite bits, like this wicker creation.And this tiny tea set, to add to all the other tiny tea sets I've bought recently. Ridiculous.
But it is rather handsome I think you'll agree. Other than tiny tea sets I really like . . . really big tea cups. Look at this whopper: one can barely extend one's pinky when one lifts it.See how big it is compared to a VW Beetle! (this joke is on loan from The Bognor Bugle)
Also some funny tin toys, I think maybe the butterfly is meant to spin on the flowers or summat, but they would also make splendid brooches.  Normally I can resist the urge to buy wooden spoons - they are a bloomin' ridiculous thing to buy after all - but this week I was seduced by a big bundle of them. Bah. And some T.G.Green caddies which I like, slightly more rustic than your average.
We managed three car boot sales before midday on Sunday so were pretty zonked come the evening, but happy too mind.
At the first car boot of the day we were befriended by a splendid chap called Ivan the Terrible. He wasn't actually that terrible, but a short man who looked to be about the consistency of bread dough with a little stubbly moustache left over from the seventies. He had a small entourage of people around his stall, a lady with very long grey hair, his sister, and a man with a mullet who was cradling a miniature lassie dog inside his flourescent jacket. Ivan was dishing out tea and coffee from really big flasks. His sister was ensconced in granny chair (part of his stock) right in the middle and at the front of the stall, which I imagine was a little off-putting for browsers but heck.
He offered us a tea or a coffee and we politely declined . . . which we soon realised was probably the wrong answer. Ivan obviously appreciated that we weren't local and offered us again, slightly more insistently. . . that time we said yes. He fished a couple of mugs out of his stock and filled them up for us, asking whether we'd like sugar or sweeteners. 'Isn't that better' he said, and he was right, it was a lovely cup of tea and I did feel better. As we were making our way to the car park he caught up with us and insisted that anytime we go back to that boot we really must stop for another drink 'We've always got tea and coffee, always'.
Gawd bless that man, I know exactly how he feels - when you sell stuff and you've got your own stall in a busy place it's really nice to be able to provide stuff for people. I love a small tea gathering behind the stalls at Spitalfields, maybe I should follow Ivan's example and invest in some large flasks, or even a tea urn . . .