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Monday 26 September 2016

France

I know that I have been AWOL again which is because I had to travel over to France for the funeral of my stepfather John.  As he and my mum both lived in France this meant hurried booking of flights, getting time off work and linking in with other family members in the UK who were also travelling over for the funeral.

We spent some time helping my mum clear things away and sort through some of his belongings. We also spent some of our time in France resting a little as the emotional energy is draining. We had a couple of hours walking her dog, Misca on the beach as he had been cooped up in the house for some time while my mum cared for John. Misca loved running on the beach and stretching his little legs. He dug holes in the sand and rolled in the holes he had made making his fur all sandy and smelling of seawater.

We dropped off relatives at Rennes airport and stopped at Fougeres on our way back. We parked near the castle and I was astounded to find that the car parking and public toilets were free to use. You would just not get this in the UK with our councils afer every penny they can get





Fougeres is so pretty with lopsided houses, little bistros and chic shops. We stopped for lunch at a lovely bistro called The Ramparts and had a set two course meal with a half bottle of house wine. The bill was less than €40 even with a 10% tip for 3 of us (me, my mum & David). We were able to sit outside in the gardens because it was warm but sadly overcast with no sunshine.






There is a walk signposted around the town so we walked from the bottom of the town where the castle is and up to the main town to window shop. We walked back down through the municipal gardens and around the back of the castle. I was suprised to see goats grazing next to the moat and just below the castle ramparts.






It was lovely to get some fresh air, stretch our legs and walk the dog before going back to clearing out the house again.

Sunday 25 September 2016

Carboot Haul

I know I have been AWOL for a couple of weeks. More about the reason behind this in another posting but I have been out of the country for 12 days and returned late Friday afternoon. After two weeks without my beloved Cheshire Carboot Sale it was great to be back there again today even though it rained and the forcast had been for sun.

I bought two medium sized Yankee Candle jars for £6 each from one seller who appeared to have a full Hallmark shop. These are usually £17.99 each so at £6 I wasn't arguing over the price. I bought Fireside Treats and Spiced Orange which I think will be great for Autumn. I have a large jar just coming to the end in Gingerbread Maple so these will come in handy in the next few weeks.


From the same seller I bought 9 Christmas cards for family and friends. These were 50p each or 3 for £1 so I bought £3 worth. I think cards are so expensive to buy these days at £2 upwards for a small plain card. I love all of the cards that I bought and believe it or not I am pretty much sorted for Christmas already. I have bought presents throughout the year and already have cards and wrapping paper stored which were bought in the January sales.


From a different seller I bought two bags of Yankee Candle samplers (I've always called these votives?). These were 15 samplers for £10 so work out to be 67p each. They range in price £1.35 - £1.71 usually so I reckon these to be half price or less each. I split the candles into two - one bag of Christmas and Winter scents and the other bag full of Spring/Summer scents.


My cosmetics lady was on today and I bought a new bottle of Creme de la mer facial toner from her. The toner is the oil absorbing one and usually costs £65. I paid £25. She has some fantastic bargains but usually only a couple of items. She has given me the heads up for further branded items coming in next week. 


I bought two Soap & Glory gift sets at £2 for each from two different sellers. Both of them contain 4 travel sized products and a shower puff. The travel sizes are normally £2.50 each and the shower puff £3.50. I think the gift sets are usually priced around £10. I may use these myself or give them as stocking fillers to my sister and niece.



One smart lady said she had had enough of the rain and said she was cold too. She hadn't many items left on her stall to sell and said that she was now selling everything at 50p an item. I found a Louis Vuitton silk scarf and asked her if this was 50p and she said yes because it was stained at one end and she couldn't be bothered getting it dry cleaned and she wanted to go home. I assumed it was fake, gave her 50p and put it away in my bag. Just as I was walking off she told me it was genuine. Really?  I'm not sure but I have given it a gentle soak in soft soapy water and the stain came out no problem. For 50p who cares? I think this will look great tied around the handle of one of my black leather handbags.


Another possible fake is a Links of London sweetie bracelet. I have an original one and a comparison does show some slight differences. I only paid £2 for it and the lady selling it was very disorganised. She had the links box full of earings, the empty cloth bag in another part of her stall and the bracelet in a bowl of bangles. I gathered all the items together and was happy with £2. It has a lovely heart charm on it and is fairly heavy. The elasticated section is double, the logo looks right and there are the standard number of spare loops for attaching charms. I don't know why she sold it for £2 unless it is a fake. Again - who cares! I love it as a lightweight spare to my authentic one which is very heavy with charms.


I bought another large sarong sized scarf for £1 and some cute Wristees in a beautiful magenta colour also for £1.  The scarf is for me and the Wristees are a gift for my sister.






My niece loves Lush products and so when I saw this Blooming Beautiful gift set for £1 I had to buy it for her. This is currently selling for £9.50.


I bought two mini bare minerals sets of loose powder and soft mini brush for 20p each. One is in my current medium beige shade. The other is in fairly light which may be okay for me come the middle of winter when I start to look paler. If this doesn't suit then I'll pass this on to my niece who has very pale skin (she is a strawberry blonde). I also bought this Revlon bronzing shimmer brick for 50p. Great for just chucking in my work makeup bag for touch ups during the day.





I found an IKEA throw for £1 that is the same as one I already have. I now have matching throws on both my settees. I did have two throws that are  the same but in different colours which worked well but I prefer the two in the same colour. It is a little crumpled but an iron will soon put that right.


I bought two books. A large Bill Bryson in hardback for 10p - I have loved Bill Bryson's writing after reading Notes from a Small Island about his travels in the UK. He has such a wonderful sense of humour. My second book was £1 and is a Sophie Dahl cookbook. Because of the rain these were both a bit damp and are currently in the airing cupboard drying off.





Finally I bought 3 DVDs, all new and sealed for 50p each.



Sunday 4 September 2016

Village Green Carboot Sale Finds

Today it was the Knutsford scout group carboot sale which is held once a year. It has been hit and miss over the years but today I came home with a beauty mega haul plus some other bits and pieces. There's quite a lot to list so I hope you don't get bored half way through reading.

Here are my finds:

Two Marks & Spencer beauty boxes at £10 each. I bought one of these earlier this year on-line and wrote a post about it which you can read here. The box was sealed up and the contents are worth £120. I loved some of the items in my box so was pleased to find another one.


The second one has some great products in it - real summer items such as the full size Fake Bake Amplify body lotion with gradual tan. The contents in this box are worth £80. I love the three little bottles of Leighton Denny nail varnish.


From the same lady I bought this Stila gift set with dark purple eyeliner, lip and cheek cream and their iconic lip glaze for £3. There is also a sparkly headband in the set. This will be going to my niece as a gift for her birthday or Christmas.



Davidoff Cool Water Woman 30ml Eau de toilette with travel size shower gel and body lotion which are just perfect for taking away on a sunny holiday. These three items cost £1.20.


From the same lady I bought another three items for £1.20 which are a L'Occitane shower gel in Arlestenne fragrance (this costs £5.75 normally), travel size Amande supple skin oil which comes in the cutest bottle ever and a full size bottle of Radox in Sleep Easy. She had lots of travel sized items in a box with everything 50p each or three for £1.20. I ummed and ahhed about whether to buy Sanctuary or Soap & Glory but plumped for the full sized Radox.




Yves Saint Laurent Forever Youth Liberator serum for just £6. This is new and still sealed up. I've looked on eBay and this is around the £15 plus £2.85 shipping price so I am pleased with this find. I wear serum every day under my moisturiser so am always on the look out for a decent brand.


Full sized tube of Aveda body polish for just 50p. Similar is selling for £36 so I have no idea why the lady sold it so cheaply but at 50p I was not going to argue.


From the same lady I bought these two packs of Fortnum & Mason sugar swizzle sticks for 25p a pack. These currently sell for £5.75 each pack. I think these will be stored away until Christmas and then used for coffee after our Christmas and Boxing Day dinners.


Two tins of Toni & Guy dry shampoo for 50p for both tins and from the same lady, two bottles of Tresemme 7 day straight serum for 50p a bottle. Why would you go to Boots to buy toiletries when you can buy them at these prices? The dry shampoo currently cost £7.49 a can and I've paid 25p! The serum currently costs £7.29.



From the same lady I bought a new and sealed tube of Clarins HydraQuench tinted moisturiser for £1. This is currently £29 to buy. The colour is honey which is discontinued but is perfect for my colouring in the summer when I have a bit of colour from holidays and spending time outdoors.


Are you bored yet? or am I okay to carry on listing all my finds? Yes - okay so here is more....

A large bottle of Soap & Glory body wash in Orangeasm for £3 (costs £6.50). I love any body wash that is citrus scented as I find it great for livening the senses in the morning.


A Boots No7 palette containing three of my favourite eyeshadow shades - truffle, innocence and wheat sheaf as well as a mini mascara, rollerball bronzer and highlighter. This cost £2.


A Benefit lip and cheek compact set for just £1. It is called  Rockitude and is selling for £25.50. I picked up a tube of Rodial stem cell superfood glam balm and before I could ask the price, the lady said I could have it for free!!! The 40ml tube cost £35 and this is a 25ml tube. I have no idea why she gave it away when I had only spent £1 on her stall but I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.




Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser (30ml) and cloth in a sealed up pack for just 20p. Plus a Percy & Reed wonder balm for my dry ends for just 50p. Soap & Glory bath orchid for 20p. I love these and go through quite a few of them every year.




The Orange Tree gift set in a tin for £2. This has body wash, body lotion, body scrub, bath soak and a bath orchid in it. It is only an Asda set but at less than 50p an item, it will be okay for everyday use.



Well that is the end of the beauty haul but I did buy lots of other items which are as follows:

Five hardback cookery books for 20p each. I wanted to buy more at this price and really had to check myself before going mad. I limited myself to £1 worth and bought a massive Nigella Lawson one called Kitchen, a Lorraine Pascale one called Home Cooking Made Easy, Saturday Kitchen, Levi Roots Caribbean Food and a divine Green & Blacks chocolate cookbook.






Sparkling wine chiller for 10p. We have a couple of these already and keep them in the freezer for emergencies. You just can't drink warm fizz - ever! I love it when it is really chilled.


Two pairs of John Lewis socks at £1 a pair. One pair is priced up at £7 and the other at £5. I think I'll keep the pink and blue spotty ones for myself (£7 pair) and the others will be used as a Christmas stocking filler for my sister.


Two DVDs at £1 each. I am particularly interested in the Canterbury Tales set of 6 stories. It was a BBC series and runs for 355 minutes.


A Samsonite cross body bag which is as new and cost £2.50. I wanted a longer strapped bag than the one I already have for wearing across my body for when we go to New York in December. This purchase made me smile as it has a luggage tag attached to it from a hotel in New York so clearly it was destiny for me to buy it.




A long necklace that has a detachable handbag charm for £1. It is very chunky and David said I will look like Mr.T when I wear it but I wanted something longline to wear with tunics.



A magazine holder which matches one we already have that we bought from Costco. This cost just £1 and I'm pleased to have a matching pair for at the end of each of our two settees.


Finally - three more short sleeved shirts for my dad. Yesterday I gave him the  three shirts I bought for him last week and he was delighted as he said he was short of short sleeved shirts. I paid £1 for the Gant shirt and 50p each for the Blue Harbour range ones from Marks & Spencer.

Well apart from a large bag of bananas for £1 (random I know) that was my haul for this week. We are away to the Lake District next weekend so I may not have a haul post to show you but I hope this weekend's mega haul makes up for it.