BBC Report!

No, no! I haven't been hired by the British Broadcasting Company to report on the doings in blogland ... though that could be fun! :0) My BBC report is about the bottles, bears, china and collectibles encountered at the Toowoomba Antiques, Collectibles Fair and Swap Meet that we visited yesterday.

Now, I had been mentioning this event to my Beloved Geek Boy since about Tuesday when I saw an ad on the local TV station and had been commenting how nice it would be to go and have a look. In reply he told me (somewhat gleefully, I thought!!) that the weatherman was predicting rain and storms all weekend and that it would probably be washed out. However, Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny - sure there were dark clouds to the west, but I figured a morning jaunt to the collectibles fair would be fitted in before rain hit. So off we went, my beloved still keeping a close eye on the dark clouds and, I suspect, willing them to hurry up so he had a valid reason to cut our collectibles hunt short! :0)

While the Antiques and Collectibles Fair is an annual event, we hadn't actually attended last year due to GB having to work (he probably did a happy dance at that mixed blessing!) so when we arrived, we were more than a bit shocked and gobsmacked to see how HUGE this fair/swap meet was!! I wish I'd remembered to take my camera, cos the photo of the car park would've blown you away, I'm sure! For a moment, I thought GB was going to do a quick U-turn and head home again, but being a loving hubby, he knew I REALLY wanted to have a look, so we parked the car and joined the steady stream of people walking towards the entry gate.

We walked ... and we walked ... and we walked ... you just about needed a cut lunch to get to the ENTRY!! Hmmm ... this was all VERY different to our last visit to the fair! However, we paid our entry fee and began to wander. OH!! What TREASURES there were gathered in that dusty showgrounds!! If I'd had unlimited funds ... and a very large truck to get it all home!! ... I could have bought just about anything you care to name, cos I'm sure it would have been represented there! We walked MILES, I'm sure of it, and even GB who is not as prone to exaggeration as I am, said that it was probably a two kilometre hike from where we parked the car to the front of the showgrounds, where we then turned around and headed back again. By the end of it, we were hot, dusty, thirsty, footsore (I wore sandals not realising just how far I'd be walking!!) and a little sunburnt, but it sure was an adventure!

So, I hear you ask, after all that walking, did I BUY anything? Do teddy bears LOVE honey?!?! You BET I bought something ... some THINGS, actually! :0) First purchase of the day was this pretty trio duo. Hmmm ... not sure that's really how it would be referred to, but you know what I mean ...

Aren't they PRETTY!! I just love the little roses on the white background. They're pictured here with the two GORGEOUS and incredibly realistic faux butterfly cakes that the lovely Kerryanne sent me for Christmas. I actually got these two trios for the bargain price of $10 for both, as the one on the right has a crack in it (doesn't matter for display purposes!) and it was almost time for the exhibitor to pack up, so I think he was trying to sell things so he didn't have to pack them to go home! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Here's a closer look at one of the cup and saucers. It's just so darn CUTE! :0) And once I had them home, I realised these two trio sets were very similar to my Ainslie tea set, which is great since I'm missing a trio from it. At a stall a little further along I found ...

A couple of pretty blue bottles. It doesn't show quite so well in the photo, but when the sun shines through the blue glass, these bottles are magic! Such a vibrant blue. One is for my little collection of vintage bottles and the other is for a friend who was eyeing off my collection on a recent visit. I thought I'd buy her a bottle to get her started on her own collection, after all, the hunting and collecting is half the fun, right! :0) And the flowers are sprigs from my Geisha girl shrubs in the front yard - they've loved the recent rain we've had and are flower madly and sending new shoots out everywhere.

Pretty as a picture! My BOTTLES and CHINA. So ... that's a "B" and a "C" from my title. I wonder what the other "B" could POSSIBLY ... be?! Why ... a BEAR, of course! You didn't REALLY think I could go to a collectibles fair without liberating a bear, did you! :0) Here's the newest member of the Tag Along Teddies Hug ...

Her name is Ruby ... now! :0) The lady I bought her from said she used to have three sizes of this style of bear, one big, this one and a smaller one, so she called them Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear. This bear is in pretty good condition except for some mold stains on one footpad ... I'm not sure if I like her dress or not, though. She may end up with a new outfit in the future, as she really doesn't strike me as a Mama Bear particularly and she will be keeping my other Collectibles Fair rescuee, Rupert, company. Remember Rupert?

This was after I'd performed some cosmetic surgery on him to restore his handsome features. I may end up making Ruby a girly version of the sailor collar to match Rupert, will have to see how she feels after living with us for a while. :0)

So, there you go ... that's how I spent a happy, though exhausting, few hours yesterday. Today is overcast with odd showers sneaking in from time to time, so I've been helping the Aussies bat in the one day cricket match against the West Indies team. Cricket is one of the few sporting events I'll watch on TV, not sure why I like it, unless it's cos it's played in summer and if there's cricket on the tele ... I know I'm enjoying my favourite season! :0) And I think I just heard someone get out in the background, so I'd better go back and help them - not that I'm probably a great help, since I'm stitching too and tend to take my eye off the ball! :0)

Before I sign off, it's been a year since the horrific bush fires roared through Victoria, destroying homes, bushland and wiping whole towns from the map. 12 months on, life has moved on, but although it is no longer in the news, those areas affected are still fighting their way back, cleaning  up and rebuilding. The tenacity and courage of the people in these areas reminds me of the lyrics of a song by Colin Buchanan (an Aussie country music singer/songwriter) called "Come What May" ...

"Cos there's been fire before in Illabo

And there'll be fire again,

And come what may,

There's been worse things in our way

It's our home, and we won't leave without a fight!"

So to all in the fire-affected regions, we send our thoughts and prayers to you and look forward to seeing the phoenix rising from the ashes - cos it's your home and you won't leave without a fight!

Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS