I went down to Greenwich yesterday to meet up with my friend Sally and explore the Greenwich Market. It turned out not to be a great day for antiques -- Sally had said she thought Friday was the day for that kind of thing, but I guess it varies for certain dealers. I did find a handful of interesting old postcards and stuff, though, and that was my goal.
It was good to see Sally again -- I haven't seen her since last September, which seems hard to believe. We had a lot to catch up on! After browsing the market and grabbing lunch at a food cart (BBQ pork sandwich for me, brisket sandwich for Sally) we went and sat on a bench overlooking the Thames to eat. Then we hit a junk shop (creatively named "The Junk Shop") and walked around a bit before I started my trek back to North London.
Here's something I picked up at Greenwich Market, where it was practically free (as it should have been, given that it's a broken piece of pottery). I later found similar pieces online but nothing with this exact design. I think it was made back in the Victorian era as a souvenir for visitors to Wales. Anyway, I added it to my bowl of interesting pottery shards.
I also bought a handful of old photographic slides. I didn't have time to go through all the ones in the shop, since Sally was there. The few I got are pretty interesting, and I may go back today and get the rest. You know how I am about rescuing old photos from the dustbin of history. Future blog fodder!
A couple of days ago I took a bunch of our big houseplants outside for their annual rinse, and I left them there for several days hoping it would rain, as predicted. The rain never quite materialized, at least not in any quantity, so I brought them back in again yesterday -- all except the avocado (at right) which is living outdoors for the summer. At least now their leaves have been freed of a year's worth of dust.
You can see how patchy our grass looks because of the dry weather. Fortunately we're not lawn fanatics!
That’s a wonderful pottery shard. Can’t believe how dry the garden “lawn” has gotten.
ReplyDeleteI love going through junk shops although I rarely buy anything. Do you have a plan for your pottery shards? A garden mosaic perhaps?
ReplyDeleteStepping stones!
DeleteI like your idea of collecting pottery bits. I can see rustling through a bowl of then to admire them. That one does look like a popular transfer print.
ReplyDeleteThe size of you avocado plant just canceled any thought I might have had of growing my own. I’m amazed you can get it into the house
ReplyDeleteNow I remember Greenwich Market. There was a lot of clothing for sale and not much else when we were there. Good to hear you had a nice day with Sally. The avocado will be quite happy outside.
ReplyDeleteThe welsh costumes are intriguing the painting is very naive
ReplyDeleteWe have several antique markets around here and they are fun to go through. I always find some tidbit I must have.
ReplyDeleteOur lawn looks quite different as we have been having rains almost every day so everything is lush and green for a change.
Great pottery shard there! I also liked the photo of the building saying Spread Eagle Yard...makes one wonder!
ReplyDeletePeople's lawns here are turning brown, dry and crispy. What grass and ground cover we have is still green because it's in the shade of three pecans trees and covers the drain field for our septic system.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about that building in the top photo. Spread Eagle Yard is such an interesting name.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lovely day spent with a good friend. Interesting pottery shard. I'm glad things cooled down there. I do hope you get some rain. It's foggy gray here with temps in the 60s. Just 50 miles east of us the temps will be over 100 degrees. Fog does have cooling benefits.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is lush and gorgeous, inviting! Dennis came around the corner as this photo was on my screen and asked," where is that, Guatemalan jungle?"
ReplyDeleteGlad you got to meet your friend- have a time together. You two did our favorite things, lunch and antiques!
Our Avocado isn't sending out side branches.. possibly fortunate as room is a bit short here!!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a pretty perfect day to me.
ReplyDeleteI think your plants will cry when you take them back into the house. "No, no! You promised us rain!"
I love those meandering sorts of days. My grass is turning golden and my plants need watering. No rain in the forecast. :(
ReplyDeleteI read your post twice to make sure I hadn't missed it. What's the story behind the "Spread Eagle Yard"?
ReplyDeleteMitchell: And our grass HAS had some water, just from overspray while watering the potted plants. You should see the grass in the parks. It's completely brown.
ReplyDeleteRiver: We already made mosaic stepping stones for the garden (which I blogged at some point). Now I'm just keeping shards with no specific purpose in mind!
Debby: Yes! That was the original plan, and we made those. There's a post somewhere on the blog about them.
Boud: They make a nice display, especially when each one has its bit of unique history!
Marty: We have to keep trimming it back! It's gotten a bit sparse but I think when we cut it again it will be encouraged to grow in a more compact shape.
Andrew: Apparently, like many outdoor markets, there are different things on different days. There is a separate vintage clothing market too.
John: I was hoping you'd catch this post! I thought you'd like that shard.
Bob: I love going through old stuff!
Barbara: I guess someone had a sense of humor! The Spread Eagle, it turns out, was a pub. See link below in response to Kelly's comment.
Ellen: As you know, grass is made to react this way to dry conditions. When the rain starts again it will be fine.
Sharon: The Spread Eagle was a pub. See link below!
Robin: Foggy and gray with temps in the 60s sounds WONDERFUL! Just having some moisture in the air sounds nice.
Linda Sue: LOL -- that's the first time our garden has been compared to Guatemala, I'm sure!
GZ: Like any plant, if you want it to branch, pinch out the top growth. But then, you might not want it to branch. :)
Ms Moon: They're already back inside and yes, I'm sure they must be disappointed. At least they got rinsed off with the hose.
Margaret: You're in the same boat we are!
Kelly: OK, I got the story. Apparently the Spread Eagle was a pub located just around the corner from Spread Eagle Yard. The pub carried that name at least as far back as 1805.
https://pubwiki.co.uk/KentPubs/Greenwich/SpreadEagle.shtml
I think the Welsh mug is a great find (especially at the price!) And I love that you rescue old photos. It sounds like a fun day with a good friend and fun finds!
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