Where has the week gone?

Not sure where our week has gone, possibly sunk in all the rain!! Rather than dwell on the weather (which I have to say, we in South Yorkshire have missed the worse) I must go back to something I mentioned on the 7th of this month - bric a brac Wednesday. In my town the Wednesday market is bric a brac which I love. As you walk into the outside market (which is really under cover) you get 'that smell' I can't describe it but you would recognise it if you smelt it, maybe it's just the smell of bric a brac. I started to frequent it when I was looking for vintage jugs. I needed them as Christmas presents and they were going to be filled with my 'stick flowers'

Here's one, actually when I get round to it this vase will have blue, grey and cream flowers in it to match the decoration in our bedroom.
Well when I went the other Wednesday I didn't really expect to buy anything but whilst in town, well it be silly not to go and have a look. I was SO pleased I did because I saw this gorgeous cream jug

 

and at 50p, well I wasn't going to leave it for someone else. Even better when I turned it upside down it was Alfred Meakin. I can't find anything about it or even find a picture of the pattern online and as the Antiques Roadshow has already been nearby last September it will probably remain a mystery. It now stands with my very modern green, red and cream jugs on the kitchen windowsill. Moving a little further on I saw this

 

I really must get better at composing my photos so they are in line but you get the picture ( no pun intended). At first I left it even though I really liked it. Having just spent 3 weeks de-cluttering and sorting our loft out and taking pictures to the charity shop to then go and buy one when I had nowhere to put it was just silly, but I couldn't get it out of my mind so yes you've guessed I went back to ask the price. I had even decided where it could go by then - our inherited house in SW Ireland (you will need a large glass of wine when I tell you all about that!) It would be perfect in our bedroom there so when I was told £1 I quickly handed over the money. Once home I realised how dirty it was, so it was carefully taken to pieces, cleaned, polished and put back together. The detail is fantastic look here

this is harder to see

 

Again I have looked to find out about A Marlin and although I can find pictures of his/her prints I can't find anything about them.I love getting pleasure from these finds which cost next to nothing.
We are off to Ireland at the end of March, very worried at this point as to what we will find due to all the storms but I'm looking forward to hanging the picture. As we gradually decorate everywhere maybe our bedroom can have a lick of paint before the picture goes up.
I can't resist giving you a little hint of White Castle Cottage

this is  the view from the lounge upstairs

and this is part of the garden, although we understand the lovely fir tree on the left has come down in the storms.

But Ireland can wait, let's hope we have seen the worse of the weather this winter and I wish you an enjoyable weekend from a slightly brighter South Yorkshire. Come back and visit soon. Anne xx