Just Who Were You Mr Jones ...

Hello there ....

A nice sunny day here ... bit breezy .. 

what with Bertha having a bit of a chase around ..

 but nice enough. 

Hope you have had a good day ... I find Mondays can sometimes be a little hard work ... 

Today was a sorting stock kinda day .... 

a bundle of vintage clothes needed some TLC .. a little mending and washing.

Just look how pretty these vintage pinnies/aprons look on the maiden ... 

such pretty fabrics.

its so hard to part with them  ...

A couple of nice 50's style dresses ... in excellent condition ...

.... and

 .. how pretty is this little top from Hungary.

I'm sure someone will snap these up ... 

I would if I didn't have such a .. umm ... 'rounded' and 

.. umm 

 'mature'.. figure .. !

This is a really fab dress ... 

I haven't got a very good pic of it ...

 but 'in real life' its lovely ....

 an amazingly full skirt .. and the pretty bows... 

and everyday wearable .

I will take them out tomorrow and see if I can find them a home.

On Sunday ... 

in all the rain ...

 at 5 o' clock in the morning ...

 Hubby P went out to find new stock ... 

crazy man thought I ... 

but I made him a flask of coffee to drink ... 

whilst he sat in the middle of a field ... 

in the pouring rain..!

Give him his due ... he returned with treasures ....

Which included a large collection of boxes and tins etc ... 

the contents of someones sewing room ...

its always a bit sad to sort through ...

In the bottom of a box of bits and bobs .. 

alongside the pinking shears and bias binding I found these...

My first thought was ... 'what nice keys'...

  and then ...

 'why would 'she' keep a bunch of keys in her sewing box ?'

It is a lovely .. tactile kinda bunch ...

you know ... 

a kinda nice chunky feel ...

 an 'old' .. used .. lifelong feel to them.

Looking closer I could see the name Jones stamped in the metal tags ... 

I had no idea what they were for .. but I guessed they would be something to do with a mans workplace.

Hubby P had an idea that they were Pit Tally's .. or Checks .. 

When a miner was given his lamp to go down the mine he handed in a 'check or tally' ... with his name on ... so there would be a record of who was down the mine ... when he came up to the surface it would be handed back to him.

The Tally's have various numbers and letters stamped on them too ... these  probably indicate the mine he worked at etc ...

 Hubby P is trying to find out more about Mr Jones.

I find it very moving that .. most probably .. 

Mrs Jones has kept this little bundle of keys ... 

was it treasured a link to her lost Husband ...

 a man who spent such a lot of his life in the dark ... underground ... to provide for his family. 

An everyday item that summed up his life ... ?

We can only guess ... if only they could talk...

Anyway enough of me ... 

I would love to hear your thoughts on our finds ... 

anyone know anything about these Pit Tally's ... 

we may have it all wrong..!

Bye for now xx

Still Here Folks .. Just A Bit Busy....

Hello there ... hope you are all well...

Yes .. we are still here ... just having a very busy summer .. 
we've had a sadness .... the passing of a young man .... unbelievably awful .. 

and as I said just busy busy work wise.

As you can see the house is ..well .. 
neglected is too mild a description... at the moment it looks like a Chinese laundry.

This weeks finds included a load of Victorian linen ...
 bloomers blouses and beautiful baby wear.

It's yet to be sorted .. I will try and get some pics for you .. the PC is still playing up ...

why Oh why  ..is there always something to throw a spanner in the works when its such a busy time.

The up side is ... we have wonderful suntans with working outdoors in this lovely weather ... I know its raining today .. but we can't really complain ..

Another lovely find ...
 and quite appropriate considering the anniversary of the beginning of WW1 tomorrow...

Wartime Red Cross Nurses Uniforms ....
these are truly wonderful .... I find myself thinking .... 
 if only they could talk ....
 what have they seen .. where have they been ...
 what stories could they tell.

They came with lots of aprons ... what a job laundering them ... 
but they are quite wonderful linen ... 
a softness that can only come from wear and washing ....  
gentle ageing ....
well .. you know what I mean if you are a lover of fabrics.

Oh .. and how about the blanket ... 
wartime too I should think .. the colours are those 'old shades' .. the sort you can't find nowadays.
 Its a lovely mix of colours .. a real 'make do and mend' affair ..

I'm sure they will be snapped up by my lovely customers ....
 I have lots of ladies (and Gents of course )....
who appreciate the Vintage .. the beauty and grace that a long and often hard life brings to well made yesteryear items.

A little pic for those of you .. like me ... that get a thrill from the old and shabby .. 
perhaps its why Hubby P has lasted so long ..! ha ha ..

Lovely linen buttons on the Nurses aprons ... just how many times has the tired nurse reached behind her to change her apron ... where was she ... 
how strong she must have been to nurse those young men.

The Nurse in question was called Penelope Williams ... 
an Anglesey girl.

So here's to you Penelope .. and all those brave young women who gave their all to nurse our young men during that horrific time .. where would we be without you.

Anyway enough of me ... still lots more aprons to iron ....

Bye for now.