I didn’t have a lie-in on my birthday yesterday.

But I didn’t mind.

As soon as lad was away to school we were out and off… to the biggest antiques and collectors fair in Europe!

Newark Antiques Fair takes place every few months about 17 miles from where I live. Perhaps amazingly, I’d never been before.

My expectations, I have to say, were pretty high.

I had heard tell of the thousands of stalls stretching as far as the eye could see… the mountains of wonders… glorious vintage-ness piled high… bargains galore…

Well, at least some of the above was true. There were a lot of stalls. Selling a lot of stuff.

Some of it lovely…

But when it came down to it, actually, I didn’t find it overly difficult to pass most of them by with barely a second glance.

Because despite the photos above, and although there were some lovely things, there was, to be frank, an awful lot of utter tat.

Dreadful, awful, fake, naff, expensive tat.

Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed looking round, I really did! There were interesting piles to be rummaged through…

Pretty things to be admired…

But not bought, mostly because they were either a) too expensive, b) the wrong size / colour, or c) I just don’t need them enough.

There was one marquee, filled with an array of old fabrics and haberdashery, that had me hyperventilating when I spotted it.

I did have a lovely rummage in there…

But really, I was, by anyone’s standards, pretty darned restrained when it came to parting with my cash.

I was tempted by a 1970s Italian tablecloth, even returning to the stall on the way out as the owner had been absent when I first passed by.

But dear me… when they said it was £15 – and they clearly weren’t amenable to haggling (“It’s ITALIAN!” she spluttered, whilst looking daggers at me) – I must’ve looked like it’d burned my fingers.

I put it back so quickly and walked away so smartish, I didn’t even remember to take a photo.

I have paid more for fabric it’s true – but not at a fair. I’m not surprised the poor saps on Bargain Hunt always do so badly when they’re up against dealers as wily as this lot!

So did I actually buy anything, I hear you cry?

Well, of course I did… I’m not inhuman for pity’s sake!

I could’ve had a vintage sheet or two, a little shelf with a couple of pretty tins, a big glass jar to store my buttons in, and an old tin bath to fill with flowers for the garden… but I let them go.

I’m happy with my pretty bit of trim and little bit of fabric.

Perfect buys for a perfect day.

Happy Birthday to me. ♥