I just CAN'T resist can I?

Hi guys!

Hope everyone is well :o)  Thank you for all your lovely comments on 'Garden nature' post.

As I said in my last post I'd found a few things, well as promised here they are!  I'd get a cuppa and sit down, long post with lots of info.

I strolled walked quickly towards the charity shop as I spied BLUE & WHITE in the window, and to my utter amazement found all of these beauties...

A Asbury &Co 'Dragon' pattern trio.

Design registration number is dated for 1903.  Even though a design registration number is not the  necessarily the year of manufacture I believe this is very close to that year.

  The company was in production from 1875 to 1925 at The Prince of Wales Works, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent.  And the cost?  £2.25

Alongside that, there was also these beauties..

A Booths 'Dragon' Trio

I have quite a few pieces of this pattern

The backstamp is dated between 1906 and 1912

also £2.25

A Royal Cauldon sugar bowl

I cannot find this Wyvern pattern backstamp to date it, although the word 'Royal' was added in the 1930's. It cost £1.25 and is a duplicate of one I already have. Cauldon and Royal Cauldon are my favourite make of Dragon pattern as they are in my opinion, a better colour than Booths.

 6" china Dragon jug

The 'Delphine' mark was for H J Middleton Pottery Stoke-on-Trent.

It's mark is after 1891 but before 1912 as they added '& CO' after then.

The jug has a tiny chip, but it only cost £1.25

Then there was this meat plate

for £2, along with these

four soup bowls and saucers.

Pretty eh?  £1 each (£4 total)

All made by Furnivals Pottery in the Denmark pattern.

Also a Stoke-on-Trent manufacturer.  The Boat mark is dated between 1890 and 1913.

An exceptional hoard don't you think?

Another day I went to a garden centre and I keep passing a sign that says ' Peony Sale' - I thought I'd go and look as I'd quite like another peony in the garden.  Boy, was I wrong it was a silk flower shop, in fact THE most wonderous silk flowers I have EVER seen!  I found these 2 feet beauties in the sale

Red Amaryllis

Reduced from £12 each to £5 :o)

Aren't they beautiful? (first picture shows colour better)  Just SO life-like.

I'll just tell quickly you about the table they're all pictured on, I got this about four years ago when Vicky first moved out for her (tiny) flat.  The top was ugly and marked - it cost £2 from my favourite charity shop!  I sanded the top and waxed it and off it went to Nottingham and was in daily use for a couple of years.  Vicky up-graded to a small dining suite and so Mom got it back. It stands on a single chrome leg with an 'X' shaped base.  I keep thinking I'll take it back to the charity shop - then I realise how useful it is for photo's and decide (again) to keep it....

And finally...

Tiggywinkle UPDATE :o)

The night before last I was watching the munching session in full swing when....

along came Mr T too!

Even later on (an hour or so had passed) I went out before tootling off to bed and to my utter amazement there were THREE of them snuffling about...talk about delight, I was in 7th Heaven.  I have decided to invest in a Hogitat.  A custom built hedghog house for the garden , looks like it'll be HH4 design as this is the one I've seen.

Well, I hope you've not been bored with all this blue and white?  Hope you ALL have a fabulous week, whatever the weather ;o)

Best wishes, see you soon...