Last week was an unsettled week in our household with varying highs and lows. By the weekend we needed a break from the usual routine so headed out for a drive in the country with no destination in mind. With the winter sun warming us, we left our coastal town behind and headed inland where the country roads wound through small townships, past quaint little shops, farms and beautiful outlooks.
We stopped briefly in the small town of Beechwood where we collected pine cones (for a future project), wandered through the old cemetery and discussed the complexities of life with my 13 year old. She is such an old soul and sometimes she astounds me with her wisdom.
We headed off again in a different direction and while admiring the beautiful scenery out my window I missed this important road sign on the other side of the road - Garage Sale - lucky for me, Hubby is now well trained in all areas of thrifting and he had seen it. To my surprise, several minutes later we pull up seemingly in the middle of nowhere on a country lane to find a very busy garage sale in progress. I’m telling you, this garage sale was huge!! As you would expect from a garage sale out bush, it was full of farming equipment and building supplies and the majority of buyers were rummaging through that lot. Not me. I pushed through the crowd of flannel shirted, akubra wearing blokes to the real treasure hidden at the back… the old furniture and bric-a-brac!! I suspect most of it had been stored unwanted in a shed as everything was covered in years of dirt and filth. With limited cash on me I had to move on past the old furniture but did spy something of interest, half hidden behind an old desk. This large 1 metre high mirror was so dirty there was barely any reflection to speak of.
Even in its neglected state I could see the potential with a white paint re-do and dared to hope that I had enough cash to scoop up this baby. Miss Aimee and I dragged her out and gripped her firmly, so no other could pounce on her. The absence of a price tag had me worried and even when I asked the owner he just rubbed his stubbly chin and mumbled something about asking the ‘Missus’. He took his sweet time too but when he did eventually wander back over, he said something almost apologetically about a 20. A what - $20? I thrust $20 in his hand and before he could change his mind Miss Aimee and I were hot tailing it out of there – well as fast as we could with the heavy load between us. Don’t you love the adrenaline rush you get from thrifting!!
It took a bit of scrubbing and several buckets of hot soapy water before her true beauty was exposed, but underneath all that dirt was a very old ornate mirror in perfect condition – no scratches, dents or chips. I look forward to making her over and giving her a new life in my entrance hall.
Fresh from the ‘buzz’ of the garage sale we resumed our adventure and were even more vigilant now for signs of interest. In the next town we found several roadside stalls but didn’t stop for the chook poo, cow doo or horse manure. We did however, pull in for the honey stall. Mmmmm… another bargain. A great big jar for all of $3 and typical of the country, it was an honour system – pop your money in the jar and fish out your own change.
Not only was the honey cheap but quite different to our usual honey. We loved it so much that next time we need honey, we’ll be heading off again for a trip along a country road.
I’ve spent the remainder of my week finishing pattern writing and working on my web pages for the Christmas release…
…and I’ve had my very own personal countdown with this cute blackboard Santa hanging beside my work desk.
If you are celebrating Christmas in July this weekend, I hope you have a wonderful day.
Hugs ~ Kerryanne