Magpie Monday - Wooden it be lovely

Hurrah, the Old Man agreed we could go to the car boot sale yesterday - the first one I've been to in, well it feels like forever.  The trade off was we had to go and watch him play squash first.

Yawn.  I sat patiently and watched 2 sweaty grown men chase a tiny rubber ball about a glass cell for an eternity, drumming my fingers and cursing all the unknown treasure that was being snatched up early.  I moaned in the car on the way there that there would be nothing left and all the good stuff will have been nabbed.  Annoyingly, he is one of these 'c'est la vie' types - chill out, we'll get there when we get there...yadda...yadda...

To instantly rub salt into my wounds, the very first stall I went to had the most beautiful Victorian chair.  I mean, this was exquisite.  Stunning. Perfect.  'How much for the chair?' I enquired. 'Sorry love, it's sold'.  My heart broke a tiny bit.  I glared and silently spat 'SEE??!' at the Old Man.  Oh well, I won't ask how much it went for I said (why make myself even more miserable).  Can you believe it, the stall holder shouted after me 'I let it go for a fiver'.

WHAT???  WHAT???  FIVE POUNDS?  She had to be kidding.  'I'd have paid £20 I told her, maybe more'. Ha, two can play at the missed opportunities game.  On my second - or was it third - skulk past, the chair was still sitting there, uncollected and unloved. Taunting me.

Still, I picked myself up and got looking.  All my items this week were wooden, or wood related, and even though the chair would have been the piece de resistance, I'm quite pleased with my haul.

I'd been on the lookout for a set of wooden step ladders for ages.  I want to paint some up and stand them in the garden with plants on, but they go for a fortune on eBay.  I spotted a set lying down and as penance, sent Him Indoors to find out the price.  He redeemed himself slightly by returning to tell me the chap wanted £10, but he'd bought them for me for a fiver.

They are truly lovely, but huge!  The lying-down-ness of them disguised their massive height, but still.  I'm now wondering if I can make room for them in the house.  Perhaps as a quirky shelving unit or a towel holder in the bathroom...

A lady with some beautiful items on her stall had a whole load of National Trust paint.  For exterior wood it will be just the ticket for my current projects.  She wanted £10 for the whole lot - about 9 tins.  It was all the same colour, a pale cornflower blue.  But the voice of doom next to me said no way - what if it's all off?  Argh, is he determined to ruin my day?  Anyway, I bought one tin for £2, and of course got it home to find it was perfect.  I knew it would be, I shouldn't have listened.

I spotted this whimsical little kitchen stamper on a stall for 20p.  Perfect for marking cookies.

I pacified Ruby who was whining for an ice cream with this chunky wooden tractor.  She seemed delighted that the steering wheel 'worked' the front wheels.

Finally, I think my favourite thing was this little ruler.  I paid 50p for it and just love it.

What era do you think it's from?  The 50s?  I'm not sure, but I will display it and smile at it.

What did you manage to get second-hand?  Do you have a voice of doom who comes with you?  Or do you leave him at home?!

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