Radford Is Behaving Honest!!!!

Radford has behaved herself this week, I must admit I hate it when the other half thinks he has got one over on me, the true fact is that I have just not found anything new that I would like to add to my ever growing collection! So I think in a way I have double bluffed him!

I have noticed a couple of new items available on the EB Website, firstly there are some new Mothers Day Mugs and secondly are some T-Towels, all of which are really tempting! The T-Towels are really groovy and are quite different, the designer of them is Pat Albeck, if you get chance have a look because they are great! I am still patiently awaiting the 2010 jug! I am sure it will be amazing but I not the best when it comes to waiting!!

A friend of mine wants to go on the EB factory tour so I have also booked that this week, if you have not done the factory tour then I would recommend it, they do tours every tuesday and it is lovely to see how it is all made and decorated.

We are currently in the process of buying a new house, we are renting a much smaller place then we are use to (to help save money) and so the majority of our furniture and EMMA BRIDGEWATER is safely packed and stored away, I cant wait to unpack it all again! I do wonder though if I might have a few surprises tucked in there because I struggle to remember sometimes what I have and what I have not got!

I would love to hear from fellow Emma Bridgewater lovers what their favourite and cherished piece is, mine has to be my Polka Dot Sugar Shaker, I am so paranoid that it will get broken that I do not use mine, it is just sooooooo pretty! I really think the old designs and shapes are the best, I would love it if they remade these sugar shakers, I would have to have two of each design so that I could use one every day and so that I have a spare incase one breaks!! When I dig mine out I shall get a picture on here!

I would however LOVE one of these in my kitchen!!

The Emma Bridgewater Ban........

No more Emma Bridgewater buying this week, I have been ordered by the better half to spend my pennies wisely (WISELY, EB IS WISELY!!!!) he disagrees with me when I tell him that buying EB is an investment as well as an absolute wonderful pleasure and yes a little bit of an addiction, when I am over the hill he can flog it all (If he really feels he has too) and be a very wealthy man!

I am still on the hunt for my small hen on nest with blue stars, I did watch a small blue hen on nest sell for over £80 on ebay at the weekend, I did have to restrain myself!

The EB ban is only short term, I am silently excitedly awaiting the 2010 year jug, to all EB fans out there you have to buy this, not only is it the yearly jug but it is their 25th year and I have a feeling that it will be an expensive item in time to come so make sure you get your order in! It is currently still being designed but I am sure it will look fantastic amongst the jungle of bits on the dresser!

Not long now til the car boot season arrives! I love car boot sales! I love nothing more then arriving there as they open and having a look through all the tables hoping to find a treasure!

Last year I tried my hand at a bit of selling but because I ended up going on my own I was unable to have a rummage on the other stalls. Now I think that smelly other half did this on purpose so that I was unable to spend the money earned from selling my bits and bobs!

Everytime I was selling he would make an excuse as to why he could not come "Sorry babe I have to fix my sisters, husbands, brothers car!..." REALLY??, "Honey I am helping mum dig out her tree root!...." YES RIGHT!! If this was his plan he soon realised it back fired because I would befriend my fellow seller beside me and we would take it in turns to watch each others tables while we went for a rummage!

I did get some bargains last year, I got a beech wood filing cabinet, brand new for £3! and a foot stool for 50p which I recovered in my own fabric! So tell me peeps where is the best car boot sale in the UK? I am going to make it my mission this year to find the most amazing bargain!

Radford's In Luck!

Radford has been very lucky this week!

As you all know I collect Emma Bridgewater, not that its obvious! Well within my collection I try my hardest to collect limited edition pieces.

Country Living Magazine are celebrating their 25th birthday along side EB and in their Feb issue they are offering a limited edition Country Living EB 1/2 Pint Mug only £15.95 each plus £4 p&p

I had to have one!

They are still available so if you like the look then get your order in, I have the Feb issue if you need the contact number to order!

Another limited edition EB this week is the Marmalade Festival 1/2 pint mug. 250 were made, 200 of which were available at the festival on sunday 14th Feb the other 50 were made available through the EB website, I was VERY VERY lucky to manage to get hold of one for me and one for my mother. Mind you I did have to be attached to the computer for almost the whole day! But it was worth it!

I have also found a fab group on Flickr it is an Emma Bridgewater group and there are some fantastic photos that have been taken!

Click on the EB picture to the right on my tool bar and it will lead you to the group, have a nosey and if you like it then join up!

The Nightmare Unfolds!

We had a bit of a nightmare unfold upon us this weekend!!

I recieved a phone call to say the ponies had escaped on to the main road and were running riot amongst the traffic, not the best start to the day.........




Off up the farm I travelled in a very hurried manner with thoughts of squashed ponies with limbs missing on my mind. The field in question holds 3 brood mares, 2 yearlings and a 3 yr old. I instictively knew that the old Irish Connemara brood and her yearling would have been the two that would have made the great escape in the first place and it would be them that had led the others to venture outside of the field!



And yes I was right it was the terrible two! Luckily there were no blood and guts on display and both were quite happy with themselves now placed in the opposite farmers field.




After all the panic and rush was over with and the ponies were safely moved to another field until my better half gets tasked with mending the fence I was finally able to relax and enjoy my weekend!!



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I have also got my heart set on another piece of EB which I am now going to be hunting for this year, again it is another egg coddler but this one I would like in the blue star design! It is beautiful and would go perfect with my collection and so the search is now on!!!

A little bit of Bridgewater........

I thought I would share some of my pieces of Emma Bridgewater

This really is a taster!

I dont just collect one pattern or shape because I constantly see new pieces and fall in love with them!

The Rise and Shine collection came about in 2004, this is one of my favourites, and I was chuffed when I saw some for sale at the christmas sale this year so I could not help but get a few more dinner plates!!

These two plates above were made by EB for Pineapple around 1991 (from what I can tell by the back stamp), very simple designs and I find them beautiful, I believe there are other designs to this collection that were made, I am keeping my eyes peeled!

Above is a Robin mini mug and a 1 pint Robin mug, I keep chocolates in the big one!

This would make a lovely christmas present for a little boy!

The dinner plate above is from the Organic and Green collection and the large vase is from Hampton Court Flower Show last year.

For any EB lover this is a must have! If you already have this book you may want to skip this next paragragh!

The EB books talks about the life of Emma Bridgewater, her growing up and how she came about creating Bridgewater, it tells you what year designs were produced, there is a shape guide, a page showing the yearly backstamps so you can work out how old a piece is and lots lots more......

How this came about......

Welcome to my blog,

Firstly before anybody wonders "Is Radford really smelly?" I can confirm that I don't! It's a nick name that has stuck with me since I was a young girl from the days when I almost lived in my ponies stable with straw in my hair and muck on my breeches! I have lived and breathed ponies from day dot and have wonderful memories from the fearless child days when I would gallop my pony Tom across the fields bareback in just a headcollar!

I also have another passion which the other half calls an "uncontrollable addiction" and that is collecting Emma Bridgewater pottery! I have expensive tastes you may think, but by working hard in my "normal" job I have to treat myself.

I have many pieces of Bridgewater including Rise & Shine, Pink hearts, Blue Stars, Organic, Birds, Love & Kisses, Polka Dot, etc etc....

These are all on different items such as 1/2 pint mugs, 10 1/2' plates, cereal bowls, 1 pint mugs, 8' plates, cups and saucers, comport stand, clocks, small & large vases, jugs and my beloved candle sticks & sugar shaker!

I don't know why the other half thinks I am an uncontrollable addict!!!!

What I have been missing from my collection is a small hen egg coddler sometimes called a trinket pot, but today my luck was in, I found some for sale on Ebay, while at work I kept an eye on the time and when it was near the end of the auction I got out my iPhone (wonderful invention) and hid in the store cupboard, I waited until there was just a minute to go and placed my bid, for some reason I always feel my heart racing and get nervous when bidding it must be the excitments, anyway I won!!!! These items always go for such high prices hence why I have never won one before but my winning bid was £25.

Radford is very pleased with herself, I just hope the other half does not go onto Ebay and notice!! I shall just place it on the dresser and if asked I shall say "Darling that piece has always been there, you obviously just have not noticed it before!" I am sure he will realise it's a new addition but I like to amuse him!

To be continued.... x x x