Sunday, June 29, 2008
29th June. Another car boot sale.
There were many differences between the car boot sale we sold at today and the one we did last Sunday - most of all we enjoyed it much more.
But amazingly the takings each week were the same.
I counted up and found we had taken just 3p more than last Sunday - so another total over £120.
I love the county where I was raised, but somehow the boot sales feel different than the ones we have been to in Surrey - especially for selling.
Last week at Poynings we felt pressurised by pushy greedy folk - mostly I guess dealers from Brighton, who can have a bad reputation; although many are lovely I am sure.
This week we arrived at about half past seven to a flat field in the early morning sunshine and felt free to take a little more time to unpack and put our wares on display.
We were next to a friendly family selling plants - so of course some had to come home with us!
We were selling very cheaply. Remember that all the things that had been in Rocking Horse had already been well reduced and we were offering them for half the marked price or better. If something had been £2.50, I wasn't going to fiddle around with £1.25 - the customer could have it for £1.
Books were being sold for 50p or less - and the good people of Reigate were happy to part with lots of 50p's.
I had a box of old toys - not very exciting or collectable, though I guess I had once hoped they might be. These were the remnants of the toy box taken to Poynings last Sunday.
I had just got to the point of thinking that these toys - old games and dolls etc could go to a charity shop. Then a couple started to look at a couple of bits and I offered the lot to them for £3. A bargain for them and £3 more than I had just been planning to get.
It was all very civilised and friendly.
This sale is organised by the local sports association to benefit their funds and I am glad that they do quite well through the summer.
And then came that moment which is not so nice - packing up the unsold goods when one is already feeling very tired.
We have undoubtedly got a lot less now in the garage. There is enough to do another sale, but I think we won't bother.
Let's put an end to it and get on with our lives.
This afternoon I have been through my stock book crossing things off - and thus I know that I have sold about 250 things in the last week. Bill has also sold things, but he doesn't keep the same kind of records as me so I can't be sure how much he sold; I would guess that at least 350 things have now ceased to be part of our stock.
I shall wait a week or so and then I must go through the boxes - rejecting the sort of things that a charity shop would probably dump anyway, cleaning the china things for them, removing all the labels and then crossing them off in the stock file.
Finally then I should just have a book full of "active" items.
We have watched sport this afternoon - of course! The show jumping from Hickstead was on - interesting to see the contrasts in skies between here and there (only 15 miles away). We had some cloud for a while, but they had clear skies.
We now have blue sky - at quarter past 8.
I have experimented with tempura batter this evening. I haven't got it quite right. I don't think the fat was quite hot enough to have the batter go really crisp. But the prawns and cauliflower in the batter were tasty.
Has anybody else tried it?
We watched Neil Diamond from Glastonbury as we ate. Good that the festival has some performers who can sing and play and hold a good melody!
But I was hoping to see one of my dearest favourites - Leonard Cohen.
Bill is now out watering in the plants we bought as I sit here.
Meanwhile the Spanish and the German football teams are battling to win the European Championships. I keep wanting to jump up to see if the excitement is a near miss or a goal - but no score yet.
Jamie has put another video clip on the jjjj blog.
Little John and some class mates were performing a dance in the Big C shopping mall. There were just 2 boys - it seems like our John allowed the other boy to do most of the hand movements whilst he jigged around enjoying himself. The girls, of course, took it very seriously! They were all very good for 3 year olds.
And so another week will begin. I am not sure what we will do tomorrow.
I know that Jo is emptying her space in Pilgrims on Tuesday morning. We haven't decided whether to do ours a little later on Tuesday or wait until Wednesday. Bill would have to get back for a physiotherapy session on Tuesday late afternoon.
Spain have just scored folks! But will they win?
Goodnight.
But amazingly the takings each week were the same.
I counted up and found we had taken just 3p more than last Sunday - so another total over £120.
I love the county where I was raised, but somehow the boot sales feel different than the ones we have been to in Surrey - especially for selling.
Last week at Poynings we felt pressurised by pushy greedy folk - mostly I guess dealers from Brighton, who can have a bad reputation; although many are lovely I am sure.
This week we arrived at about half past seven to a flat field in the early morning sunshine and felt free to take a little more time to unpack and put our wares on display.
We were next to a friendly family selling plants - so of course some had to come home with us!
We were selling very cheaply. Remember that all the things that had been in Rocking Horse had already been well reduced and we were offering them for half the marked price or better. If something had been £2.50, I wasn't going to fiddle around with £1.25 - the customer could have it for £1.
Books were being sold for 50p or less - and the good people of Reigate were happy to part with lots of 50p's.
I had a box of old toys - not very exciting or collectable, though I guess I had once hoped they might be. These were the remnants of the toy box taken to Poynings last Sunday.
I had just got to the point of thinking that these toys - old games and dolls etc could go to a charity shop. Then a couple started to look at a couple of bits and I offered the lot to them for £3. A bargain for them and £3 more than I had just been planning to get.
It was all very civilised and friendly.
This sale is organised by the local sports association to benefit their funds and I am glad that they do quite well through the summer.
And then came that moment which is not so nice - packing up the unsold goods when one is already feeling very tired.
We have undoubtedly got a lot less now in the garage. There is enough to do another sale, but I think we won't bother.
Let's put an end to it and get on with our lives.
This afternoon I have been through my stock book crossing things off - and thus I know that I have sold about 250 things in the last week. Bill has also sold things, but he doesn't keep the same kind of records as me so I can't be sure how much he sold; I would guess that at least 350 things have now ceased to be part of our stock.
I shall wait a week or so and then I must go through the boxes - rejecting the sort of things that a charity shop would probably dump anyway, cleaning the china things for them, removing all the labels and then crossing them off in the stock file.
Finally then I should just have a book full of "active" items.
We have watched sport this afternoon - of course! The show jumping from Hickstead was on - interesting to see the contrasts in skies between here and there (only 15 miles away). We had some cloud for a while, but they had clear skies.
We now have blue sky - at quarter past 8.
I have experimented with tempura batter this evening. I haven't got it quite right. I don't think the fat was quite hot enough to have the batter go really crisp. But the prawns and cauliflower in the batter were tasty.
Has anybody else tried it?
We watched Neil Diamond from Glastonbury as we ate. Good that the festival has some performers who can sing and play and hold a good melody!
But I was hoping to see one of my dearest favourites - Leonard Cohen.
Bill is now out watering in the plants we bought as I sit here.
Meanwhile the Spanish and the German football teams are battling to win the European Championships. I keep wanting to jump up to see if the excitement is a near miss or a goal - but no score yet.
Jamie has put another video clip on the jjjj blog.
Little John and some class mates were performing a dance in the Big C shopping mall. There were just 2 boys - it seems like our John allowed the other boy to do most of the hand movements whilst he jigged around enjoying himself. The girls, of course, took it very seriously! They were all very good for 3 year olds.
And so another week will begin. I am not sure what we will do tomorrow.
I know that Jo is emptying her space in Pilgrims on Tuesday morning. We haven't decided whether to do ours a little later on Tuesday or wait until Wednesday. Bill would have to get back for a physiotherapy session on Tuesday late afternoon.
Spain have just scored folks! But will they win?
Goodnight.
