It was a normal sort of Friday in early July. Nothing particularly unusual going on – Susan opened the shop after dropping the world’s scruffiest children off at school (they’d just finished eating their bowls of cereal in the car). She walked in bracing every bit of her sadly lacking core muscles in anticipation of the usual rapturous shoulder-height welcome from Hilary’s rescue dog Oz whilst distractedly thinking how tidy it looked…because…THERE WERE NO BAGS IN THE SHOP – aargh we’d been burgled! And where was Oz? They’d obviously taken him too (he’ll do anything for a Dentastix). But then, oh yes, Hilary’s packed everything off to the Cathedral Green Craft Festival in Exeter and Oz was at home helping Nish dig the vegetables. So there it was. A normal sort of Friday in a very empty shop.
The clock ticked. The website got tinkered with. Popmaster came and went (24 points in case you’re interested). More tinkering occurred and a bit of photo-editing. The lovely Liz from Changing Blooms popped in and bought some of Nish’s oriental salad.
And then the door opened. And he came in. Cameron. Cameron from Hampshire who was on holiday with his wonderful owners Paula and Ray and who’d come to visit us after seeing us on Escape to the Country.
Now it’s no secret that we love dogs at Hilary Johnson Handmade. They play a huge part in our lives – in fact in everyone’s lives in this part of the world. Wander round Chulmleigh, look over a farm hedge or in the local woods and you’ll see many of our four-legged friends hard at work or taking their human friends for a walk. But when Cameron came in it was love at first sight. Maybe it was the big brown eyes or the gorgeously soft coat (or the fact that he is the spitting image of Susan’s old teddy bear) but we fell for him hook line and sinker. We just had to have him in a photograph. And our new homepage picture is the result. We really hope he’ll come back next time he’s on holiday in Devon and model for us again.
So… what else has been happening?
Well, as we mentioned Hilary was at the Cathedral Green Craft Festival in Exeter which was great fun. We met loads of lovely people and the atmosphere was fantastic.
Some of our bags have been travelling slightly further afield – Christine took hers to Japan (she sent us photos entitled ‘Bag in Japan’ – maybe Alphaville would like to re-release their song with slightly different lyrics?)
And slightly closer to home Fern and Alison took theirs to Knightshayes for the day.
Back on our remote hill-top our tiny town is getting ready for Chulmleigh Old Fair which starts on Tuesday 23rd July. For those of you who don’t live near here Chulmleigh Old Fair is the most wonderful, full-on, 6 day family event and a fair has been held here every year since 1253 when Henry III granted Chulmleigh its Royal Charter.
Every day is jam-packed with fun from a very traditional country fair and dog show to motor scavenges, fancy dress parades, sports tournaments and athletics, craft fairs, pavement art, circus performers, money scrambles, street food, live music, battle re-enactments….the list is endless. And it’s all organised by a fantastic committee of volunteers. Thank you guys – we hugely appreciate it!