I have got anxiety coming out of my ears, and though I love my house very, very much sometimes I have to escape it, in order to escape myself. So when I woke up to a beautiful morning, I knew there could be no better day than this one to take a bookish little jaunt into Liverpool And so I washed my hair and wrapped a flowery scarf around my neck and took the train into town. I was settled in my seat and took  reading Tapestry of Fortunes on my Kindle, when I found myself chatting to the man who used to clean my Mum’s windows and then leaning over to tell the man facing me that my little boy would adore his rather crazy dalek jacket. It is new, this urge to talk to strangers. Where once I would have shied away from talking to anyone other than my closest acquaintance now  I find myself eager for conversation. For acknowledgement and tiny kindness’.
We pass railways banks splendid with a thousand cheerful Primula and the urban wilderness that is now the dock road, home to the dilapidated grain silos and tea merchants of Liverpool in its Victorian hey-day, and then the train pulls into Liverpool Central and I am plunged into a city alive with entertainment on every corner: those strange men who dress as statues and stand still to spook the children, a  reggae singer booming his music into the streets, a man skipping as he does headers with a football and delighting the crowd gathered around him by rolling the same football up and down his spine, another painting Vermeer’s Girl With a Pearl Earring onto a canvas taped to the floor, and weirdly Ricky Tomlinson of The Royle Family fame, having his photograph taken with a million strangers as he petitions to clear his name.
It is all horribly loud and I practically run to the Bluecoat Chambers to discover my favorite, closed down Southport antique book shop has been resurrected in this lovely building and is the oasis of literary, lovely calm it always was. I am delighted and search the bookshelves for my beloved Girls Own Annuals, but eventually come away with Anne’s House of Dreams and Rilla of Ingleside, pleased with my haul and delighted to know that this precious book shop has found a new home in a building dedicated to the arts..
Then it is next door to Cath Kidston, where girls with red-painted lips and Brocante-dotted dresses have stashed a gorgeous, signed copy of Coming Up Roses under the counter for me. I nearly swoon when I see the box it comes in and go out clutching my blue bag and beaming at strangers.
On to wander around Paperchase and Kiehls and the new Harvey Nicholls Beauty Bizarre. Into Lush to sniff things and on to John Lewis to prowl around the haberdashery. Then a cup of coffee on Bold Street, the bohemian end of the city, before disappearing into the Oxfam bookstore and coming out with this, and thisand this: all procured for mere pennies.
Home time. I sat on the train next to the oldest lady in the world. Her Miss Marple suit a vision of lavender tweed, and her hand shaking as she clutched on to my arm as we chugged through the outskirts of Liverpool. I read and listened to the extra-ordinarily loud mobile phone conversations people hold on trains and then I was in Ormskirk again, lugging my bags full of books to the car and driving home to an evening of lovely inspiration, an indian takeaway and a bottle of wine.
Create your own Brocante Life Book, plan Christmas, set up routines and rituals or live life the BrocanteHome way with my guided workbooks and planners.
These are the links that have made me smile today… EZPZ Chocolate Oatsies Because they really are EZPZ to make and I can testify that even using gluten free oats they are delicious… Tea For Joy: Styling tips: hanging dresses Tea For…
There is a snazzy little collection of twenty vintage aprons currently up for offer on Ebay, with the starting price set at just $9.99 (ends Feb.18th, seller: time-cat, 99.7% feedback rating)… Scrumptious and silly: they’d be just right for a new collector……
My imagination is limited. This I must confess to you today. Though I spend my days dreaming up puttery treats both for my own pleasure and yours, a quick browse around Pinterest frequently proves that there are creative minds far quicker than…
Oh my goodness me. This has got to be the find of a lifetime for Ebay vendor, Burgundy Delights hasn’t it? While she is selling it per length of individual monogram, it makes such a gorgeous decorative object all by itself, I’m…
Remember, Darlings, life before Richard? When you could read between every line, my yearning for somone brave enough to take me and my essential madness on? When my weekends seemed to stretch eternally through hours filled with pretty nothing’s and time was…
I adore the cartoons on the editors page of The Lady. They are the perfect combination of modern wit and vintage charm and this weeks ode to Spring Cleaning at the Lady really made me giggle, not least because it hints at…
3 Comments
As one who went to uni in Liverpool, cough, cough, quite a few years ago and now lives in Oz … so lovely to have a virtual revisit of the city. I too loved the Bluecoat Chambers and Bold Street and used to live off Lark Lane in a flat overlooking Sefton Park with geraniums on the kitchen window sill. Love your blog by the way and your writing especially x
Alison you always write very well but “We pass railways banks splendid with a thousand cheerful Primula and the urban wilderness that is now the dock road, home to the dilapidated grain silos and tea merchants of Liverpool in its Victorian hey-day, and then the train pulls into Liverpool Central and I am plunged into a city alive with entertainment on every corner” is pure literature. I have never seen that part of the world but I’m sure I saw what you saw.
Anne’s House of Dreams and Rilla are two of my utmost forever favourites. I have two complete sets of the Anne books ( greedy I know, but I found myself in Australia for a year and simply needed to read them again). Enjoy them! I just finished Bath time and Nursery Rhymes by Pam Weaver on my kindle.
{"id":null,"mode":"form","open_style":"in_place","currency_code":"USD","currency_symbol":"$","currency_type":"decimal","blank_flag_url":"https:\/\/brocantehome.net\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/blank.gif","flag_sprite_url":"https:\/\/brocantehome.net\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/flags.png","default_amount":300,"top_media_type":"featured_image","featured_image_url":"http:\/\/brocantehome.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/tipjar-2.png","featured_embed":"","header_media":null,"file_download_attachment_data":null,"recurring_options_enabled":true,"recurring_options":{"never":{"selected":true,"after_output":"One time only"},"weekly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every week"},"monthly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every month"},"yearly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every year"}},"strings":{"current_user_email":"","current_user_name":"","link_text":"Leave a tip","complete_payment_button_error_text":"Check info and try again","payment_verb":"Pay","payment_request_label":"BrocanteHome","form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","general_server_error":"Something isn't working right at the moment. Please try again.","form_title":"BrocanteHome","form_subtitle":"Help Me to Keep BrocanteHome Online","currency_search_text":"Country or Currency here","other_payment_option":"Other payment option","manage_payments_button_text":"Manage your payments","thank_you_message":"Thank you so much: helping me keep Brocantehome online really means the world to me.","payment_confirmation_title":"BrocanteHome","receipt_title":"Your Receipt","print_receipt":"Print Receipt","email_receipt":"Email Receipt","email_receipt_sending":"Sending receipt...","email_receipt_success":"Email receipt successfully sent","email_receipt_failed":"Email receipt failed to send. Please try again.","receipt_payee":"Paid to","receipt_statement_descriptor":"This will show up on your statement as","receipt_date":"Date","receipt_transaction_id":"Transaction ID","receipt_transaction_amount":"Amount","refund_payer":"Refund from","login":"Log in to manage your payments","manage_payments":"Manage Payments","transactions_title":"Your Transactions","transaction_title":"Transaction Receipt","transaction_period":"Plan Period","arrangements_title":"Your Plans","arrangement_title":"Manage Plan","arrangement_details":"Plan Details","arrangement_id_title":"Plan ID","arrangement_payment_method_title":"Payment Method","arrangement_amount_title":"Plan Amount","arrangement_renewal_title":"Next renewal date","arrangement_action_cancel":"Cancel Plan","arrangement_action_cant_cancel":"Cancelling is currently not available.","arrangement_action_cancel_double":"Are you sure you'd like to cancel?","arrangement_cancelling":"Cancelling Plan...","arrangement_cancelled":"Plan Cancelled","arrangement_failed_to_cancel":"Failed to cancel plan","back_to_plans":"\u2190 Back to Plans","update_payment_method_verb":"Update","sca_auth_description":"Your have a pending renewal payment which requires authorization.","sca_auth_verb":"Authorize renewal payment","sca_authing_verb":"Authorizing payment","sca_authed_verb":"Payment successfully authorized!","sca_auth_failed":"Unable to authorize! Please try again.","login_button_text":"Log in","login_form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","uppercase_search":"Search","lowercase_search":"search","uppercase_page":"Page","lowercase_page":"page","uppercase_items":"Items","lowercase_items":"items","uppercase_per":"Per","lowercase_per":"per","uppercase_of":"Of","lowercase_of":"of","back":"Back to plans","zip_code_placeholder":"Zip\/Postal Code","download_file_button_text":"Download File","input_field_instructions":{"tip_amount":{"placeholder_text":"How much would you like to tip?","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"invalid_curency":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please choose a valid currency."}},"recurring":{"placeholder_text":"Recurring","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"}},"name":{"placeholder_text":"Name on Credit Card","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please enter the name on your card."}},"privacy_policy":{"terms_title":"Terms and conditions","terms_body":null,"terms_show_text":"View Terms","terms_hide_text":"Hide Terms","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."},"unchecked":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please agree to the terms."},"checked":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."}},"email":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"not_an_email_address":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Make sure you have entered a valid email address"}},"note_with_tip":{"placeholder_text":"Your note here...","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"not_empty_initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"saving":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Saving note..."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Note successfully saved!"},"error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to save note note at this time. Please try again."}},"email_for_login_code":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."}},"login_code":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."}},"stripe_all_in_one":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"success":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"invalid_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is not a valid credit card number."},"invalid_expiry_month":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration month is invalid."},"invalid_expiry_year":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is invalid."},"invalid_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is invalid."},"incorrect_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incorrect."},"incomplete_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incomplete."},"incomplete_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incomplete."},"incomplete_expiry":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration date is incomplete."},"incomplete_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code is incomplete."},"expired_card":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card has expired."},"incorrect_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incorrect."},"incorrect_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code failed validation."},"invalid_expiry_year_past":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is in the past"},"card_declined":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card was declined."},"missing":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"There is no card on a customer that is being charged."},"processing_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"An error occurred while processing the card."},"invalid_request_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to process this payment, please try again or use alternative method."},"invalid_sofort_country":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The billing country is not accepted by SOFORT. Please try another country."}}}},"fetched_oembed_html":false}
As one who went to uni in Liverpool, cough, cough, quite a few years ago and now lives in Oz … so lovely to have a virtual revisit of the city. I too loved the Bluecoat Chambers and Bold Street and used to live off Lark Lane in a flat overlooking Sefton Park with geraniums on the kitchen window sill. Love your blog by the way and your writing especially x
Alison you always write very well but “We pass railways banks splendid with a thousand cheerful Primula and the urban wilderness that is now the dock road, home to the dilapidated grain silos and tea merchants of Liverpool in its Victorian hey-day, and then the train pulls into Liverpool Central and I am plunged into a city alive with entertainment on every corner” is pure literature. I have never seen that part of the world but I’m sure I saw what you saw.
Anne’s House of Dreams and Rilla are two of my utmost forever favourites. I have two complete sets of the Anne books ( greedy I know, but I found myself in Australia for a year and simply needed to read them again). Enjoy them! I just finished Bath time and Nursery Rhymes by Pam Weaver on my kindle.