our antique buying trip begins...with an enormous antique trade fair!

We have finally touched down in the UK for our antique buying trip. And we start the hunting and gathering with a large antique trade fair. Perfect for gathering up all those pieces that we love to find...mixing bowls, watering cans, quality English tools. It was a perfect sunny day here which meant everyone was in a good mood and happy to bargain.

English garden tools are displayed in a row. I found a few Brades branded tools, known here for quality and durability.

Stone garden dogs keep guard over the frantic action.

A cute little tricycle and a lovely wagon on one of the outside stands.

Child's play...a farm yard set of animals and a barn on another stand.

And on the same stand, a bookcase filled with apothecary bottles. Mostly clear with the odd rare green one thrown into the mix.

Large gilded pub letters are displayed on the grass. This stand also specialised in lanterns.

Patience paid off when I found this French iron day bed from a French dealer. Luckily for me it folds up so it fitted into our van. Which, by the way was already filling with smaller objects, baskets, tools and the like. I love these day beds, they are very romantic and are becoming increasingly hard to find. This piece topped off my buying day and I was pretty pleased with myself!

As we were leaving the fair, I snapped a picture of these tee pee structures. I assumed they were wigwams for growing peas etc. But the dealer informed me that they were made in 1928 from aluminium and thousands of them spanned the width of the River Severn to catch salmon. Now of course he sells them as wigwams to grow peas upon...