WHILE THE CAT'S AWAY !! ..........

Well, there they go.......... the husband's were off to the Le Mans Classic in my brother-in-law's Morgan .......... A kiss and a wave and then it was off to Horsham town for us vintage car widows, for a bite to eat ..........

This is Tristan's, a wonderful restaurant, situated in one of the oldest buildings in Horsham ..........

Isn't it gorgeous ? Just right for lunch ..........well, the boy's were off to France, so us girls couldn't and shouldn't be left behind !!!!! ..........


A little ' amuse bouche ' to start off with ..........

Then we chose lamb with cockles .......... de-lic-ious .......... then a summer fruit sorbet and coffee, all of which was washed down with a nice Sauvignon Blanc and then, a little retail therapy was in order !! ..........

This is a delightful shop that I am devoting the rest of this post to .......... Oh, my week away has provided me with material for quite a few posts !!!! As you walk in, you just know that it is going to be a wonderful shopping experience. First of all, there are clothes !! A quick peruse and a try-on of a few garments, resulted in my first purchase !! A little something for my upcoming holiday in Italy. I'm sorry .......... it had to be done !! Trouble was, this was the first shop that we had been in and I had already made a purchase !! Note to self .......... try to go shopping before lunch and before drinking a couple of glasses of wine !!

We then climbed the first set of stairs ..........

At the turn of the stairs was this gorgeous, beautifully worn leather chair .....no, have a little restraint, it won't go in my car !!!! ..........

This was what greeted us on the first floor.......... silver votives, a distressed silver mirror and an angle-poised lamp ..... NICE ..........

A fabulous full length old mirror, vintage accessories, and a wonderful chair ..........

Fantastic whitewashed floorboards, vintage plates on the floor, a '40's dress and a beautiful piece of lace, casually thrown over another old mirror .......... oh, and I HAD to buy that piece of lace, I just HAD to !!!! ..........

Doesn't that bowl look brilliant with the hair clips in it ? It's the little things, isn't it ? ..........

Amongst the vintage dresses on the rail, was the most wonderful wedding dress. I forgot to take a photograph of it but, take my word for it, it was exquisite.

Up another flight of stairs to the attic, passing a great chest of drawers along the way, and into another fantastic room. It was like exploring someone's house, with precious items strewn all over the place. I just loved the way that they had displayed everything. The shop is owned by three sisters and they had all brought their artistic talents to the layout of the shop ............ and, nothing was particularly expensive ..........

Another old, distressed leather chair and an old screen. If I could have got them home, I would have bought them.

There were even rose petals strewn across the floor !

Well, there we are .......... our first half day on our own ! .......... and this was just day one !! See the carrier bag ? Well, that's mine, Suprise, suprise !! I was hoping that Mr. Home and Mr. Brother-in-Law were experiencing their own delightful pursuits ( within reason !!) Well, they were in France, after all. My sister and I were just trying to keep up.

To be continued ..........