Period Features

Things to do on a rainy day

The rain is back! As we bid farewell to the all-too-short period of sunny skies, don't despair.

There are plenty of ways to keep children occupied and happy that don't involve television or computer games. Think creatively. Go against the grain and try some of these suggestions. But be warned, they may prove such a success that your children will want to do them every weekend, whatever the weather.

For 10 things to do on a rainy day read Alice Hart-Davis's article; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/main.jhtml?xml=/education/2007/08/14/ftrain107.xml

Manifold Show

Organisers are putting the finishing touches to this year's Manifold Valley Agricultural Show, which takes place on Saturday, August 9.

Now in its 29th year, the show will take place at Castern Hall, Ilam, near Ashbourne, opening to the public between 9.30am and 5pm.

Traditional attractions include sheep and cattle, shire horses, carriage driving, show jumping, rare breeds, pets for the younger generation, and a large display of poultry by the Henmore club.

There will also be arts, handicrafts and local produce, a large display of rural vintage machinery and tractors, plus various trade and refreshment stands.

Main ring events include a freestyle dog display team, puissance, an open category of terrier and lurcher dogs, for which entries will be taken on the day, and the hilarious terrier racing.

Admission is £5 adults, £3 for children and OAPs, and free for under-12s.

Free parking is available on the showground.

 

STOP PRESS! our daughter has won first prize for the second year running with best guinea pigs in show. Well done Charlotte and Hector!

Do Not Miss! International Antiques & Collectors Fair 7th & 8th August

Europe's largest antiques event takes place in Newark, Nottinghamshire. Stallholders and buyers from around the globe come to the Newark & Nottinghamshire Showground every other month to take part in this internationally renowned trading event.

With up to 4,000 stalls the fair holds quite possibly everything you could imagine from furniture, rugs, paintings and textiles, to sports memorabilia, toys, grandfather clocks and antique maps.

The Newark fair has to be experienced to be believed. It's a treasure trove of possibilities for your interiors. Here you'll find everything you could possibly need to decorate and stylise your home.

Visit www.dmgantiquefairs.com/fairs/newark for more information.

Salvo Fair 2008

The Salvo Fair 2008 is an outdoor exhibition of architectural salvage, garden antiques and reclaimed building materials. Everything is for sale. The Fair takes place on Saturday 28 - Sunday 29 June at Knebworth, Hertfordshire. Entry to Knebwroth, including the Salvo Fair, car parks, and all Knebworth's facilities is £7.50 per person, £26 for a family ticket for 4 people. Children under 4 are free. Admission includes entry to the deer park, a dinosaur trail, formal Tudor gardens, tea rooms and 'Fort Knebworth' - a big adventure playground for children and miniature railway. Knebworth House can also be toured for an additional charge of £2 a ticket. Advanced ticket sales telephone will be available by calling 08700 115 007. For more information visit the Salvo Fair website at www.salvofair.com

Wallpaper Revival

Wallpaper is undergoing something of a revival after many years in the 'unfashionable' wilderness. If you are interested in the history of wallpaper, want to find out more about particular wallpaper or want to decorate your house in an appropriate period style you might well find a link to what you are looking for from the website of the The Wallpaper History Society. The site also features a wonderfully quirky video 'Wallpaper that moves - Three Hundred Years of Wallpaper History in Three Minutes' which is well worth a look.

Founded in 1986, the Wallpaper History Society was established to promote an awareness and understanding of historic and contemporary wall coverings.

The study of wall coverings was traditionally seen as rather esoteric, of interest only to specialist researchers and enthusiasts. But in the mid-1980s, articles on period decoration began to feature regularly in journals and magazines and it became clear that a much larger audience had developed an interest in the subject. Even so, information about, for example, the manufacture, design and location of historic and contemporary patterns could still be hard to obtain. The Wallpaper History Society was founded to help answer questions of this kind by developing both a network of sources and ways in which information could be made accessible. Read more www.wallpaperhistorysociety.org.uk

New Member of Staff

Becky has recently joined The Period Features Team. She has already become a great asset and is busy with customers, dressing windows, conquering the computer and she has also found time to wall paper a door! Her hobbies include walking the dog and twitching! In the evenings she is busy with a foundation construction course in painting and decorating. Phew!!

Film Location

Have you ever wondered what it takes to get your home featured in magazine advertisements and as a TV and film location? You might be surprised to learn that your home does not have to have 'star quality' to be eligible. Location scouts need all sorts of properties from council flats to country piles and in all sorts of condition and styles of décor. Owners can register with a production company or a location finding agency. The majority of agencies will register your property for free and will look to negotiate a share of the fee if the property is used by a magazine or film company. Fees vary enormously from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds depending on the type of property, how many days filming and perhaps most importantly the budget available for the shoot (there is no such thing as a 'standard fee' as there is no standard budget). It is an exciting way of earning some extra income from your home but it is not necessarily all glamour as production companies can bring lots of staff and equipment and they can cause huge disruption to you and your neighbours. If you live in London or the South East you are more likely to find your property in demand as that is where film crews are often based but property in other areas will be needed by companies filming regionally. Property offering good parking opportunities (people, equipment, furniture, props and canteen facilities all bring vehicles) and the possibility of secure storage may have a distinct advantage. It is possible that certain features or parts of your property might be what attract a company to using your home so the photographs sent to the agency are important. Take advice or read the agencies guidelines before submitting photographs. To find out more about locations agencies see
www.rrhobbs.us
www.shootfactory.co.uk
www.hha.org.uk
and
www.thespacemen.com

Spring Gardening Tips

This article comes from UKTV Gardens website and gives advice on Spring Gardening.

With the arrival of spring comes the beautiful sight of budding flowers and blossoming trees. Your garden begins to brush aside the monotone shades of winter and the promise of colour begins to become evident once more. What should you be doing to get your garden ship-shape for the forthcoming months? Read on for our handy horticultural tips and advice.

To get the most from your spring garden, add sensuous smelling plants that will fill your garden with their sweet aroma. The Royal Horticultural Society recommend shrubs such as Christmas box (Sarcococco confuse), the winter honeysuckle (Lonicera x purpusii), wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox), as well as the many beautiful species of Dapne which are sure to leave your garden smelling better than the best Parisian perfumery!

If you're putting in new plants this season, don't forget that they'll be relying on you for food and water. Add a liberal sprinkling of compost to your planting hole and give them a slow release, general fertilizer. Remember to water them well! Read more

Off The Wall

Our beautiful light switches are proving popular with vintage car enthusiasts. They have officially come off the wall and are enjoying the high life speeding around country lanes in vintage Bentleys! 

It is wonderful how our customers are so ingenious and we are are only to happy to help with all types of restoration projects.

Fred

A recent article in the Leek Post & Times attracted a few locals whose interest is in the past but not in the living!

According to the article, our building is haunted by 'Fred' who either owned or worked in the building when it was once a bicycle shop. It was reported that during alterations to the building, Fred's coat and hat was moved by workmen who were then terrified by his ghostly pranks. We have recently painted the lighting room and all has been quiet, I can only assume he approves of the colour!