Ardingly Antiques Fair Update...rain..rain...rain and MUD

I arrived around midnight on Monday having had a lovely dinner in Cafe Rouge behind Harrods with my daughter. I parked up beside quite a few of our European traders and settled down for the short sleep until the gates opened...
Well, the rain came beating down all night....when the vans began to surge into the showground at 5.30am the rain stopped...but the damage was done...the whole place was soaking...

The Shopping Arcade did have plastic walkway tiles laid in each stand, but these only gave a safe walkway halfway into each stand...at the end of my piece was an ever growing muddy puddle!!

Tuesday trade were up bright and early and sales went well..a very damp and windy day continued...many of the outdoor stalls packed up and went home at the end of Day 1. I was really glad of the Shopping Arcade tents, at least we had some shelter and stability of the stalls all being together...

The rain started up again during Tuesday night, so Wednesday morning was a slow start, I meant to get up at 8am to sort my stock, but it was 8.30 before I could face the windy conditions. Jacqui kept us alive with supplies of toasted teacakes with lashings of Utterly Butterly.

The excitement of the BBC filming Bargain Hunt brightened up our damp and windy day...Tim Wonnacott spent most of his morning being filmed outside and inside our stands in the Shopping Arcade...probably this will be cut down to a few seconds on the program in a few months time?

A couple of lively girls managed to get a 'deal' out of me reluctantly on one of the remaining 'Stockmans' mannaquins...I think they had a shop...so it will be perfect...

By 2.30pm we ahd all had quite enough of the weather and the packing up began...I can only politely describe this as challenging!! The rain started and didn't stop! All my stock was damp and muddy...
Every muscle in my body is still aching...

Well I'm considering getting more fresh stock loaded up for Shepton Mallet Antiques Fair Friday 21st January...