Ford Car Boot Sale and Emsworth visit
One of the most interesting and buzzy,
weekly happenings here
in Arundel
is
Ford Car boot sale every Saturday morning.
It's a hive of activity.
You will find it on the Ford Road,
just out of Arundel,
but before you get to Ford Open Prison.
Don't be going in there, by mistake hey?
It's on an old airfield and you can't miss it as there is
an aeroplane by the front gate.
You will find a real mixture of people stalling out.
Some, are emptying their garages and lofts and just having a general clear out.
( Which is what we should be doing very soon)
Others, are dealers, some of whom travel miles to be there.
When I say miles, I mean, some are even over from France and Holland.
It's best to get there
early to catch the real buzz of the day,
although it does go on until lunchtime,
for those who can't make it at crack of dawn.
If you want to have a stall, you need to be in the queue at least before 6 am.
My Arundel chum Gwen, is hooked on stalling there every week.
She queues from around 3am, some weeks ,to make sure she is in the same spot.
Which has it's benefits, as you can build up on your regulars and they know where to find you.
It's a great meeting place for local dealers who are buying,
although you wouldn't
want to give them more than a passing nod ,
until they have done the rounds.
Nass and I set out and dash round scouring every stand
for the special items we want for restoring,
and until we have been around at least once,
we cannot stop at the lovely little coffee stand
for our early morning fix.
You cannot concentrate on anything else
until after that first look, and occasionally
end up poking your face into the backs of cars and vans,
as these poor people are trying to unload.
Having got out of bed at silly o'clock
you don't want to miss a thing.
You will find an amazing variety of stands.
Sometimes, the prices are a bit out of this world.
Nass always groans and says they have been watching too many of the TV " Flog it" type programmes and that everyone then thinks they have an antique masterpiece.
He IS inclined to wind these folk up a bit and when they say 5, he will remark, I'll give you £4.
When their reply is
" No! I meant £500"
He will go away chuckling and manically shaking his head, which does get them a trifle irritated.
Generally,though, people are quite sensible with what they are expecting for things.
You'll find some great plant stands...we always stock up.
The prices on the plants are too good to ignore and
if you love your garden, you will come away with armfuls.
You'll find several stands with the most wonderful bunches of flowers.
Later in the year ,we fill our home with copious vases of sunflowers,
that we purchase at Ford.
Some of these pictures, I clearly took on warmer days!
You might want to really wrap up if you venture down there this week.
It can get BITTER.
But its fun.
Yesterday, I had to go down towards Emsworth to pick up the books from my accountant.
I always love to have a wander into Emsworth, afterwards.
It's such a pretty place.
If you've never explored the area down there,
it's well worth taking a day out.
Bosham is just up the road from Emsworth,
and is absolutely gorgeous.
have a wonderful day
whatever you are doing
website
www.arundeleccentrics.com
email
