Opportunity knocks

I've said before that I'm not a great op shopper.  I generally have a flick through the linen, have a look at the books and have general scout around before leaving.  But my local op shop provides the odd gem, apart of being a pretty good source of contemporary and classic novels.  This is my latest find:

But gentle reader, do not be deterred by the rather dull looking cover.  Inside are wonderful colour plates and chapters that will guide you through each facet of your life, from "When you build" to "The art of letter writing". 

And to get those pesky teenagers off your hands, there is a section on "Careers for the Adolescent."  Did you know that "Although open to either sex, hairdressing allied with beauty culture is particularly suited to young women with dextrous fingers, a definite flair for hair-styling and a pleasant and tactful personality".   I am curious to learn that the ideal weight for my height and age is 11 stone (more than 2 stone over what I weigh and am perfectly happy with) and I now know that "To describe a woman as a wonderful hostess is the highest compliment that can be paid for it means the the person so described has a capacity for taking pains; that she has tact and charm and a genuine interest in other people". 

I don't know when this book was published but it looks to be the 1950's.  It is pure gold!

Day 334: Secondhand Rose

I love the idea of finding treasure in Op Shops, but I've decided that this will never happen to me as I don't have the patience to spend long periods of time rummaging throught piles of stuff.  If something doesn't jump out and bite me in the first 10 minutes, it's not happening.  However when something this gorgeous is in the window of the local Oppie, one just has to seize the moment.  In this case it involved calling out to the volunteer on duty to put it aside for me as I had two dogs with me and no money.  Fortunately these ladies are very understanding.  This is a summer fashion catalogue from 1958/9, showcasing Home Journal patterns and were available from Buckley & Nunn.  So maybe it's not treasure but it is beautiful:

There has been more progress around the place this week, but not much to show in the way of photos at this stage.  Wessie is laying the tiles outside and Sparkie Dave looks to be finished. So getting closer to the end of the works.