What Catrin did next.: Country Roads Take Me Home.

Welcome to Texan Antiques - where anything goes. Including skeletons in Sombreros.

Today it hit a barmy 94 degrees which to you Europeans, is 34 degrees centigrade so yes, I did nearly expire out in the Texan countryside. Meg and I headed out early after the school run to a huge (American huge) Antiques fair at Roundtop and it was, well, quite fantastic and if you're willing to make the drive, then I can wholly recommend it. The size of the entire market (we didn’t see the entire thing actually) was phenomenal – you could find anything you wanted! We bought gifts for various people, and I found a gorgeous beaded clutch bag for just $18.00 which I think is quite a steal.

The customers and sellers were both equally friendly, and you could buy anything: be it Longhorn skulls, old dolls, bird cages or guitars. Vintage clothing to vintage bicycles (the loves of my life) to 80s rollerblades galore. Cow hides, lampshades, cupcakes...I was in heaven. The whole day was dusty, hot, and very, very Texan; friendly, loud and brilliant. My favourite stall was undoubtedly the "English Antiques", where we stumbled upon an incredibly vintage red Phonebox (see photo) and where beautiful British china was sold. Me being me, I cannot go anywhere without mysteriously attracting a) bookshops (see Capitol Hill) or b) cupcake shops and this fair did not disappoint - God knows how they kept such delicious Chocolate Malt cupcakes cool in that heat but they were b-e-a-utiful.

I couldn't help but notice the sheer number of cowboy boot stalls and I smiled to myself all the while. Whilst the stereotypes, or some of them, may be true, it only makes my experience better and better. After a few hours we met up with some of Meg's girlfriends for a cool lunch before picking up our purchases and heading home back through the Texan countryside and back to the boys at home. Tomorrow I'm headed out to the city for the first time and I am super excited! Naturally I'm going to a bookshop or two, then hopefully to the Rice University Art Gallery and/or the Museum of Fine Arts. Houston is renowned for its Museum District and I'm having to stop myself from unearthing all of them at once. This weekend we're also going to a High School Football game and it's the eldest's birthday on Sunday, so it's going to be all-rockets-go for the next few days. Classy NASA reference Catrin, classy.