At the Auction

Miss E was so excited to go to the auction this morning! She even chose not to go to Harris + Hoole after swimming so she didn't miss any of it!
We paddled through the mud to get into the barn where the auction was in full swing.
I got my bidding number (12) and waited for our first lots to come up. Miss E could hardly stand still - wanting to be right at the front so she could see what was going on.
She was fascinated by it!
The first time there was a proper back and forth bidding war I thought she was going to explode.
For our first lot she asked me to bid. A railway sign that said "Please Adjust Your Dress Before You Leave". Perfect for our downstairs toilet!!
We got it for £12, yay!!!
She bid on the next sign and won it (as she was the only bidder!). The auctioneer was brilliant with her, making her feel really special.
Nana and Papa arrived and Miss E was giddy to have another paddle to wave!
She went a bit mad and bid for - and won - some hideous dog ornaments and tried to get a little daschund doorstop/scraper thing. Luckily I grabbed the paddle from her when it got to £30. The whole room laughed at me screeching "stop! stop! stop!!!"
Miss L was less enthusiastic and soon got a bit cold and whingy. She sat and played on Mr K's phone feeling a bit sorry for herself.
Eventually even Miss E's enthusiasm waned. She was freezing and her next objects of desire - some carved sticks for walking with/jumping round/flying on - were about half an hour away. So I stayed with Nana and Papa, and Mr K took the Little Misses home for some lunch and to warm up a bit. 
Hilariously when the sticks came up bidding started at £40. They were in a tall glass vase which I hadn't even noticed and that's obviously what people wanted! I was relieved really because I didn't want a load of five foot sticks cluttering up the house and providing the Little Misses with deadly weapons!
A load of Beanie babies came up after Miss E had left and no-one bid on them. The auctioneer asked me where my daughter had gone and when I said her work was done and she'd gone home, he said "well she can take those with her" and banged down the gavel. What a lovely man!!
Nana and Papa came back to our house to warm up and have a cup of tea before taking the dogs out for a walk.
We had planned to go to Looby Lu's after a walk but the day got away from us and there wouldn't have been time. Miss L got upset - because she hadn't wanted to go to the stupid auction anyway!! - and so Mr K took her to Looby Lu's while me, Miss E, Nana, Papa, Archie, Elsie and Maisie set off over the fields to Stowe. What a beautiful walk!! (See extras)
We rounded off a wonderful day by finally watching the last Harry Potter. We've been putting it off and re-watching some of the earlier ones again.
!!!!!Spoiler alert!!!!
I must admit to shedding a tear at Snape's final scenes. I remember the revelations upsetting me in the book too. I'm such a softie!