Having regularly driven past the Swan Antiques shop in Boxmoor, Hemel, it was their monthly flea market that eventually tempted me to visit.

The flea market itself was fairly small but worth a rummage; the few bits of furniture, in particular, were interesting. However it was the warren-like shop itself that really impressed.

As usual, I was drawn to the mid-century pieces like this gorgeous Ercol room divider but there was so much to enjoy as I lost track of how many rooms I had been in. There were lots of well-priced mirrors that caught my eye, along with a particularly lovely set of yellow and green storage canisters that every time I look in my kitchen I think I see.

Looking back at my photos, I think I should have asked how much this distressed green chair on one of the flea market stalls was as I could see it looking very nice around our dining table. Leisurely browsing and two toddlers do not go hand-in-hand.

My kids loved going down into the basement rooms and ceramic animal spotting whilst my mum and I loved the sheer variety of objects with a story and their reasonable pricing. We rounded the sunny morning off with a coffee and a ‘nac’; happy days.