Christmas in Hay

 

I had a really LOVELY morning out in Hay yesterday, wandering slowly round the town, chatting to old friends, window shopping and a little spending too. This is Booth's shop window display. Do visit the link as it gives a history of the town and lotsof photos.  Unfortunately the bulk of MY photos are on my Panasonic camera and it transpires that the battery (which ran out yesterday) is a rechargable type and doesn't charge from the computer.  So I have just had to find a replacement battery and a charger and they won't arrive until Monday or Tuesday. So I won't be able to put the other photos up until then. The old battery lasted me YEARS and would charge through the computer but this one is not proving willing to do the same.

A nice take on the Nativity figures.  

Now for some window shopping . . .

Oops - sorry it didn't turn out very sharp. I took it from outside.

I just LOVED this Swallow (checked tails, and definitely not a Swift).  I didn't even check the price as it is NOT displayable in this household - if the cats didn't have it, then Rosie would! Plus certainly out of my price range - £200 or so at least I reckon.  I've just checked.  It's bronze.  Probably closer to 4 figures! One of those "Price on Application" pieces. Someone will have an amazing Christmas present.

 This shop always has a well-set out window display, but I have to say, apart from the little houses on the tatty trunk at the front, there is nothing I would like for my house!

A peek through the Window at Kath's shop, with the old dresser prettified with Emma Bridgwater? china.

This is the antiques shop which has lots of Units.  I went in for a snoop around (!) but the Unit contents are not that impressive.  Not one thing that I would have wanted to buy tbh.  I took inside photos but they are on the camera . . .

So, what did I buy?  Lunch.  Eaten in the car (bearing in mind I am a tightwad when it comes to grub and easily pleased, and the thought of forking out £15 for a sit down meal never surfaces).  It was a big open apple strudel sort of tart with icing round the edge and absolutely wonderful.  From that bakery I also bought a nice-looking Spicy Pasty for my tea, which was OK but not very tasty.  That was £3.   The market vendors - several do food - aren't very good value for money.  A chap was selling interesting-sounding nibbles but by gum, that's all they were, literally two mouthfuls of something (a tablespoon of filling to a little deep-fried shell) for £3.50 a hit.  They were tiny, but probably more tasty than the one I bought.

gz - the sock man is still there, and even still selling yellow boot socks!  I took photos of the market, but they are on the camera so will get put up next week.

I  spent an age in Booths, looking at craft books - but all the ones that interested me when Tam and I were there, have been sold and the current offering didn't tempt me.  However, I did spend £6.99 on a little book by Corinne Lapierre - 20 Festive Felt Decorations to Make, and I bought four squares of felt to make up Mistletoe and a lovely little embroidered Dala horse.  A night shift needs to come into play I think!

I had a leisurely stroll round the cooking part of the Ironmongers and bought a silicone baby food freezer tray for Rosie (to keep here as Tam has one at home) and a pack of 80 Jam/Preserves labels as I was nearly running out.  These should last a while.  The Red Cross shop had its Charity Christmas cards reduced to half price, so I stocked up there, with some nice ones which were a great improvement on the all-I-could-find pack from Builth.

Now, Friday morning and I have errands to run in town, so had best get myself suitably dressed.