Having bought a replacement battery and a charger, I now have my camera working again and when it is charged, a spare battery.
I have begun the day considerably poorer, as I went to do the Christmas shop in Llandod - it soon adds up when there is wine (both red and white), IPA beer for the menfolk, some more chocolates, a BIG double cream, dark chocolate to make the roulade, two bags of spuds rather than one, ice cream, and some meats and stuff for the freezer, and the usual cat food and biscuits (an extra big one for the girls, which alone was £15) and what have you. Tam's bringing our M&S curry and a bottle of wine for Christmas Eve, and Gabby is bringing the cheeseboard, veg, wine, nibbles etc for Christmas Day. I have yet to get the beef and venison, although I got some venison burgers today which are going to be the filling for a Spicy Venison Pie for when Danny comes up. At least I won't need to do a shop, bar fresh fruit and veg, until the New Year now.
I'm sorry gz, I didn't get the stalls in the cheese market for you, but they were very busy and a queue for the bread and baked goods there right across the other stalls. The other bread stall, down the bottom past the clock tower, just below and opposite where Ian used to have his stall, had NO such queue!
A back window (looking towards the castle) of the Antiques Emporium . . .
Some quilt photos for the quilt makers amongst you. This top one had some age - the others not.
I still have a soft spot for good authentic horse brasses too and this was a lovely example. Needed to find it before the dealer put £88 on it though!
This should give you an idea of some of the stuff on offer. Not for me. Cranberry glass is pretty but SO yesterday! Fashions soon change in the antiques trade.
Someone obviously has a keen eye for glass - loved the giant cocktail glass near the bottle, with smaller ones inside it for effect.
Lovely festive photos there.
ReplyDeleteI like cranberry glass although I've not got or ever had any, but I would wait for it to come into fashion again.
Buy the cranberry glass now when prices are low! Don't wait for it to get fashionable again :) I like cranberry glass too, but have no room to display it.
DeleteI love the knitted meeces village scene, adorable! How do we end up spending so much at Christmas excluding gifts? I have often wondered why there are so few fresh fish fishmongers about these days too. I know supermarkets have fish counters but they aren't the same as a proper fishmonger. With my father being a fisherman we always had fresh fish on the table {along with fresh game!} we may have been not that well off but we ate well. The market looks grand indeed.
ReplyDeleteAren't they fun? I have worked out that basically I have two weeks' food in one go, as there will be leftovers which I can freeze for meals in January. I have 3 birthdays, Christmas, house insurance, car MoT, and probably heating oil too so I have a very expensive couple of months and will have to be VERY frugal in every other way.
DeleteThere aren't that many stalls - about 14 in the Market place, and another 4 or so down by the clock tower. Although that is a LOT compared with Builth where we just have the very expensive (M&S prices!) fruit and veg man and in the summer, the plants guy.
Good to see Hay busy!
ReplyDeleteAccording to Rob, it was absolutely HEAVING on the Friday as they had a sort of winter festival. I hope he did well as he said no one has been parting with their cash this year.
DeleteI think I would find that stall with the baskets very hard to resist. 😀
ReplyDeleteThere were some nice baskets there. There's a stall selling lovely woven ones too (African Bolga baskets) and I have several of those that I use for crafting bits and bobs.
DeleteWe are lucky as we have a fishman come to our local Farmer's market and also the farm shop every week, I don't eat fish but OH loves it. Been an expensive day today as I had a filling (£68) no NHS dentists here and my little Fiesta needed a brake lightbulb and 2 windscreen wipers. I suppose glass, coloured or not is a bit like clothes fashions, it comes around every so many years. I have some carnival glass which I love as it was my Granny's and keep it because of her. Hugs Xx
ReplyDeleteKing Prawns are my favourite. M-in-law used to have a fit of the vapours if ate anything prawny though! Myfriend Gay and I were having half a pint of prawns with a cider chaser in Corfe Castle once, when Keith bought his mum back from a wander, and she was horrified as she said in Scarborough, when a dead body was found on the shore, it would be covered in prawns! She didn't realize that these days prawns are farmed . . .
DeleteWe are fortunate to have stayed with the same NHS dentist for many years now. It means going to Llandovery, but worth it. Some of the Carnival glass is SO pretty.
A nice days shopping m’thinks, I wish that our local town of Wrexham had such a diverse selection and yes I know that it has now been given city status but I have seen small villages that merit it more than Wrexham.
ReplyDeleteHello and welcome. I've not been to Wrexham, but I think that Hay's independent traders are what really make it. Llandeilo is taking the same route too. We don't want all these chain stores in little towns. The Ironmongers in Hay, for instance, is 2nd to none.
DeleteI'm writing my Christmas grocery shopping list today. Not sure how well it will go as my chronic pain issue has reared its ugly head and I barely slept. The pictures of the shops are lovely. Seeing the comics in one of them reminded me that three generation of men in our family have read the Beano.
ReplyDeleteOh Susan, I'm sorry to hear that. Glad you enjoyed the "on-line" shopping at Hay anyway. I used to get the Beano and the Dandy, then when I got to 10, I had Horse and Hound instead!!
DeleteLooking forward to seeing your wreath. No fancy pants wreath for me either, just birch wands twisted into an irregular circle and twined with ivy, hazel catkins, honesty seedheads and little starry clematis seedheads all from the garden. The old quilt is rather nice. I cut out a pair of pj bottoms on Sunday (fabric a lucky find from the charity shop and a pretty soft ditsy print cotton of white on coral pink) and the leftover bits have gone into my patchwork basket. One day I will have enough to start another quilt - my quilts are always made from scraps. Swimming day today thank goodness as it sounds wet and windy out there today - haven’t opened the curtains yet. Yesterday we had a lovely walk in the afternoon. We parked at the mill pond (the one we cycled to on Monday) and walked through a mosaic of alder and birch wood, sandy heathland and open parkland made in the mid-18th century to the little church of St Richard at Burton. Very sweet and unspoilt with interesting brasses and effigies to important local families. Home to make cauliflower cheese for supper, a big pan of leek and potato soup and to stuff local Lord Lambourne apples with mincemeat for our pudding. Cup of tea and mince pie in front of the fire and I knitted while S watched football and then it was time for an aperitif (glass of wine - medicinal of course!), then supper and the final episode of Wolf Hall before bed. Sometimes I think we eat and drink all day long, but all these little snacks seem to help S so I go along with it. Dark chocolate covered Brazil nuts are the best medicine! Sarah x
ReplyDeleteWe've got a gale again (up to 60 mph gusts this time), so my poor wreath is taking a battering. I'll put up a picture later. Your wreath sounds pretty too. I have found a gorgeous little throw-type quilt I'm going to make. I have a stash of turquoise/aqua/blue-green fat 1/4s so will use those. If I find time this week I will do the central block. It would look nice in the kitchen over the back of the settle, where I currently have a table runner in a similar colourway.
DeleteWhat a lovely walk you had yesterday to the "Richard Burton" church!! Which is what I initially read :) Gosh, your mention of church brasses reminded me of the 70s when folk used to take rubbings of them. I have a Lord Lambourne apple tree here which I planted as part of my orchard. It's going to be tall but hasn't borne any fruit yet. You have also reminded me that I need to make some mince pies with my home made mincemeat.
I have the last Wolf Hall to watch, so may do that this morning as I work on the embroidered Christmas tote bag . . . Brazil nuts were something Keith had to avoid as they made his stomach turn cartwheels.
Oh, I so love a good window shop. Here in my small city they really no longer do up the shop windows.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.