Monday night was craft group and it ended up with this bizarre conversation about what you must do if your child gets its head stuck in some railings! This then led to my teddy being used in a demonstration. It was sooo funny. Note knitting needles were also used as railings!
There has been a huge saga to do with the chickens and a house but I'll tell you all about that on another blog. All I will say is that it has taken up a large chunk of the week in various different ways.
Then Saturday came!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Time for Mrs A and myself to take the second of the three trips we had planned this summer. Mr P dropped us off at Leicester train station at 07:45 and Mrs A then announced that the tickets we bought for the train had been upgraded to 1st class by her wonderful hubby. So I am formally saying in front of the whole world thank you sooooooooooooooooooo much Mrs A's hubby it was a wonderful surprise and certainly a very comfortable experience. The aim of the days was to visit Camden Market in London. Mrs A had never been and I had only visited there once before on the hottest day of the year. Well ironically it was probably another day in the highest temperatures that this country ever has!
As we head out of the tube station and walk up the road to the market we are surrounded by vibrant shops.
I adore the latest fashion going back to vintage clothing just wish my waist line could go back in time too!. I think this picture says what I think.
Aren't these dresses such fun. I do hope more dance halls come back again with this current phase of vintage/retro things being popular. Well they are in the UK.
We eventually make the market after a small diversion into some other shops.
The market is by the side of a canal and also in a very busy shopping area. We arrived at 10:00 and a lot of stalls were still just setting up but it was lovely to arrive then as the temperature was great and not so many people.
These are some of the huts that people have used to have their business inside. I love the way they have decorated them.
Then shock, horror I make a purchase within half an hour - well before Mrs A. This is unheard of and hence the picture. Note new hair do!!!!!!!!!!! Not the same as Pixie did it! Must go into hairdressers for lessons. Anyway back to the shopping I got a dress. The reason for the quick buy was it was in a sale reduced from £60 to £20 from a shop called Braintree. I really like their clothing and had admired other dresses before but didn't want to pay the price - must have some Scottish blood in me somewhere! Good picture of my footballers knees! Basically bad figure but hey ho thats me and I'm stuck with those legs.
I love to visit London to see all the new things, the new fashions that will eventually travel up the M1 north at some stage. It is such a lively buzzing city but I could not live here as what I like also drives me mad after a while and I long for the peace and solitude.
The lady below to the left of the picture made these bags and cats - cute aren't they?
Below you can see part of the canal and some of the stall preparing for lunch. It was only 11:00 but the smells wafting around from these stalls as they prepare all the wonderful vegetables, spices and meat send us into wanting dinner already but we boldly marched on trying to ignore our senses!
It's at this stage that I lead Mrs A astray. I see a shop selling second hand books and off I march her into there only to see some of the books that she collects. Golly rarely do I ever see these books (as I always look out for them when I'm shopping in these type of shops) and to see four of them was amazing. Sorry I do not have a picture but the are made by the company called Persephone Books. They are beautiful books and I can understand why she collects them.
I took this picture for a lady who comes to the craft group. Mrs S has to have a gluten free diet and I was please to see that there were two stalls catering for people with this special diet. Well done stall holders!
By 12:00 we cannot wait any longer for food the smells are just too much to wait for! So we then head back to the food area and walk twice around all the many many stalls trying to decide what to eat as it felt there was a stall from most regions of the world with wonderful food. After what felt like an agonizing decision as you can only eat lunch once we opt for the Mexican stall. It wasn't the prettiest but they cooked the food as you ordered, so it was individually tailored to what you want.
The market has become very busy and very hot but they did provide us all with sheltered areas to eat.
Should have taken a picture before it was eaten but I guess I was too hungry! We were not disappointed. Now with full bellies we head back into the market. Golly it feels as if I'm back in Marrakesh Market in Morocco.
Then we came across this rather strange looking shop - Cyberdog. Apparently it is a futuristic fashion, urban clothing, rave, clubwear and accessories seller.
Perhaps this isn't quite Mrs A and my style!
Yes those are real dancers in the background!
By 14:30 the market was crowded, the heat was sweltering and so we decide it is time to leave here and head off to a special shop in Angel. This involved going back onto the underground but it was pleasant to leave the sun rays for a draughty tunnel.
This was a rather shaky picture as I tried to take it whilst the train was rattling through the tunnels. But I loved the way they have designed this seat for someone who definitely needs to have this seat.
But before I show you where we next went we had to stop and have a frozen FAT free iced yoghurt. Oooh it was delicious and tasted even better when it is sinless!
Frae Yoghurt - wonderful. Sadly they only have stores in London and one in Liverpool. Oh I do hope they make the middle of the country. Restored by this delight we then head to ........................................................................................... Loop.
Loop sells the most divine wool, books and accessories. I collapsed on the sofa upstairs to look at the books. I'm not very good when it gets too hot, I seem to go into melt down and even being in one of the best wool shops in the country I am struggling. But I still managed to purchase a new shawl pattern for some lovely wool that I was given by some friends from New Zealand - thank you Mrs T! Also I got some lovely buttons to add to the cardigan that a friend in Leicester knitted for me - thanks Mrs J! Now hear is Mrs A - in heaven, reaching for heaven?!
She was having such fun choosing some new colours for a new blanket project!
Both of us are now in melt down and so we head off to the local pub - no not for a pint of beer but a pint of lime soda.
But even with a nice cool drink outside is too hot and so we head for inside. And as we are sitting inside, chilling out literally and discussing our eventful day I notice two ladies sitting by us knitting.
We get talking and discover they too have been to Loop and are on Ravelry.
The lady on the right's name on ravelry is NinaA24 and the lady on the left is Omarsyarn. Omarsyarn designs her own patterns and was teaching us creative new ways of knitting socks. When we told them my name they then informed us of another lady who sells yarns all to do with "murder" - CS Dye! It was such an honour to meet these two lovely ladies and I look forward to reading more about them on ravelry. This felt as if it finished our day off lovely. We then slowly ambled back to the tube station where we read the thought for the day.
Still had plenty of time before the train home and so continued shopping in St Pancras Station.
We popped into this chocolate shop - but when I saw that a box of chocolates was £100 decided this was not quite for us!
It is from this station that you can catch a Eurostar to France - I loved looking at the destinations and started dreaming of my French holiday in a months time.
Well final view of the station before we boarded the train. Thanks to our hubbies who let us out on our own for the day. We had a lovely time and the would have hated our day. Thank you.
