It was indeed jolly, but I must admit that the lead up to all the jollity & relaxation of Christmas was certainly not quite so jolly or relaxed. Stressful, hectic...even manic? Presents, presents, presents! Dashing from one shop to the other, one market to the others, one hemisphere to the other (almost. I went to Durham one weekend in the lead up to the 25th) trying to find the perfect presents. Not a simple matter.
I bang on & on about my love of markets - the excitement of discovering the most random bits & bobs makes me inexplicably happy, so I'm afraid the banging on is not going to subside. I particularly love Durham indoor market with it's old fashioned sweet shops, cigar seller & knitting outlets. Aging lady folk peer over their reading glasses in wonder as Durham students request the most bizarre items to complete their TOWIE outfit or slutty halloween witch attire. 'Fake eye-lashes, tan & blow up boobs? A bloody suspender belt? Let me see what I can do for you pet...' On my recent jaunt around the place I picked up 'Mrs H's Homemade Orange Marmalade', 'Flower Comb Honey' from the Scottish boarders, 100g of lavender & a robin cross-stitching set. All essential items, of course.
There's something about markets which attracts me to the most bizarre items. These gloves for example - at the time I honestly thought they were wonderful. In retrospect, perhaps I was slightly mistaken...'market tinted spectacles' I call it.
Oh ma gaawd, I don't have a rabbit but I NEED these! (market tinted spectacles rearing their head once again...)
As I've mentioned before, I find carboots sales equally - if not more - exciting & enthralling than markets. Deciding to capitalise myself on the festive cheer, I booked a pitch at Capital Carboot Sale in Pimlico. The day before I frantically gathered all my most usual & unused possessions (a walkman? Someone will definitely be in the mood to go retro...A badmington set? Everyone likes a game on Boxing day! & so on...) gearing myself up & getting jolly excitied, until I received a text from my carboot sale chum (the one I roped into it on discovering she drives..) to tell me that she had fallen ill. What! I cried, surely, even on deaths door, you wouldn't cancel a carboot sale? Alas, she did. So, left in a bit of a pickle (aka car-less) I resided to my fate I went to bed.
The next morning, however, I was determined to get there SO ran into my dads room (you're awake, right? No.) & dragged him into the car with as many boxes of stuff as we could manage & sped off to Pimlico. Simple right? Wrong, sadly, since he had other plans so couldn't stay with me. Turfing me out of the car he plopped me at my pitch & there I was left, shivvering like a mentalist, surrounded by my broken barbies, half used perfume bottles & tinsle. It was a sorry sight.
A sorry sight, but dispite the bitter chill & lack of car & companionship I bloody loved it. AND I'm 57.35p richer. Ideal.
Back in London I was over-whelmed with markets - they were quite frankly springing up everywhere to capitalise on all the festive cheer. Far too ideal. Borough market is a particular favourite, more for looking than buying as it's pretty expensive. Despite this I did buy my parents a mustard cress growing set which (i think) they love. Well, who wouldn't?
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