X is for Xmas Fairs

 Not many things for X  so it's Xmas Fairs again! the same as 2023

With the end of car boot sales I find these are fun to go to, to get me out and about at the weekends, people to speak to, appreciating all the crafts, the chance of a nice find  and as promised in the F is for Fundraisers post I've been to several. Although strictly speaking................ 

The first, which was furthest away, wasn't fundraising for anything except the business putting on the event (Bridge Farm Barns) and the individuals selling their own antique/vintage and craft things. I enjoyed this event last year so it was good to go again and I  had a lovely look round and bought a couple of small things for a gift, the wreath that was on the W post and................

...................................had my first celebratory coffee and cheese scone in their café 😄

 The second was a small  proper craft fair, mainly stitched things, there wasn't anything I wanted but I bought a cup cake to take home to have with  my Sunday afternoon cuppa.

Number 3 was in Stowupland Village hall and I called in on my way back from shopping. I had a go on their raffle as they had 5 large hampers of food as prizes - but no phone call came 😞. I bought a small jar of fig, apple and balsamic vinegar chutney for £3 which sounded interesting - haven't tried it yet and found a copy of The Shropshire Lad and Other poems by A. E. Housman for 50p- I'm getting quite a collection of poetry books now - need to have a sort out.

The 4th was the 'Grand Christmas Market' held in the main hall of Stowmarket Leisure Centre. Much of the stuff for sale was tat! which was a shame as it made the proper hand-made items look very expensive. It was ever so busy. In 2023  I couldn't stay long as scented candles and other smellies set me off coughing but I was OK  to have a good look round this time, although I  didn't find  anything I wanted.

The fifth was advertised as a Christmas Sale with Charity stalls at the United Reformed Church in Diss on a Friday and as I needed to go to Diss for Morrisons anyway I went to have a look and spent £1 for three Christmas tree decorations from a stall raising money for Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Then I went round all the Diss charity shops and in the Big C Charity shop on my way out of town I found something for my friends Church fund raiser - The Nativity Scene display.

Christmas Fair number 6 is my favourite as it's in Son and DiL's village church and we've been meeting up at this since the Christmas after Col died in 2018. It's always packed with people and we have a cuppa and cake on wobbly tables - because the church floor is so uneven - drinks usually get spilled! -  and lots of goes on the tombola. This year I was the only person whose tickets won anything - and actually two useful things that will be used as part of Christmas gifts.  

 I bought one Christmas gift and forgot to take any photos.

The 7th I called into on my way home  after the 6th but bought nothing and there were other fairs I could have gone to Saturday afternoon and Sunday but the weather was awful and I'd spent enough so stayed at home. 

There's a choice of around 8 various fairs happening this coming weekend, but I won't be going to more than one as the car is in for repair to the suspension bushes next week so better not drive far.

There are several more fairs/fayres on the 6th of December and then the one-off Christmas car-boot sale on the 13th. Then it's just another two weeks until Christmas!

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PS for readers from afar who often ask what a tombola stall is...........

In the United Kingdom, a tombola is a form of raffle in which prizes are pre-assigned to winning tickets. Typically numbered raffle tickets are used, with prizes allocated to all those ending in a particular digit (traditionally a five or a zero). Players pay for a ticket, which they then draw at random from a hat or tombola drum, and can instantly see whether they have won a prize. Tombolas are popular at events such as village fêtes and coffee mornings, when it is expected that not all the players will be present at the end of the event.

W for Widow, Winter and a Wreath

I don't write about the bad days of being a widow, how losing the person I shared everything with for 39 years is hard - really hard - even after 7 years. Part of my life and hopes went when Colin died and I know I would be a much better Mum and Nanna with him by my side.

 This year, for reasons known - which I've not written about - and unknown, has been extra tough  and I've been feeling very unsettled.

Then going into October, I was a bit poorly and got worried about the winter coming and wondered what I could do to prepare - not with things like buying food or filling the heating oil tank, but mentally - how on earth would I get through my 8th winter alone?

Deciding that the only way was to get organised so I planned things to do and wrote a list - always a list...........

• Make sure to get outside for a while on sunny days
• Jigsaw puzzles - one each month except December when I need the table for Christmassy things
• Fill in my new diary
• Link all the church visit posts to the big church list
• Find things to write about for the blog
• Get out and about to visit Christmas Fairs etc in November and December
• Stay warm and cosy during Just -stay-in-January
• Make sure to have plenty to read all through winter

I'm not a person who treats myself  to handbags, clothes or fancy stuff but I decided on a treat of a coffee advent calendar for December and a box of hot chocolate sachets and the chocolate liqueurs for after Christmas. Then up popped a message offering 10 weeks of Radio Times Magazine for £10 and as I'd be buying the Christmas/New Year edition anyway, to see what's on TV and that will probably be nearly £10 this year it seemed like a good idea for added interest to the second half of November, all of December and January. I just have to remember to cancel the subscription later.

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There were Christmas wreath making workshop events  in lots of places around about ranging in price from not too much up to £75!! (I would want Gold Plated for that price!!). I'm afraid I cheated again and bought an everlasting (that means mainly plastic!) wreath for the front door for £7 from one of the Christmas Fayres, hand made by the person selling them who was doing a roaring trade. My front door has a porch roof over so the wreath should last for a few years .

I'll hang it on the door on the 1st.

Back Tomorrow

V for ?

 A  Very difficult letter to find something to write about.  I did Village Halls in 2022  - not controversial and Vaccinations in 2023 - provoking lots of comments, so won't do those again.

I looked up words beginning with V and there are over 4,000, most of which I've never heard of and know nothing about.

Then I thought about doing a blog post about Vegetables - but ran out of enthusiasm before even starting.

So today is a day off - or if I was in the US it would be a Vacation! for Thanksgiving tomorrow maybe?

Have a good day tomorrow to all readers from across the pond.

300 (?) Words beginning with U!

This list was online somewhere - I haven't counted so there might not be 300 but they could come in handy for your Christmas games of Scrabble ! 

But I noticed lots of words, and some very obvious, are  missing? Any ideas? Just keep scrolling!

• Uber
• Ubiquitous
• Uglier
• Ugliest
• Ugly
• Ulcerated
• Ulterior
• Ultimate
• Ultimately
• Ultimation
• Ultra
• Ultraconservative
• Ultramarine
• Ultramodern
• Umbel
• Umber
• Umbilical
• Umbrage
• Unabashed
• Unabashedly
• Unable
• Unaccountable
• Unadorned
• Unadulterated
• Unadvised
• Unaffected
• Unaffectedly
• Unafraid
• Unalloyed
• Unambiguous
• Unambiguously
• Unanimous
• Unanswered
• Unappetizing
• Unarguable
• Unassailable
• Unassuming
• Unattached
• Unbearably
• Unbeatable
• Unbeaten
• Unbelievable
• Unbelievably
• Unbiased
• Unblemished
• Unbound
• Unbreakable
• Unbridled
• Unbroken
• Unburden
• Unburdened
• Uncanny
• Uncaring
• Unchallengeable
• Unclean
• Unclear
• Unclouded
• Uncluttered
• Uncomfortable
• Uncommon
• Uncomplaining
• Uncomplicated
• Unconditional
• Unconditionally
• Unconfined
• Unconscious
• Uncontestable
• Unconventional
• Uncorrupted
• Uncouth
• Uncover
• Uncovered
• Uncritical
• Uncritically
• Unction
• Unctuous
• Undamaged
• Undauntable
• Undaunted
• Undefeated
• Undefiled
• Undeniable
• Undeniably
• Under
• Underage
• Underappreciated
• Underbear
• Underfong
• Underlying
• Undernourished
• Understand
• Understandable
• Understandably
• Understanding
• Understated
• Understood
• Undertake
• Underwriter
• Undesigning
• Undiminished
• Undisputable
• Undisputed
• Undisturbed
• Undivided
• Undoubted
• Undoubtedly
• Undying
• Unencumbered
• Unequaled
• Unequivocal
• Unequivocally
• Unerring
• Unerringly
• Uneven
• Unexpected
• Unfailing
• Unfailingly
• Unfair
• Unfaltering
• Unfaultable
• Unfazed
• Unfeigned
• Unfetter
• Unfettered
• Unflagging
• Unflappable
• Unflashy
• Unfold
• Unforgettable
• Ungodly
• Ungracious
• Ungrudging
• Unhampered
• Unharmed
• Unhesitating
• Unhurried
• Unhurt
• Unicity
• Unification
• Unified
• Unify
• Unimpaired
• Unimpeachable
• Unimpeded
• Union
• Unique
• Uniquely
• Uniqueness
• Unite
• United
• Unity
• Universal
• Universally
• Universe
• Unlimited
• Unmatched
• Unmistakable
• Unmitigated
• Unmoving
• Unnatural
• Unnecessary
• Unnerving
• Unobjectionable
• Unobstructed
• Unobtrusive
• Unopposed
• Unparalleled
• Unpretentious
• Unquestionable
• Unreal
• Unrealistic
• Unreasonable
• Unrefuted
• Unregenerate
• Unrelenting
• Unreliable
• Unreserved
• Unrestricted
• Unrivaled
• Unruffled
• Unruly
• Unsafe
• Unsatisfactory
• Unselfish
• Unselfishly
• Unshakable
• Unshaken
• Unsoiled
• Unspoiled
• Unspoilt
• Unstoppable
• Unstructured
• Unsuccessful
• Unsuitable
• Unsullied
• Unsurpassed
• Unswerving
• Untalented
• Untarnished
• Untidy
• Untiring
• Untouchable
• Untouched
• Untroubled
• Untrowable
• Unused
• Unusual
• Unvarying
• Universalism
• Unwary
• Unwasteful
• Unwavering
• Unwieldy
• Unwilling
• Unwind
• Unwitting
• Unworried
• Unwritten
• Unyielding
• Unzipped
• Up
• Upas
• Upbear
• Upbeat
• Upcheer
• Upcoming
• Updated
• Upfront
• Upgradable
• Upgrade
• Uphold
• Upholder
• Up-leveled
• Uplift
• Upmarket
• Upmost
• Upper
• Uppermost
• Uppity
• Upraise
• Uprate
• Upright
• Uprightness
• Uproarious
• Upscale
• Upset
• Upsetting
• Upside
• Upskill
• Upspeak
• Upstand
• Upstanding
• Upstay
• Uptight
• Up-To-Date
• Uptown
• Upturn
• Upward
• Upwardly
• Urban
• Urbane
• Urbanely
• Urbanology
• Urgent
• Urinary
• Ursiform
• Usable
• Usance
• Use
• Useable
• Used
• Useful
• Usefully
• Usefulness
• Useless
• User-friendly
• Usual
• Usually
• Utile
• Utilize
• Utmost
• Utopia
• Utopian
• Utter
• Uttermost
• Uxorious

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T is for Two Tins of Tomatoes ............

 ..........tipped all over the floor - not on purpose obviously!

I emptied two tins of plum tomatoes into the liquidiser jug to whizz them up as I was making a large batch of Quorn Bolognese/tomato pasta sauce. I picked up the liquidiser to fit it onto the top of my Kenwood Chef and the bottom fell off - I thought it was screwed on properly and tight...............it wasn't!

Oh My! what a mess the contents two tins of tomatoes dropped from a height can make - everything for several feet around was splattered!

Took me an age to clear up. What started out as a half hour in the kitchen cooking turned into 1½ hours, two soggy tea towels, three soggy dish cloths, one mop and a mucky brush and dustpan and the little mat by the sink is still outside getting rained on to clean it.

Luckily I had two more tins of plum tomatoes in the cupboard and eventually ended up with 9 portions of tomato/carrot/onion and Quorn mince sauce  to pop in the freezer.

This was a couple of weeks ago, the day after the boiler broke down! I waited in trepidation for the third thing to go wrong................

Back Tomorrow

S for Silver Birch?

Way back in 2021 (you can see it here), before I moved here to the bungalow,  I did a post about Silver Birch trees using the pages from the Ogham Tree Alphabet again.

On moving here I found two young birches, one out the front and another, younger, in the back garden but although they have silver white trunks I think they are Himalayan Birch rather than Silver Birch

Himalayan and silver birch both have white bark, but Himalayan birch is distinguished by its consistently bright, smooth, and papery white bark that peels away. In contrast, silver birch bark develops dark, rugged fissures at the base as it matures. Other key differences include the Himalayan birch's more upright, less weeping branches and its larger leaves, compared to the silver birch's more graceful, weeping form and smaller leaves

This is the tree at the front of the bungalow as it's leaves changed colour in October. Silver or Himalayan - either way I'm pleased to have a few trees around me.

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R is for Recipe Books

I had far too many cookery/recipe books, considering that most of the recipes I use are in a tatty old ring binder in tatty plastic punched pockets.

They were taking up most of one shelf in the living room and when I brought home a dozen books from the two charity book sales that I visited recently something had to be moved out to make room for them.

A sort out was definitely needed.

For instance, how many books about preserving does a person need?

I've only got one Delia book and one Mary Berry

But way back, many years ago, these penny saving books were used a lot.

A dozen books went off to the charity shop and made me a space for the books bought from the charity book sales but  I still kept 18 recipe books- just in case - probably still too many. 

(Thanks to Penny who suggested this back in October when I asked for ideas)

Back Tomorrow

Q is for Quince

 When I asked for ideas for the A-Z posts an anonymous person suggested  Quinces for Q.

The Latin name is Cydonia oblonga and in the past they were associated with wedding happiness and were often presented to the newlyweds for luck.

Our word marmalade comes from the Portuguese word marmelada which was a thick paste made from quinces.

It's been many years since I wrote about the quince trees we had  at the smallholding. We planted two and the photo below is after about 7 years I think. 

The Quince trees 

I loved them for their flowers in spring. Looking like the flowers on a Magnolia before they opened.

They always fruited well and produce large, rock hard pear shaped fruit

For many years I used them to make Quince jelly - which went nicely with pork or chicken.

At the back of the village pub in my village, next  to the glass recycling bins is a Japonica, which is an ornamental shrub also known as a flowering or Japanese quince. It has red flowers in spring and in autumn produces these much smaller but also rock hard fruits.

Which apparently can also be used to make jams and jellies - although you would need several dozen and a very sharp knife.

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P is for Post-box

This photo of the post-box in the village was taken in October and I mentioned then how it was wrapped in plastic waiting for the 'automated system'. 

Thankfully it is now back in use and looks like this

There is still a slot for posting letters but now there is a way of posting parcels too, all using a QR code......there seems to be a QR code for everything nowadays! I have no idea how it works and if I want to post a parcel I shall go to our post office 100 yards up the road. Just hope this isn't a way of  getting rid of our village Post Office - which is in our village shop.

In youngest daughter's town near the Suffolk coast the Post Office was inside a hardware shop, which closed quite suddenly which left the whole town -extra busy due to  the building of Sizewell Nuclear Power Station - without a Post Office and anyway of  banking at all . Their Barclays bank shut earlier in the year. There are now 3 towns in the area without a single bank and just a couple of post offices to serve a population of over 20,000 people which will increase by a 1,000 more as the Sizewell building work continues.

I've no idea what businesses in the three towns do with nowhere to do their banking - yet another push to a cashless society.

Back Tomorrow

O is for Oil Fired Central Heating

 Until we moved to our last home - Clay Cottage at the end of a Suffolk Lane - we'd never had oil fired central heating. We had a wood-burner and a multi fuel Rayburn for 23 years and LPG and electric where we lived before that. The boiler at Clay Cottage  was in a cupboard in the kitchen and at least 30 years old - it had a few problems in my 5 years living there and thank goodness the father/son heating engineers business had been looking after it for the lady who lived there before us and knew all about its care.

Moving here to my bungalow and the oil fired boiler was only 7 years old so I thought it wouldn't have too many problems, but in the first couple of years here I had to call on Ian several times. Then it developed a leak which was repaired and since then I've had 2 years with hardly any issues. I know what to do when the Low Pressure light is flashing so that was one problem I could sort out by myself.........

.....until last week when the heating didn't come on and I went out to the garage to find the low pressure light on but when I tried to turn the little levers that let water in to get the pressure up again one broke....whoops.

No heating isn't too big a problem as I've got alternatives but no hot water for shower and hair washing is horrible. Thankfully after  I left a message for Ian the heating engineer, he called in the next day to do a temporary fix.

At both Clay Cottage and here I've had to have new oil storage tanks - this one here wasn't on a firm base and leaned against the back of the garage wall. New rules mean they have to be double skinned (bunded) and situated over a metre from buildings. 

I'm just about to order 500 litres to top up the tank for winter. The price goes up and down but I'm very glad I can afford to fill the tank to keep me warm..........as long as the boiler works.

Apologies for this post being very boring ...........if you have gas, which arrives in your home without any effort  to power your heating you are lucky!

Back Tomorrow

N is for the November Library Book Photo (and Nails)

I started off puzzling over what to write about for N............ Another letter difficult to fill. In 2022 I used all sorts of N words and in 2023 found some Norfolk Cheese for a taste test.

In childhood A,B,C picture books N was often a nail (woodwork sort)- how many children have much to do with hammers and nails nowadays? 

Say nails to anyone young now and they would think about the sort for which you need a 'nail bar'. But in rural Suffolk the words 'nail bar' would have been a mystery 20 years ago, there might have been places for a manicure - perhaps included at a hairdressers but a whole shop for painting nails was unknown and those weird long fake nails that people have are not for me - I don't even like nail varnish - it feels horrible.

I had to help a woman with inch long nails get her £1 coin out of the trolley at Aldi recently - made me smile.

THEN the library van came and of course it was obvious what N was - The November Library Book Photo!

Twelve books and every one is a crime novel. I think I have a serious problem!

They are all books I'd reserved online so it's just coincidence that all of this month's are crime fiction.

Some are authors that are favourites, others are authors I've not tried before and one or two are authors I've failed with in the past and I'm trying again.

On the left is the tenth and last - at the moment - of the Christina Koning stories involving The Blind Detective. I've really enjoyed these so I hope she writes more.

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M is for Marmalade

 Oh No! I was down to my last jar of marmalade! 

My every day breakfast is fruit, toast and marmalade and a big mug of coffee. I need marmalade! And I'm not buying more of the very expensive jars from the local small business - Swallowtail Preserves. Not since they started charging £4.50 for a small half-pound jar. I'd like to support them but they've priced themselves out of sensible reach.

There are some jars of home made Marrow/Apricot/Ginger jam in the cupboard, which is a bit like marmalade but only this one jar of Lemon Marmalade made from a tin of the Home Cook prepared lemons back in March.

Thank goodness there was a tin of the Home Cook ready prepared fruit in the cupboard although I thought it was lemon until I looked properly and found it was orange.

I added some whisky that had been in the cupboard for years and soon made a batch of 6 jars of Orange/whisky Marmalade.

Breakfast is all sorted for a while. I'll have to order online if I want a tin to make lemon marmalade next time - the only reason for missing there being a Lakeland shop in Ipswich. Actually, come to think of it I'm not even sure tins of the medium cut or thick cut prepared orange are available in the supermarkets now, might need to order both.

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L for the the Church of St Lawrence, Little Waldingfield

 A very handsome church in South Suffolk which I called in to visit on my way home from the Charity book sale at Acton, a couple of weeks ago.

In through the lovely porch with it's sundial

The pulpit stands on a single leg - very unusual - I guess it's been there for a long time so must be safe.

The font has seated monks carved on it - unusual

There are several of these marble plaques which give mention to money left in wills for the poor of the village

I was puzzled by this strange table thing on top of this very old trunk

Very old pieces of  broken stained glass have been included in this window, something I've often seen in churches - when the stained glass was destroyed during the reformation.

This was just a quick visit as I was chilled through and not feeling the best but there is More here on Simon Knott's  Suffolk Churches Index

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K is for the Keep Moving Group

 I've only missed a handful of  mornings at the weekly Keep Moving Group. It's part of my week and has been for the last 3 years.

It all started in October 2022 with exercises led by a physio from a Community Interest Company called Spot Wellbeing. They started several other groups in East Suffolk and  some, like our group, carried on after the six weeks thanks to another 12 weeks of funding from another CIC, we then took over to fund and operate the group ourselves. That second CIC lost all their funding and were disbanded early this year and now Spot Wellbeing have lost their funding to start new groups in other villages. Now they are only funded for people who are referred to them by their doctor and...............

• They must have multi-morbidities / complex health and wellbeing needs.
• They must be over 50 years of age.

Or:

• High user of primary care services

So much for prevention - which is what our group and all the other groups were started for, with exercises to help balance and movement and to help stop older people ending up in hospital from falling.

It's sad that people in other villages won't get a chance to start their own groups.

Every now and again our numbers drop down to 7 or 8 and then I put a note about the group on all the local village Facebook pages and luckily that seems to work as we find some new people to join us. We do everything ourselves, with two or three ladies able to lead us working through a list of exercises, getting chairs and tables out, making coffee, sorting the meditation on a phone and one lady brings her CD player for some music. It only costs us £1.50 a week as we only need to cover hall hire and coffee/biscuits.

This is our favourite 10 minute meditation 

Back tomorrow

J is for Jasmine

 The very small Winter Jasmine growing on the trellis behind the three Minarette apple trees is flowering - very early, so the flowers are there at the same time as the leaves.

As far as I can remember this is the first place I've lived that's had a Jasmine in the garden, which is odd really considering how many places I've lived in the last 10 years. There are actually two plants in the garden, both planted against bits of trellis, although they aren't really climbers like honeysuckle and roses - both of which the previous owners planted against the same pieces of trellis...Overcrowded so that I have to keep cutting everything back and I've not mentioned the Virginia Creeper which is a vigorous bully!

Jasminium nudiflorum, the winter jasmine, is a deciduous shrub native to China. In China it has the name Yingchun, which means "the flower that welcomes Spring", but we're still in Autumn so it really is far too early.

Here's the Jasmine Flower Fairy from Cecily Mary Barker and her song.

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I is for Indecisive

What I should have done was to save the post about Ixworth church to this month but I didn't think of it. 

So what could I write about?

Another church in another village beginning with I? Iken is HERE and  others are many miles away.

Ipswich? Did that in 2022

Ivy? Oh - that's been done already back in 2020.

ITV? (Independent Television channel) They are in consultation to sell out to Sky. I can see the time coming when we pay our licence fee for BBC and then have to pay for everything else as well. Or after all the fuss about their editing and the resignations at the weekend maybe the BBC will have gone too.

Icecream? Doesn't feature much in my diet. Only 2 or 3 whippy 99's eaten this summer. I can't ever see myself tucking into a tub of Haagen-dazs like people do in TV ads.

So I can't decide what to write about for I!

I used to be very decisive but now I'm not so sure!

Back Tomorrow

H is for Handbag*

On Sue's blog (Eating Well etc) way back in the summer she wrote something about Handbags, can't remember what or why but it stuck with me as an idea for a post sometime and then it turned into an idea for H.

*Although it really should be S for Shoulder -bag!

Does anyone under 50 carry a handbag nowadays? A phone and a bank card is all younger people seem to need.

Whereas I seem to be lugging about a whole collection of stuff - just in case! 

My bag was a present last Christmas - from my wish list- but it's a bit annoying as it has so many pockets inside that things get stuck, but I was glad to have it as my last shoulder bag had got very tatty. It has a good long and wide strap for wearing cross body, just needs less inside and it would be a bit lighter.

So I unpacked  my bag and I took out....................

Purse, phone, fold up shopping bag, reading glasses, pen, the olive wood cross that I've carried for years, paracetamol, tatty tissues (ugh), old shopping lists (?), a small notebook, Cheque book (can't remember when it was last used), a small lipstick holder thingy that holds lip-salve and a teeny pair of fold-up scissors and, at the bottom of the bag a handy £1 coin....now back in the purse.

The tissues and shopping lists were chucked but the rest is back in and I'll keep carrying everything else - just in case!

Back Tomorrow

G for is Garden Centre

 Last weekend we were all invited to Colin's Sister's home for a birthday party for baby G, her 1 year old Granddaughter, daughter of my nephew and his wife. During the afternoon Sister in Law handed me an envelope with a card from LAST Christmas from nephew. She had come across it somewhere in her large old farmhouse!

When I got home I discovered it wasn't just a card but a voucher to spend too. What a lovely belated surprise.

I googled to see where I could use it - lot's of restaurants that we don't have locally and some big chain stores that I never go in. Instead I headed out to the Dobbies Garden Centre in Woodbridge, 40 minutes from home.

Many years ago, before Dobbies took over, it was a proper Garden Centre - now they sell all sorts of stuff and even more random things at Christmas.

I wonder if the reindeer is there to frighten the children from touching the decorations!

A village and funfair which lights up and has lots of moving bits.

You can buy all the different buildings if you have £100+ to spend on each one!

I suppose someone buys these Santa Dinosaurs?

And more.............

And even more odd...............

Pot Grown Christmas trees are in stock..............

At a price...............!

Or you could book up for an afternoon tea!

Outside but under cover they were building Santa's Grotto ready for his arrival later in the month.

And at last the things you would expect to see at a Garden Centre....Plants!

 My gift card wasn't used on plants or garden stuff or even Christmas decorations as there is nothing I needed so it got used to buy some of THIS years food presents for relatives! Handy. Although I did get a pack of 6 luxury mince pies to pop in my freezer for the festive season. Once upon a time I used to make my own mincemeat and then two dozen or more mince pies - but tastes change and mine went off them a few years ago. Six is plenty.

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