Market Day

Our historic market has been trading since 1219 and despite the arrival of the huge 24 hour Asda (Walmart) superstore to the town a few years ago it's still the cheapest place to buy fresh fruit and veg.

Once a week we walk a mile into town and stock up on whatever's going cheap.

Every bowl on this stall costs £1.

This is one of the town's prized art installations, the Spirit of Tranquillity, but better known to us locals as the "Hair in the Square". She was originally a water feature but our spoil-sport council turned off the water supply after the kids kept pouring washing-up liquid into the water supply engulfing the town in bubbles.

This statue is a tribute to Sister Dora, our answer to Florence Nightingale.

There's over a hundred stalls selling everything from game, seafood, locally made pork pies and scratchings, to TopShop seconds, underwear, make-up, haberdashery and antiques.

You can get your palm read.

You can even stock up on spring bedding plants and the first of the daffodils.

Check out the guy in the wolf fleece, the height of fashion in our town. You can get dog or horse versions as well, a snip at £5.99.

1960s velvet trimmed swing jacket (£3, charity shop), Suede go-go boots (£1, car boot sale), dress made by me from a 1950s curtain (20p, jumble sale), wool beret (20p, jumble sale)

Check out those boarded up shops behind me, set to be demolished to make way for Primark. Can you see the yellow scaffolding to the top right of the picture? That's the remains of The Overstrand, where The Charlatans played their first ever gig in 1988. (Well guessed, Lucy & Just Another Wardrobe Experience).

Here's this week's shopping. Pak Choi, capsicums, red cabbage, swede, chillies, red & white onions, garlic and ginger, apples, lemons, cucumber, lettuce, spuds, mushrooms, carrots and bananas.

After lugging that lot home I needed tea.

Looks like we're having spicy veg Masala for dinner, how about you?