Ludlow Medieval Fayre

On Saturday I drove down to Ludlow for the Medieval Fayre. Ludlow is a market town in South Shropshire and is a bit of a food lovers mecca! It is famous for having more Michelin starred restaurants than any other town outside London! I'm not sure whether that's true but Mr Underhill's is very good!
When we arrived, the place was absolutely heaving with people. I couldnt believe how busy it was. You couldnt really get into the shops so we headed straight over to the Fayre.

My mum ready for our shopping.

There are lots of really good food shops in Ludlow and there is a good market in the Square.

The fayre itself was held in the grounds of Ludlow Castle.

If you fancy a gargoyle to go on your house then here's the place to come!

There were hundreds of stalls all around the castle grounds.

There were lots of medieval themed things you could buy, including suits of armour, swords and bows and arrows! Well I suppose you never know when they might come in handy!

Me and my mum on the mulled wine! We had a really good day. It was well worth going and there was a nice Christmassy atmosphere.

I bought this knitted rabbit from one of the craft stalls. It is made by 'Flock of Ages' and all their products are made with wool from their own flock of sheep. You should check out their website. They knit some really cute animals.

I also bought some Victorian style gift tags.

A finally with it being the start of Advent, here's my calendar which I put up yesterday. Happy Advent everyone.

London

I had a really good day in London. The weather was kind to us and I managed to get to all the shops I wanted to go to and even buy some Christmas presents! It all looked very Christmassy with the lights and decorations everywhere. Here are a few photos from my day.
Big Ben! It was just going dark when I took this picture so its a bit blurry!Trafalgar Square.

Cath Kidston. I've never been to a CK shop before as there are none near me so it was a real treat to finally see all her stuff in reality! The shop is stuffed to the rafters with things I liked! I bought some presents here for my family...which I can't show you yet as they'll look at my blog and see them!

Another corner of CK shop.

Which bag would you choose?

I love her kitchen stuff.

There was even a bowl of washing up in the vintage section!

This is me in Selfridges with just a few shopping bags.

I thought I'd show this couch. Its not really my taste but I thought is was interesting. Its for sale in the Conran shop and is only £4,975!!!

I thought these sugar mice candles were quite cute.

Andy eyeing up a Ferrari but unfortunately a little on the small side for him!!

This 'tree' stands outside the Royal Academy of Arts on Piccadilly and although I love traditional trees I thought this contemporary one was really impressive.

Fortnum and Mason had lovely Christmas displays in their windows.

Cartier on Bond Street. Unfortunately, I was window shopping only here but when I win the lottery I might venture inside!!

More my price range...Debenhams on Oxford Street looked very pretty! That's all for now. Have a good week everyone and hope we have no more rain!

London Shopping

I have a day off work tomorrow...can't wait. I’m off to London for the day, catching an early train so that I have plenty of time to shop! First stop will be Marylebone Village. It is one of my favourite shopping areas of London and has lots of gorgeous shops like Cath Kidston,

Cotton and Cologne, The White Company, Whistles, Neal’s Yard, Agnés b all in one area so it is a nice easy place to shop in that isn’t too busy!

There's also this interesting shop called WW Rouleaux. It is the largest retailer and wholesaler of ribbons and trimmings in Europe. If you cant find the ribbon or trim you want here then it doesnt exist!!

Then I will head over to Piccadilly for lunch at the 5th View Bar which has good views over London and then to Fortnum and Mason to buy some nice foodie Christmas goodies!

Fortnum's food halls.

That's the plan anyway! I always try and have a set plan of where I want to shop when I go to London but usually end up getting diverted by other interesting things along the way. I will report back at the weekend with photos and buys!

Hope you all have a stress free and happy weekend.

Susie

Christmas Tablecloth

This Christmas I have been hankering after one of Cath Kidston's retro style tableclothes but just cant bring myself to pay all that money for something that I am only going to use once a year. Then I had an idea! I could make my own... even though I'm a hopeless sewer I can just about manage to put a hem on something! But finding that retro style fabric has been difficult until...I stumbled across this on the internet. It is by Michael Miller who produces some absolutely wonderful kitsch and retro prints. This one is called Yule Critters and will be my new tablecloth!! It is a US company but in the UK Michael Miller fabric is available at Fabulousfabric.

Here's a few more of their wonderful fabrics.

Blast off!

Gnome-some Traveler

Christmas Greetings

Cool Treats

Handy Gnomes

Holiday Hostess

Trailer Travel

I'm off the Chester at the weekend to try and do some Christmas shopping! Wish me luck.

Hoping you all have a lovely weekend.

Susie

Wednesday is Rednesday!

Today I am joining Sue over at It's A Very Cherry World who is hosting Rednesday. This is my first Rednesday post. I didnt think I had much red stuff around the house but when I actually looked, I had quite a lot!

I bought this little red chair off Ebay. It is need of a bit of tlc and when I get around to it I am going to sand it down and re-paint it...probably red again.

I always buy some candles for the table at Christmas and this year I have gone for some spotty red Cath Kidston candles.

I have finally brought all my geraniums in to protect them from the cold. This one sits in the kitchen window and is still looking quite good.

I bought these two cake tins from Tesco last week. They were £6.00 for the two which I thought was a good deal.

This little red bird is from a craft shop in Ellesmere, a small market town near me. It is filled with lavender so smells as nice as it looks .

This red gingham cushion sits on my bed and is from Laura Ashley.

Well okay I know this isnt exactly red but it is red themed! This is my favourite home magazine and this is the December issue, out now and full of lots of lovely festive things. I do love Christmas magazines!

Halloween Party!

Last night's Halloween party was a big success with much drinking, eating and merriment!! I'll be checking out all your blogs tomorrow when I have a bit more energy but for now here are some photos from the party!

Some gruesome guests!

Rufus as a mini skeleton!

Some of the puddings.

A baby witch!

Me and a moment when my nephew Rufus wasnt in a party mood!

My brother, Andy and a scary Monica!

The grim reaper, the devil and a mad scientist - aka Tim, Katherine and Robin!

Dawn, Guy and Greg.

A brilliant Sweeny Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street and...I can't remember the character's name but she was played by Helena Bonham Carter in the film!

A happier Rufus with Granny.

A frightful foursome!

Witches watching the fireworks.

Dracula and his neighbour!

And plenty of clearing up and washing up at the end of the night!