Sunday 5 December 2010

Christmas Shopping.

Sunday, 8am.  View from the bedroom window.
At last, it looks as though we are going to have a sunny day. The road that runs through our village has been a sheet of ice all week. But today the snow has gone, so we're driving to the city of Bath for some much needed shopping and to visit the Christmas Market .
We find a place to leave the car in the park. The ponds are still partially frozen and people have come with bread to feed the birds. 




The temporary market stalls are set up around Bath Abbey. They look prettier after dark, but we want to be on our way back home before the heavy frost sets in. The low afternoon sun just lights up the top of the buildings.
It is very crowded, but the atmosphere is good, everyone in excellent spirits, enjoying a brief respite from atrocious weather.

And here is one of my favourite things, a proper, old-fashioned carousel. If I hadn't got quite so many parcels to carry I might have climbed on for a ride.

Bath is a really beautiful city.

This little girl looked the very spirit of Christmas in her bright red clothes, waving to the crowd and 'riding' up and down on her horse. The roundabout was moving too quickly for me to get a clear photograph.




A rocking horse in one of the many festive windows.

Happy Christmas!


10 comments:

  1. Rosemary,
    The photo of the sweet little girl on the merry-go-round is precious. Perfectly blurry as is should be. It looks like a beautiful place and that store window is wonderful. All very wonderful to see.

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  2. Oh Cher! You beat me to it with the carousel picture! We must have rubbed shoulders again. Isn't the Christmas Market full of tat???

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  3. hi rosemary,

    you live in a fairy tale. really could it be more beautiful? and btw, what is tat?

    ~janet

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  4. Dear Steve, you would love the Georgian city of Bath, I am sure. I shall go there in kinder weather and take some photos for you. Tom Stephenson lives right in the heart of town. Come on, Tom, get that new camera out and take some photos to make the Americans swoon!

    Dear Tom, yes, nothing but tat. I wasn't looking to buy there but just to enjoy the rather medieval atmosphere of all the little stalls huddled around the imposing abbey.

    Dear Janet, 'tat' is what you have none of in house, (and I wish that I could say the same!) It means junk or rubbish.

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  5. Hi Rosemary,
    We are off to Bath this weekend and staying a couple of nights as we do most years. Such a lovely place at this time of year. Your pictures capture the mood really nicely.

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  6. my the carousel looks so lovely.....what a great adventure!!

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  7. Dear Gary, wrap up well and have a lovely weekend. I think that you should ride the carousel!

    Dear Young at Heart. the little girl in red certainly thought that it was a great adventure - and I enjoyed her enjoyment.

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  8. The fin-de-siecle phenomenon of multi-garden-shed-Christmas-market-stalls seems to have arrived in almost every UK town. In Edinburgh they have a v expensive German Christmas Market; can't think why! As Tom quite rightly says, they're mostly filled with TAT.

    Your carousel looks very like the one in Brighton.

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  9. Dear Rosemary, Bath is such a quintessentially English town and is always full of interest and activity.The Pump Room for afternoon tea isa national institution. Your photographs have captured the essence of Bath beautifully.

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  10. Dear Cro, yes, garden sheds filled with tat seem to be the order of the day. But some gluwein, a bratwurst and then a good chunk of gingerbread would go down a treat in this weather.

    Dear Edith, a trip to Bath is always a pleasure, just the right size, so beautiful and still having some good independent shops .

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