TREACLE MARKET

We went to the monthly Treacle Market this morning (Sunday). Macclesfield used to be called "Treacle Town" - there are various explanations as to why (some of them rather rude!) but no-one seems to know for certain. However, the market is called the Treacle Market, and is very popular.



There were lots of different stalls - foodie ones.....




And crafty ones.....




And all sorts of different things for sale. I was able to buy some lovely pies and some Greek bulgar wheat salad for our meal tonight, plus some delicious-looking ciabatta bread.




Once the church bells had stopped ringing (the market place is right outside the Parish Church), there was a Jazz band to keep us in a spending mood.

Despite the cold wind - the Market Place being the highest point of Macclesfield, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The food especially was very tempting, but Mr.G said he hadn't gone there to buy food, so I was unable to indulge myself. Probably a good thing!

Haven't posted recently, as not been feeling too well, but hopefully, now Spring is here, I can get out a bit more and find interesting things to blog about!

LATE - BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN

Carmi's Photographic Challenge this week is LATE.

Wags is, sadly, late. She was our first dog, an absolutely wonderful, affectionate and loyal friend. We had her as a puppy when my neightbour, who was an Avon Representative, told us that one of her customers had 10 puppies that she was sending to the Pet Shop! Apparently her pedigree Springer Spaniel had Got Out at the Wrong Time, meeting the neighbours' pedigree Border Collie, and as a result had 10 puppies to dispose of. Both Anne and I were horrified that the puppies would go to the Pet shop, and she had one, and I chose a very friendly little one.

Needless to say, the puppy was gorgeous, and soon grew into a great dog. She early on decided she belonged to me. I used to take her for very early morning walks in our woods where we lived in the Chilterns, and was never afraid that I would be attacked, accosted or in any danger. Wags was there and I am sure, if I had screamed, would have gone for my attacked! The photo was taken by the Village Pond where we lived in Buckinghamshire.

Sadly, she got a cancerous growth and we lost her when she was 13. I cried for a week.




However, we soon got another dog. Ben was a rescue dog, and we found him curled up in a ginger bundle of sadness. He took a little while to decide we were friends, and then family, and also decided he was Mr.G's dog! We had him a long time, and he was very little trouble. He loved the Park behind us here, well, he loved anywhere really! Whilst Wags had been a herding sort of dog - she would run round and round us in the woods, making sure she had us under control! - Ben was a burrowing dog, and liked nothing more than to dig a very large hole, or, even better, get down a rabbit/fox/badger hole, and try to get into wherever those animals were that he could smell!

We had Ben for 17 years or so, and then vowed we would never have another dog, that we would be free to go on holiday whenever, wherever, as we liked.

BUT, our ex-son-in-law had two dogs, Sam and Max, and when Ex s-i-l decided to go to New York, said the dogs had to be rehomed. Youngest grandson was devastated, so it was decided to ask Granny and Grandad if they would have Max........



Guess what? We now have Max. Max's whole life is dedicated to finding food. Had he been trained properly, he would have made a wonderful sniffer dog. As it is, he will give his love to whoever has the biscuits/sandwiches/snacks. He would sell his soul for bread.

We had a great holiday in Anglesey a few years ago, in a cottage owned by a lovely couple who had 13 cocker spaniels, and who also owned three very large fields. Max was in his element.

But we did go to other bits of Anglesey (which is in Wales, for my US friends) and here he is with Mr.G on the cliff path.

Max, I am glad to say, is anything but Late!

SUNLIGHT

This lovely little bush is on the patio outside my kitchen window. At this time of the year the young leaves are a lovely red. It's absolutely gorgeous when the sun shines through them.

So I thought I'd share it with you, especially as I haven't posted for a while.

DOUBLES

Carmi's Thematic Challenge this week is DOUBLES

So I made a collage of my favourite "Doubles" Photographs. The crows sit above our garden, in the hope they spot something to eat - they are partial to unwary fledglings in the late spring, but we try to chase them away then.

The boots were at a garden centre - who wants boring green wellies!?

The two hares were a ?bronze statue at a beautiful garden I went to on my visit to Surrey. Chinthurst Lodge was open specially that day, on behalf of charity, and it was quite spectacular. Such a lot of work had gone into it, I was overcome with admiration.

The two hanks of ropes were hanging above the Lifeboats on the Cruise Ship we went on last year. Luckily we didn't have to use the lifeboats (and presumably the rope too) though as we had storm force 9 winds, we did begin to wonder!

I KNOW ITS SPRING WHEN.....

......the Canada Geese start pairing up an d defending their territory. One pair regularly nests on an island in the lake, and another in the garden of a house by the lake. They are terrific parents, and we have seen several families of 3, 4 or 5 grow up.




Its also Spring when the little green tufts appear on the larch trees. I love them when they are just coming out, it is such a fresh green. They also turn a bright glowing orange in the autumn, but that is a long way away!

I had some beautiful crocuses in the garden, but four large furry paws have walked on them. (sigh) Still, there are some he has missed and I can enjoy those!