christmas comes to whiteladies...

This Saturday is the first Whiteladies Christmas Market. We've got food, Xmas goodies, lots of suggestions for presents, friendly stallholders and christmassy weather. All we need is you.....

If you can't make this one, there'll be another on 18 December....

Hope to see you there.

clever people and beautiful things...

The great thing about going to Christmas Markets is seeing all the fabulous things that people make and sell. The rest of the year, they're beavering away but you don't get to see them, unless you know where to find them.

So at yesterday's Winterbourne Christmas Market it was a pleasure to meet Laurie who makes fantastic hats. We had a ball trying them all on, admiring some of the results and laughing at others, giving each other advice on which looked best and which to buy. Here's Laurie and you can find her at: http://www.fuzzpotlane.co.uk/

And here's Nadia with her wonderful handmade jewellery using stones from Brazil and other countries. You can find Nadia at: http://nbjewellerycreations.wordpress.com/ :

We all went home with hats, having made more new friends. The hat's already turned out to be a good buy - today it's -5C and the weather forecast says it's going to be cold all week. Thanks to Laurie for keeping my ears warm!

snow!

It snowed at the Hambrook Christmas Fayre tonight - the first time in living memory! The children couldn't believe it. They ran around, trying to catch the snowflakes, chasing each other, sliding on the slippery surface, getting more and more excited.

And then it stopped so everyone could enjoy the food stalls, watch the dancing, and join in the games.

And inside we were glad of the warm. Children came to buy presents for their mums, adults bought secret Santas and presents for their families, there were lucky dips and raffles and goodies galore.

Christmas is a'coming and tonight was full of Christmas cheer!



happy thanksgiving....

....to all my friends and family in the US.  Enjoy!

let's hear it for green baskets...

One of the reasons I sell baskets is because I believe we should reduce our use of throwaway plastic bags. Despite the best efforts of M&S and others, we still throw millions of them away every year.

Ireland introduced a plastic bag tax in 2002 which resulted in a 90% reduction in the use of plastic bags. The Irish wanted to reduce the amount of litter, waste and damage to the environment and wildlife caused by plastic bags. Many cities around the world have also taken action. San Francisco was an early adopter (2007) and Los Angeles County last week became the latest authority in the US to introduce laws to restrict plastic bag usage and promote reusable bags.

Of course, in France, the tradition of taking a basket with you to go food shopping has never disappeared. While not shopping, baskets can be used for a hundred other purposes around the house and garden. The baskets I sell are handmade, mainly in Morocco and Ghana, using natural materials like grasses, reeds and leaves from local, renewable sources. And what's more, they're beautiful.

So let's hear it for the basket! If you'd like to see why I love them so much, come and take a look. I'll be at the Whiteladies Christmas Farmers' Markets on 4 and 18 December. And there's a list of other events where I'll be selling in the next few weeks on my website (http://www.green-baskets.co.uk/). I have lots of limited edition and one-off baskets that will make great presents....

Hope to see you there.....

market blues...

It was cold, cold, cold at yesterday's market. Thermals, two fleeces and two pairs of gloves couldn't keep out the chilly winds and the damp. The wind was whipping round our corner and we were all feeling it. The french onion seller was stamping his feet and walking up and down to keep warm. Thank goodness for Chris' fabulous soup. Yesterday he had one of my favourite winter warmers: beetroot and roasted tomato. Just what I needed to keep the chill at bay.

But we have great fun on our corner, the market is full of fabulous produce and our customers are lovely. Here's my friend J's basket, filled to the brim with market produce.

And here's some lovely pottery, made by Liz, one of my fellow market traders:

We'll be there again on 4 December so if you're local to Bristol, come and see us. It'll be a Christmas market and, whatever the weather, you'll receive a warm welcome!

For more information about the market, have a look at: http://www.sustainableredland.org.uk/next-farmers-market/.

knitting baskets for the discriminating knitter....

People are telling me that these Bolga baskets are the perfect knitting basket. They're nice and open so you can see what's in there. They're light and easy to store and move. The inside is smooth so it doesn't snag the yarn. And they look much, much better than plastic boxes!

The big ones are great for stashing all those 'must have' buys ("it's such a beautiful colour, it's so soft, it'll come in handy one day..."). Whereas the little ones are ideal for current projects...

Maybe this will inspire me to get out the needles, buy some lovely new yarn and get going.......how about a nice pair of socks for Christmas? Last time I tried, they turned out a very odd shape. Couldn't quite negotiate the corners....need some tuition here, C, when you get back from your travels....

a Coventry kid...

Today is the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Coventry, which is where I was born. That night, 14 November 1940, the medieval centre of the city was all but destroyed. While I was growing up, the city was rebuilt, a new cathedral was consecrated, the city attracted new industries. But I was always drawn to what remained of the old city, particularly the old cathedral spire, which stayed defiantly upright amidst the destruction.

Although most of my family were there during the Blitz, they didn't talk about it much.  Most of them were conscientious objectors and worked at the hospital, helping ambulance crews and ferrying patients, or in the factories, making parts. I can't say that I thought about it much when I was growing up. We were preoccupied with other things, the things that all teenagers are concerned with. I'm the same generation that produced The Specials and The Selecter, Coventry bands who captured the mood of the late 1970s and early 80s.

But it's strange the way these things start to resonate as you get older. There are questions I'd like to ask my family about what happened and what it was like but they're not there to ask any more. So today, listening to the Remembrance day coverage, it makes me thoughtful. Today's other major news story is the release of Aung San Suu Kyi who, in her first speech after 7 years of house arrest said, "I bear no grudge".

And it makes me wonder how I'd react in any of those situations, what it must be like to see your world falling down around you, how you keep going in the face of adversity and persecution, what happens when your family and life get torn apart. I don't think I'd do very well. So today is a good day to remember those who are made of sterner stuff than me, be glad that they had (and still have) the courage to do things I could never do and wish I had principles that strong.

with thanks to BS9....

We had a lovely time at our shopping evening last night. A big thanks to Sue for hosting the event and to all who came. We chatted and laughed, compared notes about hormonal teenagers, commiserated over the horror of vets' bills (alongside how much we love our pets), wondered at Sue's wreaths and jams, Gabriel's handmade bags and Jenny's cards, and admired ourselves and each other in Judith's fabulous jewellery.

Here's Sue's lovely fireplace, decorated with kissing balls:

and here's a close up of one in a mini Bolga basket...

Thanks to Karen for all the help and to Bob for the advice. So, BS9, until the next time....