Off to market

Yesterday we ventured out to the Christmas market in Manchester on a perishingly cold day. Knowing we'd be outside most of the time, we'd wrapped up warm but I still ended up shivering with the cold. I couldn't even have a warming gluhwein as I was driving later :(

However, cold aside, we had a great time browsing all of the goodies on display and soaking up the sounds and smells. A lot of the stalls were similar to last year but many seemed more colourful than ever.

We really drooled over these gorgeous-looking Dutch strawberry pies.

And look at these rows and rows of pastel perfection. A tad pricey at £1 each though, so we limited ourselves to devouring them with our eyes.

Ooh, so much chocolatey goodness! I can't look at cannoli without being reminded of being in New York. One of my colleagues at work is there now, lucky girl!

And did we buy?

Well, not the chocolate, but I did come home with this lovely handmade crochet brooch - the temptation was just too strong! We also managed to buy several Christmas presents for family and friends so it was a satisfyingly productive day. We were definitely women on a mission though as, although I'm visiting the market again in a couple of weeks with some friends, it will be more of a social event than a shopping trip.

It was also a productive evening as I finished my latest jigsaw. I don't think I've ever told you that I like to do jigsaw puzzles but I always have one on the go. My Mum did them while I was growing up but it was my friend Sue who really got me started. I was at her house one day and she was working on a beautiful picture of a fairy and dragonfly: I was hooked.

Today has been an at home day. This morning I bottled up my homemade blackberry liqueur. We're having the booze-soaked blackberries in an eton mess tonight.

I also finally made a start on my latest quilt. I've had the pieces cut out for a couple of weeks but have just felt too tired in the evenings to get out the sewing machine. I've also challenged myself to get the piecing as accurate as possible so will be taking it nice and slow.

And right now, we're enjoying a glass of shandy before I start on our evening meal. I haven't had a shandy in years but we had some brown ale left over from a casserole last week. I really don't like beer but I hate waste even more. Mmm, it's not too bad! It's obviously use-up Sunday as the stir-fry we're having for tea was inspired by the mushrooms and green pepper lurking in the fridge and the duck strips unearthed from the freezer.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. x