Spinning women at Stroud Farmer's Market

After watching the sad demise of Wales' rugby challenge this morning, which they so nearly won ('they wuz robbed'), I went into town to do errands. After a quick visit to the Credit Union office to check on my account I walked around the streets and bumped into several friends and colleagues which of course involved long chats and a few laughs.

I sat in the cafe at the Farmers Market where I changed lenses on my camera before getting up to look for a blip. Within a few yards I spotted these laughing ladies sitting behind their stall which offered their own spun spun wool and various small items of knitted clothing. I went to ask their permission to blip them, which they were delighted for me to do, and we had a quick laugh before I retired to find a suitable shot. They all live quite close to Stroud and come here once a month to sell their wares and show their prowess at spinning. They seemed to be having such a fun time together. It was great to still see that the incredibly important role of wool in Stroud's industrial history is being actively maintained.

It was a bit difficult to squeeze between the adjacent stalls, but I managed a few pictures. As I was about to move to try other angles and settings, the man at the neighbouring stall, Norman D., asked me about my camera. He is very keen to go from film to digital photography and had been considering the latest version of my camera, or even better a Canon 5D. We had a long chat and I let him try mine out for himself as there is nothing like having hands-on to get a sense of how it feels and works. I showed him a couple of lenses and gave him my limited guidance and encouragement. Of course I mentioned blip and I expect he will have a look at this entry. As I was preparing to leave having exchanged email addresses, promising him to send him copies of the few shots he took with my camera, he offered me a pot of his wonderful honey which is his business, having hives of bees all over Gloucestershire and North Wiltshire. Look out for Two Shires Honey and you will be delighted.

By the way, my trip to see and hear Bob Dylan was wonderful. I had limited expectations, but he and his five musicians were so much better than I had hoped for. Both my friend Dave and I were buzzing with excitement. Dave first saw him play at the Royal Festival Hall in 1964, and I last saw him in 1978. Even better was the fact that we were given complimentary tickets, so many thanks to Bru H., who knows Dylan's manager!