Hello...

This morning I nipped into town to get some cheese from Ken the Cheese in the Shambles market, because the book group is coming here on Monday and must have cheese and wine. Caught the 8A bus home, the scenic way round, which takes longer but is a great sightseeing tour of Stroud's hills and valleys.

We set off for the Stroud country show, which is still an agricultural show. In the first few years that I lived in Stroud, there was still a procession of floats every year, from the hospital to the park where the show takes place. Recent legal changes and the cost of hiring a float put paid to that in the noughties.

Still, there are sheep, at least one bull with enormous bollocks, cows and calves, a sow and her piglets, some chickens and more...
I had promised to shoot the bull's bollocks, so to speak, for my sister TMLHEREANDTHERE, so after I'd whatsapped her an image of them scraping the ground, I managed to get a better shot of the face. Prettier...

After chatting to my mates on the charity stalls, we drove up to Moreton Hill care centre, outside Stonehouse, where I'd booked a stall for my cards. The event was a lovely village fete, with a silver band; home made ice cream that gradually turned to soup; hand knitted tea cosies; a raffle with so many prizes that everyone won, and absolutely no bouncy castles to be seen! I chatted to some residents, sold some cards, and generally had a grand time. I plan to go back: everyone was so friendly, and there's a Christmas fair too. It's interesting to see which cards are favoured by an older crowd, and I like the idea of bringing the fete to the people.

Then home, and off to a party, DIY pizzas in the pizza oven. In the garden. What a day.