Snail overtook car

Spend I did, bought wonderful gifts I did, enjoyed my weekend I did.

This Saturday I went with my friends Jock & Bridgette to the Original Reinactors Market at Coventry, determined not to spend on me, unless I saw the tall Gandalf hat hat I failed to purchase at the other fayre 2 weeks ago. Well I succeeded, and purchased 3 Christmas gifts, and actually did not feel tempted, I did see several nice things that would have been great if not for being a pound short of hundred and looking like they should have been valued at fifty, until you look at the work content and your realise that hundred quid is probably a bargain. Ran into lots of people I know, from Staffords or Buckinghams and other places including Ghost who I had not seen for couple of years, plus Tee, Paul Hadfeild, Andy, Emma, Daren, Rachel, Catherine, Tom, and others, nice to greeted enthusiastically

After the market we went into the outskirts Coventry for a meal at pub, they specialised in pies which were good value and tasty, before driving home to see Jasmine. Talking of which Jock is the worlds slowest driver, regularly overtaken by electric milk floats (Not kidding) and with a unnatural instinct to stay in the slow lane of the motorway no matter what, even behind the lorry struggling to get up hill at 40mph, he's never had a accident, so I should have no complaints, but when you are a passenger and you can see you need to pull out into another lane 10 hours before the driver it can be irritating, no other driver in world is as slow.

Anyway Sunday I went with my other friends Julie and Dave to Birmingham Exhibition Centre, when I say other friends I do have more than 2 sets of friends even if most have Children to look after 1st before me.
Back to the point this was Christmas shopping outing a new place to visit for me, not the NEC that is been there plenty of times but the event Hobby Crafts and Crafts for Christmas so I was not sure what to expect.
Well Hobby crafts is basically a big gathering of everything you need to make, stamp, glitter and decorate your own Christmas, birthday cards & tags with the odd knitting, sewing, embroidery, bead stand, of course you could also do beaded, sewn or embroidered cards, I didn't see any knitted cards, but perhaps I missed them. At the side of Hobby Crafts was a Artist hall, which sold pencils, paints and other arty stuff, a place which actually served tea that wasn't too bad, and also a cat walk fashion show, which consisted of models dressed in cloths decorated in cards, gift tags and wrapping paper. I do mock it wasn't that bad, a eye opener into the world of card making and I bought 3 or 4 presents from there, but no card stuff.
The other hall was Crafts for Christmas which was a smaller version of Chatworth Country fair, but free of mud and sheep dogs and selling the gifts at the time of year you want to buy them, so I bought another 3 or 4 gifts from there, Dave bought a walking cane flute which was interesting. All in a very worthwhile visit, nice clear roads in both directions, good company and bit of inspiration from Julie, who I can now blame, when my mother thinks I fell my chair and banged my head when buying her, her presents.

Having examined my hoard from this and previous shops I think I'm about 75% there with Xmas shopping, still my dad to do, my nephews, one of my brothers and a couple of friends.