I love shopping

With determination caught the 9.23 to Stroud with the three girls on a mission for ballet and butter.  We got B to the Cotswold playhouse in a flurry of snow for her dress rehearsal for the familiar "Boy who didn't grow up"!  We then headed down to the market, upped the rations at Chads, to 5 packets of butter, got some cream and yoghurt to try and honey too.  Bought a handsome looking chicken with giblets.  We then treated ourselves to some Pippin doughnuts for the bus journey home.  The doughnuts went down very well and then we got off at Woodchester to head to Red Hearts knitwear exhibition at Frogmarsh Mill.
The knitwear was exquisite, want it, want it, stamping my feet.  Headed into Bikeworks too to look at BMX's for the boy, think he might have to wait until his birthday.  Then walked from Woodchester to Nailsworth, the girls fell asleep so I made the most of it by going shopping of course, finished off the advent calender shopping in the Little People Company and got some other ideas.  Then bought all the lightbulbs we needed, fridge, extractor and all from Brutons and Gordons.  I am disproportionately excited about the great red and white striped dish cloths I bought in Brutons.  One of the great things about local shopping is not only the conversation but the willingness to help, I've got stocking fillers collected at the Little People Company and two big boxes of crackers (oh yes I can get them local) put by until I'm not on foot at the ironmongers. Got the Christmas cake ingredients from Shiny Goodness and just need to get that fruit soaking. Made my signature lemon cake today without lemons and eggs from Riverford, not as golden but still good and tasty.  Cooking the children and the babysitter a rather tasty looking dinner of left over lamb and dauphinoise, would be jealous but we are heading down to http://www.hobbshousebakery.co.uk/about_us/our_bistro/ with friends.