Today was the day of our annual street market . The main street is closed to all traffic and the street is lined with stalls selling everything from divine cheeses to the most hideous stuffed toys . There is music , brass bands , jazz bands , guitarists ; there are jugglers , magicians . The smell of cooking ,hot dogs , burgers , Thai food and candy floss intermingles with heady aroma of the many pints of local ales and ciders being quaffed outside the pubs . All in all it is a very jolly occasion .
Several years ago Veronica and I were very involved with the organisation . One year there was a Spanish theme and Veronica designed and painted huge flats to adorn the entrance so it looked as though you were entering a Spanish village . She also organised the local school children to make and paint hundreds of large spiky suns with smiley faces to hang across the street instead of bunting . Our house was just full of smiley suns .
Funnily enough one of the organisers of this year's market came up to me in the street and confessed that when the suns were taken down she "stole" two of them and took them home where they still have pride of place in her kitchen .
Last year I took Veronica to the market in her wheel chair but she didn't enjoy it as she couldn't really see and she used to love pottering up and down the street finding treasures for giving as gifts to friends . But there was a salsa bad on the village green and I managed , I don't quite know how ,to get her and the wheel chair plus motor on the back up the steps onto the green . She enjoyed the music but enjoyed even more the annual tug of war between teams from the local pubs . Very fit young men , muscles rippling sweat dripping down bare torsos and being cheered on by the local lasses who seemed more inclined to encourage the blokes to strip off even more ,much to Veronica's delight .
This year I thought I should try to make the effort and go , after all it is just round the corner but it was not the same . I found it really difficult . The smells and sounds were the same - the stalls full of everything you don't need and people all out and about enjoying themselves in the sunshine ( it has been sunny in Devon today ) . But there was something missing well not "something" "someone" and whilst I made it from one end of the street to the other i was pleased to go back home . I doubt it can ever be quite the same but life goes on and next year ,who knows ,the street market will return as it does every year and maybe I can enjoy it once again .
The end and a new beginning
Recently Diagnosed 
Curiouser and Curiouser...
Mum’s CBD progressing
The little things...open the flood gates
