aug, 22nd - kempton park racecourse.....

day 1287 / 388:

we haven't made it back to Sunbury Antiques Market lately {see day 1223 / 322}(although, we really should be capitalising on the fact that we're up at five am anyway so, could could easily catch the early morning treasures) ....but i never did get a chance to share the pics from our last visit.....so, here they are.

this market really is a gem. it's held every second and fourth Tuesday of the month and I could easily visit each and every time. it's a friendly, unpretentious place full of genuine treasures. 

there is a broad range of things to linger over from stalls inside selling trinkets, glass, clothes and silver, to a large space outside with rows of vans that have poured their contents onto the tarmac. i'm told that many of the stall owners travel across from Europe for the day which doesn't surprise me given how interesting and diverse the stock is.

it's worth taking the time to chat to the stall owners as they generally know their stuff and can usually be persuaded to give you a better price. although, i Strongly advise you to take your own flask of coffee and snacks....the only food option attracts a long queue and the coffee certainly doesn't have enough kick to take the edge off the early start.

jun, 25th - sit boy sit....

day 1223 / 322:

we went back to Kempton Park antiques market today {see day 1209 / 308} to find some bits to fill up all this space that we now have.....it is seriously one of the best markets that we've ever been to both in terms of value for money and the vast array of goods.

i'll share some more pics at a later date but this pack of push-dogs made me smile all day. i especially love the bare-faced guy at the front.

jun, 11th - kempton park antiques.....

day 1209 / 308:

at the crack of dawn, spurred on by the idea that everyone else was already snapping up the good stuff, we woke the girls (it doesn't happen this way around very often), quickly got dressed and headed out the door to the Sunbury Antiques Market at Kempton Park Racecourse. it happens every second and fourth Tuesday of the month and shuts up shop at around noon so you have to get there before breakfast or wait for the bargains at closing time.

i have wanted to visit this market for years. it was reinforced by Louise back on day 561 and yet still, we haven't managed to get ourselves down there. but with two chairs to collect from a dealer, we had a great excuse to get our act together and of course........we were Completely Blown Away. all the vintage stores that we visit in London now pale into insignificance against this market.....especially when I also get a chance to do a little bit of light haggling too.

there was so much to see and so much that we could have bought......as Louise advised, the one food option isn't the best so I would highly recommend taking along your own and also leaving the kids at home, so that you can linger at stalls, digging around for treasure.

on top of the two chairs we went down to collect, we were looking for storage for The House.....of course instead of storage, we came home with an old marmalade jar (£3), a beautiful, leather, trunk suitcase (to use as Limi and Claya's dress-up box), a striped blazer for A and an old Imperial Typewriter (£30).....but we now have a great excuse to visit again in two weeks time.

may, 1st - the simple things in life....

day 1169 / 268:

we had some chores to do at a friend's house in Italy and they have a beautiful garden so we took the girls up to enjoy the fresh air. while Claya tried to escape the blanket and eat the dandelions....we taught Limi how to shell the fresh peas that we bought from the market in Rome {see day 1168 / 267}. i do remember doing it once or twice as a child and loving the process of breaking open the crunchy pod and dislodging each small pea......

she did brilliantly and managed to shell almost half the bag before her attention was distracted by the cat and the tricycle.....living such an urban existence in London, i think that it's wonderful that she is starting to get a better idea of how our food grows and gets onto the plate (and that it's not just a delivery by a man in a van once a week).....it's a good reminder for me, that i should take her to more of the amazing produce markets around the city and get her to help me pick out our fruit and veg.

apr, 30th - market day...

day 1168 / 267:

thanks for all the comments on the last post....Claya seems to be much better today and take a look, i'm even managing to get a consecutive post out......things are looking up.

.............

as my sister and i strode the labyrinth streets of Rome last week, looking for a specific fabric shop, we stumbled across one of the many food markets. the whole piazza was alive with fresh produce, vocal sellers, vocal shoppers and even a band.

we gave Claya's feet a quick, refreshing wash under the square's communal tap (which she found a bit startling) and then bought a large bag of peas still in their pods and artichokes.....we didn't shop with a clear idea of what we were going to make but because the produce looked so fresh and enticing.....and hey, isn't that what Italian food is all about....shopping as much with your eyes as any other sense.

p.s. Limi stayed at home with my mum to spend some time with her nonno (we know that it should be nonna.....but even without any Italian direction, at an early age she decided to call my mum, Nonno and my dad, Tapa...her very own words for both of them.)

jan, 18th - another visit to the market....

day 1068 / 167:

while there are flurries of snow outside...actual flurries, i am still reliving the last couple of weeks of our holiday in Asia....there are still so many photos that i'd like to share with you of our time out there....i'll try and mix them up with some usual posting on life back here.....and hopefully it won't be odd to jump between sand and snow......swimming and sleighing......

whenever we spend time at my sister's home in Thailand {see day 794}, we visit the local fresh food market at least once {see our last visit on day 766}. i love that it's not at all touristy but a real market for people who live and work in the area.....it also sells the hottest curry pastes i have ever tasted....they are in a league of their own.

 

there are cafes dotted around the edge of the market that service the market workers. i'd be very keen to try one as they must have some of the freshest ingredients around.....

A and i both love to cook asian food so it's always exciting to go and touch and smell some homegrown ingredients.