Sunday

We decided Saturday evening that with a dry day forecast for Sunday we wanted to go for a walk of some kind the next day. There was so much rain on Saturday we also decided we didn't want to be going somewhere where we would be squelching our way round in wellies. 

Combine this with the fact that G wanted to look for a present for his mum's birthday next week I got my thinking cap on (well had a quick search online) and found that a craft and gift fair was being held at Whiteley shopping centre. 

Whiteley is a relatively new housing development, before being built on the area was farmland and coppices. There is still a lot of open space around and hopefully we'll go back in the better weather to explore it a bit further.

Just 30 minutes after leaving the station and wandering along the prettily named Strawberry Track

and stopping for a brief sit down on this unusually carved seat

we arrived at the shopping centre. We found presents for G's mum quite quickly and I found a few Christmas presents too.
We also found some very cute little sculptures by some of the seating.
Not sure what these creatures are (apart from S that is!)

but this is definitely a super sweet hare.

S asked if we could stop off at the playground on the way back to the station, she is nearly as long as the duck face slide!

I wanted to share a couple of things I bought which I was really, really pleased with.
First up a set of advent pegs from Tiger. 
I'm planning on making a list of things to do each day leading up to Christmas and these will be ideal for hanging up the envelopes containing each day's activity.
The list is things such as an activity to do together, or a craft, or a random act of kindness.

I was very excited when I saw these garden stakes, I couldn't decide which ones to buy. I wandered around, rang my sister for advice and wandered round a bit more. In fact I took so long to make up my mind the chap selling them pulled my leg by saying they had had a price increase since I first starting looking!
This first robin has got a rusty finish to it

and this one is a traditional robin red breast.
At only £5.00 each I thought they were excellent value and I bought one for us and more for presents.

Back home we sorted out our purchases and then I settled down to finish off a jigsaw I had started on Friday evening.
I'm glad I've done this as that means I can take it to the charity shop when I go tomorrow, along with the other four carrier bags of clothes and odds and ends I've sorted out. Where does it all come from?