AND CAME ACROSS A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS STREET FAIR!

Hello Dear Readers. Are you up to date on my blog? If not, why not? Are you off busy doing serious things or just goofing about?

But never mind, you're here now so I can tell you about the wondrously happy thing she came across yesterday.

There were no notices for it in the station when she got to Hammersmith, that was an ommision of the organisers, so it was a BIG surprise when she crossed over to King Street.

The street was blocked off and for as far as you could see, and beyond, both sides of the street was lined with stalls selling all manner of extremely nice things!

There were lots of Christmas related things plus festive food and drink but plenty of other things as well.

She wants for nothing but there were LOTS of really well made things that she would have bought had she needed any or an another.. bag, hat, jacket, plate, jewellery, wooden bowl, babies clothing, sheepskin slippers, socks, gloves, you name it.. they were selling it!

She treated herself to a mug of spiced apple juice and oh.. it was very good indeed, the spice mix they had used was hot and punchy! Slurp!

All that was missing was a stall selling crystallised ginger! But she's ok because she knows about 'The Ginger Woman' who makes excellent products.. crystallised ginger, ginger syrup, pure ginger juice and pickled ginger.  

And on and on it went! There were LOTS of people and, it being a Saturday, lots of families with children and their dogs, all of whom, were being very well behaved! 

There was a brilliant comic, she was dressed as an old fashioned waitress and she was pushing a very big trolley, 'what was brilliant about that', you are thinking, well, she was on long stilts that were shaped as long skinny legs with black buttoned shoes.

There was one small family whose children and dog were transfixed by her and she bent down to talk to them which was very sweet. 

What a lovely thing to experience on a bright sunny day. she walked on and found exactly what she was looking for. That made her happy!

She walked back up King Street, crossed over Lyric Square, which also had stalls on it, and caught a bus to Fulham. She went to see her ironmonger on the North End Road to ask him for an door bell, one with a loud bell, to run off electricity or a big battery.

"Gosh, I haven't been asked for one of those for years, I'll have to order one in for you, give me your telephone number and I'll send you a text when it arrives", she gave him her card, they smiled at each other and she left the shop.

She went back over into the street market, bought needles and different coloured cottons from Maggie and, because it was so late and the stall holders were packing up, she scored lubblyjubbly fruit for nothing money!

Ten big pears for 50p, sixteen satsumas for 50p, twelve russet apples for 50p, two big boxes of Muscat grapes for 50p, ten good but not too big beetroots for 50p, goodness me, it was a good thing she had trusty WW with her, wasn't it!

And what an amazing compote she made last night, spices are so so good folks, I hope that you use them in your cooking? 

Four beetroots will be grated, mixed with a chunk of homegrown horseradish root, also grated, two cored, peeled and sliced russet apples, two finely chopped white onions, golden granulated sugar, white wine vinegar and salt, it takes about two and a half hours to cook, then it has to cool down and packed into sterilized jars.

Now this isn't for this Winter, oh no, this is for next year! It requires at least two months to fully reach its' full potential, she'll make several batches of this relish. 

There are a couple of people who are addicted to this beetroot relish and send her hand written thank you notes when they receive it! Yes, for you see, they reallyreally love it!

And we've just received a great piece of news! An allotment friend has just reported that there haven't been any break-ins to our sheds, phew, the thought of having to repair sheds wasn't a happy one.

For today is chilly and damp and she has other plans for this afternoon, she'll gather together : iron, ironing board, spray starch and the white linens that she washed yesterday. 

So stay dry folks, eat ginger, use spices in your cooking, put more clothes on and wear a hat when you go out in the cold.

Oh lookielookie.. Ppissh.. it's my old friend the steam iron.. ppisshh.

GeeGee Parrot.

December 3rd, 2017.

Postscript: The Ginger Woman can be contacted by emailing.. thegingerwoman@aol.com