Wednesday 20 February 2013

'Come Outside'

At the risk of sounding like I've watched too much children's television in my time my mind seems to trip out snippets of theme tunes when I'm least expecting it.

Take Monday.

The first day of half term -  Little Sis was out visiting so Mr K and I decided on a day trip to an old haunt of ours. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the scenery was glorious as we travelled along the moorlands road to Leek.



And this is where it struck.
Look up


Look down


Look all around


Up in the air


Or on the ground


Come for a walk
Come for a ride
There's so much to see
So coooome ouuut siiiiiiide!

(Thank you Aunty Mabel and Pippin for ingraining that into my subconscious for ever more)

On with the day.

Wherever you look in Leek there are reminders of it's affluent past.

Intricate pillars guarding an entrance


The peeling facade of number nineteen.


And large ornamental porticos.


There are the traditional black and white walls.


Crooked alleyways.


And the wonderful Butter Market (sadly closed on Mondays)


One of my favourite buildings is a shop. At first glance it would be easy to miss - a strange assortment of bird seed, bunched carrots and garden statuary.


But if you look up and under the green canopy you can't help but be curious.


Further on there is more of an indication of what is to come.

And inside there is a long winding shop that seems to stock - well just about anything edible.

The nets of fruit rub along quite nicely next to the bright confectionery packaging.


Tins and jars of exotic foodstuffs furnish shelves clad in split logs (!)


More onions than you can shake a stick at.


And eggs from hens, ducks and quail.


Of course any day out requires sustenance of some sort - which is where this place comes in.


Let's just check out the window.


Yup - that will do nicely.

Inside I had a cup of some of the nicest home made vegetable soup I think I have ever tasted (and I've tasted a lot of soups)


And sat among shelves of delicious home made preserves, cakes and pastries.


Armed with a package of runniest brie, Kendal mint cake (for the nostalgic touch) and some Rocky Road for Little Sis, we made our leave . A quick trawl around the obligatory charity shops topped off a really lovely day. 
On our return journey I reflected how lucky we were. It must be twenty odd years ago since we first visited Leek. Since then we have had children, moved around, held down jobs and (arguably) grown up! Yet I enjoyed my day with Mr K just as much as I did then. We're both slightly tubbier, slightly greyer and definitely more wrinkly but underneath we are still the same people. 

Do you have any old haunts?

x


12 comments :

  1. Hello Jane
    What a lovely post..reminds me of home..he he!
    (it is my local town)
    love your photos.. no sunshine today
    Thea x

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  2. Thank you for the trip down your memory lane. Those shops are so individual and well stocked (long may they remain open!). Our old haunt was 'The Lanes' down Brighton way, such wonderful shops down there, and then obviously the old East End of London with the brilliant 'Brick Lane'. I probably wouldn't recognise it now. Great post and thanks for sharing. Chel

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  3. What a jaunt! You saw so many lovely things! Isn't it wonderful that you can find such beauty in everyday things? Thanks for taking us on this little journey!

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  4. Sounds like a lovely day out! It certainly is fun to revisit old haunts.
    I've never been to Leek so it was lovely to see all your photos!
    Angie x

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  5. Hi Jane...my goodness you've reminded me of when Alice was obsessed with Aunty Mabel and Come Outside when she was younger :o) Leek looks fabulous, just the name makes it sound intriuging, thank you for sharing your time there with us. I have a lot of old haunts that I would love to revisit and sometimes do but sometimes prefer not to depending on whether they evoke good or not so good memories ! Thanks for your very wise and wonderful words on my recent post, it's been wonderful reading different peoples responses and glad to know I'm not the only one feeling what I do xox Penelope

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  6. We discovered Leek on our way to stay in a cottage just outside Ashbourne.We stopped for a cup of coffee and said we must come back here.we havn't yet but you have reminded me we must!

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  7. Sounds like a good time was had by all!!

    Your blog is lookin' good!!

    Have a JOYful weekend!!
    janie

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  8. My wee girl used to love that tv show Come Outside! She was a bit obsessed with it for a while actually, until she moved onto her next obsession...! Looks like a great day out, and lovely pictures.
    M xxx

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  9. Hi Jane, your trip to Leek was just lovely and thank you for sharing with us! The shops are so interesting and I just wanted to gather up some of those goodies and take them home with me. I am a new follower of your delightful blog. Thanks for visiting me. Karen from across the pond. xoxo

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  10. Hello--
    I just read your post over at Ms. Micawber's and thought I stop by here. I read your profile and saw that as a child you too read Enid Blyton. Me too! They were such an oddity and an exotic pleasure for me as an American girl. Our library had a few copies about the Five who solved mysteries.
    I like your blog and will try to stop in from time to time.

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  11. Oh dear me, I first thought you wee going with 'Look up, look down, your knickers are falling down!'. Come Outside, bunnies loved that.
    We discovered Leek a couple of years ago, it's smashing, the Saturday market is brill!I didn't notice the quaint shop on our visit though, how nice.

    My husband and I can usually be found sauntering around Bakewell or Matlock of a weekend with a bunny or two in tow and any day we get to ourselves really.

    X

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  12. This is my part of the world :)
    I live on the outskirts of Leek now but I'm from Upperhulme, where The Roaches are.
    Glad you had a nice day in Leek.

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