Me on Monday - A Shop Local weekend

An Expert.n: A man outstanding in his field

 It was an expert spotting, sign reading, Sugar Loaf snapping, Big Bale Turkey spotting kind of a Shop Local weekend with Admiral Lord Bluefunnel and his Lady coming to us to share dinner for a change.

The expert is actually a scarecrow, but you realised that. Mr M first pulled that pun on me about 30 years ago when he saw a man walking through a field with his dog.
"He must be an expert" he said. I peered through the windows, wondering how he knew. Eventually curiosity got the better of me and I asked
"How do you know?"
"He's out standing in his field so he must be an expert."
I giggled and I still giggle even now. I am fortunate that now I have a camera so I can document these important things.

We went to a Farm Shop called The Salting Stone. They breed and rear their own rare breed pigs and the had a beautiful, boned leg of Welsh pig so we bought it together with some sausages and I couldn't resist taking a picture of the notice.

Then we were off into the unknown... well, not really because the roads in our county are all pretty well known to us. We headed towards Abergavenny pausing to take a picture of our lovely Sugar Loaf Mountain. Doesn't it look dramatic against the backdrop of that huge mountain behind it? Well, that's the funny thing, there is no huge mountain behind it. Not even a small mountain, that is a big cloud bank with a few wispy white ones just to set off the Sugar Loaf properly. I have never seen a cloud like that before and the scary thing is that it didn't do anything to the weather!!

We went around Abergavenny and headed towards Hereford. We didn't stop there either because Mr M was heading for Oakchurch Farm Shop. We needed a few additions for Christmas presents and this was where we were going to find them.

I managed a quick 5mph shot of the big bale turkey on the way in because on the way out I knew that Mr M would be in my sight-line.

From there we pointed the car in the direction of Brecon but we didn't go there either. We turned off at Talgarth, stopped for fish and chips at the Castle Fish bar, but that's a whole other story and I am still too cross to laugh about it and came home. Sunday I vacuum cleaned. I say this with pride because this is the second time I have done it this year. I don't do housework. No, really, I don't do housework but after several years of stupid useless vacuum cleaners I now have a Henry and he sucks up dead leaves that blow in through the door everytime it is opened and he eats the grit and small stones that track in on shoes and he is my kind of cleaner. I might use him more than twice a year, who knows... at least until the bag is full.

I cooked half the pork joint and did roasted vegetables and stuff and Admiral Lord Bluefunnel and Lady Bluefunnel came to dinner. It made a change for them to come to us. Lady Bluefunnel and I tend to think of things at the same time but she is quicker to act than me. While I am forming the idea she will text me and say "Food with us, Sunday?" This time I texted her while Mr M was completing the purchase of the meat. I was able to show the Lord Admiral just how much I have found for his family tree and he was delighted, and then remembered a few more names of cousins and stuff so I have some more names to research now.

Me on Monday was invented by Sian at FromHighInTheSky. My thanks to her for providing a focus that encourages me to write.