The 2017 Kennet & Avon Canal Christmas Floating Market

A technical hitch meant I had to forgo the jaunt I'd planned on the return journey from my recent trip north. No matter; a day later I found myself in Bradford. 

Bradford-0n-Avon, that is, for the biannual - and now verging on traditional - Floating Market. 

I was too busy browsing - and nattering to my friend, Cathy - to remember to take many photos, which is a shame as it is such a photogenic event, and a rare sploge of cheeriness on a grey December day. Nevertheless, here's a few of my few. 

One of the loveliest things of the day was carrying the Satchel of Poetry and people coming up to me on the towpath because they recognised it as the work of Skyravenwolf. And letting it commune with its makers for a while. (I was so busy buying mistletoe earrings that I forgot to take photos of the very busy Chris and Jinny.)

Another lovely thing is that it is becoming a place to meet up with friends whom you wouldn't normally get to see during the pre-Christmas rush. Cathy bumped into three friends, and we had coffee and tea with my oldest friend, Liz, and her sister, Alison. And we saw Sue Meddings, and maestra singer-songwriter Lou Bell and her daughter, Ciara, probably for the first time since the last Floating Market. I forgot to take photos, however. 

Here Sue and Cathy are consternating with Dru after a muddy dog jumped up at Dru's books and - yes - got mud on them, after which the owner hurried away without making good the damage. Fortunately, the mud wiped off with diligence and care and no undue loss of stock, but it was still A Poor Show on behalf of said dog owner. (I did take a photo of this.) (The cleaning up, that is - not the culprit.)

Cathy and I also took a walk up the towpath, under Sainsburys bridge where I saw my first kingfisher a few years ago and as far as the next one. 

No kingfisher today ... 

... though we did have a very close encounter with a hot-air balloon.

The Floating Market is a very lovely thing. Can't wait for the next one at the end of July.