Sunday Morning Markets

This Sunday, I didn't go to the gym as I usually do.  OH had taken the car to go to a cycle race, so I cancelled my class and decided to take it easy instead.  I rarely miss a Sunday class, so it was a treat not to go.

Rather than just stay at home, I decided to head out to Columbia Road Flower Market with LB.  She often likes to go to nearby Brick Lane on a Sunday morning, so I managed to persuade her to come with me by promising to buy her lunch from the infamous Brick Lane bagel shop.

We hopped on a bus which took us pretty close to the Flower Market. As always, the flower market was packed.  We didn't walk down the centre, past all of the flower stalls, as flowers weren't my reason for going.  Instead, we snuck down the back of the stalls, to where the small shops are near the old dairy yard.  It was here that I'd seen something that I needed many months ago, when I last visited.

The item I was looking for was this wicker umbrella stand for our downstairs hallway/vestibule.

We've been using this metal 1950's version for several years now, and although it looks quite cool, I find it very irritating, as when you lift it up to clean underneath, the umbrellas slip through the gaps between wires.  I wanted a better solution and when I saw these baskets a while back, at a reasonable price, I knew I'd be back to buy one, as they just keep everything contained and tidy and easy to move when cleaning. The old stand will now be winging its way to the next Give and Take.

Once I'd made the purchase, which was the main reason for our outing, we headed off to Brick Lane to get bagels for lunch.  I had to have the salt beef, of course, which is just the yummiest thing ever.  LB went for cream cheese. It was just 70p for a cup of tea, and it must be one of the cheapest cups of tea in London.  Great value and definitely worth queuing down the street for. (The queue moves very fast)

We continued down Brick Lane, munching our bagels as we went, checking out some of the vintage stalls, before heading back to the bus via Box Park, which is a collection of containers made into pop up and other shops on the corner of Bethnal Green Road and Shoreditch High Street.

I couldn't resist a look in Superdrug's Pop Up Vegan Beauty shop.  The make up looked really nice and I treated myself to a couple of their velvet matte lipsticks and a concealer.  It wasn't until I got on the bus that I realised that I'd qualified for a £3.50 discount for buying two lipsticks, which meant that they cost just £5.25 each, which was quite reasonable.

One was an orangey red and the other a hot pink, both perfect for summer.  The pink was not a colour I'd worn before, but I really like it and it's good to have a change every now and then. I also qualified for a free canvas shopping bag for spending over £15, which will always come in useful.

So, I did end up spending more money this weekend, but the things I bought were things that were either on my wishlist or will get used on a daily basis over the summer months.  Besides, it is pay day tomorrow, so I don't feel too guilty treating myself at the end of another busy month.