Happily Ever After

Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running

Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.

A Small World in Strathpeffer

by admin - 20:49 on 26 November 2011

Another Saturday, another market – Strathpeffer's big Christmas event, of which I had high hopes.

So finding my assigned table was in a side room off a back room, not the community centre's main hall, was a bit of a blow. The jaunty accordion and mournful bagpipe music favoured by one of the neighbouring stands was no bonus.

But I'd got a good-sized table and easy access to tapwater (we were in the kitchen) so I set up my cards and prints and framed snaps and settled down with a magazine to see what happened. The results, as it turned out, were satisfactory.

At the end of the four-hour event I'd sold almost two dozen cards, one copy of The Bumper Book of Black Isle Snappery and two prints, one of them framed. I even had a £50 note in my wallet – it's a while since I've seen one of those.

The framed print I sold – bought on the sly as a Christmas present by a husband whose wife had expressed admiration. It's pleasing to know my work will help brighten someone's festive day.

Mrs Marten continues to draw the crowds – observers split between those who think martens are beautiful creatures and those who've suffered an unfortunate poultry/mustelid interface – but the galloping squirrel is now at the top of the bestseller list with a print sold on consecutive markets. With luck he'll do the hat-trick tomorrow at Charleston, where Mr Gardener found me a last-minute table in their market.

So I covered all this week's outlay and more. The bad news is that another printer cartridge is running on fumes and I need to buy more mounts. Break even point is still tantalisingly out of reach.

The good news is that Avoch Post Office has sold all its Bumper Books and taken more, while Simpsons Garden Centre is set to become our next outlet. Who needs a job aboard the good ship GNoME anyway?

Proof that it's a small world turned up in the shape of the Avoch resident who admired The Bumper Book. Not only is she part of the Chatterbox operation, of which I'm now officially a part, but she comes from my home town, Wakefield. She's promised to buy her copy next weekend at the Avoch market. That must be a good omen.

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