Green Man Day.

Seeing the rain falling steadily this morning and having both had a poor night's sleep we would have like nothing better than to curl up and go back to sleep. However we had volunteered to act as marshals for the Green Man Parade so into town we went. At first it looked as if the rain was clearing up but then we were treated to frequent, heavy showers. I'd packed a light raincoat which eventually got very damp.

This was my spot where I would be stopping the traffic to let the parade through. At the time of taking the photo I was sheltering in an archway but when the time came I strode into the road near the pedestrian crossing. At first the road was empty but then it began to fill up with 2 lines of cars, over 20 in the end. I had put my hand up to stop the traffic and was wearing a high-vis vest but when I put my hand down to give my arm a rest the cars tried to inch their way forward so up my arm went again.

The rain didn't stop the crowds, we're used to it in Devon. I saw a number of children from school some of whom said hello while others smiled shyly. I chatted with a few friends and Peter was constantly meeting people he knows. We enjoy our quiet life down here in the valley but it is nice to catch up with people too.  

In Rotary Gardens there was lots for children to do and numerous food stands including Caribbean, Mexican, Indian, Sri Lankan and local farm foods. I did my bit to support local groups and small businesses by buying home-made food, mostly cakes! The warm lentil 'sausage' roll from the Green Party stand was especially good. Peter got 3 packs of different types of lamb sausages, for the freezer, from a local farm stall. There were about a dozen different types of sausage to taste. The pork sausages were really good too. The pigs were from a rare breed of black pig of which there are only about 350 pigs left (or maybe 349 after the sausage making).

Live music was being played on the 3 stages and we listened to some but being on my feet for a number of hours began to make my back and knees ache. Not to mention the fact that we were both wet so we headed off home for an afternoon of doing absolutely nothing. 

I did like the colours in this young  girl's hair.

We went to the High Street first and I'll admit to buying yet another pair of loose trousers, half price in the Next sale. They have pockets too! When I find a style of clothing that I like/suits me I'll probably go on wearing it for years and I don't expect they'll be in the shops next year which is why I'm happy to buy them now.