Photo-a-Day  (Thursday, 7th December, 2023)

Is the toffee stall still in the market? If so I bet you can get sweets at half the price as these pop up stalls and a lot of the larger stores (B&M) sell assorted chocolates. But It must be Christmas time and fools and their money are easily parted

Thanks Brian, far less controversial.
No adverse comments about German Sausages please!

A nice photo with a wintry touch. I imagine that's what the stalls on a Christmas Market are like, (not that I've ever been to one). I could manage a drink of hot chocolate but I couldn't eat a doughnut, a belgian waffle, a "crepe" or a toffee lolly to save my life! I am not a sweet tooth at all, so I would leave Peter queueing up for a sugary treat and I would nip across the road to Gregg's for a meat pie!

£4 for a donut I bet they’re 4 for a pound at the Pigeon Bakery! I don’t think there'll be any titbits from here for them…

Look after your teeth.
It's harder and harder to find a dentist if you haven't got one.
It's nice to have the odd toffee but not too much.
I hope sherry doesn't come in that category. Cheers.

Charming little stalls like this would be available all the time if they hadn't knocked the old Market Hall down..

Nice pic Brian, Ron Westhead won't be pleased to see that stall he owns toffee stalls in market and makinson arcade, I don't think pigeons will benefit from the continental market with the price of the commodities.

Irene, you have not been to a Christmas Market until you have been to one in Germany.
Our son lived in Germany for a number of years and we used to go over for Christmas. although he lived in Bergen not far from Bergen Belsen (A visit there very moving in the Summer) the local large town was Celle and the Christmas Market a true picture post card. Streets of traditional timber framed buildings with steep roofs topped with snow, all the stalls stocked with local traditional Christmas gifts with food and drink in abundance. In the pavement cafe's and restaurants they would bring you a blanket to put over your lap and legs to keep you warm. You wouldn't get that sat outside of Spoons! Google Cella Christmas Market for a taster.
I know someone will come back and say 'What's that got to do with Wigan' but just had to share the memory with you.

Garry I think you're an alcoholic. Lol.
I like a good toffee, but prefer mints.

Call it what you want Arthur.
I love sherry, it's Christmas every day for me.

Could not agree more Gareth, the knocking down of the Old Market Hall has so much to answer for !!!
You just can't go back......

Colin, thankyou for sharing that and I'm sure if people like Christmas Markets, the German ones are wonderful, but they have never interested me. I love York but I would never visit the Christmas Market there. I am a real "Bah! Humbug!! Ebenezer Scrooge" when it comes to Christmas.....I have no Christmas Spirit whatsoever! I'm sure no-one will object to you sharing your memories of your visit to Germany..... it may not be Wigan but it IS connected today's P-A-D, and there is no-one worse than me for going off at a tangent whenever P-A-D triggers a memory. I think people are used to me doing that now!

You don't know what your missing Irene. Christmas markets in York
Fantastic. You also surprise me by being Bah-humbug.
You learn something different everyday.

Well said, Garry! That line in the song "I Am What I Am" is very true...."It's one life, and there's no return and no deposit". You have as many sherries as you want and enjoy it!

That was a tad unfair Arthur, Garry has worked very hard in his life so if he now likes a glass of Sherry then I don't think that's at all so bad, and if it warms and eases his back then it's an excellent tonic for him too.

Though I too prefer a minty hard sweet rather than the chewy and filling loosening toffee rock even if does contain peppermint, but if folks enjoy their treats sugar laden then so be it.

I would have thought you Irene whould love Christmas time. Especially with having grandchildren. And having a 1940s Christmas look a like home.
It just shows how wrong we are.

We do get away from the subject on PAD but
I really enjoy reading all your varied comments ...so here is one from me. We went to Lincoln Christmas Market a few years ago & I vowed then I would never go to another one, anywhere.

Thousands of people crowded in a one way system, you couldn't get anywhere near any stalls. I thought..if there is an ' incident' how could we get out...the answer to that is nobody would be able to get out & people would then panic......
I read on local news only 2 days ago that Lincoln Christmas Market is off. The Town Council cannot guarantee public safety anymore.

I went in a Christmas shop in Germany after a river cruise ( I think it was Rudesheim) with a group of ‘ladies’. We tasted the wine and came out worse for wear! It’s strong that German wine! Those Christmas shops are open all year round. But it was lovely wine I have to say.

I think you are kidding us Irene.What about your old Christmas tree and decorations.

Serious Cyril. I joked about Garry being an alcoholic that's why I said lol.

All christmas is one big rip off and i do not fall for it like some daft people out there! all it is is just another day.

All Behind

Veronica and ‘Ladies’ in the German nation
Called at Rudesheim for a small libation
At the Christmas Shop they stopped and entered
And it must be said there were no dissenters
“A drop of your finest” the good ‘Ladies’ cried
“Coming right up” came the prompt reply
Veronica and ‘Ladies’ made quick work of that
Then called for another and some more after that
A couple of hours later they made for the door
Vb tripped over the cat and fell flat on the floor
Then the ‘Ladies’ behind all fell asunder
Showing their rears and everything under
It was quite a site I have to declare
Vb and ‘Ladies’ with Al fresco derrières

Brilliant, Dtease! And I know Veronica will love that!

I’m quite partial to wine tasting Dtease. The best one was in France somewhere. I recall going down some steep stone steps into a cellar of some kind….the rest is a ‘blur’…strangely enough I don't remember how I got back up the steps. I certainly don’t remember buying a bottle of the best wine…hic.

Well I DID answer the queries about my being a Bah humbug! person, and long before DTease's brilliant poem appeared , but it doesn't seem to have been added to P-A-D! I won't repeat it yet in case it appears with the next uploading of comments, and I know comments get missed out occasionally.

I think you are kidding us Irene.What about your old Christmas tree and decorations.

Christmas is a time for families, I don't put a tree up or decorations, with living on my own, I have a dog, and yes I have friends although lost many with old age.
I do enjoy Christmas and like seeing other people's efforts of Christmas. But it is up to each and everyone to do what they like.
Merry Christmas, time to pour a large glass of sherry. X

Yes Arthur and Garry took in good spirit.

Garry seems a nice chap.
He's honest with his many comments. Enjoy your sherry pal.

Merry Christmas ex wiganer. Merry Christmas ex wiganer. Merry Christmas ex wiganer. Merry Christmas ex wiganer. Merry Christmas ex wiganer. Merry Christmas ex wiganer.

Aaaaand a Haaaapy New Year!,

Yer do that Veronica, yer do buy strange things when yer’ve bounced yer head off a dozen stone steps.
I once woke up with a very large Wok at the side of my bed. It still had traces of recent use in it.

The mind boggles, DTease!

Helen, my wife and sister-in-law had a similar experience in Lincoln a few years back, traveling from Wigan and Cambridge to meet up for a weekend at great expense.
There had been about half a inch of snow and the Christmas Market was cancelled due to Health and Safety.
Last weekend they went to the Goose Fair in Nottingham and had a great time even though they had to travel all around the country to get back Sunday due to rail strikes!!!