Well the migraine is still lingering but the mood is much improved this evening. So I think I will do two posts tonight, one about this evening's activities and the long promised one on 'comping'.
I have just got in from visiting a Bring and Buy Sale in the local Methodist Church. I cannot remember the last time I went to a Bring and Buy sale. The church hall had the smell only church halls have and I was immediately whisked back in time.
I was very fortunate. I was raised in a small country village with a thriving community spirit. I had an upbringing many people only believe happens in books. We had village parties, doors were unlocked, domino drives, playing in hay fields, summer fetes. For a moment this evening I felt very sad as I realised I would never experience many of those things again. Even if i moved back to my childhood home it could not be recreated. The village community has largely disintegrated with many houses now holiday homes and the young of the area being priced out of what is left. The yearly village trip to the seaside and village Christmas party no longer exist. But that is a post for another day!
We were alerted to today's bring and buy by a note in the local paper. The sale was in aide of the WSPA and specifically to raise funds for their campaign to end bear farming in the Far East. I will not post any photos or descriptions of those practises in this blog, as I understand many people find them exceedingly distressing. However, if you do want to learn more about this practice I do recommend you visit the WSPA website.
It is a barbaric and inhumane practice, and one of many worthwhile campaigns the WSPA organisers. So we collected together some items to support a very worthy cause.
The Bring and Buy sale is the place you can still grab a bargain and home baking. I bought four books for the stunning price of....80p! Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: Indian History of the American West (Arena Books)
Yes, I bought a chocolate cake (but we have guests tomorrow to share it with. I had to eat a slice tonight just as a quality test) and a board game called Quotations.
We won a children's paint and crayon set on the Tombola but we gave it to the little girl on the table next to us in the tearoom. She looked much more creative than us.
I never want to live in a world where there aren't bring and buy sales in church halls.
Somehow I missed this post yesterday. Maybe I was too disgusted because you win stuff and I don't win stuff.
Your writing made me yearn for a small village, even though I never lived on one. Perhaps I do in my imagination.
The bears. Another atrocity like harp seals and elephants. When God gave us dominion over the animals I'm certain he didn't mean this kind of, uh, shite.
Posted by: Adm. Pooper | 13 May 2006 at 11:30 PM
No, I would never want to live in a world without bring and buy sales in church halls. There is something very comforting and grounding about events like that.
Posted by: Kate | 14 May 2006 at 01:33 PM