The Geordie Tourist.

 On Sunday I went to Living North Live at Newcastle Racecourse for their spring fair and a bit of a browse. It's a yearly event that they do. It showcases lots of different things such as food and crafts and well designed bits and pieces among other things. Its a chance for locals to show off their products and for the keen shopper to find treats they never knew existed on their own doorstep. I went last year and after loving it so much I just knew that I had to drag my mam along for round two this year.

They had a lot more things outside on the concourse this time. There were plenty gardening stalls. One in particular I loved was Urban Herbs. They specialise in unusual culinary herbs. (Strawberry mint anyone?) Since we're doing the garden we couldn't leave without buying a couple.

There was also a lovely hidden away tent that had been set up so you could have a rest stop and a little drink. I loved the bunting and the deck chairs. I was also super pleased no one was sitting in there yet so I could take a couple of photos. Later on when we came back out there was some live music too. I could just imagine sitting on a comfy deckchair and having a little listen.

Inside the food halls there were so many amazing things. It's hard to take it all in at first. I love how everyone is so nice and friendly and offering samples left, right and center. it's a good way to see if you'll actually like what they're selling, and to satisfy your taste buds too. 

I'm a sucker for a pretty stand and as soon as I saw Stateside Treat Emporium  I made a beeline for it. I love the idea of having American inspired flavours in a chocolate bar. They had loads of other concoctions such as red velvet and maple bacon pancake. The woman that was selling it was so nice, she offered us samples and let me take lots of photos. They make their chocolate in Durham and most of it is vegetarian too.

I love the big rustic bread displays from More? The Artisan Bakery. We left empty handed, but I still had a little try of what was on offer. 

One of the highlights was listening to a talk by Sean Murray of Garden Narratives Garden Design. He talked about his time being an amateur gardener and winning a competition that allowed him to design a garden for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show last year. 

It was very interesting and both myself and my mam walked away feeling very inspired.

I was getting major sign envy from looking at the wares from Words that Talk. As you can imagine it was very popular and trying to nab a quick photo with nobody in it was challenging. (Blogger problems eh?)

 Ibbi won the award for best shopping stand 2016. I can see why. It was truly enchanting. Lots of Moroccan and Indian inspired homeware. The patterns were to die for and they had the most amazing wooden hand painted elephants.

We ended our little shopping spree with a trip to Rosie Mai's Wax Melts. I have a burner at home and I love using Yankee melts. When I saw these ones all lined up and smelling oh so amazing I knew I just had to try them. The marshmallow one is gorgeous. At only 80p a cube I couldn't say no really. It's run by two lovely women from their homes in Durham. They were nice and chatty and let me take pictures of their beautiful products.

Living North Live is always a good day out. I will say that it gets pretty busy. With it getting more popular year after year it will probably only get worse. It's best to go earlier in the day. If you don't mind the crowds then not to worry. We only managed a couple of hours before it got too much though.

There are so many wonderful stands full of fashion, art work, homemade gifts and everything else in between. You're bound to find something you'll love. I know we did, and I'm curious as to what will be in store when I no doubt return next year...

Did any of you go to Living North Live?

On a Sunday, sometimes there's no place you'd rather be then having a little nosey at what you can find at a car boot sale. I have been to this one in Hexham on a couple of occasions. Once to sell, which resulted in me sitting in the car, for most of the time as I was too cold. (You know how it goes.) 

It is set in the Hexham Auction Mart Building. There are various parts to it including the exhibition hall and the pens, where the animals would be kept. It's strange when you go for the first time and you're walking through the stalls. I kept expecting a pig to pop out from somewhere.

My mam is in the process of doing out the garden, so thought she could pick up a couple of bargains.

Some of the things you can find wouldn't be out of place at a vintage fair. There was a seller with lots of jewellery. It reminds me of my nanna's things which makes me smile. 

I just took a few photos as I didn't want to feel like I was intruding, plus it's peoples' personal stuff, so I didn't want to seem rude.

We bought this crate to grow some herbs in or to house a couple of smaller plants. It cost £4 for two which is such a good price compared to what you'd pay in store.

There was glassware on most stalls. I loved this arrangement of fancy plates. I like finding cute little crockery sets and cups and plates that match. It makes me want to host quirky little afternoon tea parties.

We paid a lot of attention to the various stools and chairs that we could find. We were after something to sit on in the garden. I could just see myself sipping some homemade lemonade and reading a book on one of these gorgeous green chairs. 

Unfortunately we didn't get them. If we went back and they were still there, I'm sure they'd make it back home with us though. 

If I was any good at DIY I'd have snapped this right up. Just a nice sturdy bit of wood to join it together and hey presto a little seat.

Altogether we got the wicker table and chair, tin kettle and two garden crates. The real bargain for my mam though was a massive artificial bamboo plant. ( We had to do two trips just to get it back home.) It cost her £25. She saw a much smaller one in a shop a couple of days ago for £200. A definite bargain indeed. 

The Hexham boot sale is on every Sunday until December (unless otherwise stated on their website) 

It opens at 12pm for buyers and costs £1 per person for entry.

Have any of you found any great bargains at car boot sales?

There was also a fashion show. Designs were those by Jenny Packham amongst others. All of the seats were taken about an hour before the show had even started. (I hate it when that happens.) We could still see from where we were standing though so it wasn’t too bad. The dresses were lovely, some a bit odd. One was practically see through except for strategically placed patches of lace. There were a couple of lads modelling suits too which no one complained about.

We stopped by a stand called Pure Elegance where there were lots of hairstyles modelled on plastic heads. There was also a girl in the middle of getting a quick hair trial. We spent the majority of the time here and my mam even got her hair done by a lovely girl called Faz. I think she might be keen on trying to book her for the wedding. This is a big step as we have all been umming and ahhing over what to do about hair and makeup. So hopefully something will come out of it. Her hair looked lovely. It was a big quiff at the front with jewels and pearls in it too.

Afterwards we headed next door to Nine, (formally Shearer's Bar I think) to carry on the planning and also get a couple more drinks.

Time is going quite fast and there's only really a few more months to fit in some more wedding fairs. I've got the next two marked on the calendar. After that I think I'll have to go hunting around for more. What can I say? I just love trying free samples of cake.

Did any of you go to the wedding fair at St. James' Park?