Life Goes On

   Sometimes when I come to write this spot, I have the words all figured out and search through my archive of images to find one to illustrate it. At other times I look for a recent image and write the words to go with it. A third option is to be motivated by something heard on the news during the week and then take a new image to go along with my thoughts. 

   Then there is this week and the tragic loss of life in the American shooting where so many children lost their lives. Any words at all are so inadequate and no photo taken by me would be fitting but in Ilkeston on Saturday, life went on as normal with shoppers in the town centre looking for Christmas bargains on the Market Place although thoughts of those tragic events across the Atlantic were never very far from anyone's mind.

Mistletoe

Every day this year I have managed to take a photo that I have uploaded to this blog. During Advent I've been on the lookout for mistletoe to add to the series of images in December but it has proved extremely scarce this year. I did see some on Saturday and took a photo and the thought crossed my mind that I may have to cheat and upload a photo not actually taken on the day but fortunately there was a market today and the same stall was here again so I was able to get another photo:

It's a strange plant really being an evergreen semi-parasite and relying on the Mistle Thrush to sow its seed. The Druids believed it belonged to the sun god and their name for it meant "all healing" which was interpreted as bringing enemies together. In turn a kiss under the mistletoe became a kiss of peace. It is seldom used in church decorations but a Christian story relates that the mistletoe was once a tree from which the Cross on which Jesus was crucified was made. In shame it shrank and only continued to live as a parasite.

Bananas

There was a market in Ilkeston today but it was left to the traders to clear walkways through the snow so that it could take place. When we were in Nottingham earlier this week it was hard to tell that snow had fallen at all so it's a shame our councils whether county or borough didn't see fit to make Ilkeston's town centre a safer place for the population. It's well over a week since the first snowfall and although the main roads are clear the Market Place was still snow and ice covered which is a disgrace for the town centre. I bet a council worker was there today collecting the fees for the market stalls yet we are told that the local council are working hard with the traders to improve the markets. Maybe they studied at the University of Nick Clegg's Pledges! rake in the money but don't provide the service. Bananas!

One of the traders who was on site today was actually selling bananas which had been imported from Costa Rica. In the U.K. bananas aren't usually associated with Christmas but in another banana producing country, Uganda, it's a different story. In Uganda the birth of Jesus Christ or Sekukkulu is celebrated with a feast of chicken cooked in smoked banana leaves and serves with matoke which are steamed green bananas. Different countries, different traditions but all celebrating the same thing.

Victorian Market?

Much of what we hold so dear today about the traditions of Christmas are actually down to the Victorians and writers like Charles Dickens. For example before the reign of Victoria Santa Claus and Christmas Crackers were unheard of in Britain. Today though when we think of a traditional Christmas it is the image of a Victorian celebration that often springs to mind.

In Nottingham at the moment, there is a Victorian themed market but it looks very similar to the Bavarian and Continental Markets held in the same spot in previous years. Quite what makes this one and different and deserving of the label "Victorian" has been lost in transit from the advertising man's description to the reality of stalls and the goods on sale. It takes little imagination to think what Ricky Tomlinson in the guise of Jim Royle would say about the so called Victorian Market!

Just In Time

Work was going on around the town centre today as the cherry picker manoeuvred its way around the market traders making final additions to the decorations and testing the Christmas lights. But later this afternoon there was still work to be done erecting signs to the Town Hall frontage so it looks as though the work will be completed just in time for tomorrow's official switch on.

Two Themes

The themes of the last two days came together today when I was in the right spot at the right time to see a Royal Mail van parked on the Lower Market place as the driver made his deliveries whilst in the distance a cherry-picker was outside the Town Hall presumably to facilitate the addition of decorations there.

They're On!

For the last couple of days I've been wondering about the Christmas lights in Ilkeston which are due to be switched on a week tomorrow but this morning we were in Derby for our regular monthly trip to the Farmers' Market out side the Guildhall. And there the trees were already twinkling with tiny white lights. Although they are difficult to see in this photo I can assure you that they were on and added a real festive feel to the market.

Doing Their Bit

It's been rather a grey week with lots of overcast skies but this morning saw a return of the sun and it must have been a help to not only the market traders but also to the Air Cadets that swamped the town centre doing their bit by selling poppies in this year's effort raising funds for the armed forces. Next weekend the Army Cadets will take their place in the Annual Poppy Day appeal organised by the Royal British Legion.

Halloween Heroes

There was a stall on the Market Place today raising funds for the Help the Heroes charity.

The heroes of course are members of the armed forces but you have to be some sort of hero to stand in the town centre on a Saturday morning dressed as a giant pumpkin like this fund-raiser did!

Emergency

I'm taking a break from the Fair preparations today as there were scenes of an emergency on the Market Place this morning with police, fire, ambulance and paramedic vehicles in attendance all with their relevant personnel. Two smashed up cars were the cause of their presence but it was all in aid of a safety campaign and demonstration.

No-one was injured but it did help to fill a depleted market. Not so very long ago there would have been market stalls here and there would not have been room to stage such an event on a Saturday.

Activity Returns

Activity returned to the Market place today but it was only to be expected as Thursday is a market day. The market stalls however were boosted by the addition of two pet-centred additions outside the library. One was by the PDSA and the other by the neighbourhood Dog Wardens who were encouraging people to register their dogs with the Council.

Patterns

I don't know whether there was any activity in the Market Place today as it's been a wet overcast day but just as the sun was going down, the clouds began to part and there were some interesting patterns and colours in the sky. It was a pleasure to see a little blue up there but about half an hour after taking this picture, the sun had gone down and it was dark.

In Training

There were a number of dogs with their handlers in the town centre today including this puppy in training.

But it was not just normal dog-training as it is being trained to be a guide dog for the blind. There was also a stall on the Market Place containing information about the dogs and of course collection tins to raise money for the Guide Dogs charity. The dogs are invaluable for blind and partially sighted people and their training isn't cheap but once fully trained and homed, they repay the costs of their training several times over in the long term.

Half The Story

I know it's the holiday season and a number of traders were away but the market today was full of wide open spaces and several empty stalls but one had a banner saying "Trade here for £22 per day". Is that the whole story though?

There's probably the cost of purchasing a cover for the top of the stall to add on and is the cost of erecting the stall included? Then there's public liability insurance to consider and maybe even more hidden extras. Perhaps if those in authority had been more proactive previously there would not be the need to advertise like this.

Wrong!

OK I was wrong, I admit it. There weren't any cones on Chalons Way today. The weather put a damper on things though and a thunderstorm can't have been good news for the market traders. There was hardly any of them left by half past three.

Bet the cones are back next week though!

One Bad Apple

I suppose it was inevitable really that come market day and the gold theme of the last few days, I would just have to capture an image of some Golden Delicious apples.

Unfortunately the label also said "France" which means they are out of season and have probably been in storage for some considerable time. They will also have plastic skins covering cotton wool flesh and be anything but delicious. Personally I prefer Braeburns and as there were some from the southern hemisphere which despite the distance travelled looked much fresher as they are in season there, we opted for some of those.

The Case of the Disappearing Band

This one would baffle Sherlock Holmes as it was advertised thus:

Steel Band Performance (BFS)
30th June 3pm @ Market Place
Come and listen to the sound of summer LIVE in Ilkeston’s market place. Performed by Bennerley Fields School students and teachers.

But if they were there at three, they'd disappeared by quarter past.

Stop Smoking

It's not often that you get accosted in the street by a pretty young lady but that's exactly what happened today. It was all to no avail however even when she was joined by a colleague as they were both working for the NHS as part of a team that is currently on the Market Place encouraging people to give up smoking. As a non-smoker their encouragement naturally fell on deaf ears but they did agree to pose for a photo and I said I'd give their "Stop Smoking" campaign a plug on my blog.

It'll probably be some time before I'm accosted again - and I thought my luck had changed!

NHS Goodies

There's been a vehicle parked outside the library at least a couple of days this week trying to encourage people to give up smoking and offering a lung test. As we're non-smokers we didn't bother but today it was joined by an ambulance with a trailer attached so being the nosey sort, we went along to see what it was all about.

It was from the East Midlands Ambulance Service and they had lots of information available about strokes, 5-A-Day and the NHS in general. We were asked to sign up to receive information about the Ambulance Service such as when to phone for an ambulance or when to phone for a doctor. At first we declined but were eventually persuaded and we were given a pack that means we are now members of the NHS Foundation Trust. We were also presented with a cloth shopping bag containing a notepad, a pen, a keyring  and more leaflets. It's probably all done with the best of intentions and the leaflets contain a lot of useful information but I can't help feeling the money spent on the goodies would be better redirected to patient care.

Wide Open Spaces

There were wide open spaces and several empty stalls on Ilkeston market this morning. It could have been to it being a Bank Holiday week with the traders away somewhere or perhaps they are fine weather traders although I don't think that is true. The weather wasn't great though with temperatures only about 50F.

It has to be added though that the market is a shadow of its former glory and has gone downhill particularly since the debacle of the Council's offloading exercise. It certainly makes you think, when you realise the controlling political party locally also polled the most votes in the General Election, about what the future holds in store for us nationally,