Saturday

It is now Saturday.  Many people on the tour are leaving today. Some of the Canadians have had their flight completely cancelled and have been rerouted through Timbuktu. But there are some who, like Janet and me, are staying a few days longer.  I am sitting at breakfast with a lady from Australia.  I'm listening to conversations when I pick up the fact that this lady's design was on the front of Inspirations Magazine.  Oh my!  It is Victoria Laine.  Not only that but she designed and made a casket already.  It is the Yellow Casket that has been on the Ning site (and in Inspirations Magazine) for Cabinet of Curiosities.  She has a certificate from the Royal School of Needlework.  Wow.  I can ask her questions about casket stuff.  She is very easy to talk to and so unafraid of making stuff.  That's what holds me back so often, I'm afraid of screwing something up.  But she  just says "if it doesn't turn out, wad it up and throw it away."  Janet and I want her to come to the US and teach us stuff and encourage us.
The plan for the day is to go shopping on Portobello Road.  Now I have heard of shopping there but I don't really know what it is all about.  Two other women are joining us.  We take a taxi as there isn't a close tube station to Portobello Road.  How do I describe it?  First there are tons of people here.

 The sidewalks are filled with booths and tables of old stuff.  Then there are little hallways of booths in buildings.  There is a very diverse selection of stuff to buy. Most of them don't take credit cards so it is best to have cash.  The four of us plan to meet up at noon on a corner and then all go different directions.  Janet is looking for green bottles that will fit in her casket.  Elizabeth is looking for vintage sewing tools.  (She finds some.)  Lesley-Ann is looking for a pin for her coat. (She gets one.) I don't know what I'm looking for.  You can find all kinds of crazy stuff.  Fur coats.  There is a block of food booths.  I get a couple of great looking buns.

This is quite an experience.  There is three or four blocks of all this craziness.
We meet up and decide to go to Camden's market.  We find a taxi and show the driver where we want to go.  The taxi driver takes us on a circuitous route to Camden.  It takes forever and costs the earth.  I think we've been had.  This market is a little different.  It is many closet size stores of old treasures.  This lady had so much china that you couldn't even see what she had.  There was barely room for a chair for her to sit on.

We stopped in a pub and had a drink.

 I can't believe how old the buildings are and that they are still in use.
We are shopped out and decide to go back to the hotel.  Luckily there is a tube station at Camden and we can get back easily as there is a tube station right by our hotel.  However it is very far down to get to the train.

I can check off Portobello Road on my bucket list.  What a day!
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