weekend in Andover

i've been a bit slack updating so just wanted to mention my lovely weekend in Andover with my folks last week.  on saturday i spent some quality time in the newly opened traditional/retro sweet shop in town heavenly sweets...with my eyes on stalks and my mouth watering i ended up coming away with about a year's supply of poptastic Fizz Wiz (space dust)...yum!

later in the afternoon my mum and i visited the town's answer to summer festival madness Big Fest.  not quite on a level with errr...Glastonbury...but a great opportunity to see some local artists and their work (loved the amazing ear gong man!) and find out about local environmental projects.

on sunday my dad did one of his regular classic bike runs (he belongs to the vintage Velocette club as he owns...err...several...as he buys them and does them up)...so it was him and 40 other hairy biker mates revving through the Hampshire countryside before meeting up with us in the Jack Russell Inn at Faccombe for lunch and a wander round the lovely village.  while there i spotted the impressive Faccombe Manor (and gardens), St Michael's church (with lytchgate) and a cute little house (with windy path that just reminded me of something i would draw as a child) and 3 beautiful big bounding black dogs (only 2 in the photo) who barked and wagged at me and then got distracted by a passing car!

then back home for a lounge in the new conservatory with the neighbour's cat Misty...who is gorgeous...and very dog-like...which is the best kind of cat in my book.