Santa called...

So, it's December 1st and everyone's now counting down to Christmas. I like this season in Saltaire. We get a lot of visitors who come to explore our interesting and individual shops, which make such a change from the usual high street stores. There are frequent craft fairs and suchlike in the Victoria Hall too.

The shops in Saltaire's Salts Mill sell all manner of lovely things. I'm a great fan of the bookshop, but I also enjoy browsing around 'The Home Shop' on the second floor. It sells kitchenware, glassware, furniture and all sorts of beautiful, stylish and swanky things for the home (generally at a swanky price too!) In many ways it's as much a design museum as a shop. It's the kind of shop you visit looking for a wedding present for someone... and end up with something for your own home that you shouldn't really have bought 'cos it was a bit expensive - but what the heck!

Among their Christmas stock this year, I spotted these 'reindeer scented candles' - presumably just the thing all parents need to convince their kids that Santa has really visited. ("What's that funny smell, Mum?") I had a quick sniff and I can reliably inform you that reindeers smell pretty much like strawberries....