Market Day In Frome

The high street is dying - I am sure it is not a phrase you are unfamiliar with. I only have to think of my local town centre - a cacophony of chain coffee shops, pound lands and sad empty buildings. It's a pretty sorry state of affairs. Therefore it is no surprise that the cobbled streets of Frome, filled with independent shops and one of kind cafes, set my heart a flutter.

Monday through Sunday you can wander Catherine Hill and explore the independent stores at leisure. I could run through my favourites in grand detail but we could be here a little while. So I would suggest taking my word for it and making a day trip. You can expect stores offering up beautifully curated vintage clothing, records, home wares and artworks just to mention a few. To avoid disappointment if you are planning a week day visit, the latter part of the week may be preferable to ensure you aren't faced with too many 'closed' signs. Trust me, camping outside seems like a perfectly reasonable option when you see a vintage treasure, you simply cannot live without, trapped behind a pane of glass. 

While this little Somerset market town is a must visit at any time, things really come to life at the monthly Frome Independent Market. Held on the first Sunday of the month, the market takes over the streets of the town bringing together the best of the Southwests movers, makers, artisans and creatives. Paired with the best of local food and street entertainment, it's, in my opinion, as close to a perfect Sunday as you can get. Also it's a bloody good excuse to use an obnoxiously big basket bag, therefore I am completely sold! 

Feast

Come hungry! The street food options are vast and if you're anywhere near as indecisive as me it'll prove quite the challenge. A challenge I welcome with open arms when it's a toss up between deluxe mac & cheese or pad thai. Once you've had your fill you can move on to supplies for the week - seasonal fruit and vegetables, artisan breads and delicious cakes. My god, the cakes, get in that basket!

Flea

Explore the vintage and flea area in the Market Yard car park. Here you can while away hours exploring vintage home wares, curios and all manner of interesting object. Neighbours to the flea market, you will find all things home & garden. If you're a crazy plant lady you'll need to practice some serious restraint while perusing the jungle of house plants and succulents. If you have no restraint, like me, you'll be coming home with your latest leaf baby.

Fledgling 

Head to Catherine Hill to explore the wears of a varied selection of makers and creatives. Parked up on the hill you'll vintage prams spilling out illustrations and suitcases neatly lined with handmade jewellery. Here you'll find young entrepreneurs testings the waters with their products and makes, the perfect opportunity to support fledgling businesses in their earliest days.

Community, creativity, charm. Town centres of England take note, you need a dose of what Fromes got going on.

See http://thefromeindependent.org.uk/visit/ for information on getting to the market. 

Market Day: A Day In Frome

The high street is dying - I am sure it is not a phrase we are unfamiliar with. I only have to think of my local town centre - a cacophony of chain coffee shops, pound lands and sad empty buildings. It's a pretty sorry state of affairs. Therefore it is no surprise that the cobbled streets of Frome, filled with independent shops and one of kind cafes, set my heart a flutter. 

Monday through Sunday you can wander Catherine Hill and explore the independent stores at leisure. I could run through my favourites but it would be pretty much every shop on the hill. So I would suggest taking my word for it and making a day trip. You can expect beautifully curated vintage clothing, records, home wares and artwork. To avoid disappointment if you are planning a week day visit, the latter part of the week may be preferable to ensure you aren't faced with too many 'closed' signs. Trust me, camping outside seems like a perfectly reasonable option when you see a vintage treasure, you simply cannot live without, trapped behind a pane of glass. 

While this little Somerset market town is a must visit at any time, things really come to life at the monthly Frome Independent Market. Held on the first Sunday of the month, the market takes over the streets of town bringing together the best of the Southwests movers, makers, artisans and creatives. Paired with the best of local food and street entertainment and you have as close to a perfect Sunday as you can get. Also it's a bloody good excuse to use an obnoxiously big basket bag, there fore I am 100 x sold.

Feast

Come hungry! The street food options are vast and if you're anywhere near as indecisive as me it'll prove quite the challenge. A challenge I welcome with open arms when it's a toss up between luxury mac & cheese or pad thai. Once you've had your fill you can move on to supplies for the week - seasonal fruit and vegetables, artisan breads and delicious cakes. My god, the cakes, get in that basket!

Flea

Explore the vintage and flea area in the Market Yard car park. Here you can while away hours exploring vintage home wares, curios and all manner of interesting object. Neighbours to the flea market is the all things home & garden. If you're a crazy plant lady you'll need to practice some serious restraint while perusing the jungle of house plants and succulents. 

Fledgling 

Head to Catherine Hill to explore the wears of a varied selection of makers and creatives. Parked up on the hill you'll vintage prams spilling out illustrations and suitcases neatly lined with handmade jewellery. Here you'll find young entrepreneurs testings the waters with their products and makes, the perfect oppurtunity  . 

Community, creativity, charm. Town centres of England take note, you need a dose of what Fromes got. 

Stronger Stuff: Why It's Ok To Be The 'Sensitive Girl'

If you need a reference point I am the girl 'that doesn't even go here, wants to eat a cake made of rainbows and smiles and wishes we all just got along' If that reference goes straight over your head, I suggest you get off this blog and watch Mean Girls as a matter of urgency.

Don't take it so personally

Why are you so sensitive? 

Toughen up

These are all phrases I've heard time and time again. Mostly from a place of love, sometimes because people would rather bat off emotions than support someone through them. 

When you hear the phrase 'she's just very sensitive' it's not likely to conjure an image of a strong, sassy female Beyonce-ing the shit out of life. In fact it's probably quite the opposite. The idea of being emotional and sensitive comes with, in my opinion unjust, negative connotations. This isn't (for once) me being hyper sensitive, the stereotypes are really there. Sensitivity is seen as a roadblock in work and play - is she going to be able to hold her own, is she going to crumble into a crying wreck at the drop of a hat? The answer - sometimes yes, sometimes no. Think of a text book female CEO - she's a pant suit wearing boss babe, who takes no BS and has her emotions tucked up in neat little boxes. Just ask a man how he would feel about having a girlfriend who is highly emotional. Nine times out of ten you'll be met with a grimace, looks of sheer panic and eyes scanning for the nearest emergency exit. 

If I could give you a  pound for every time I've been made to feel a little bit silly for being emotional or a burden for my worries - well, lets just say you'd be swinging your Chanel handbag all up in here. So,  I'm here to play cheerleader for all us cry babies and tell you why it's OK be the 'sensitive girl'.

'I just have a lot of feelings'

There are no two ways about it I am a delicate flower - not my words but they're as good as any. I feel things intensely, I cry often, I am a worrier, I have sympathy by the bucket load. I think about things a lot, analyzing and considering words that are spoken to me. I've been told on more than one occasion that I need to grow a thicker skin and toughen up. I wouldn't completely disagree with that. I let small things completely floor me and set me back ten steps at a time. That, of course, is something that could use a little improvement. Not because I am ashamed of the fact I let things affect me but for me I want to keep moving forward. With time I am sure I'll learn to brush of the insignificant a little better but you can be sure as hell they'll be tears along the way. 

One thing I don't feel I need to hide or change is the fact I am a fundamentally sensitive soul. We all handle things in our own way. Some will get through a week without a single tear, their thoughts and feelings bubbling under the surface or safely under lock and key. Never to surface. Which, by the way,  is also fine, I'll just never be that girl. Being strong and together is celebrated and admired - you couldn't say the same about being a little on the delicate side, could you? But don't get it twisted just because an ill thought out comment will play in my head a little longer or a sad story resonate a little deeper that does not make me weak in any way. This isn't about being out of control of your feelings, its just about having them. 

I'll go on riding out the moments of nervousness, sadness, frustration, anxiety. I'll feel every single one of them. I won't always talk about them or know exactly how to deal with them. Sometimes they'll be fleeting moments, others will take there time to fade away but they will be there. 

So let's quit telling women, and men for that matter, to stop being over-sensitive or too emotional. It's kinda making me upset.