A Challenge

I am sitting in the kids' playroom on the computer watching four buff men trim the eucalyptus tree in the back gahden so if this blog post seems scattered, I will undoubtedly blame it on them. Although it will be a challenge to concentrate, this is not the challenge referred to in the title of this post.

A while back, my friend, Amy, emailed me a link and asked if I had seen the subject of the link and knew the story. I had not and did not but had a sneaky suspicion that I knew where to find it. A quest began.
I don't get down to the High St much anymore for a variety of reasons, mainly because I don't need to buy anything, but I remembered a passage that leads to the back of the High St and a few more shops. Well, yesterday was a gorgeous day so I hoofed it down to the High St to run some errands and lo and behold, I found the object of my quest!! Here are photos of my discovery and the link to their background. What a neat bit of Britain and a simpler time which definitely fulfills my definition of "quaint". (For all of you Cheltonians, they are where Cambray St meets the High St in the passage to the right of HMV as you face HMV. A lot of times there is a Gloucestershire Echo guy hawking papers inside its entrance.) There were placards under some of the mosaics; I made up the rest.
The circus is coming to town!
The Ringleader announces the show. Here come the elephants!
"Enticed by the irresistible aroma drifting from Bloodworths Corn Merchants, they raid the feed store."
"Their keepers frantically struggled to control their errant charges."
"Amazed Cheltonians and the local Constabulatory watched with alarm and delight."

Link to the pet shop, click HERE.
Link to the hardware store, click HERE.

This pet shop/hardware store is now located right behind where we live and we have visited it regularly for those bits and bobs that aren't available in regular hardware stores. Also, the pet shop is in the back and who doesn't like to see hamsters and mice frolicking from time to time? It just so happens that Owen, Evan and I were on the Bath Rd yesterday for eye appointments and can you believe it? The old Bloodworth's sign was being replaced THAT DAY! Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me to get a shot of it, but how weird that I was taking photos of the circus hubbub and the ancient sign was changed on the same day.