On Penarth Town Catching A Bridgend Cold And Barry Town's Quiet Pleasure

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Penarth is the closest town to where we live. Hopefully we will be moving house in the area in a month. I won't say much more about the moving process until it happens but as the last attempt showed nothing is certain until we actually move in.

I haven't really chatted about the place which has been remiss of me. So let me put it this way the town (as opposed to the nearby pier) is the urban equivalent of a pair of slippers. Comfortable, relaxing, slightly old fashioned but then again so am I.

But had to visit the town this morning and found something very disturbing which was this:

Christmas Decorations

Could have shown more along the main street but I'll spare you.

I probably was the only person who looked at this and thought of Bridgend Town. Specifically the Bridgend town Indoor Market with the Christmas lights that stayed there all last year. You might think that I'm obsessed by unseasonal Xmas lights and possibly I am. But as I've tried to explain regarding Bridgend image is king and lights still hanging on after the season of goodwill has long since gone as we're on Brexit long dark midnight of the soul Eve is not a good look.

Next stop Barry Town.

View From Barry Town Car Park

There didn't appear to be much change in the town since my last look. There seems to be two exceptions. Opposite the Windsor Hotel (still closed by the way) is this.

Another empty elegant looking building

It seems to have been a drop in centre for people suffering from mental health issues, It now has been moved to a nearby hospital.

And close by The Royal Bank Of Scotland branch is now no more.

Death Of A Branch

This was Holton street. I had thought it was High Street Barry until about six months ago. Now I know better but this was my destination today.

It's a bit of a walk from Holton Street to the High Street but not difficult.

High Street Barry is actually misnamed unless it was the steep turn to finally reach it because in between the classic terraced houses there isn't any large department stores. Instead it's a group of small shops and with the exception of the grocery store all of them were independent.

But the key thing is the mixture. For between the hairdressers and the butchers there were also this type of modern gift store.

Arty stuff

Or you could see a Deli, other gift stores or.....

...even a toy shop

Many years since I've seen a small toyshop.

Wandering around the street after I did what I went there for was an unexpected pleasure. I decided to go into a shop to buy something. It turned out to be a gift shop called Annie and Lolo,

I got this

The eponymous "Annie"was in the shop and we chatted. Yes chatted. She was originally from the South Wales Valleys and after a roundabout tour round Britain found the High Street in Barry...as you do.

Oh and why did I buy a recipe journal? Well when I'm called upon to cook for a long while later in the year I'll need meals that are simple and quick. Hence the need of something to write down.

It has been a long time since I have seen a town with a relatively large and mixed group of independent shops in one place. Barry Town's quiet pleasure should be spread far and wide

Until the next time.