Ten quid treat day!

We set off for Saltash with the intention of charity shopping. My favourite shop raises money for the Air Ambulance. Said Air Ambulance was part of the rescue of a young man from a car wreck on the A38 on Thursday (who sadly didn't make it) but their valiant attempts to save lives always inspires me to go and donate some money. I was not disappointed and bought some cut off trousers and two lovely tops and all for around £6 and Dearly Beloved bought some books and the rest of the day was our own.

I am ashamed to say that I've never really explored Saltash. I drive past on my way to Plymouth or other destinations and have never realised what a stunning little town it is. The high street has lots of independent shops, a superb array of food stores and a few very good charity shops. It is also full of things to see. We made our way down to the River Tamar and had a good look at Brunel's bridge from underneath and sat and drank a coffee by the riverside and felt as if we were on holiday. It was sunny, picturesque and a stunning place to while away an hour; just watching.

We made our way back to the car park and came across "Elliot's Store", which closed its doors to customers in the early 1970s and has now opened as a museum. We gave a donation to get in and were really impressed by the volunteers who showed us around the store and regaled us with wonderful stories of the enigmatic Mr Elliott, who lost his garden under a compulsory purchase order as the road to the Tamar Bridge runs straight past the back door of his shop.
The shop is so much fun and just like "Arkwright's" shop in "Open all hours". Everything in it made us smile, from the gas lights (Mr Elliot never had electricity installed!) to his memorabilia that has been archived by the volunteers as Mr Elliot never threw anything away.
Dearly Beloved charmed the guides and they let us touch things and have a really good poke about. All the containers are empty as Mr Elliott either ate the contents or used the soap, but he kept the shop looking just as it did.........to keep up appearances I suppose?
By the time we arrived home, the sun was out and I went to sleep for an hour.....guarded by the trusty pets and only came in when the heat of the sun woke me up as I could feel my face burning. It's a good life!