Needham Market is where I head when I need to pick up a pint of milk or post a letter. It’s within a short distance from home and has free parking, although sometimes in short supply, and it's the kind of place where everything closes for lunch and most places aren’t open on a Monday.


It has all the charm of a small village, everyone you meet will greet you with a happy smile or a cheery ‘hello'. And you can find pretty much whatever you need.


It has one of those hardware stores that has everything. In the past it's furnished me with a fire guard, a fly swat, sparklers for bonfire night, curtain hooks, a bottle brush and a butter dish. If you wanted one you could treat yourself to a leather duck shaped doorstop too.


All of our carpets have, so far, been purchased at Needham Carpets and hopefully (fingers crossed) we’ll soon be visiting the double glazing shop that sits next door, as we like to support local businesses whenever we can.


You can buy some of the best gammon in East Anglia and the Midlands, according to The Great Taste Awards, in R J Smith's Butchers (and jolly proud of it he is too).


You can paint a pot here (through the archway, behind the post office), get a manicure, a hair cut, a spray tan (if that's your thing), or a facial at more than one beauty salon, and you can shop for second hand, restored, or upcycled furniture to you hearts content.


We have two small corner units in our lounge that came from Pipps, along with the glorious chair that resides in my office (I only went out for a haircut). The pair of bedside tables in our spare room come from Effie’s, and  a small mirror, freshly painted with chalk paint purchased in the Vintage & Antiques Collectables shop.



Andy gave me an old sewing machine for Christmas a few years ago from Bygones, and I have spent hours rummaging around in the Sue Ryder charity shop (despite thinking that it is rather over priced).

If you need a Elvis costume there is the fancy dress hire shop, and a dentist (The Tooth Booth - great name) and all kinds of bait can be found in the Fishing Tackle and Bait Shop. And until recently you could pick yourself up a snake or two from the Reptile Hut.


It’s home to a tea shop or two and while some shops seem to keep their residents for only a short while, there is always something to do, see and keep you occupied.


Just outside of the main drag is Alder Carr Farm, I’ve mentioned it on the blog before and having learnt needle felting at Halfpenny Home there recently, it has become one of my favourite places. Also good for brunch, PYO and talking to grunting piggies and beautiful hens.


So, it's not a sprawling metropolis but it ticks most boxes and is wonderfully free of Costa Coffee and Tesco Metro.

What's your local area like?

Day 12 of Blogging Every Day In November with Rosalilium