Welcome to '5 in 5' where on the 5th of
each month I post 5 photos that I have
taken in 5 minutes.
This month was special so I make no excuse for two '5 in 5' posts. You see a year ago I met Joy through blog land, she has become a regular contributor to this neme and someone I would call a friend. We exchange happy mail. REAL letters that arrive through the door, with a hand painted picture, photo, or other personal surprise. And so I was especially excited when Joy let me know she would be in Essex and wanted to meet up. And what's more, the meeting was planned for 5th of the month, which felt symbolic and special.
We decided to meet at Lakeside as this was near to the M25 and convenient for us both.
Discovery of a restaurant in TKMaxx made things easy because we could shop, and sit and chat all in one place. And of course, I didn't leave without a pad of 12x12 paper!
Joy asked about the alphabet stamps that I had posted and asked where she could buy them. Hobbycraft is a good stockist but surprisingly there is not a store at Lakeside and so we popped into The Range and another store without success. However, Joy's eyes were opened to other paper products and stash - nd I take no responsibility for her future financial spending!! Despite having more paper than I can ever use, more was bought before we returned to TKMaxx for lunch. But don't tell anyone....
It was so lovely to actually meet Joy in person. She was just as I imagined, and our letters and emails meant that we were easy in each others company and it felt like we had always known each other. Of course, having similar interests helped and Joy bought me a surprise bag of goodies and news of her planned new venture. And being 5th of the month I had to take another 5 in 5! So here they are: 
And all too soon it was time to depart as Joy was on her way to see other friends and family. I was so glad of this opportunity to meet up and next time I hope to visit Joy and plans are already in place. Meanwhile, to see other 5 in 5 posts for August please go here for the links. It is not too late to take part....
