On Sunday the doors to the balcony were flung open wide, the cat lay dozing in a sunspot, a breeze gently moved the curtains as jazz spilled softly through the apartment.

From the study, the Lovely Husband kept up a steady stream of heavy sighs and inventive curses.  Quarter 3 VAT returns.  Time for me to get out of the way.

I have been trying to get to Pure Markt all summer, but what with moving, holiday and forgetting it was on I just hadn't made it.  The sunny weather and a whole empty day stretched ahead of me saw me hopping on my bike and cycling the 16km roundtrip to Park Frankendael to spend some time there.

Pure Markt is a cross between an English Country Fair and a Farmer's Market.  There is specialist produce galore, clothing, books and entertainment for the children.  Set back from the Middenberg entrance of Park Frankendael, I locked my bike up at De Kas Restaurant (definitely on my list, a restaurant with its own greenhouse producing vegetables for the kitchen?  Heaven.) and followed the path towards the brightly coloured awnings.

While Pure Markt was not huge, there was enough to keep me occupied for an hour or so as I browsed the stalls, with a proefglas of Bulgarian Sparkling Rose in my hand.

Everything was so tempting, I wanted to take it all home with me, but restraint and the advance planning of having limited cash in my wallet meant that I made my selections carefully and only a tin of sweet smoked paprika, a cheddar like sheep cheese and a box of Maldon Sea Salt made it into my basket.

I left as the sun started its descent, happily munching a crisp, hot gallette stuffed with gruyere, walnuts and truffle creme to the strains of the jazz band playing in the park.

Pure Markt runs again next month on the 25th of October before taking a break for the Winter.  It returns in March 2010.