Main Street Trading Company, St Boswell's

The small Borders town of St Boswells is one of our favourite destinations, as it is home to the Main Street Trading Company.

We love the Café, Deli and Homewares, but the Bookshop is definitely the star of the show for us! So, on a very warm Saturday we decided that a trip over the Border would be an excellent idea. The drive to St Boswells is charming, with lots of history and beauty to soak up. Once in the pretty town, we headed straight for lunch and a good mooch round the Bookshop.

We made a selection of books. The stock is so well chosen and curated, this makes it easy to browse and spot books which wouldn't normally get onto our radar. I was particularly delighted with the Bedside Companion for Gardeners. I browsed through this delightful book whilst enjoying a coffee and was so pleased to see that Henry Constable's Sonnet to Diana is included in this beautifully presented anthology.

My lady's presence makes the roses red,
Because to see her lips they blush for shame.
The lily's leaves, for envy, pale became,
And her white hands in them this envy bred.
The marigold the leaves abroad doth spread,
Because the sun's and her power is the same.
The violet of purple colour came.
Dyed in the blood she made my heart to shed.
In brief: all flowers from her their virtue take;
From her sweet breath their sweet smells do proceed;
The living heat which her eyebeams doth make
Warmeth the ground and quickeneth the seed.
The rain, wherewith she watereth the flowers,
Falls from mine eyes, which she dissolves in showers.

I love Henry Constable's poetry, so this book found its way into our selection!

We also thought that Pockets of Pretty: An Instagrammers Edinburgh looks really interesting and will inspire our visits to Edinburgh.

We had a thoroughly enjoyable day which included a trip to Abbotsford and Melrose Abbey.