Travel Theme : Numbers

 After nearly 8 months roaming around New Zealand and Australia. Visiting family and friends and house sitting in 3 different locations it is good to be home and getting back into rediscovering the things I like to do.

One of my favourites is going to the local Saturday Farmer’s Market.

when Ailsa gave us NUMBERS as the “travel theme” this week I grabbed my camera as I hopped on my bike to restock the fridge and pantry with the freshest produce around.

Notice the bags of peas ready shelled and purple carrots

Numbers were everywhere.

That is a very good price for an armful of sunshine. But difficult to carry home on the bike, especially as today is hot and sunny but also windy.

Here they are at $2-50 per kg. I consider bananas a staple and we have one every day with cereal for breakfast.

 There are other things you can find at this market. So after putting my fruit and vegetable purchases into my saddlebags I just love wandering around taking in the vibes and atmosphere.

food stalls keep up the energy

a fairy is face painting

You should wear a hat in this climate.

Locally designed and made fashions to be found.

Time to head home.

Artists Market, more photos

They have the artist and farmers market every Sunday.

So much has happened in the past couple of days, but first, back to Friday…

This is a small community and like many small places they make their own entertainment. Every Friday they have a community country and western blackboard concert. Now I didn’t know what that meant either until Lizzie told me it was an open invitation for anyone to get up and sing. If they wanted to take part they put their name down on the board and then would be given time to sing 2 songs. I was amazed at the number clustered around the board putting up their names.

Before the concert started drinks and food was available. Beer was $3 a bottle, wine was $1-50 a glass, wow what value, but more was to come. A choice of  hamburgers, steak, mince or bacon and egg and carton of chips at $6. I had the bacon and egg and it was delicious…

Yummy…

We went over with Lizzie and Jamie. Those bacon and egg burgers were every bit as delicious as they looked.

The concert started with a guest singer from Cardwell, another town further north. He sounded just like the late, great Slim Dusty and he sang 3 of Slim’s classic songs. He was good and we sang along with him. By now we were well lubricated with the wine and beer…

It was a mixed age group in the audience, mainly family groups, the young children played around with each other and danced along with the parents and grand parents. It was a lovely community atmosphere. I estimate that over 150 people turned up and about 20 people had put their names down to sing. Sing they did with gusto, they were triers. Many of the songs were popular and well-known and we all joined in, also with gusto…

Part of the audience

This little fellow was fascinated by Jack’s beard.

This little boy stood staring at Jack for quite a long time, then as he walked by our table he reached up and gave Jack’s beard a little tug. The look on his face, when he realized it was a real beard, was priceless. I think he thought he had found Santa Claus in mufti…

The music inspired Jack and Lizzie to get up and dance. It was quite a floor show and the locals gave them a round of applause as they sat down…

Go shake your “booty”, don’t you just love the footwear…

We wandered back to the camp about 9-30. It was just at the other side of the sports field. As we lay in bed we could listen to the final singers. It was a pleasant way to fall asleep with the happy sound of the concert in the distance….

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Next morning, Saturday, A small farmers market had set up across the road from the rest area. The fruit and veggies were farm fresh and also a better price than the super market produce. Watson, the veggie stall holder, was a real Aussie character giving lots of back chat to every one. When Jack asked if he could take his photo he said,

“oh I suppose that will be ok” in a laconic voice.

 After Jack had taken the photo he said,

“you really need to take my best side”, and with that he whipped around and did a “down trou”…

Jack got the photo, but I have censored it…

Farmers Market

 Next to his stall was a cake stall with all home-baked cakes, biscuits, sauces, relishes and preserves. Could not resist buying a date loaf and some coconut biscuits, not often we get the chance for home-baked goodies when we are on the road. Robin had baked them all and she was an attractive, dark-haired Sicilian lady. Jack loves taking photos of people and he really caught Robin’s character.

Robin the cake lady

Jamie came over with Stanley, his new, young dog on a lead and just as he crossed the road Stanley slipped his lead and took off chasing the cars. Every one turned round to look and gasped in horror, this is the Bruce Highway, Australia’s number one highway and very busy. Stanley ran down the road with Jamie and another woman chasing him. Cars and trucks braked to a halt on both sides of the road, it was lucky there was not an accident, eventually Stanley was caught and the lead tied tighter around his neck.

After all the drama we went back to have our breakfast with the delicious fresh fruit we had just bought…

I love farmers markets

Colourful and fresh

Visiting the local farmers market every Saturday morning, when I am home, is one ritual that I love.

After 2 days of welcome rain this morning the sun was back in control of the day. So it was in the van and away to the local school grounds to stock up with the weekly supply of fruit and vegetables. Over the past few years farmers markets have become an institution and now they more than rival the supermarket produce. The price is mostly the same as the supermarkets, and sometimes even less. This morning onions at the market were $2 per kilo, supermarket price was $2-95. Needless to say the quality is the tops as the produce is from the immediate area and is often harvested the day before, so super fresh and tastes like home-grown.

The other thing I like is the atmosphere, families shopping together, time to stop and talk to friends and the friendly banter with the stall holders. Many of them have sample trays of the produce for you to try before you buy. An area is set aside to sit and have a coffee and a number of food stalls provide eats. In this area local musicians entertain. Music adds to the vibe.  I enjoy sitting with a coffee and relaxing before heading home. It is like stepping back to a time when life was more relaxed.

Art on a tart

Buy fresh baked bread by the metre

Try before you buy

Grab a hand of bananas

Sunflowers the ultimate happy flower

 

 

Farmers markets

Fresh produce, originally uploaded by gypsy woman1.

My favourite outing each week, when I am home, is going to the local farmers market early on a Saturday morning. The colour, the smells, the atmosphere, the variety of produce. the happy atmosphere, families and groups meeting and greeting. In the background local musicians add to the vibe as people sit around enjoying a cup of organic, locally grown, picked, ground and brewed coffee. Food vendors offer tasty, multicultural dishes cooked fresh as you order them.

These markets started approx 6 years ago with a handful of local growers but now they have become major competition to the supermarkets. The produce bought at the supermarkets may last 3 days in the fridge, farmers market produce lasts all week, sometimes longer, so I can buy enough fruit and veg to last from market to market, and it is much tastier.

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Goodbye car….

Our car drives off to a new owner...

We have sold the car…

It was sad to see it go. John saw our ad in the paper and has bought it for his daughter, who lives in Sydney.

Jack worked out some very interesting figures…

The difference between the price we paid and the price we sold it for was $2,200.

We had the car for 3 years…

Per year it cost     $733.33

Per week it cost    $14.10

Per day it cost       $2.01.

That is a dollar a day each we have paid for the priviledge of owning a car for 3 years…

Of course on top of those figures there is insurance, Rego and maintainance costs.

Rego is necessary to keep the roads, bridges, tunnels etc built and maintained and in good repair.

Insurance we have to have for peace of mind. 

In 3 years we have had no major expense on maintainance, just regular grease and oil. It has been a very reliable little car. Keeping it well-maintained meant we got a good price when we sold it.

So now our camper van is also our  every day vehicle and already I have bonded with it. I went to the farmers market in it this morning. Last week we didn’t get to the market and so I had to buy some veggies from the supermarket. First time for months I have bought supermarket produce. It felt spongy and old and tasteless. It is a joy to be back at the markets, friendly atmosphere, people sauntering around talking to friends and chatting with the stall holders. The musician was playing and singing Christmas Carols. It brought a lump to my throat as I looked around at all the happy faces, what a great country this is….

Farmers Market Photo Gallery

Market day again and today I took the camera so I could try and capture the atmosphere of the market.