Gloucester Market

Among the nice discoveries of this new area are the many markets. There are a couple every weekend, as diverse as the places at which they are held. This weekend we went in a group with Ilonka and the Boroughs to Gloucester for the Farmer's Market. http://www.gloucester.org.au/

Bought masses of locally grown produce, the only kind permitted for sale at this market. When we asked for a photo of this citrus orchardist he whipped out his fiddle and played us a jig or two. What a character. Chatted with many of them, the goat's milk lady whose bright, chatty little daughter sold me some organic lavender soap; the cattle man who loves his banded galloways and was so upset by the recent footage of Indonesian abattoirs that he couldn't bear to look; the lady who sells rosella jam under the label "Good Ol Mum" (named by her kids).

This silky bantam just loved people, he got lots of pats while sitting on his blanket on top of a cage full of pullets. He had been washed and blow dried especially for this occasion and he looked entirely at ease, at about 7 weeks of age.

Then it was off to Wingham via Buckett's Way. Commentary en route between Brown Dog and Silver Fox via the walkie talkies. The scenery in this area is just gorgeous. Softly undulating hills, foresty bits, graceful Melia trees with their yellow winter berries hanging.

At Wingham, the annual Scottish Festival was underway. The Lighthorse group was there, in their old woollen khaki uniforms and emu feather slouch hats.

 There were competitions in progress for all sorts of events, such as The Wee Lassies Kilted Dash, and the best marching pipe band. Here's one competitor, taking it all very seriously.

And here is another, in her orange uniform...

She and her five similarly proportioned team-mates had just won the lassies Tug o' War. Convincingly.

We went home and inhaled some of the food we'd bought: seeded, just milled wholemeal bread with local cheese and tomato relish, followed by more bread with raspberry jam. It's not a bad life.