Sunday Markets and Fairs

    Traditionally a day of rest, Sundays still remain a quieter day than the other six during the week. Many businesses either have no trading hours or greatly reduced times they will conduct commerce.  Except in Australia. The Energizer Bunny needs a full charge (done on the slow Saturday previous) to keep the pace with all the offerings on the 'day of rest.' Including church services, the following action was taken in on a single Sunday--with other options ignored.

Vic Park Mkts on Sunday

Holy Bagels!

    First, a stop to the Victoria Park Markets. Who doesn't love a local market?  The early morning vibe that's happy but not frenetic. Produce, baked goods, frozen meat/fish, hot food and coffee, entertainment, Girl Scouts selling cookies, cops showing off paddy wagons, etc., are all available.  I prefer my wholesale Canning Mkts on Saturday (much better bargains) but Vic Park Mkt is my next choice. My must-haves include: REAL bagels from The Holy Bagel Company! I despaired of ever finding a real bagel in OZ until these two guys showed up. Trained in New York, these genuine bagels are cured and boiled before baked. It's become a serious crutch and internal party starter for this gal. My standing order is for three salty and three everything bagels. They have other flavors but I can't be bothered changing the order or direction of my grin. I always wait until after church before biting into one.   Usually.

My lily arrangement

      Other customary purchases include yoghurt from a local yoghurt maker.  Certainly not the cheapest around and its a bit runnier than most commercial products, but I enjoy the product and the chat with the owner.  I don't have a budget that can really tolerate weekly flowers but Florescence (who ship Lillies In a Tube anywhere in OZ) comes way up from Albany with some of their overstocks.  I love the bucket of single stems--I pick a variety of colors of Asiatic lillies in the amount I want for $1 a piece. Sometimes I pick two or I pick five all depending on how many from the previous week are still hanging on. I do prefer the multiple bud stems, bang-for-the-buck and all. Unfortunately, other people have caught on to this fabulous offering and tend to buy the whole bucket. How greedy can they get?  This just forces me to go back to stealing rosemary from the neighbor...er, I mean, trimming the neighbor's rosemary bush...and pretending that's the bouquet.

Spiderchef @ Butchers Picnic

    Let's head downtown.  The Butcher's Picnic has moved from Russell Square to the much roomier CBD

location of Forrest Place.  It's part of the Eat Drink Perth month festivities.  I'm not the carnivore that Kev is but it is fun to watch the meat cooking, presentation competitions, try free samples of crocodile sausage (and everything else on offer), people watch, enter contests and generally soak up the atmosphere. Getting my picture taken with  Spiderchef was pretty cool also.
     Back at Russell Square,  India has moved in.  Or rather, a festival celebrating all things Indian.  I am not a fan of curries, vindaloos and other dubious delights but Kev adores it.  He breathes deeply as we pass the food stalls while I break out into a trot to fresher air. People are making themselves comfy in every corner. There are very old, very large banyan trees to offer shade, and a fountain surrounds a gazebo where little girls put on private dance shows for themselves.  At the main tent,

Miss Perth India  finalist

a Miss Perth India competition is going on.  Flowers and balloons are given to the finalists.  Not sure what all the duties are of this beauty pageant winner, but as a life long watcher of such pageants and a big fan of balloons, I am a captive audience member.

     OK, we're getting sunburned and some sporting event on TV is calling Kev's name. Can't spend all day wandering about...but we could.