A Merry Weekend

While we were in Meredith last weekend, we saw a sign advertising the Golden Plains monthly farmers' market. It's held in Bannockburn on the first Saturday of the month.

That was the next Saturday. We decided to go and investigate it.  Collecting farmers' markets is considerably more interesting (to us,  at least) than some other forms of collecting. You can't eat stamps, for example.

It was our weekend to go to visit Stella so we decided that Lindsey would go in her car and we would go in ours, then Lindsey could go home and we would mosey on down to Mount Martha.

I hadn't been into Bannockburn before. You go past it if you are driving from Ballarat to Geelong, but the highway doesn't actually venture into it. It's bigger than I expected it to be and it's a pretty place. As we got out of the car we saw a Great Dane just ahead of us. He was 8 months old and very friendly. We found the market. We found Lindsey. Lindsey found the Great Dane. The market was lovely. It's not a huge market but there were lots of interesting stalls. The only thing it didn't have that I might have liked was a mushroom stall. But there were eggs and veg and meat.  There were dumplings and cakes and pies.  There were soaps, waxed wrappers, candles. Lots of things to look at. Lots of things to buy.  It's on the same Saturday as the Bridge Mall market which, it must be admitted, is very much closer to us. 15 minutes by car rather than 45.  But we will definitely go to the Bannockburn market again.

Lindsey went back to Ballarat. Jim and I drove down to Geelong, then beyond to Queenscliff.  I had, just for fun, booked us onto the 2pm ferry from Queenscliff, across the bay to Sorrento. We got there with loads of time to spare so we sat in a park for ten minutes. Even then we got to the ferry while they were loading the 1pm crossing.  The nice lady asked if we wanted to go across on that one.  Yes please!

It wasn't hugely busy.  Perhaps half full. So we sat by the window and had coffee and cake for the 40 minute crossing.  A grey day to be on the bay - but it was marvellously still.  It can sometimes be Very Choppy Indeed

Approaching Sorrento - though I think
this is probably Portsea

We drove to Mount Martha along the beach roads, no matter how much the Sat Nav tried to convince us to join the freeway. We called in to Herenswood on the way past to see if they had any seed potatoes.  Alas no. On the peninsula, people have already planted their potatoes.  It's still a bit early in Ballarat. The soil is starting to warm up and I have planted lots of summer seeds - but not outside yet.  The overnight temperatures can still be perilously close to 0d.  I did get some ginger and some fruit seeds.

And then we arrived at Mount Martha, earlier than expected because we had been on an earlier ferry than expected. We had a nice chat and then dinner with Stella. Lamb straps with potato gems and green vegetables and gravy.

A very good day.

Sunday was a good day too.  I put a piece of beef into a low, low oven in the morning. Jim and Stella had kippers for breakfast.  Tony loathed the smell of kippers so Stella never had them, much as she likes them.  We have discovered a source of Scottish kippers which you can cook in the microwave. So most Sundays when we are there I cook kippers for them.  They both enjoy them.  

Then we hopped in the car and drove round to the dog park.  It was the monthly Great Dane meet and Lindsey, Rupert and Hugo had driven down to play.  There weren't as many Great Danes as usual but there were lots of other dogs and a good time was had by all.  Rupert and Hugo do enjoy the off lead dog park. It is properly fenced so there is no need to worry about them accidentally running on the road.  Stella doesn't remember ever having been there before and seemed to enjoy it. All the dogs enjoyed talking to her.

Hugo - Lord of all he surveys

Hugo and new friend Scooby

Rupert in a field of Capeweed

It's time for lunch now, surely???

Jim and Stella

We had a delicious lunch when we got back to Stella's place.  Slow cooked beef from the Bannockburn market. Absolutely delicious roast potatoes, also from the market (Otway Gold, if you happen to find them, make excellent roasting potatoes). Nice veggies, from various places.  Mushroom gravy.  Rupert and Hugo were pleased to have a bit of beef but strangely didn't pester us for more of our lunches

Then we all abandoned Stella and made our various ways home.