To Market, To Market, To Be At The Gig

We went to the new Harvest Farmers' Market and came home again, home again, jiggety-jig with a few bags full of produce.

Dutch Cream potatoes for $1 a kilo, the red onions, baby bok choy, radishes and a bunch of chives all for $8, a kilo of the freshest and most sweetly smelling and tasting strawberries for $8 and 6 medium zucchini for $2. I missed out on the sourdough bread, but because I know the baker's wife I have been promised a loaf at the next knitting outing. I can't stop eating the strawberries.

I have some new wool, it looks like liquid Mercury. In truth is is acrylic and viscose and I want to knit a scarf. I need a pattern with lots of stocking stitch that will show up the liquid silver sheen of the wool.

The roof of the vandalised picnic hut at the dam has been saved and moved to a grassy area. Peri thinks it is the best thing out and likes to run through the roof.

Miss Lorelai Gilmore is not so sure and though by the second day she was brave enough to go closer, when the wind made the struts sing, she was very wary.

Gilly has been playing in the paddle pool and then burying a bone. It is not good for the complexion or the eyes, but it is an enormous amount of fun and makes her very happy.

In the last nine days MrsDrWho and I have radically improved our patchwork skills. Or maybe we just concentrated and chatted less?? We made the second patches in a little over an hour and there was successful use of the rotary cutter, special ruler and not once incident of sewing the right side to the wrong side. So that's both of January's squares out of the way. We hope to get to February's before we are too far into March.

The GardyGardeners and MrsDrWho have kindly offered to replace Harki's stolen roses. There are lovely people in the world. I may have to chain the roses to the wall.

RN, the newly styled Radio National, has a changed programme this year and I have discovered In Our Time, which explores the history of ideas and I can listen on-line. I'm also enjoying First Bite, which is all about food. I can add these to my usual listening diet of The Science Show, Lingua Franca and  Background Briefing, all available to download or to listen on line.

The Oscars are coming up and so I was interested to watch a short video about The Bechdel Test. It made me think. I had already been thinking about films because it was mooted that Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy would not be shown locally. On further investigation and a lot of back pedalling on the part of the cinema, it has been confirmed for late March. The same thing happened with The King's Speech last year, and we saw neither hide nor hair of the Harry Potter Postcard where in the weeks leading up to the last film they showed the whole series on Sunday afternoons. (I am running out of puff and so there are no more film links) I had thought I might try to go more often to see films, but they just make it too hard. As do the TV stations, which is why the DVD of Sherlock season 2 is winging its way to our house!!!

Cooking from magazines is going exceptionally well, and I think by tomorrow afternoon I might have three weeks of Friday Food up my sleeve. I have some chicken baking in the oven and plums and ramekins for two more recipes all ready to go.

The weather is muggy, but cooler and drizzly and I feel a little more able to do normal things. Tomorrow there is no dog walking and so we can all sleep in and then read the paper in bed with a nice cup of tea. The Labradors would like toast as well, but crumbs are anathema. I like that, it means especially dedicated to evil, and crumbs in the bed are definitely evil. I might even read two books I have borrowed from Mrs HouseOf via MrsDrWho: The House of Silk, a new Anthony Horowitz Sherlock Holmes book and Death Comes To Pemberley by PD James, set in Austen's P&P world of course.

Oh and in other TV news, MasterChef is filming here for a week. Last year I was not so enamoured of the show, but I will definitely be watching the episodes set in our state: it was Salamanca Market today I think, so maybe they'll travel North now??? I don't know if I am anoracky enough to actually venture out to see them in person if the come.

Comments

[deb]

totally agree re the market - a howling success and will be returning - loving those grubby-faced doggies - sweet :)

[Alysha]

Oh how I wish we had a local farmers' market! We have a good Harris Farm, so it does nicely in place of. All your vegies look so yummy, especially the potatoes, zucchinis and strawberries.

[drk]

'anoracky' enough! i dont know, with your basket full of farmers market produce i think you will fit right in! i hope you do get to see TSSS, because it is really very good. if you can work out the twist tho, do let me know :)

[Taphophile]

Oooh, am off to explore the new Radio National shows. I was so annoyed by the ending of my faves and the unsatisfactory rejig of books and arts in particular that I have failed to exploit the new line up. Thanks for the tips.

[Leonie]

What a great score from the market! Those strawberries look especially delicious :-)

[Sasha]

OOh what a fun post! Great work on the patchwork - I thoroughly enjoy living vicariously through the sewing of others until I can set up a spot for my sewing machine somewhere at home.

What gorgeous Doggers! Particularly love the grubby nose shot :)

The market produce looks delicious; I can almost smell the strawbs! It's so tricky to stop once you start munching away on them... at least they're healthy!

I'm thrilled you mentioned the Sherlock program! I am a fan of Sherlock Holmes and never knew (until now) that there was a series! Off to wiki I go to research!

Hope you are well, xoxo

[sue]

Your quilt blocks look great. Mine always turn out a bit wonky, hence why I have not done it in years now. Your fresh produce looks so delicious. I miss going to markets but hopefully I will again soon when finances pick up around here. I am enjoying the cooler mornings here too and am looking forward to some cooking today!

[bells]

I have a scarf suggestion - the yarn harlot has a two row scarf. I think it'd be perfect. It's not quite stocking stitch, more a broken rib, but it's simple and effective!

[Kristen]

I want to touch that yarn!
Great pup pics- adventurous Peri and winking Gilly.
I'm on a long waiting list at the library for the audio version of Death Comes to Pemberley. Something to look forward to knitting to.
No fresh strawberries here for some months, but this week I'll make (canned) cherry pie in honor of George Washington's birthday.

[mrspao]

Your market goodies look wonderful :) I love the pics of the pups. There are some good things on the TV over here so we try and video them to save them up for bad TV nights if we are out.

[Jennifer Rose]

grubby face, but she looks so happy :D

ooh shiny wool :D its very pretty, almost too pretty to use :p

[bishopstone]

Woowh love the market vegies, they look great.

[Saffron Craig Fabrics]

Wish I could buy veggies that good for that price! Yum

[Ann]

Wow, those veggies & fruits look so fresh & so cheap. I go to the Farmers' Market every Saturday & the prices are so much more than yours, but at least I get fresh produce than those in the supermarket. Your bacon & veg loaf looks yummy.