Day two: Ceres and market bargains

After buckwheat porridge, fruit and yoghurt for breakfast and a leisurely start to the day on the front porch, Em, Paddy and I drove down to Ceres and spent a couple of hours roaming through the market, nursery and gardens (though I use that word loosely).

As with each time before, I experienced a sense of being out of place. Being asked (told) to leave the market area because Paddy wasn't welcome around the food and chickens probably didn't help. A simple sign stating that the area was out of bounds to dogs would have made life much simpler, but I get the feeling that Ceres is a place for insiders and their friends -- aka hippies, pot-smokers and the great unemployed and unwashed -- those who know the rules and don't need signs to be reminded. Maybe if we had slouched around in bare feet with baggy floral pants, ripped t-shirt tops and dreadlocks we might have felt more at home.

It wasn't all bad though, we did net ourselves a free vegetable: a great big marrow that Em carried around as though it were a baby. Note: when you come across a table that says 'free produce, take what you want', you do!

Back at home we had rice paper rolls for a late lunch (refer Em's blog for all the details), then walked down to the market just in time to catch the post-closing fruit and vegetable bargains. We scooped a big bag of bean shoots for $1, a dozen big carrots for $1 and 8 or so cucumbers for $0.50. Ha! We'll definately be doing that again!

Then it was off to the park with the dogs. Paddy played ball until it seemed he might pass out from heat exhaustion, and still he wanted more. Chester guarded our table, fending off dogs four times his size.

Em met Hamish and an 8 month old GSP.

Back home we went with the battery light showing on the dashboard of the car. Oh no, I thought, I've broken another car and this time it's not even mine. It turned out to be a shredded alternator belt. Thanks Chris for coming to the rescue again!

More rice paper rolls for dinner. I never get tired of those! Yum!