The Elder returned Monday afternoon. I had thoughts of going in to the station to meet her but decided I'd keep the train fare in case I could talk her into the Ekka. You know, a kind of spur of the moment thing.
--------------------
She didn't need much convincing! I don't like going to Ekka on People's Day. It used to be waaaay too busy. So we decided to tackled it on a Tuesday.
First stops, Animal Boulevard and the main arena to see what events were on.
We love to look at the baby animals and the horses and the cats and the dogs and the chickens and the animals! The poultry pavilion is incredibly noisy. Unfortunately, there were no puppies to look at when we went through that pavilion. Ah well.
The horse pavilion always has many fine examples of different breeds. Elder drools over Clydesdales. There is an interesting display of various modes of horse drawn transport.
Just for something different we decided to try the Woolworths Fresh Food pavilion. There was a cooking demonstration that The Elder wanted to look at. I've been to the Ekka many times but never stopped in there. WOW! It was amazing! Food. Glorious food! Cupcakes. German bakery. German sausages. Chilli. Wines. Seafood. Lebanese. Cheese. Dairy. Whoo! Finishing sauces and vinegars. We sample some things but spend a lot of time wandering.
Showbag pavilion of course. Ma had some orders so we went through. It was ... crowded. Of course.
We stayed for some of the night time entertainment and wondered at the many silly people trying to get into the grandstands with prams. There are no ramps only many stairs.
------------------------
Wednesday is a public holiday and we don't expect shops to be open. We took Fred for a walk up the road and 'cashed in' a winning Magnum stick. No winners this time. And I didn't share mine with Fred on the way home either.
------------------------
Thursday we spent out and about paying Elder's bills. I went to the library while she attend her Job Search network Thursday thing. Not much else went on except some housework. Wonderful stuff that, I can't get enough. *end sarcasm*
A parcel from Ma arrived. We didn't hear anything - Jerome began growling and walking toward the front door. Sure enough, the doorbell rang. Good watch-cat.
------------------------
Friday we're back out at the Ekka, catching up on all the pavilions we didn't get to see last time. And mostly to bring some extra cash with us to check out things at the Woolworths pavilion. We wandered spent more time there and wandered about really looking at things and taking free samples. Things we didn't do last time. We purchased a finishing vinegar with a black cherry flavour. It's very palatable, considering I don't like vinegar! It came with a free sample of white chocolate mousse. With a topping of some fairy floss that looked like wool and tasted wonderful. And the chilli stand was very well tested. We purchased a chilli/wasabi/mustard paste called double trouble. It's hotter than hot english.
We found the craft pavilion and I bought some delicious smelling soap. I gave Elder the one called Apple Jack *she has a thing for my little ponies* and it smells divinely of apple pie. Apples and cinnamon.
We checked the animal nursery and were just in time to witness the birth of a lamb. They have a special arena set up so that people can do just that.
We checked out the Agricultural pavilion and looked at the displays of fruits and veg. The winner of the biggest vegetable was a pumpkin of considerable size. There were hibiscus flowers and orchid displays. And a magic garden to boot.
We wandered through the dog pavilion and looked at the various breeds of dogs. Not an awful lot there - I suspect most of the showdogs had competed earlier in the week and gone home.
I decided not to stay for the night time entertainment that night. I wasn't dressed for the cold.
---------------------
Saturday was quiet and we made plans to go out for dinner. A friend works in a restaurant a suburb over and we've never been to Montezuma's before.
I wrapped Ma's showbags in the box she posted my parcel in. How considerate of her to send me a box that I could use. It's too late to post it now.
We had decided in advance what we would order but changed our minds when we got there. We shared a taco platter and a small bowl of salad and followed through with icecream topped with liqueur. Elder chose coconut rum and I chose Kahlua. Delish!
The place was bright and noisy, the service fast and extremely friendly. We'd been there an hour before we realised it. Our friend worked the bar and since we were seated close we got to chat with him occasionally while he made drinks. He was very busy!
---------------------
Sunday was recovery day as we wound down from the week. We spent a lot of time in front of the telly and napping.
All I have to do now is convince Elder to post that parcel...
3 comments:
My favourite display at the show is the food pavilion, but I rarely get to go there.
Did you let mother know your parcel had arrived? I suspect you didn't...
If you sent her showbags, then I won't if we get to the show. I often buy something for the kids.
Good to see the lamb birthing. But I wonder, was she embarrassed to be put on display at such a "personal" moment for her? Hmmmmm....
Judging from a comment I overheard I think she'd be used to it. Landline did a segment about them. Apparently they are bred especially timed to deliver during Ekka and they always use the same ewes because they are used to the set up. Would have been an interesting segment.
We missed the lambing that required vet intervention.
Interesting that you need a recovery day from something other than work.
Post a Comment