A warm weekend

Last weekend we froze and this weekend the skies are blue and the sun is shining so we are back to our normal wintery days once again just in time for the official beginning of winter on Monday. I had to look at the calendar to see what day the 1st June is as most weeks lately I have no idea what day or date it is. Does that sound familiar in these crazy times?

Gradually getting back to 'normal'

Here in Queensland we have an easing of restrictions from today although each Australian state has different restrictions. Our borders are closed at the moment but I daresay that will change as time goes on. Nothing much has changed for us apart from the fact that now I can meet with some of my friends which is something I have been looking forward to.

A great place to live

On The Home Maker's Forum we are currently having a tea towel swap which can be either a souvenir/purchased towel or one we make ourselves. As I have never sewn one and have lost my sewing mojo at present, I opted for the souvenir tea towel. Lots of tea towels these days are not absorbent and it is difficult to find a good quality one so I thought I would drop into the Toowoomba Visitor Information Centre which is very conveniently situated beside the busy Warrego Highway on the way into town and see if they had any for sale. I must admit that I had never been there before and was pleasantly surprised by not only the usual brochures for tourists but by the handicrafts on sale which have been produced by local artisans.

Keep your veggies fresh with a chemical-free 'Greenleaf Bag'

When our now very popular Farmers' Market first started in Toowoomba and was held out at the showgrounds I wrote the post A Farmers' Market App and Veggie Bags as during my first visit I had bought a Greenleaf bag there from a local seller which extended the life of veggies in the fridge.

Photo used with permission

Markets and Heatwaves

Well, summer arrived with a bang this year. No gradual warming of the days until we reached our 'normal' average temperature but a week long heatwave which I am sure none of us who live in Queensland like one little bit. However, we just have to find ways to survive...without aircon! So the Mango Ice Cream has been made and Icy Poles will be the next on the 'To Make' List I think. The heatwave has coincided with a couple of markets I was looking forward to but the heat didn't seem to deter anyone as the venues were quite crowded.

A cool walk in the park

We have had a freezing weekend with an icy wind yesterday followed by a morning today which went down to 0C and tempted me to go and sit in the fridge for a while to warm up as I am sure it was warmer in there :-) However, not to be daunted by the cold we soldiered on by heading off to the Farmers Market yesterday and braved the wind to buy some healthy produce.

 

Underneath the windmills

I have been wanting to go to the Farmers Market at the new venue underneath the windmills at the Cobb and Co Museum since it moved from the showgrounds... so today was the day. After our much warmer than usual autumn it was back to our typical weather today and was cold and windy which was a bit of a shock and I  had to scramble to dig out some warm clothes which were packed away. My friend and I bought some veggies before heading to the coffee shop to warm up. A forum was held before the market finished about the current dairy farmers' crisis  . There is some info about that on 4 Real Milk. It is amazing to see consumers getting behind the dairy farmers by not buying the $1 a litre milk when you visit the supermarket. Anyway back to the market.

Our new beaut city library

This post probably won't interest anyone other than locals unless some of my Northern Hemisphere readers would like to see some blue skies :-) Last Saturday our new $27m city library opened its doors to about 9,000 visitors. On Monday my son and I went down to have a look see and it was still really busy and the staff were run off their feet but were very courteous and helpful as library staff always are. Ha ha! I used to work in a library.

A Farmers' Market App and Veggie Bags

Last weekend we attended the relatively new Farmers' Market held in the Toowoomba Showgrounds. We were there fairly early...about 7.30am...and there were already hundreds of cars parked or arriving. It was lovely to wander about and talk to the various producers and, of course, we came home with bags of produce and a much lighter wallet and purse.

D2E Impossible Pie Week and Upcoming Markets

Over on the Down to Earth Forums it is Impossible Pie Week where we are going to share our version of this popular pie during the week. If you would like to join in then sign up to become a member...it is free...and share with us your favourite Impossible Pie recipe. There is so much to read on the different forums and you would be most welcome over there.

QCWA Christmas Market

There are lots of markets being held in our region at the moment and there are some lovely handmade items for sale which make great Christmas gifts. Yesterday I attended one such market which was organised by our local QCWA (Queensland Country Women' Association).