The day came. The rain stopped. The sun shone

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(Edited)

Photo:  Sung Yee Tchao

Yesterday, and the annual McGregor Christmas market, have been a long time coming. Yes, we've technically known about it since the last one, but not in the format that happened this year. I'll spare some of the minutiae bar a few that were material to me. Firstly, and even though I'd been nagging for certain things to happen since August, and eventually given up, the new Tourism Committee came to the party (literally), at the last minute and, with a great deal of team effort, pulled everything together. In six weeks. Not without drama, as you'll see.

Below, a summary of my offerings which I started cooking weeks ago, and then, from last Sunday, a different product each day, plus Friday.

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If you're wondering about the smudge under the scotch eggs, Gandalf is responsible:

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So that was on Friday, and although I wasn't involved with the set up, people insisted on getting me involved. We had more rain. It held off long enough for the tents (there were two, from different suppliers) to be erected. Then the heavens opened. Again.

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This was one of the tents at 6pm on Friday evening. We'd been informed about it so went to look.

Do not ask me why the provider had used a dead, yes, a dead tree as an anchor post. That tree was killed off in the drought and has been dead for at least two years. That means its roots have rotted. Even I know this. Then after 40mm of rain and more falling, to tie a tent to it, and expect it to bear its wet weight, beggars belief.

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Before that drama, I spent the day doing my usual Friday cooking and dressing some of my wares for Christmas. This is just a few of them. At least three of every single one of my products, except the ones that are refrigerated, ended up with ribbons.

The day dawned, but the sun didn't rise - that we could see. I got up at 4am. Partly because I couldn't sleep, but mainly because I had a sh*t load to do. It was raining. As I went about my business, it stopped raining. Then it started again. When we eventually started loading up, there was a smur and as we had to walk under trees, they dropped very large drops on us as we passed.

Thank heavens (ha!) we had planned not only the gazebo, but also to take both vehicles. At least we could potentially keep stock dry. It was muddy underfoot: soil in McGregor holds water for a long time because it's mostly clay and the bedrock is shale. That, and with Monday's cloudburst 100mm of rain had fallen by 8am on Saturday. It's no wonder the fncking tree fell over.

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By the time the gates opened, the rain had stopped and we were all ready.

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That's my stall with the Christmas bunting. To the left, Janet, and to the right, Susan. In total there were five Gazebos all lashed together and, as TS said, when he did it, that if the wind came up, and blew us away, nobody would feel left out! The wind, like the rain, stayed away...

Yes, the tree is gone. The provider was there when we arrived, so at 08h15, we started setting up to the dulcet tones of a chain saw.

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I wish I had more photos - especially of the stalls inside the hall. Alas, though, I just didn't have the time or when things calmed down, the energy. As you can see from SY's photo, people came. In droves.

By the time I got into the hall, stallholders were packing up their wares...

Was it a good day? Unequivocally, yes. Am I tired, oh, absolutely. Would I do it again? With the new team and their work ethic and can-do attitude, in a heartbeat.

Watch this space for the Easter market come April. Work on that will begin in January. Not six weeks before D-day.

Until next time, be well
Fiona
The Sandbag House
McGregor, South Africa


Photo: Selma
Post script

If this post might seem familiar, it's because I'm doing two things:

  • re-vamping old recipes. As I do this, I am adding them in a file format that you can download and print. If you download recipes, buy me a coffee. Or better yet, a glass of wine....?
  • and "re-capturing" nearly two years' worth of posts.
I blog to the Hive blockchain using a number of decentralised appplications.
  • From Wordpress, I use the Exxp Wordpress plugin. If this rocks your socks, click here or on on the image below to sign up.


Original artwork: @artywink
  • lastly, graphics are created using partly my own photographs, images available freely available on @hive.blog and Canva.


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13 comments
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Climate change is real

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This is only partly climate change. These weather phenomena are not entirely unusual, but are rare. I wrote a little about that in my post about Monday's cloudburst. The farmers, who've been here for generations corroborate that.

Appreciate your stopping by.

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(Edited)

I'm sooo glad to hear the weather played the game in the end, and that the market was such a success Fiona💃 Now your feet can take a well deserved break!

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Thank you, Lizelle! My feet (now) recover quite quickly. We are back to our usual rhythm this week because Christmas and New Year's eves fall on Saturdays. Happily. You will be pleased to hear that the decision to take a proper break come end Feb/early March is almost made!

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I was worried that after all of your efforts the Christmas market will come to naught, as rain was predicted. But you stuck it out and thankfully the weather was lenient on you guys.
What a dumb thing to do with that tree.
But all in all, things worked out and life goes on !LOL

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Thank you so much, Zac. I have to admit that it was a whole lot less stressful than the Winter Makietie. For two reasons: we had the gazebo and I wasn't doing the majority of the work "supported" by a bunch of drones.

Happily, yes, somehow things to always work out! !LOL

Best to you and Marian for a blessed Christmas!

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I'm glad everything turned out well in the end. Thank goodness the rain stayed away and there were a lot of people attending the market. I hope it was productive and you made good sales.

The vendor who tied the tent to the dry tree... no comment, good thing the tent fell the day before the market.

I hope you could have some rest after the market, please take a break 🤗

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Thank you, Eli! I had a hoped-for gross figure in mind for my takings and I exceeded it by 1k. So, I'm really pleased. It did, however, deplete my soap stock and I buy that in from a former McGregorite who now lives in Johannesburg. It's too late to get more in, now.

The vendor who tied the tent to the dry tree... good thing the tent fell the day before the market.

That's exactly what we said. I cannot even begin to think of the consequences had there been stalls and people underneath it.

I am planning a proper break in late February/March. We have a wedding to go to in Cape Town. That said, our season for the market runs until about April, so I'm sticking with it when I can. I'll have to take a day off for the wedding, but it's a small price to pay. We've been waiting for them to "do the deed" for ages!!

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The weather is so temperamental! I have a lot of clay here in places, so I feel for you! I just look at that tree and sigh.

Your stock looked amazing this week, so many different sections! I have to admit, you really are quite resilient! I am so glad to hear it worked out!

I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to get to know you and your piece of the world just a little bit better. I have learned so much about the different cultures of the world, I especially love the small things in life and make a point to give them notice. Life has been interesting for me this week, and I hope your week has found you happy and healthy, as we all look to prosper in our way of life.

The fun is in getting to know people and making a positive contribution to community life. I am pretty sure that is why I joined Hive. All this fun and money too. What if not to love?


Fridays are all about the #MarketFriday Challenge! Looking to take part in it? Here is how:


Rules of the Road to Join #MarketFriday!


  1. Go to the market, or anywhere that you pay money for a service. It can be a movie, an auction, or even a museum. Wherever money is exchanged for a service or product.
    Take pictures! Be creative!
  2. Tell us a little bit about the market or the event. What brought you there? What did you buy? How much did it cost? Was it expensive? Did it go up or down? A scroll of pictures with few words doesn't usually work.
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    PLEASE Drop the link into the MarketFriday comment section so I can find it!!
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Life has been interesting for me this week

I don't like the sound of that, @dswigle. I hope all's well in your world. Thank you for the support and commiserations - I appreciate every single one - real and virtual. As much as I appreciate the coffee. I do hope that one day we shall sit across the table from each other and have coffee!

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