The weather in the week leading up to it was dreadful. Rain, wind, cold, more rain, more rain. Every time I drove past the oval I saw great puddles of water and was stressing inside how the weekend would fare up.
Friday arrives and the weather clears. Sunny, dry, windy and more dry. No rain at all. This is brilliant for Saturdays Alzheimer’s fundraising fair at the Kettering hall and oval. My main concern was for the stall holders being on the oval itself. Boggy and wet.
On arrival at 10.45 Saturday morning the oval was a hive of activity with people everywhere and gazebos popping up as if like mushrooms from the ground.
I lugged mine across the oval and was greeted with several boys who were asked to help me set it up. By the time it was up hubby had arrived and was bringing boxes over.
Set up was quick and easy but I soon remembered why I don’t usually do outside markets. Wind. While I personally don’t mind the wind, my display and product doesn’t. Gazebo pegged down and one part of the display put away as it wouldn’t sit still. Tablecloth corners clipped around the table legs and everything was sitting pretty.
We tried hanging the walls up but it was still too windy and without pegs (who forgot them, and where are they??!) there was no point. I mused about having a solid frame or something to stop the wall blowing in, and how hard would it be to lug around. My neighbour made a very good suggestion of using those tent poles that are joined by elastic, you know the ones of can fold up, and making a large triangle across the back of the gazebo. The wall fabric then hangs behind it . I like that idea. Now to make it work.
And then the wind all but disappeared. And it was a lovely day. Typical Tasmanian spring day. A day for layering clothes.
And from then on it was a good day. I talked and gave information about the Woodbridge Market and made quite a few sales. It was a good day for me.
Picture taken before I clipped the tablecloth.
Not doing outside markets much I had to rethink what I took with me. My earrings kept flying off the stand so they went away, and I had a few necklaces and lots of bracelets. Plus a table and my rack for bags.
A very simple table that had a it of everything.
I can’t wait for the next 3 weeks before my next market as I have lots of new things I want to try.
The oval quite early on, just before start time. From this point on there were people everywhere til the end.
Overall the day was wonderful with the weather staying away till the last hour when it came over cloudy and threatened to rain. It was well organised and set up with music playing all afternoon, test it out exercises in the hall and plenty of things for the kids to do. Thirty stalls covering a whole slew of items made for a well rounded market.
Another one like this in the middle of summer would be perfect, with better weather and more people about.