Saturday 29th May (Lini’s Journal)
Brindabella's Web Diary
Simon Williams
Tue 1 Jun 2010 12:09
Armed with directions from a rigger who was passing and a map, I set
off for the farmer’s market, but only got as far as the gate when I
jumped on the bike and found the tyres were flat. Back on Brindabella
I did my best to inflate the tyres with a pump that wouldn’t attach
then tried again. Hamilton was lively with weekend shoppers and I had
to ask several lovely people for more directions as I couldn’t see the
market anywhere. It was actually inside the multi-storey carpark. My
fabulous cornflower blue Brompton was the topic of much conversation
as I locked it to a girder and many people stopped me for a chat
asking where I was from. Everyone is really polite and friendly. A
dozen or so stalls sold local produce, bread, plants and a few crafts.
I made a mental note of what was on offer and bought veggies and bread
before returning by a different route. I hadn’t been back too long
before Phillip rang; he was in Hamilton and popped in for coffee. I
pushed cushions and laundry around so he could sit amongst the chaos.
He had taken the steering apart and happy all was well they plan to
set off again tomorrow.
The Gombey Dancers midday performance in the park was rapidly
approaching so I walked back into town with Phillip who I’d laden with
a bag of three day old rock cakes! We watched the end of a salsa
session then once again I wished them safe travels and he headed off
for his bus. Mid morning drizzle had now lifted and I perched on a
bench where the town crier announced the next act. Drums and vibrant
costumes approached through the park and a kaleidoscope of colours
twirled before me. The atmosphere was very jolly and many locals as
well as tourists had gathered for the festival. There was a gap to the
next act I wanted to see so a good chance to visit one of the
galleries in the City Hall. As I rattled the door an old guy on a
bench seat called out that they weren’t open at weekends. In a short
time I have come to the conclusion that you shouldn’t do anything in a
hurry here as the Bermudians are so friendly everyone wants to stop
and talk. We chatted for some time about his lovely town and my
travels before I returned to the park for human statues and an African
music and dance group. What a lovely day!
My evening continued to be lovely although I was too late to catch
the live music before the festival finished at 8.30pm. I spent my
evening deleting hundreds more photos and reliving nine amazing
months. Back in England Si and CJ are having a busy weekend with
numerous cricket and footballs matches and a visit to CJ’s cousins.