Kettering

Hove Too
David and Caroline Adams
Sun 3 Feb 2013 00:48

Still here. Had a day in the van, drove down the D’Entrecasteaux channel to a small town called Middleton having their annual fair. Very folksy,  lots of food outlets, farm animals, hay bales etc. The reason we went Mathew Evans was the draw card (he of Gourmet Farmer). Fortunately he was in the afternoon and even Caro couldn’t wait. Watched some old timers make shingles and fence palings which was very good. Just an observation but to fit in with the locals the old hippie look has been replaced, although there are still a few with child on the hip, tit and train following behind. But for most women hairdressers are out and grey is in, long grey tresses and this deep-in-thought look, but I think they are trying to figure out what the last person said. Men have long unkempt beards and more alarming teeth are optional. They all wear tee shirts and thongs even if it’s freezing.

We then went into Hobart to Salamanca markets, the place was jumping with lots of stalls and tons of people. There are some very talented people down here and some of them are young. We listened to a young group of three, banjo, guitar and electric violin and it was fantastic. Caro bought a blackwood chopping board, beautiful timber, and the hubby and wife team who made all the different pieces were fun to chat to.

I bought some sourdough bread from a girl who spruiked she was ‘the second best bread maker in Australia’, obvious question and she said he was from Sydney but had 20 years more experience than her but she was working on it. (Her bread was bloody good so this Sydneysider must be good).

Then had dinner with Cathy and Ian at their house they built on a small peninsula of 12 acres that they have regenerated back to native bush from blackberry infestation. The colours as the sun set, views from the hills to the channel were spectacular and nobody to bother them. (just reread that last bit , looks like I am getting feelings. Lookout, I might start up MONA on Pittwater.) As we walked around a little striped bandicoot appeared, very cute and not at all bothered by us.

Louie is having a lot of fun here, she has recovered after her last exploit at Bruny Island and has quite a few mates on the dock and plenty of wallaby poo to roll in.