If anyone is wondering, no I do not have a job to go to in Perth. I haven't even had time to update my CV or start looking. This is a little nerve racking, but since I will be bunking with the parentals temporarily upon my return (so won't have to pay rent), I have some breathing room.
The weekend was also super busy (but very enjoyable). I am trying to cram in as many 'last minute' Canberra experiences as possible, and spend quality time with the good friends I have made here. They are the sole reason that I'm sad about leaving Canberra, but I have no doubt we'll stay in touch for many years to come. When I buy a house in Perth, I want to have an empty room available for them to come and visit me whenever they want to!
My weekend consisted of:
-Holding a stall at the Fash and Treasure markets at Kingston Old Bus Depot. This was an exhausting day, but it was fun. All in all I made about $160 profit after the stall fees, and got rid of some of my excess clothing and shoes. I didn't make nearly as much as I did at the markets I sold at in Perth (see this post).
-On Saturday night we went to see the Roller Derby (Canberra vs Newcastle). This was SO MUCH
FUN! It's a very family friendly event with space for the kids to run around (and they danced to the band that played at half time - unfortunately it was an awful metal/rock band with no skill which was painful for the rest of us).
It really is like the movie 'Whip It'!
-After roller derby we went to Pho Viet in Belconnen for dinner. They serve up a delcious rare beef pho for $9, which is filling and warming on a chilly winter evening.
-On Sunday morning, we were up bright and early to head to Collector for the annual Pumpkin Festival. I was lamenting my lack of any weekend sleep in, and seriously considered bailing when my alarm went off on Sunday and Bub was still asleep... but I'm glad I went in the end. It's a cute festival with lots of pumpkin related goodies and a genuine country town vibe.
One of the pumpkin scarecrows dotted around the town. There was also a scarecrow building competition.
Biggest pumpkin contest, complete with a grumpy little boy to show the relative size of pumpkins ;-)
We had warm pumpkin scones and tea in the community hall which were super delicious:
Lunch was fresh homemade pumpkin soup, and we also bought a pumpkin bread loaf to take home.
I would definitely advise getting to the festival as early as possible. The parking situation was already terrible when we arrived at 10:30am (we had to drive around Canberra picking up people who were car pooling with us, which delayed our departure), and the festival was getting more and more crowded as the day went on (to the extent that it was hard to walk anywhere, and there were massive lines at every food stall). Last year the festival attracted over 5500 people, which is remarkable for a sleepy town that only has around 400 residents.
Most unusual pumpkin competition
Pumpkin decoration competition - I love this babushka doll!
More decorated pumpkins
Retro pumpkin ware
They also had a pumpkin carving competition (the entries were poor compared to what I have seen made in the USA and Canada), pumpkin scone and pie baking competitions, pumpkin rolling races and plenty of country music. I don't think the facilities were adequate for the crowd, but people were a lot more patient and good humoured than would usually be the case in such a crowded space. Perhaps it was the calming effect that the countryside had on the city folk, or perhaps there were just more gentile country folk in attendance!
All in all, it was a fabulous day out.
I spent Sunday afternoon catching up on housework and laundry, and even had time to list some items on ebay in the evening. Jam packed, I tell you!
That festival sounds like so much fun - no wonder so many people go there. My mouth was watering when I read about the food - I love all those pumpkin flavoured things! I don't think we make enough of it in Australia - the Americans use it a lot more. But it looks like we are catching up!
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