Letters to Ann

Dear Ann,

I am really into the swing of things now at Fennels Bay market now & getting to know the ropes of selling at markets, so can almost call myself an expert at it. I know a lot from past experiences at big fairs & fetes, but markets are a little different & I found there was still plenty to learn.

I am delighted with the third gazebo I purchased as it’s a lot easier to erect & the Lions Club men do a great job in helping me get set up. I have a ritual on market mornings which goes like this:

1. Wake up on time. Get up & get going.
2. Arrive at the market, line up & book in, as I am not on the permanent list yet. I think someone has to die before I can on get on that, as I believe there is a lengthy list of ‘would be permanents’.
3. When my turn to book in comes around, it is my cue to ask for help to erect my gazebo. Then I have no trouble in waiting as the ‘booking me in ‘ chap gets on his walkie talkie & arranges it immediately. There’s no waiting for things to happen.
4. Get the produce on the tables & organise the financial side. The last thing is bringing out my chair, but I don’t get to sit on it straight away. Believe it or not, lookers are out & about early on Sunday mornings, which makes me think that there is more insomniacs around than I thought. I can’t imagine anyone in their right senses getting up at that hour on a Sunday morning to mooch around a market! However, I am not averse to early morning sales!

Having done two markets at Fennels Bay I was all keyed up for March & had a grand amount of stock all ready. However, the elements had other ideas & for three weeks we had nothing but wet weather, on & on & on.

I wasn’t sure what happened in these circumstances being new to it, so on the morning itself I looked out the window before my get up time. Sure enough, God had not stopped the rain just because I had a market to go to so I went back to bed.

That happened three times when finally I succumbed to ‘plan b.’ I waited till 9 a.m. then got up & drove to the venue – in the rain!

I hit the jackpot.there was not a sign of a gazebo, a car or a person, so I went back home now knowing what happens with adverse weather! I wasn’t disappointed. Looking at the silver lining was the fact that I had all the stock made for the next Fennels Bay market still another month away.

However, the powers to be intervened on that score as it was not going to be the next market at Fennels Bay, but the local Chamber of Commerce advertised that they were about to start monthly markets at Warners Bay, which is where I live.

They had told me last year at the one market they had that this might come to fruition after they had consulted the Council Chambers & here it was commencing trade only a few days away, on the 2nd Saturday of every month.

I hadn’t received any communication from them & it happened to be Greg who brought it to my attention with an email from LA. I was very quick then to contact my pal, Rhonda, at the C of C who helped me so much last year. She wasn’t aware that I had been missed with the initial notification.

It took a bit of getting all the paper work done, but I made it in time & promised Rhonda I now had a really good gazebo & not like the meccano set I had last year! She had two nice young chaps to help me on that score & she gave me the same site that I had last year, which was really nice of her. I think she likes the original pudding lady!

Now wasn’t that good that Fennels Bay market was drowned out two weeks earlier & I had all that stock ready! There was one big difference in the two markets though as Fennels Bay costs $15 for the site while Warners Bay charge $75. One has to sell a lot of little jars of relish to make that amount up.

I didn’t mind at all as I had to look towards the future when it came to Christmas pudding time. I sold twice as much at Warner’s Bay market last year than any of the others. And so it was, I was bright eyed & bushy tailed as it came around to the new venture again.

There was just a steady flow of lookers & shoppers. I am not backward in offering a taste of the goods on sale – be it Christmas puddings or my popular relish. I have packets of crackers, a big jar of relish opened, serviettes & a spoon to serve it out. You can’t beat giving out samples of the proof of the pudding or whatever else it might happen to be.

I had the table packed with Curried Zucchini Relish. I have noticed the difference with markets is that you think you are not going to sell much as there is not the volume of people in attendance as at other larger venues, so it goes slow. However, on the whole the stock gradually dwindles & all of a sudden there is only one or a few jars left. Its quite interesting.

It wasn’t any different at this market either, they all gradually went. There was one big difference. At Warners Bay I had twice as much stock as the Fennels Bay market, but I also sold it all & my sales were amazing: just double Fennels Bay markets.

It was worth sitting there from early morning – when the market was due to start at 8 a.m. – until 2 p.m. It was also great when unloading the car after I arrived home! It was a lovely sunny day, the first in weeks & I was rapt. I meet such nice people as well as the wonderful stall holders.

It’s not all about money either. Its about the challenge, the achievement, the activity. My sons say I was born determined! I have a strong notion they are right on that score!

So guess what happened now? I had no stock & Fennels Bay market was the following Sunday. No time to pat myself on the back or anything like that. I needed action.

I left Warners Bay market when it closed & immediately went shopping, as I needed to start making produce fast. I needed the ingredients: zucchini, celery, onions, capsicums & tomatoes.

When I walked into the supermarket I was delighted as capsicums were on sale for $4a kilo down from $9 per kilo. Onions were reduced from $3 to $1. Celery from $3 a bunch to $1 & – wonders of wonders – tomatoes were down to $3 from $7 per kilo. I could make my relish for half price.

I needed enough to make 10 batches of relish, but I bought 30 kilos of tomatoes. I needed 10 kilos for the week’s cooking, but I also peeled all of the tomatoes, chopped them up & stored them in all the large Tupperware containers I had. I put them all into the ferezer deep freeze for use after the current week. My freezer is now chock-a-block: filled to capacity.

So you might say I had a rather busy week as it was the week before Easter & Fennels Bay market was on Easter Sunday. It was quite a week. I not only made all the 10 batches of relish in the next 4 days, complete with labelling & pricing, but also dealt with the tomatoes.

I even went to lunch with Judy & Pat on Monday for 3 hours. I also went to a funeral of a very dear friend & prepared & cooked food for lunch because Charley & Riley were coming to have a meal with me over Easter. Looking back now I wonder how I did it all, but if I had to do it all over again I know I can do it, also knowing I have to be sensible because I am old!

As I was leaving the supermarket with my trolley loaded to the max particularly with so many bags of tomatoes, those at the checkout were asking what was I going to do with it all, make pickles? I told them it was the tastiet relish ever & to trot along to the Warners Bay market on the second Saturday in May & I would give them a taste of the finished product! It could possibly result in a record crowd!

My Fondest Love as Always. Dawn X O X O

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