Every Thursday in nearby Maryborough, one of the main roads is closed off and a street market is held.

This is the first well advertised market that we have come across being held on a weekday and the only reason I can think of is that there are a huge number of retired people up here so that it doesn’t matter what day if the week it is, there are plenty of people around. 

We arrived and it was raining but not cold. Unfortunately, the market wasn’t as full of stall holders as it would normally be so we bought some fruit and veg and then stumbled across an op shop. We went in to explore and Caleb scored a huge bag of toys for $2. Like he needs anymore! He agreed to clean out his tub again to make way for the new ones. If it works for me and my clothes, it can work for toys too!

The rain became heavier and it got colder so we sought refuge in the local shopping centre. My assumption about the age of the population seemed confirmed as the shops were void of anything to interest me but plenty in the genre of the “more mature” lady. I don’t count myself in this age bracket just yet although no-one has asked me for proof of age in a very, very , very long time!

We visited Big W and Caleb and I snuck up on Ray who was looking longingly at a huge BBQ. He admitted he was missing his (almost new when we left it in his son’s care) top of the range BBQ. He almost looked mournful. He does a wonderful job cooking most of our meals on the tiny version that we brought with us, or when he fights the uneven cooking surfaces of public or caravan park BBQs. 

Ray was in desperate need of some new runners as his old ones were literally falling apart so we ended up at Sportsco where we spent more time chatting about our travels than the time it took to pick and fit Ray’s new ASICS footwear. We scored 3 free travel ice packs and when Ray asked for a reduced price on the runners, she offered $10 off but Ray insisted on $20 off. He got it too! We keep getting told to bargain in retail outlets, ask for a discount because they will often give you one. It works! 

The rain was persisting and it was a bit colder than before. We returned to the van and completed a job I had been putting off. Defrosting the freezer. Every fridge I’ve ever owned has had automatic defrosting. The caravan freezer does not. While I was doing it I had flashbacks of my mum putting saucepans in the freezer full of hot water and then chipping away at the melting ice. Dad would always walk in and say, “Shirley, I hope that’s not a metal scraper”. While I was scraping away at the melting ice in our freezer, Ray looked up from his paper and said, “Annette, I hope that’s not a metal scraper”. They say you marry your father don’t they! 
Ps. Check out the size of our fridge and freezer. See why we are always at the shops.