I venture out with the pirate, and sometimes his best friend - who has been mentioned enough now to deserve a name - let's call him the first mate. We climb on the bike and in the bike trailer and cruise the several hundred metres to here -the northside farmers market.
The romance and pure joy of a farmers market is something that prepares me for the weekend - it sets the pace for a slower more thoughful time, to think about what to cook, what to plant, to compost and make, and to see our friends. It has a similar effect to yoga for me, without the flexibility - I feel grounded, in touch with my community and my surroundings.
I always buy fresh flowers - at the moment my favourite flowers, freesias, are about. I buy coffee from the local producer Wagonga - who do the best fair trade and organic coffees. I get the vegies of course - sometimes some pate, always some spelt bread and always some fish. Today it is a whole lemon sole which I will put on the BBQ for lunch tomorrow with some lemon, garlic, dill, salt and olive oil.
And always always we go and pat Henny Penny the chicken on the way to buy a cupcake. The pirate gets to pick his cupcake of the week- this week it was jelly babies, last week smarties, the week before that a green crocodile.
Life is good isn't it? three cheers for the slow food movement and farmer's markets everywhere.
