In which a trip to town for strictly practical purposes turns into a retail rampage...

I love this time of year. Autumn stretching out in front of us, warm sunny Indian Summer days, cool nights lending themselves to serious snuggling. We’re so lucky up here in the north – we live in tee shirts and shorts from September until well into May – spoilt really. Although I love the heat of summer on a beach day it can get a bit much on work days round the farm so I relish it cooling down a little. We are off to kick some autumn leaves along Arrowtown’s main street soon – can’t wait – it’s such a favourite of mine and we try and get down that way a couple of times a year. Blue Door Bar here we come!

Yesterday I went to mow and found the ride-on mower had a Big Fat flat tyre…. Boo. So today I took it into town to get it repaired and to do some other errands – not a great idea during school holidays AND the day before Good Friday….. it was insane. Drove round and round scouring the carparks for a space, and don’t even TALK to me about the supermarket….. ugh. Why oh why do people feel the need to go nuts and stock up when the shops are shut for a mere 24 hrs? It wasn’t that long ago that we managed without them for an entire weekend, starting at 5pm Friday evening! Late night shopping was on Thursday nights when the supermarkets were open till 8.30pm - that was when people went grocery shopping. It was crowded, I recall……

On the subject of supermarket shopping of yesteryear... how's this for The Good Old Days; We had an independant here in town that strove to keep prices at a minimum - it was called Mark n Pack. As you entered the store you collected a black felt tip pen from a big plastic tub, as instead of individually pricing each item the shelf was marked with the price which - get this - you wrote on the item with the marker pen! Then the check out lady (no men back then, they were either the manager or shelf-stackers) keyed in the price. They must have had to think about what they were doing a lot more than today's electronica. Then, when passed through the check out you packed your own cardboard box(es) with it all and took it home. The smarter, more expensive other supermarket sported large thick brown paper bags and a chap to wheel out your trolley and stack the bags into your car boot! Lordy, such chilvary.

Back in the now, and desperate for a quick bite and lifesaver cuppa I was none the less loathe to battle the café crowds in the CBD and made a beeline for a café on the fringe called the Bake House. Nothing trendy here, no music, no aircon – just great food at great prices and speedy, friendly service. Run by a large family of Koreans, it’s like a well oiled machine. They make all their own bread (loaves also for sale – sliced to order) patisserie, sandwiches, savouries and pies – the sandwiches and rolls are heaving with fillings – none of this one slice of see-through ham and a smear of mustard between limp (or worse, stale) white bread and we’ll call it a ham sandwich……. Oh no no. My roast beef grainy bread sandwich was fair bulging with tender beef, topped with crunchy green lettuce, grated carrot, tomato and mayo. Yummmmm. Where else can you get a pottle of hot chips, the aforementioned sandwich, a custard and fresh fruit tart and an entire pot of tea all for under $10? That’s about four quid, all you in the Northern Hemisphere. With a smile, to boot. Tables are promptly cleared and wiped clean, properly. I can sit at a bar along the front window and watch the stream of humanity go by. And I have ten bucks left over to buy my favourite mag – Australian Country Style. What’s not to like?

On the plus side of being in town right before Easter – the shops were killing themselves to gather some extra revenue before the mandatory “closed” days – Friday and Sunday – so it was Sale Time with a capital S. I scored a couple of sets of towels for 70% off, new pillows for the Cabbage Tree, a cluster puff underlay for our bed which was reduced by 60% which promises to feel just like sleeping on a cloud (actually when you fly through them they look damp and rather nasty so might give that a miss), 25 % off a pair of cords, two pairs of reebok shorts for half price each, a brightly coloured luggage strap and a lovely handpainted ceramic platter that looks as if it came from Italy or Greece at considerable cost but in reality was part of a dinnerware range that was literally cheap at twice the price let alone the 50% off that was on offer. Oooooh, I do love a bargain!

I even remembered to swing by and pick up my newly inflated tyre!