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Well that was amazing ! On May 5th to 7th we were lucky enough to be part of Tocal Field Days - an iconic event in the Hunter Valley now in it's 40th year. It was our very first 3 day market so we learnt a heap of stuff for next time.
For the first 2 days the weather was idyllic - perfect Autumnal sunshine. The last day was a bit overcast and we did have a teeny storm come through but as we were inside that was an added bonus as lots of people hunkered down and hung out with us.
Day 3 - storm arriving over the back of tocal
Something happens when Mike & I do markets - we become TOTALLY obsessed with what we can partake of in the culinary offerings and Tocal didn't disappoint. We'd start our day with a hot drink (tea for Mike / hot chockie for me) then something brunchy like toasted sandwiches. As lunchtime approached it was decision time again and there was a lot on offer to choose from and of course no market day is ever complete for me without an ice-cream ! On the first day I had a vanilla ice-cream filled with Australian Macadamias, next day I went the soft serve with nuts and chocolate and on the final day it was a mango sorbet - yum yum yum !
I LOVE seeing famous people and since we moved to the Hunter we don't mind a bit of country music either (when in Rome...).
We have been even been known to put on "The Muster" on Sunday arvos on 2NUR.
So I was very lucky to be able to sneak away from the stall and catch Amber Lawrence performing live (winner of not 1 but 6 Golden Guitars and current Female artist of the year). She was AMAZING !
And as if that wasn't enough I even managed to catch a bit of the cooking demonstration by award winning pastry chef and author Anna Polyviou...WINNING !
The various stages around the massive venue were jam packed with amazing performers and personalities.
On the Sunday it was Mike's Birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY baby !
We were far too exhausted for any raucous party style shenanigans (not that we ever really get up to that these days - we are quiet souls at heart) so we are planning to have a delicious delayed birthday dinner at our favourite local Italian restaurant.
I did however manage to buy him a genuine Akubra on the day to help him fit right in and doesn't he look dashing !
Over the three days we met some lovely people from the local area and surrounds as well as a lot of people from Sydney and was able to chat to kindred spirits about what we do and why we do it.
And of course we met lots of wonderful marketeers. I can't say enough what a beautiful supportive, creative and talented group of people we find ourselves amongst when we do markets and Tocal was no exception !
For those of you who know me, you know I'm crazy for animals - any of them, any time of day so of course no trip to Tocal would have been complete without spending a few precious minutes with the wonderful fauna that were visiting.
Adorable animals at Tocal including a deer that thinks it's a Llama !
We have some new markets we will be trying out in the coming months so we will update the website once we have booked these in and hopefully we will get to see you somewhere in person very soon !
Lou & Mike x