Market life

After the bread round, last Thursday, went  to the parade in Kilkenny to join the Speltbakers  stall at the farmers market. Long planned, we were finally there - selling our bread  at the market. Many years ago, when we arrived in Kilkenny, we went to the market every Thursday. The children were then very young and loved the atmosphere on the market. We would buy a basket full of veg, sample more than buy at the  cheese stand and struck  up a friendship with the bakery, who would always give us a few chocolate muffins. Now, the  children are mostly taller than me, we have started our own bakery and work together through the early morning to produce large quantities of bread. So, when there was a vacancy for a bread stall at the market, we jumped at it. Investing in a commercial gazebo makes us feel safe for outdoor trading and thus we ventured out. Last Thursday was a pet day in a long and lovely summer. The sun shone, the other traders were very welcoming and there was a fiesta atmosphere all morning with locals and tourists alike enjoying the varied market stalls. When the food stall across from us, fired up the bbq, we got hungry - as did lots of others and business commenced. Buying and selling and chatting with friends and old and new customers, we were busy and didn't stray far from our stall but could see great veg and fruit, cheese and pies, tea, coffee and hot chocolate. On a Thursday on the parade in Kilkenny you can buy meat, fish. bread and veg for the week, you can eat a gorgeous lunch, a yummy desert or tea break, have a great cup of coffee or buy the most amazing handmade pottery, baskets or iron work - and I'm not at all sure that's all. We met lots of new customers. We sold  baguettes to French tourist, remembered that epaudre is the French word for spelt and went home with bags organic salad and tomatoes and a lovely piece of salmon to enjoy the rest if the day. We will do it all again next Thursday and we kind of know that it won't always be sunny and busy and that we won't always sell so well. But somehow I think the market will still be great when the rain  comes and the cold sets in. There is absolutely no substitute for this kind of shopping. Buying  the fish from the man who bought it off the boats in Dunmore east that morning, the meat off the farmer who raised it in carlow, the veg from the woman who grew them just outside Kilkenny - and the bread off the people who made it that morning -

 that is the way life should be. See you there next Thursday.