Day 14 - Auction hunters

Today we were up before the sunrise, but not without effort, to make the scenic drive over to Longford for an auction (clearing sale). The sun is starting to come up quite late now, and on a grey day it’s so cosy in bed that it’s easy to sleep in until 8am. It’s almost all the way to Launceston, and we made a stop at our new favourite coffee house/bakery in Elizabeth Town for the Bandycoot’s favourite: scallop pie.

We arrived at the auction with only minutes before the bidding started and had little time to scope out the furniture or plants/pots that we had our eye on. The owner was moving back to the mainland and literally ‘everything must go’. Being so close to Launceston all the weekend shoppers were out for a bargain and it was fierce bidding from the beginning. Some bidders just continually held up their auction card when it was something really wanted, as if to say ‘I’m going to get this no matter how high it goes’. When a couple of rusty old pedestal fans went for over $30 I realised that auction fever had set in. I mean, you can buy them cheaper new and who needs a fan in Tassie anyway? If it was a heater I could understand!

I stood pretty close to the auctioneers elbow just to get a decent look at what was being auctioned as people crowded around. This wasn’t without peril, as I almost bought a Balinese wooden cabinet when I caught a spotter’s eye and he confused my headshake ‘no’ with ‘yes! Bid again’. There was a guy there who I’m sure would get the best view at any event, as he was at least 7ft tall. I joked with him that he had an unfair advantage over the rest of us bidders, and then it turned out that he was one of the auction spotters!! Talk about perfect job. I did end up buying a wooden hutch/bookcase for a bit more then I intended when I got caught up in a bidding frenzy. It was great though, to finally get a home for my few books and it really makes the house feel more homely. It’s also the perfect spot for my record player and records. The Bandycoot’s big purchase was a $5 timber shoe rack, complete with three pairs of shoes!

It was a beautiful drive home and I thought about my intentions in coming to Tassie to live a simple life with minimal ‘stuff’. I’ve realised that having a few things, like my lovely bookcase, that bring joy to a home are definitely worth having.