Day 49 - Pups adventures at Burnie Markets.

We finally made it along to the farmers markets at Burnie this week. We’d seen the signs around town that it was at the local showgrounds. As Burnie is a fairly major centre, we hoped it might be a full and vibrant market. Being in Tassie, we expected that it would be a dog friendly market but that wasn’t the case. However, we’d already parked the car down the street and walked the pups all the way into the grounds before we saw the ‘No dogs’ sign. I offered to take them all the way back to the car and left the Bandycoot chatting to a man selling free range chooks and eggs at the market entrance.

Being at the showgrounds, we had to walk past a number of pavilions to get the market stalls. It turns out that the local chook breeders were having their annual show event in the Poultry Pavillion. When I tried to walk past with the pups, Jazzie (my big little pup) caught the smell of the chooks and looked up to see rows and rows of them squawking and flapping in small cages. It was too much for her doggie senses and she tried to launch herself in that direction. I managed to hold on to her but in her enthusiasm she slipped the lead and ran into the pavilion, much to the disapproving glares of the poultry breeders nearby. I called out in my sternest voice to come back, but she was running around in there most joyfully. She has been so well behaved with our chooks back at the Old Dairy, although she watches them very, very carefully. I couldn’t go in to the pavilion as I was still trying to keep Indie (my little little pup) out. Luckily, in her eagerness, Jazzie ran out to me as if to say ‘Mummy, look what I found’. I managed to get her collar back on and scoot out of there quick smart. I’d just exited the showgrounds when to my further embarrassment, Indie decided to do her biggest poop ever and I remembered that the doggie bags were still in the car. While wondering what could possible happen next, I had almost reached the Bandycoot’s ute Brutus, when a massive Rottweiler wandered out of an unfenced yard and on to the footpath. My heart leapt, and I scooped Indie up into my arm and quickened our pace. Then I heard a rough voice shout, ‘Diesel get back in the yard’, and the dog loped off while still keeping an eye on the pups. I quickly opened the door and threw the pups in onto their cushions and breathed a cautious sigh of relief.

The markets turned out a lot smaller than I had imaged and we were disappointed to see produce that had been imported from the mainland. We met some interesting people, bought some bulbs and lots of fresh produce and a few tasty snacks. There was a whole pavilion of craft ladies with baby booties, knitted rugs and enough crocheted items to make your Nan proud.