It has been so long since I made an appearance here that it felt a little strange.
As I got better at expressing myself through the flavours that I created, it seemed that I have less and less to write about. Sure, I have thoughts that linger for a while, and sometimes I think that they deserve to be written down, but they never stay as thoughts long enough for me to write about them. My medium of choice these days is baking.
There is less time for reflection when you are constantly on the move; I'm always thinking about how to improve the business, and I have so many ideas that I can't wait to express and realise , that I don't have a lot of time for self contemplation that is the backbone of good writing.
Lime and Yoghurt Cake
But I want to tell you that I am very happy. Sure, I want to move forward (excuse me, Ms. Gillard), but I like where I am at now. Those of you who have been following my tweets would know that I've started trading fortnightly at the Melbourne Showgrounds Farmers Market, and let me tell you, I don't think I can be happier or prouder about it.There, I am part of an amazing community of farmers and producers who put their heart and soul into what they do. And if you haven't been there, or tasted their food yet, trust me when I say that you will be hard pressed to find anything better. I love being at the Melbourne Showgrounds Farmers Market so much that when I'm not there, all I could think of is how much I'm missing it. Mind you, I go to the Melbourne Community Farmers Market every Saturday, both to shop and just to be there, but somehow it just feels different when I am on the other side.
I relish seeing regulars coming back to get their favourites, and I beam like a proud mama when new faces light up after tasting my cakes. And yes, we have regulars already, despite only having been at the market 3 times so far. I am very touched and pleasantly surprised by how supportive the customers that frequent that market are! And in they come, rain, hail or shine, as proven on the first Sunday of August when the weather was so vile I would not wish it on my worst enemy.
I don't know how many people who are involved at the market actually linked Treehouse back to this blog. (The name is very different, plus as this is a mostly personal blog, I don't actually advertise it as much as I should. Although these days it's getting harder and harder to determine where work ends and life begins.) But I just thought that I should say a BIG thank you to all the customers, fellow stallholders, and market management team that makes the Melbourne Showgrounds Farmers Market what it is: a great market that's only going to get better.
PS. I promise that I'll try to take some photos of the market this Sunday.