Time for Morning tea - what in the hell is going on? - everything seems closed save the supermarkets and service stations! - it is Roma Show Day! - one coffee shop come cafe operating and acting as the only source of significant movement in the town - everybody must be at the show.
Join the small number of people in the only cafe and wait and wait for Tom's scones and cream to arrive - these are definitely not Hebel Scones - David Dow would refuse these as not being real scones - Tom is not impressed but for him a small scone is vastly superior to no scone at all.
Tour the Big Rig - excellent exhibition of the history of oil and gas mining in the area - well done save for the Santos propaganda film on coal seam gas and Santos' contribution to the Roma and the people of the Surat Basin.
Lunch - still only one place open in town - clearly the people are at the show!
Tom has a nap - I head off to spend an afternoon at the Roma Show - haven't been to a show for 30 years - never - ever - ever - been to a Queensland Show - "this will be interesting" says I to me.
As I walk in Barnaby waves to me - "Not now Barnaby - its a rest day - leave me in peace to wander around the show!"
The crowds - Ah - now I get it! - a show holiday is an excuse for people from the surrounding areas to come to Roma and an opportunity for people in Roma to go to Brisbane for a long week end!
The national anthem - the blessing of the plough - the Miss Showgirl - the food vendors and food vendors and food vendors - people of shapes and sizes that have no business visiting theses vendors - sheep exhibitions largely ignored by all but the insiders - cattle exhibitions suffering the same fate as their ovine cousins - birds completely ignored even by their owners - exhibitions of local art - of local cooking - of local quilting - of local cake making - stalls staffed by eager PR people from the Brisbane Boarding schools - the usual side shows - the usual machinery vendors significant in their small numbers - no longer is the local show a premium deal making arena for them!
I wander and wander - the people fascinate me - all kinds - all shapes - all sizes - all ages - hats- hats and more hats - caps and more caps - politicians - federal - politicians - state - politicians - local.
I hide in the distance - record some of the faces of the Roma show!
Tom's brother-in-law and sister-in-law arrive from Dalby - three and half hours - good - good people - Tom delighted to see them - the cake and anzac biscuit stocks returned to acceptable levels - Tom's 70th birthday once again celebrated with cake and candle,
Wow - the visitors were timely! Country shows: akubras, beer, scones!
ReplyDeleteBarnaby must have a twin or he movees quickly. He shook hands with some of the Saturday bike riders at La Maison Wodonga after taking fifty steps to the river to announce 10 MDBA jobs coming to Wodonga. Keep up the good riding Tom and the support and a great blog Mike.D1
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