Autumn in Oamaru

[vilakins]

I just discovered how easy it is to use DW's image hosting instead of mucking about with Flickr to extract URLs, so I'll be making more pic posts.

It's late autumn here and at the weekly farmers' market they had carved pumpkins - the first I've ever seen in RL.


Farmers' Market on a lovely crisp day



Pumpkins at the Buttie Truck; these ones got first prize


The coffee truck's pumpkin which got second prize. I included the teapot-shaped paper weights as Sue the owner collects them and I was able to show her the one I discovered I had.


A father feeding his little boy some pasta. This is from the organic Hasta la Pasta truck which I love but isn't here again till spring. :-(


Dot's Castle, about 20 minutes out of town near the wonderful restaurant Riverstone Kitchen from whose gardens I took this. Dot Smith is a retired farmer who fulfilled her lifelong dream of owning a castle. It's taken her years to build, but it's getting there. Find out more here.

Comments

[thisbluespirit]

It looks like a fun day! I love that castle, though. :-)

[maia]

so I'll be making more pic posts

Yay! I love your photos!

[gwendraith]

Love your pix, it looks a lovely market :) I find the DW photo hosting easy to use as well although I still also use flickr.

[watervole]

Love the pumpkins!

[watervole]

Dot is either mad or inspired, but you have to like her!

[vilakins]

Dot's Castle has become an attraction; she's quite a character too. I think when it's finished she'll open a B&B in it. I imagine she'll be booked out, especially with Riverstone Kitchen right there (along with Fleur's Place to the south of us, we have two of the best restaurants in the country - Rick Stein came here just to go to Fleur's).

[vilakins]

Thanks! Next up, a trip to Clyde Dam which has beautiful autumn poplars, something I'd also never seen before; we don't have those in the north.

[vilakins]

It's a great market!

It's just a pain to have to see all sizes then copy the URL from one for each photo. There doesn't seem to be any easy hosting service as an alternative. Unless you know a better way.

[vilakins]

Yes, and admire her determination to see her dream come true.

[tjoel2]

I've been using the image hosting on DW as well. Much easier!

You've never seen carved pumpkins before?!

[vilakins]

Nope. We don't do Halloween, and down here is much colder and more autumny than Auckland is, where I used to live.

[mab_browne]

It looks lovely. I trust that the southern front didn't treat you too harshly?

[gwendraith]

I find with flickr that once I've used a size it stays at that size for each photo unless I change it which suits me but when I'm posting pictures I keep two DW windows open as it's quicker. I just get the embed code then paste into the entry in the other window, back browser to my photostream to choose another and wash rinse repeat. What is really required is to be able to choose a whole load and then post the embed code for them all together.

[tjoel2]

Halloween - or I should say Samhain - is my favorite time of year.

[vilakins]

Cold, but still sunny. Generally we're pretty sheltered here, though that hasn't been the case from November through April (which had 4 times the average rainfall).

[vilakins]

Yeah, but everything's in the wrong season here. We're gearing up for summer and annual holidays around then, and the days are getting long.