A Visit to Two Farmers' Markets in London

In London Ontario, we have three Farmers Markets within a few miles radius. Today we visited the two that are located within the city limits. The first one we attended was the one located in the old, historic "Confederation Building" at the Western Fairgrounds.

We never seem to buy much but we enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of a bustling market.

I enjoy talking with the energetic entrepreneurs that run the booths.

Tons of coffee from all over the world waits to be roasted and packaged for resale.

On the second floor there was a miniature "doll house" store representative of the original Ann McColl's which was located downtown. The former retailer ran Ann McColl's Kitchen Shop in London, Ontario for three decades and is now retired but still contributing to Home Style Magazine on a regular basis. She is a gifted writer, taking readers on a fascinating tour of housewares retail shops around the world.

Young entrepreneurs  proudly display their products. The young lady above crafts beautiful jewelry and the the man below, manufactures  sports wear made from bamboo fiber.

Martin Ashby of Nowwear Athletic Gear proudly holds an armband designed to hold a Blackberry or cell phone. Here's his web page www.nowwear.ca

Lots to see and ithe vendors change from time to time. I guess some do well and move on while others fail and fall into obscurity.

From the Fair Grounds, we drove right down town to the Covent Garden Market. This market is owned by the city and commands higher rents so the vendors tend to be a little more commercialized and don't change as often. Still, on a Saturday the place is a buzz.

The file photo (above) doesn't show the beautiful fall leaves that are still on the trees.

There is still an outdoor Farmers' Market going on in the front courtyard. The weather has been remarkably temperate for November.

I haven't seen this unusual type of bicycle rack before. From UK http://cyclepods.co.uk/products/cyclepods

More coffee. According to Wikipedia, coffee ingestion on average is about a third of that of tap water in North America and Europe.  Worldwide, 6.7 million metric tons of coffee were produced annually in 1998–2000, and the forecast is a rise to seven million metric tons annually by 2010.

"The Old Horse Comes Home" is a wall mural by A.R. Gillet 2009. We remember this 10 cent amusement ride used to be available to children for in the old 1956 market building that they tore down in the late 90's.

You can read a very good history with pictures of this old market which dates back to the mid-1800's.

http://www.coventmarket.com/history.html

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The Royal Winter Fair in Toronto

 Wendy, Jake and Erin left in Erin's car before eight this morning. With the magic of the internet you can go too. Click here to view the Ad.  They were invited to attend by Jake's Grandfather, David, who used to be a very well-known and respected breeder of "Black Angus" beef cattle. For many years he worked at Weldon Farms north of London Ontario.

I see a resemblance don't you?

David and Lynn relax at the food court.

  

David takes a front row seat to see all the action.

Since he was so well known, people were always coming up to speak with David after the event and wish him well.

Everyone had a great day at the fair. 

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This Must Be Junk Day.

Click on the Ad to read it. Or you can go to their site by clicking here.
Of course you can click on any of my 'artsy pictures' to enlarge them, then use your 'back' button to return.

I was reading through the “Coming Events” in the local paper I noticed Photo Walk. The thing that caught my attention was the fact that it was to be held at Zubick’s scrap yard.  Years ago, when I was in the junk business I used to take over scrap metal, not so much for the money, but just to get rid of the old, what I called “jailhouse” bed ends. In those days I would buy old beds from hospitals when they got their new beds from Hill-Rom.  We would scrap the head and foot ends and make new ones from particle board with a melamine laminate like Formica and re-sell them to nursing homes. The old bed ends were classed as 'painted tin' or 'light steel' and commanded the princely sum of $30. per ton. (I think it's around $200/ton now).  Nowadays the hospitals may even buy their beds from my old company. Click here to see Carroll Hospital Group.

Fellow photographers walking and clicking along Gore Rd on our way to Zubick' scrap yard.

Anyway, I hadn't been there for twenty years or more so I decided to tag along with my trusty Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX9. 

My camera was the smallest, least substantial-looking of all the other fifteen or so pros and enthusiasts who attended, but hey, its lightweight and takes great pictures.

Art sculptures grace not only the entrance, but are found throughout the yard.

There is a strange beauty to all this junk. Tons and tons of tin cans squashed into cubes.

Above you see how I altered a picture to give the illusion of ground up (or melted down) scrap. Below is another attempt. Click on the picture - it's neat.
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I only wish I had more time to explore in greater detail, the amazing hidden treasures one can find here.  This place has been in business since 1946. That's sixty-four years. One can't even imagine the amazing things that have come and gone through the gates.

Are those bullet holes? Nah, likely someone with a sense of humour. Oh what stories we'd hear if junk could talk...

At one time these cars smelled brand new. 

Electronics Department

Thousands of engines

And brake drums and rotors.

Broken glass is always a shocking image

Graceful chaos.

This one-legged man sitting on a cubed bale guards the entrance

Artsy mesh and twine looks neat close up. Click the pic.

Bales of 'light steel'. I don't know how much each one weighs but they would likely let you keep one if you could lift it by yourself. Who would argue with you?

Even the mud was photogenic here.

Natural gas storage cylinders on death row.

Before welding, how many years ago did they rivet together pressure tanks?

This perforated material looks as soft as fabric but its 1/4 inch thick steel!

Everywhere you look, you see patterns and textures.

Don't try to bring any of your nuclear waste here.

Ringo Steele bashes away at the clothes dryer drums.

Definition of 'the scrap heap'.

Everything is sorted. Sorting and reducing is the name of the game here.

Danger lurks everywhere. Be careful.

No fare! This bus got it coming and going. Soon it will be in a beer can.

No objects, large or small can permanently escape the clutches of the the scrap yard.

I could never work here.  I would always be rescuing something. These dies weigh 23,000 pounds. Can you imagine how much they cost to make? What parts did they produce?

 Photo by Donna Currie

Here I am looking very knowledgeable wearing my Zenni Optical specs. Click to enlarge.

 I hope you enjoyed looking at some of my scrap yard pictures. I know I thoroughly enjoyed taking them. The weather was perfect, sunny and clear.  I even got a bit of exercise and met some really nice people.  I look forward to the next 'Photo Walk'.

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That's Bazaar!

We can never resist browsing through junk, so today, at around 9 AM we set out to attend the IODE Annual Bazaar. Wendy’s good friend Tricia works a table at this popular event and we always see other people we know.

 

"Here, hold this for a blog picture." Wendy rolls her eyes.

What can I buy that I don’t need? Hmm, love that beautiful Art Deco, German made barometer for $5. I think I’ll dismantle it from the wooden mount and hang it up with my other old barometer at the condo. Unlike the one I already have, this one appears to be working. Anyway it’s a worthy cause.

Wendy bought some (4 for $1) music books featuring songs from the 60’s 70’s and 80’s. “The only trouble is, gee whiz…” none of us own or play an instrument or even read music. Oh well, as I said before: it’s a worthy cause. Don’t we need stuff for our Garage Sale next spring?
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