Free the Market Shopper within you! Carrara Markets Part 2.

Don't you just Hate it when you haven't been able to get your Market Day fix for 2 or 3 weeks? You're snowbound, cash strapped, time poor or unable for whatever reason to indulge in that, oh, so satisfying past time of Market Shopping. The withdrawal symptoms are not nice and you're dying to break free, so, grab the kids and your ecstatic partner and get out there! I use the word 'ecstatic' in a facetious manner as my husband always needs convincing that spending 2 or 3 hours at the markets is a worthy pursuit. So every time I require his company, I need remind him that he has two choices.

1.) He can drag his feet and sulk all the way to the market or
2.) He can come kicking or screaming in protest. But either way, as I patiently explain to him, he is much better off conserving his energy because I require his masculine prowess to carry the shopping. If that doesn't work, a little bribery goes a long way. (lol)

On the off chance that the husband in question is still grumbling about accompanying me to the markets, I lead him like a lamb to the slaughter to nearest stall, laden with suitably sweet temptations to compliment a cup of freshly brewed coffee. Once fortified and again mingling between a bunch of market fanatics, Johnno forgets he is not supposed to be enjoying himself ........and starts to enjoy himself. Men are such strange creatures. Just look at that cute lil love heart on top of the coffee I paid the barista an extra $2 to supply for me.........a not too subliminal message for my obliging husband. A satisfied sigh escapes me. Great! Now we can go shopping!

And who wouldn't appreciate a casual stroll around the picturesque surroundings of the very popular Carrara Markets situated on the Gold Coast of Australia?

If you missed Part 1 you might like to check it out. Here is the link: https://steemit.com/marketfriday/@trudeehunter/carrara-markets-gold-coast-part-1

There are some very nice leather bags amongst this range, tempting me to stop and check them out.......but there is much more to see yet.

There are paintings of every hue and size to suit all manner of décor........but we were not in the market for a painting. So we move on.

Johnno nudges me, oh, so slightly at the 'knick knack' stall. I get the message and that's alright with me as I'm not a 'knick knack' sort of person.

Mind you, these gorgeous owls are rather appealing. "Where would we put one of those?" I hear his protest before I ask so I don't bother asking. And he'd be correct because we don't have a lot of spare room for owls no matter how wise and beautiful they are.

Toys? Hats? Games? Not today.

Now this looks interesting. The Pacific Shack is brimming with Kiwi paraphernalia and as Kiwi ex-pats living in Oz, there is bound to be something amongst these products that could tempt us to part with a few hard earned dollars. Apparently not. It was fun to browse and even a bit nostalgic but our bank balance was safe......for the moment.

We wandered up and down the market streets stopping to browse, chatting to stall owners, and resisting the urge to spend money unnecessarily; One of us outwardly enjoying herself, the other trying to hide the fact that he was too .

We both admired the workmanship that had gone into these interesting mosaics and crockery items. But our shopping bags remained empty.

I was getting a little concerned. There was every likelihood that I would be accused getting Johnno here on false pretences if I didn't put something in those shopping bags soon. But nothing shouted, "Buy Me" here so we walked on.

And then we came to another Kiwi oriented shop. We heard sound of rushing water and decided to investigate further.

Beautiful ornamental fountains had water flowing from large taps, wooden buckets and bronze urns. "Wouldn't one of those look fabulous on our deck?" I ask. "Yes dear. What are we having for lunch?"

We'd come to the end of the road, literally and we still had nothing to show for our Market Day venture. These miniature guitars were very well made and quite unique. I'm fairly certain one couldn't pluck those strings and make beautiful music but they did have great novelty value. But our bags were still empty.

All was not lost. I knew exactly how to reward my long 'suffering' husband. With our bags crammed full of fresh fruit and veggies we made our way to the car, called in to the butcher on route and soon after we got home, I began preparations for one of Johnno's favourite meals. Roast Lamb! Remember I referred to bribery earlier on? I could not fail, as you know what they say about the way to a man's heart?

Well, the roast dinner was a good way to start. But I think he deserved dessert don't you?

Many thanks for coming with John and I to The Carrara Markets. I (we.........I won't push my luck........unless I can persuade him to "Free The Market Shopper Within" him) look forward to your company next week at another market of secret location, somewhere in Queensland, Australia. Until then, Have a great week. See you next Friday.

Thank you @dswigle for hosting the interesting Market Friday challenge. Carrara Markets Part 2 was my entry for this weeks challenge.