Visiting Paris AND Nambour - does it get any better?

Game of Thrones synopsis:  EVERYONE dies.  The end.

We’ve had an enjoyable week, relaxing over the Winter Olympics and then a Game-of-Thrones-athon. Despite advice from all and sundry, we elected to not pirate Series III of GoT, and also elected to not watch it on the plane during our last buying trip.  It’s good to watch this show on a large screen, and take our time to enjoy it.

But now the trailers for Series IV are driving me a bit nuts because dang it looks good, but again we will show law-abiding patience.  Probably.   Maybe.  It helps that I’ve read all the books so I know what is coming, but gee this is a well-produced series and I don’t see why we have to wait for a year after it’s been screened in the US before we can see it.

A position I am familiar with.

As for the Winter Olympics, did you notice how an awful lot of winter sports involve flying through the air, often backwards, and invariably end with someone crashing and burning?  Sounds just like my skiing style.

Meanwhile, we leave on the next buying trip on 18 March.  OMG!  I had better finish all the bookings soonish.

We get to see sunrise in Paris a lot.

You’d be amazed at how much planning goes into a successful buying trip.  People seem to think that we just turn up and skip about Paris with a pain au chocolat in one hand and a nice glass of Bordeaux in the other.  And okay we do, but that’s only because a whole lot of planning has gone into making that happen.  And a whole lot of training goes into skipping about without spilling said Bordeaux. It takes determination, people, to achieve the highest levels of shop to drink ratio.

Find us by our sign - top pavilion, lower level.

So it’s only a quickie update this time, but I must let everyone who can visit know that the first Collectorama Antiques Fair of 2014 is being held at the Nambour Showground this Saturday, 1 March.  Gates open at 7am, and there is usually a queue of early-bird shoppers waiting to be first in.  The early birds start queuing before I’m even out of bed, but you don’t have to be that keen.  Parking is plentiful and there are heaps of stands for you to browse through.  Look for our sign and our happy smiling faces, and be sure to come and say hello.

English cups & saucers, c1940, $12 each.

Then on Sunday 2 March it’s back to the Peregian Beach Market, so this weekend will suck in terms of having to get up super early on both days.  But a good injection of funds just before our buying trip will seriously help, so we shall get lots of good things out.  We still have four boxes of unopened niceties on our verandah from our last trip, so I shall do what I can to make sure these things get their first showing at Nambour and Peregian this weekend.  The cups and saucers I've pictured above will get their first showing on Facebook today (not counting here, of course) and then at Nambour on Saturday if they're not sold by then.  $12 each!  That's what selling wholesale allows.

Klaatu loves watching the builders.

But can I let you go without telling you about the Busker du Jour at the Caloundra Street Fair last Sunday?  Hey banjo busker!  I’m really, really sorry I dissed you! 

This time we had a mini Umpah Band, consisting of a tuba and piano accordion churning out good old beer hall classics.  Probably good, rousing, sing-along stuff if you’d indulged in quite a few of giant steins of beer.  If only we had.

But wait, there’s worse more.  Closer to us, and loud enough to drown out the Umpah Band (yeah, that’s loud) was a gel who serenaded us with music to cut your wrists by.  

Did you know there is scientific research that proves certain colours encourage people to eat more, certain smells encourage people to feel happier, and certain music encourages people to shop more?  But that music, I’m thinking, does not include some gel wailing about not being pretty enough a la Casey Chambers.

If we had to endure Ms Chambers’ lament only once it would have been bearable, but our gel turned out to know only six songs so we had a limited range of loud teenage angst on a continual loop.  For hours. 

So yes, yes, I admit that I was very mean, banjo busker.  But don’t you think we’ve been tortured enough?  You’ve made your point that there are worse things in life than banjo playing wannabe hard rockers - although in my defense, who would have thunk? – so please, puhleeese come back!

One last thing:  have you looked at my business Facebook page?  It's called Continuum Antiques.  It's a small page, and horribly neglected as I've been planning for the buying trip, but it's got a few nice things on it and I will add to it.  Soon.  Promise.  

Calypso is also fascinated by the building work.  You'd think all that banging and crashing would scare her, but she is my Warrior Bengal.