SUNDAY 23 AUGUST     RUBYVALE

I was up much earlier than John and sat outside with my coffee. I set the laptop up out there and messed about with the Share Market Game.

Yesterday, we’d gotten chatting with the neighbours in the caravan on one side. They hadn’t been here before, had only arrived that day, so John offered to show them around a bit. Just after John got up, the lady appeared, and asked when we would be ready? Oops! So we hurried.

With them tagging behind, we drove to the Sunday Markets at Sapphire, a few kms away. That took us across the Tropic of Capricorn, just north of Sapphire.

There was a respectable number of stalls at the Markets, even though the major Gemfest event had been a couple of weeks ago, and one might have expected the gemfields to empty out after that.

We browsed the stalls, pretty thoroughly. I always find it impossible to avoid making purchases at such places, even though any more gemstone jewellery is amongst the last things I need. Like, when do I ever have occasion to wear jewellery at all, these days? It was just a twist of life that I had accumulated  such things  after my professional working life – with its attendant need to dress up – finished. I thought I would probably soon start distributing it to the younger females of the family, who would have more use for it.

We bought a blue sapphire, suitable for a ring. Bargained for, and bought, a very nice Mintabie opal. I had been looking, for a while now, for two matching small gold nuggets, for earrings to go with a pendant gold nugget, bought in Marble Bar in 2004. A stall holder had some nuggets on display, said he might be able to help with what I was after, and would bring potential earring nuggets to the van tomorrow.

Found out that the place at Sapphire that sold buckets of wash, that I wanted to investigate, was closed today. On past visits, we’d always bought some fossicking buckets at Rubyvale and I’d wanted to try something different.

We left the other couple to do their own thing, now they were more oriented and had some ideas about the area. Had a little driving explore around Sapphire, then went back to the van for lunch.

After that, went walking up the main street, looking at the shops and houses. We went in and browsed at the main, best, gallery – it still had wonderful sapphires and jewellery. Their orange sapphires were superb – and priced accordingly. If I ever won a lottery……mightn’t wear them much, but could look at them!

There had been some new houses and shops built, since last time we were here. There was some interesting – and very appropriate – use of corrugated iron and timber.

The afternoon was hot – mid 30’s. Bought icy poles at the General Store and ate them as we meandered.

Spent the rest of the afternoon in the van, with the air-con on, reading.

The hippy pair next door had left early in the morning. We later saw them set up at the markets, with beaded stuff and some fairly mediocre second hand stuff on offer.