Hillsborough and the International Oyster Festival.

I was here this morning and it was wet. We have had such a lovely summer and it ended today!
My photos don't do the rain justice and typically, when something good is on, the weather has to put a dampener on it. Not a great audience for the drummers but people were still out having a good time.

The main street of Hillsborough was closed to traffic today.

People scurried in to the Gourmet Food Market to get out of the rain. 'Free' it said on the flyer.

 No, it wasn't free as there was too much tantalising food for sale.

Who could resist the Dundrum oysters? Me! I used to like cockles and muscles but I've never been tempted to eat an oyster. The guys were working flat out preparing platefuls of them.

Oysters, cockles, muscles with lemon.

                                                      I like collecting the shells though!

You could walk around the gardens of Government House today, it was really peaceful compared to the village centre.

Because of the rain I used my compact Canon camera today, but I missed my new Fujifilm. I would have been able to zoom in on these people with their colourful umbrellas.

There was a Soap Box Derby on. It was a slightly more 'upmarket' affair than the one I went to in Donegal a few weeks ago. Hillsborough had properly constructed vehicles, not half so much fun though as a bath on wheels, or a canoe, or an armchair complete with side table and lamp.

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It was all good fun, despite the rain.

There was a colourful stall of sweets on the main street.

Then the rain tipped down and we decided to head home, even the ducks looked fed up.

 

I never got to see the Oyster Eating Championship after all.

Neither did this pig.