Rylstone Street Feast – CONVENT AND CHAPEL

New Market Territory – Rylstone StreetFeast

Published on November 2, 2014 by conventandchapelLeave a comment

Under the yellow marquee which did such a great job during such challenging weather. — Under the yellow marquee which did a great job during such challenging weather.

Since discovering the Kandos/Rylstone area just over two years ago, we have been ‘tourists’ at Rylstone StreetFeast and bought tickets to the sumptuous local spread which is seated along the main street.

Scarves with lots of shawls in the background.

This year we are ‘locals’ and had our own stall at the markets that flanked the Feast or ‘Long Lunch’. The bright yellow marquee made its first appearance and earned its money on a hot and gusty day that also saw storms with rain. We had a great day, being particularly busy in the morning before the food was served, yet had to pack up a trifle early as rain threatened later in the afternoon.

As usual, we met lots of knitters – locals, Sydney-siders and neighbours from Mudgee and the Blue Mountains, all of whom were pleased to hear about our shop opening shortly. The samples of Noro and Zauberball were much admired, so we think the shop stock will be appreciated.

Sales were pretty constant – the mohair/silk lace scarves are always popular and mitts and beanies were still purchased despite hot and gusty weather.

Next week we will concentrate on shop stuff and hope to open Friday week. So many people pressed us on an opening date that it was time to draw a line in the sand and commit, so that will now be our target!

The old hotel key pigeon holes are perfect for displaying the Zauberballs. — The old hotel key pigeon hole cabinet is perfect for displaying the Zauberballs.

Markets Tomorrow!

Published on October 30, 2014 by conventandchapelLeave a comment

Tomorrow my friend G and I are heading off to Rylstone Street Feast. Since discovering this wonderful region, for the last two years we have done the tourist thing and bought tickets for the ‘Long Lunch’, which is a gourmet feast set in the leafy main street of Rylstone. Table are laid out down the length of the street for a communal repast of courses which make the most of local produce.

The street is flanked by local market stalls and the day is a major one for the area, attracting both tourists and locals. This year we are much more like the locals and will be manning a market stall ourselves stocked with our hand knits as well as luxury yarn. The stall had been booked many months before, following our success at Rylstone Artisan Markets, but it is now a fortuitous opportunity to promote the new shop to a wider audience as we will be opening in the same street in a few weeks.

This will be a much bigger market than we have previously been to and will be a long day (and possibly a very hot one!). The excitement is building. I’ll post photos after the event for all to see. Hopefully we also get to see lots of the other stalls and sample some of the great local food on offer.

Anniversary Approaching

Published on August 3, 2013August 3, 2013 by conventandchapelLeave a comment

It’s hard to believe, but it’s almost a year since I first saw the Convent (and discovered where Kandos is). It was the 20th August last year when, along with my good friend Lee, we set off with his trusty GPS named Siobhan, given the lady has an Irish accent, to find Kandos and the Convent. All we knew was that we could go Bells Line of Road and it was before Mudgee.

My friends had already accompanied me on a number of inspections of rural properties, all of which had been seriously disappointing, so L was endeavouring to temper my very excited expectations which by that stage was probably already at making plans for grandchildren, which are not on anyone’s horizon. After all, it was a long trip home after a big day if I was going to be teary.

Anyway, the Convent obviously didn’t disappoint and it seems such a short time ago, even though so much has happened and so much work has progressed. I had the world’s longest settlement which even saw a change of Popes.

It also means that fast approaching is Rylstone Street Feast which will be held on Saturday 2 November and is an extravaganza of 4 courses of sumptuous local food served at a community sit down lunch running down the centre of the main street. It is one of the highlights of the area and not to be missed. It was also the first time that many of my friends came to Kandos to see the Convent.

Anyway, tickets have just gone on sale and we’ve snapped them up again. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to a few months time when I can sit back and relax to enjoy the Convent fully.