Another one bites the dust

I can cross another selling opportunity off the list, after having attended the local Christmas market yesterday. I was happy with the results, with three books sold and three treatments given. As the roller coaster story hadn’t arrived, I was not expecting any sales, so those I did get were a bonus. I brought my sellotaped version of the story along hoping for a few pre-sales but these didn’t happen.

The current financial strain is evident. There were lots of people yesterday, with a good flow coming through the doors until about 1pm, but the spending just wasn’t there. It didn’t help that there were many people selling the same thing, soap being a good example. I did feel for some of these people. The organiser said sales were well down on two years ago.

But this is today’s reality. With food, petrol and mortgages being so high, and now Christmas, people are struggling. I have talked about this in a previous blog so won’t go there again.

I was met by the organiser at the door, asking why I hadn’t posted on Facebook about my upcoming attendance. ‘’Would I post now?’’ I reluctantly did so, reluctant, because I was hoping to do a post once the roller coaster story arrived. Instead, people saw the book in the photo I put up, with some assuming it was already here. I have realised if one posts too much about the same thing, people ignore it. I am hoping for some pre-Christmas sales with this story, and then that slog will begin, finding those who might be interested in, this time, a children’s story. In some respects, I should have put up a post on one of the local notice boards, as even though I had my sign, detailing the book and treatment deals, it was sitting on the window sill behind us and many didn’t see it. I know there would have been some people who would have been more interested in these, but on only seeing books, they just walked by. I rely on treatments to pay for stall costs and the books sales to cover costs already incurred in producing these. The reality here is I’ll probably never recoup these expenses.

I arrived home tired out, why I don’t know. Perhaps it was because I haven’t been sleeping that well. Quarter of an hour later I received a message from my daughter-in-law saying she and her three children would be spending the night with us. My son was already staying as he is shearing nearby. We were a sad lot last night. Rosie had driven all the way from Rotorua with her family, about an eight-hour drive. Levi had been shearing big heavy ewes all day and I had been at the market. We were all extremely tired, Stephen too, except for three little children who had slept most of the car journey. I remember those days well, just wanting to fall into bed, but unable to, because the kids were wide awake. I think it was nine o’clock before the household was quiet and four exhausted adults fell into bed.

Levi is back shearing today and Rosie has now gone. I must say, it is lovely to be able to be restful again.