Market Sunday

It’s that lovely, economical period of the year when we don’t need either the heater or the cooler on. Last Sunday was warm and sunny and gorgeous; it was surprising that some of the market stallholders didn’t turn up. Maybe there was a festival or something somewhere, that the rest of us hadn’t heard about. Luckily a lot of the public had not heard of any such thing either, and came to our market.

There were drummers too, a new troupe in this region, dressed in outlandish, glamorous costumes, all different, the predominant colour bright red. The market organiser had warned me beforehand, knowing that loud noise nearby can interfere with my psychic readings. “They’ll be walking around,” she said. “Not staying in one place.” I bumped into one of them early, doing my rounds before the customers started arriving. It was an old mate I hadn’t seen in some time. She took in my purple-red hair and vibrant red and purple shirt and told me I should be in their troupe!

I loved doing the markets with Andrew all those years – 14 or so. It was companionable and fun, and he did wonderful things for people with his Reiki treatments and Indian Head Massage. I also love doing them on my own now that he’s retired. I’ve enjoyed discovering that I can be capable and self-reliant; now I relish the ongoing experience of that. The gazebo, given to us some years ago by our good friend the Water Filter Man when he got himself a newer one, is very easy to put up and take down. I’ve got it down to a fine art by now and can do it alone and unaided – even though the other stallholders would help if needed.

Newest GodDaughter came to see me! She will be six months old next week, so was conveyed by her parents – her radiant, besotted parents. They handed her to me and settled in for a chat, as I had no customers just then. “Oh look,” they said, “She likes you.” They told me she had just started “getting funny” with anyone but them, but she seemed fine with me. I reflected that I’ve known and held her since a few days after her birth, but they said she even reacts that way with her grandmother. I felt smug. She sucked gently on my shirt and twiddled my sacred pendant. I noticed that she is getting prettier all the time.

“Could she pick a card?” said her mother. I turned her to face the table and drew the cards closer. She selected two which clearly described each of her parents. I encouraged her to try for one more, to comment on herself. She got 4 of Cups, sometimes known as the card of “Divine Discontent”. I explained that it depicts someone who’s got lots of goodies but wants more. Her father said, with a laugh, “She’s been a bit like that lately.”

The drummers started up. They stood in an empty space a few stalls down from me and bashed their instruments fast and loud while a bit of a crowd gathered. Then they started marching and dancing towards us, at the beginning of their “walk around”, rat-tatting all the time. It was wonderful – and it was thunderous. “I think I’ll just take her away a while,” said Newest GodDaughter’s father with some concern. He scooped her up and set off for the far side of the market.

When he returned a little later, he stood holding her as he chatted to me. She suddenly caught sight of me, her eyes focused in and she beamed. Then, still holding my gaze, she laughed and laughed with sheer delight. I’ve never felt so flattered.

Newest GodDaughter at four and a half months, with her Radiant Mum