Saturday 7 June 2014

A Taste of Grampian.

Today I drove to the other side of Inverurie to the Thainstone Centre.

For the Taste of Grampian Food Festival.  Also to give my new toy a practice run.  For some time I have been unable to go to such events as I cannot walk very far, but now......!


Now thanks/no thanks to Aberdeenshire Council's non medically qualified staff who filled in a tick chart I have been refused a disabled parking sticker.  So I had to go with the huge queues of traffic on and on and on and parked at the furthermost point from where it was all happening.  Not only that but I had a near vertical hill to go down.  I did find the brakes worked on the toy.....But then realised I would have to go back up the b***** hill to find the car, to return home.

 In the week Thainstone is basically a Cattle Market.  At the weekend it has a good swill down and turns into - a theatre.  Wow.  

So those blue seats are filled by people like me.  Watching a cooking competition.  Which is why I was there.  Our chef at the Lighthouse Museum, Kipras Preidys was a finalist for the "Aspiring Chef of the Year."



There were four finalists.  Kip on the right, and his heat competitor on the left.

 

Lady Claire Macdonald watching.  She did a lot of watching our chef Kip and was very supportive speaking to him at the end, as he didnt win.

The two other judges are tutors at the North East College.  I will say no more, other than it strikes me that's a bit unfair, as the winners - first and second - were pupils at the said college, as is Kip, but he entered as the chef at the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses Restaurant.  But then I am biased.

Now I had to climb the hill and find my car.  I did consider dialling 101 or 999.  But I was rescued.  

Escorted to a car, driven up to the car park, almost in the sky, I then had the very embarrassing search for my car, which took a while..... then I could go home.   Sheesh.  

Its really a bummer being disabled.  Even though my disability isn't visible.  Think about it.

But our chef sourced all his ingredients from Grampian.  The Butchers, the Fish, and the veg from Fraserburgh and  from the Lighthouse Keepers Cottage Garden and the wild garlic via the DP from across the road from us!  

A real Taste of Grampian.

 
 

4 comments:

Linda said...

It is so wrong that the people who make judgements and decisions so often rely on ticky boxes. Life isn't like that, we don't fit into boxes! My late mother and my father both had COPD and I know just how debilitating a condition it can be. It is good to see that you soldier on though and never let it grind you down.

P.S Love the art work you do. x

Linda xx

Terra said...

Your chef can be proud of his effort and skill, winning isn't everything. And good you tested out your new ride and went to the festival.

BadPenny said...

Invisible disabilities I know about well. Looks like you had a busy day... glass of red at the end ?!

Mum said...

What a shame he didn't win but you know he's a winner. And so are you for going out of your way to support him.
Love from Mum
xx