Rainbows and Showgrounds

It never occurred to me, but the conditions for rainbows are rather perfect in Melbourne. The weather is quite variant and quick rain showers are common. All that is needed is a little sunshine in the mix and there you have it, a rainbow! Sure it's a bit more complex than that, but only slightly. Anyhow, you see a fair amount of those multicoloured arches around.

I have a feeling, and a hope, that I'll see many more. Rainbows are the sort of thing that make you stop, make you look, admire and see. They are so bright and beautiful, and sort of hard to miss. It is a good thing the world knows the beauty of rainbows, they are visible, bright, and easy ways to pull us from the busyness of life. Even the most distracted and blind of persons will often pause at the sight of a rainbow.

I visited a place called the Showgrounds the other day. It is normally a racing track and stable, but on this occasion it was a fair. A well known and celebrated one at that. Every year, once a year, they come for a two week stint and nest in the showgrounds. It so happens that it cheekily comes right when school holiday is in session, so they get quite a few attendees. In fact, they have express trains that run to and from the showgrounds so you can get to the fair as fast as possible!

The Melbourne Showgrounds Fair is quite like a rainbow. It is colourful, bright and loud, and distracts you from the busyness of life. The rides are a kids dream, and the candy is ever flowing and overflowing. Walls of stuffed animals practically line the grounds, and there is a different game to match each section. They have goats and various farm animals for petting and feeding. They have crafts, and cakes and soaps to admire and purchase, and of course, food booths every few meters in case you should ever have those tummy rumblings. I did.

The noise is constant, but it is not a grating or annoying noise, or even a loud noise. It is a joyous and carefree noise that makes you smile and let go. It makes you want to play and laugh and be active and participate! If you've lost the kid in you, this is the place to get it back! It's hard not to keep your eyes wide open, to look, to admire and see. It is hard not to enjoy yourself. I most certainly did.

Should you find yourself going to a fair, remember to let go and lose yourself among the multicoloured arches (so long as you don't have little ones to lose). After all, you've made it to the bottom of the rainbow. And maybe, if your aware enough to see it, you'll find the pot of gold.