After missing two years - like everything else- our big County Show was back.
It's
always been a favourite day out for me - usually on my own - which is
much easier! I couldn't go through many of the smallholding and campsite
days as May Half Term week was one of our busiest times for the
campsite.
90,000
visitors expected over the two days so I left home before 7.30 and
drove cross country rather than the A14- just in case of accidents or
traffic jams and got parked and into the showground and round to the
grandstands by the Grand Ring in time to see the first lot of show
jumping which started at 8.30.
Then round to the sheep area.
We had a Texel ram for a while - the ugliest of all sheep in my opinion, but he worked well.
Now
these are my favourite sheep, they are Ryelands, we started off with
two and the most we had one year after lambing was 8. There wasn't a lot
of money in sheep even though home produced meat is the best and once
we'd extended the campsite and kept more chickens we gave up sheep
keeping.
The
Suffolk Horses in the picture are some of the few still being kept and
bred. They were featured on Countryfile TV programme recently. At one
time the Suffolk Punch was rarer than the Giant Panda but things are
looking more hopeful now.
Then I went into the Art Show - loved this one below, for sale for several hundred pounds
More photos from the Suffolk Show tomorrow
Sue
What an amazing event to go to - I don't think I've ever been to a county show. xx
ReplyDeleteYour nearest must be the Tendring Show near Manningtree - it's the main one for Essex since they stopped the Essex County show
DeleteI think it must be, yes. xx
DeleteGreat photos. That's early for the show jumping! The grey was a cracker, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteLOVED that painting of the Swallows. I would like to stitch a little x-stitch picture of them from the Victorian Country Lady charts I have.
The Suffolk horse is only chestnut (as I am sure you know) but they have something like 50 different names for the different hues of chestnut they recognize.
I watched some more show jumping later - just love watching it although I've never been much into horses.
DeleteWonderful photos. Thank you for sharing them. I used to love going to The Show every year, sometimes on both days!!
ReplyDeleteEvery year I think about going both days to be able to see more in the Grand Ring - but then I remember how exhausting just one day is!
DeleteThanks for taking us along on your day out. As a child I always used to go there with Mum. My brother and I would collect the badges they would hand out for free. It was a lovely fun day out (when it didn't rain lol)
ReplyDeleteI just love it - it's been a favourite day out for a long time and Yes children were still collecting sticker badges and handouts!
DeleteIt looks like a great day out, we always used to arrive early and have breakfast at the shows ... and use the toilets while they were still clean.
ReplyDeleteHopefully our local Country Show will be on this year, I know we have a big Steam Gathering next month.
I like to get to the Suffolk Show early to get in easily without queues and so the car doesn't have to be parked at the furthest end of the car park field!
DeleteWhen I lived in Leicester as a teenager, I used to get down to the Abbey Park where the big shows were held and being horse mad, I would hang about the horseboxes parked outside the walls and offer to carry straw bales, water buckets and any paraphernalia that needed to be taken into the collecting ring. Having got to know the family, I was often asked to lead one of the children's ponies round and even better, to ride one of the horses around in between appearances in the ring. The old park-keeper (who lived in the same street as me) gave me stern looks but couldn't do anything about me getting in for free. Wonderful days!
ReplyDeleteWhat a clever idea for getting in for free - happy memories
DeleteYour show is a lot like the Fair here that happens in August. Did you take the grandkids?
ReplyDeleteNo I just took myself. It's too big for very small children - they'd soon get fed up
DeleteI haven't been to our County Fair for years and years. Last time I went one of my son's friends was driving in the Demolition Derby where old junker cars crash into each other until only one is still left running! My kids always liked the carnival rides best as we knew little about the farm animals. :)
ReplyDeleteWe have that sort of car racing here but not at the show, They are on Small Oval Raceways round the country and are called Banger Racing and Stock Cars. Brother in Law goes all over the place to watch.
DeleteThe Show sounds wonderful. I'd enjoy the horses especially. It sounds like you had a very nice day at the show. Seeing a woman that you have known for many years and still breeding sheep with great success must have been a nice meet-up.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you had a great time. I love watching the jumping on TV and to see it in person is a dream of mine.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Like our county fairs. I wish I could still get around.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a county fair, without the rides!
ReplyDelete