Show Results

 In the end I  entered 8 classes in the village ( two villages from me but where we lived all through the 1980's) produce/flower/craft show.

I came home with one first and four second prizes. The first was for the herbs in the picture which are looking a bit sad after travelling there and back and sitting in a hot marquee for 8 hours. I've entered herbs before and it depends on the judge - if they go for lots of green in a vase I'm OK but sometimes they choose a vase of artfully arranged herbs that are in flower (prompting a heated discussion  - are herbs in flower therefore past their best?!)

Hadn't even though about entering until I realised I'd got Basil, Lemon balm (growing like a weed down the wild side of the bungalow), Bay, Parsley and a very few sprigs of Rosemary - my plant is only 8 inches tall so far, so enough to make up a nice green jug full.

I got  2nds for my cross stich book mark and cross stitch picture. 2nd for my Peppers in the  'Any Other Vegetable Class', and the coffee/walnut marble cake in the WI Members only Class - much to my surprise. There was a different cookery judge this year and she whizzed through the judging. I was stewarding and writing down the points - checking everything twice just in case.

Just a few photos from the other things happening on the meadow - I meant to take more but kept talking to people and forgetting.

Love the Stowmarket Concert Band below, they are here every year and very good. Colin and I used to travel to Ipswich many years ago to listen to some of the big name Brass Bands - Brighouse and Rastrick; Black Dyke; Grimethorpe Colliery etc. It's very Happy Music.

Terrible photos of the Wheel2wheel Stunt team bikers jumping about - I was sitting down and  didn't like to stand up to get   a good photo as there were lots of people standing behind.

There's a video on their website HERE They travel the country doing these shows - crazy stuff.

A couple of beautiful flower arrangements - such skill - I wouldn't have a clue where to start with these - it's a hobby/craft/skill that has never appealed.

More old cars than they usual - they look so polished and loved

And old tractors too, I ended up travelling behind 3 of these on my way home as they come from my village - 10mph for 3 miles!

 

A good day was had by all I think. After the heat wave of 2022 and the torrential washout that was the 2023 show, Saturdays weather was just perfect.

The weekend parts that I saw  of the  Summer of Sport 2024 were good. Carlos Alcaraz v Djokovic being a re-run of the Wimbledon final but with the opposite result. 

Back later in the week.

Sue

Saturday 3rd

There have been some sticky hot nights this last week, the gel pillow things are totally useless, they only stay cold for a short while so I was glad of a cooler night on Thursday. The gypsies/travellers who've bought land down the road and moved in two caravans haven't got electric on yet and have a generator running and at night I can hear it in the background which is well annoying on a night when the windows  are open for a bit of air.

 In and out today taking my entries to the Fayre and Produce Show and going back later to see if I've won anything. As one of the Handicraft classes was for 'An item of Cross Stitch' I was able to put in an entry as I've got several of my X Stitch pictures around the house. Plus the tomatoes and peppers and one cake.

Just one entry in the Cookery classes this year. A Coffee and Walnut Marble Cake - chilling in the fridge - I don't think it's marbled enough to be a prize winner. 

Prize winnings are still in pence so I'm hopeful for winning something somewhere which might be enough for a cup of tea!

Still watching as much as possible of the Olympics. An emotional end to Andy Murrays long tennis career, but with 4 children under 8 at home he'll be kept busy! Trampolining Gold yesterday by a GB woman - Bryony Page who has had Silver and Bronze in the past- 33 years old. When I was 33 I'd got 3 children and the pelvic floor would have been no good  on a trampoline! Then another Gold for the team show jumping- that made 9 Gold by 3pm Friday and 25 in total and up to 3rd in the Medal Table - Incredible stuff.

One sport I never watch is boxing but I heard about the transgender woman and saw the news about her - so much bigger and stronger - seems so very unfair and odd of the Olympic Committee. Perhaps one day there will be a whole different category or a wholly different games - Olympics, Paralympics and Trans Olympics? 

The 8th Book for the Summer bit of  Reading The Seasons was another collection of short crime stories edited by Cecily Gayford. - Murder Takes a Holiday; Classic Crime Stories for Summer.  From Conan Doyle to more recent authors like Ruth Rendell. All good stories.

zoom

Apologies to people whose comments went into spam again . I look and there is nothing there but then another day there are comments from many days earlier. It's been like this for a couple of years now and about time blogger.com solved this issue.

Back Next Week

Sue

The 6th and 7th Books of Summer for Reading The Seasons

 This book with Summer in it's title is accounts of school summer holidays from various people from all walks of life - although tipping more towards those who went to boarding schools or were in the 'upper classes'.

What comes over in this book is the huge difference between then and now . From the 1930's - 60's and 70's when fewer Mums were out at work so at home for child care and nothing was scheduled to fill those six weeks except perhaps a week at the seaside or a stay with grandparents, to now - when so many things are organised for children they hardly have time to do their own thing!

Another big difference was (is?) between the wealthier, who would often get the chance to travel abroad or to a rented holiday home for the duration, and the poorest who were lucky to have a day at the seaside curtesy of the local church outing.

The 7th for Reading the Seasons was this by Cora Harrison, 'Summer of Secrets', another of her series about the friendship between authors Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens and the solving of a crime.

August, 1856. Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens are spending the summer at Knebworth House, the magnificent Hertfordshire home of fellow writer Lord Edward Bulwer-Lytton, where they are putting on a charity performance of one of Lord Edward's most successful plays, The Lady of Lyon. But the dress rehearsal is disrupted by the discovery of a body lying in the centre of the stage, shot to death.

There are five so far in this series, and I've read 4 and enjoyed them all. Luckily the one  not read has Winter in it's title so that will be reserved later for December.

(There's a problem for September to November - very few books with Autumn in their titles and even less that I'd actually want to read  - may have to include 'Fall')

 Back Soon

Sue