My County Fair

Good day to you, dear reader.

Today I'd like to share one of our island's annual events with you.

But first the outfit (plus ca change eh?)

It was a hot day, so something light and cool was called for.

A Primark top, with a green jungle leaf print and loose around where my waist would be, were it not for year's of ice cream eating and gin and tonic drinking!  I wore it with my reunited-with-me-this-summer white H&M linen bias cut skirt. 

As were were walking to and from the event, I wore comfy Clarks sandals.  I always feel like a little girl wearing her summer shoes when I were these things!  What do you think?

And Tadaahhh!  No jewellery, I was good to go!

Yes no further adornment was required as I was taking this little summer=casual outfit to our North Show, a  "county" show which is a show case for all that our northern parishes produce and create.  Makes, bakes, creates and fur and feather and livestock etc are judged.  There is a little fairground. entertainment, displays, parades and a floral float competition.  And there is candyfloss!  Rounded off by a huge firework display.

The Photographer and I went along on to soak in the atmosphere. May I share a few pics with you?  I won't show you the animals - although the owners take good care of them and some, like the bunnies etc are often family pets, I don't like to see them in the cages for the day.  It makes me sad.  So I didn't go in those tents.  But here's some of what I did see.

Cake Heaven.  My type of tent!  But which to choose?

Goodies made by children.

Goodies made by grown-ups.

Hens eggs.  Ducks eggs.

Sweet preserves.  Hors d'oeuvres.

Fruity vodka!  Just leave me here at this table, please!

Some flower displays had a beach theme, some were more traditional.

In the crafts section, some made cuddly toys, one made an intricate wooden bagatelle.

Some played with said intricate wooden bagatelle.

It's the produce tent that I most enjoy.

Maybe I should enter some of garden bounty next year.

 

There were monster vegetables, amusing our off-duty Photographer.

Tomatoes, of course, for we are the home of The Guernsey Tom.

Yes, maybe Chateau Pout should be on show next year ... or maybe my passion fruit?

Yes, hay was judged!

Fodder beet.  And of course there were tractors.  And men sitting round talking about them!

(note to self, just STOP taking the cardis, you NEVER wear them!

The show finishes with a Battle of Flowers.  Floral displays are judged, ranging from children decorated in flowers all the way through to gi-normous floats of themed displays, all mobile.   Back when I was a young whippersnapper the battle was two-fold, being a battle to win best in category, and also because when the show finished, the children were "encouraged" to rip off the flowers of the larger displays and throw the flowers at each other, the real battle! 

I stayed just once to see this, I found it too rough.

These days the displays are mostly made of artificial flowers (negating the need for armies of helpers and round the clock construction the day before the show using fresh flowers) and there is no physical dismantling battle.

The Fat Controller (credit Guernsey Press)

Floral Bill and Ben.  Christmas in August.

 

Scary rides, though not up to Busch Park or Disneyland standard!

We didn't stick around for the bigger floral categories.

 

Yes we're old now, so just pop our heads in to see what's going on every few years. But we're happy to pay our entrance fee because ... we can see the whole firework display from our top floor windows!

Hope you enjoyed our little northern parishes show.  Probably much like yours, only a lot smaller!

Now this is strange.  I wanted to leave you with some suitable music.  I instantly thought of Perry Como, though I didn't know why.  Anyway, I searched YouTube and up this popped.  How weird!  A song about a county fair.  I will have watched this when I was around ten years old.  And no more since then.  Yet I remembered it.  Oh dear, is this senility creeping in.  Second childhood?

Anyway, here's Perry and it's the opening song in his show.  I haven't watched the rest of the show.  Life's too short ...

A la perchoine.