Wednesday 27 August 2008

The Wensleydale Show

It was our local Agricultural Show last Saturday and - praise be - it was a lovely sunny day (after weeks of rain).
In the days when farmers had loads of men working their land, when transport tended to be Shanks's Pony and when most people never went further than their county town in their whole lives, these Shows were for many the highlight of their year.
It was the time when you met your friends, swopped farming tales, showed off your best stock and the best of your vegetable garden - and the wives baked cakes and arranged flowers and a good time was had by all.
I am pleased to say that that kind of event has survived up here. In some ways people see the Show as an anachronism but country people up here take it all very seriously. Competition in the horticultural tent and the cookery tent is fierce. It is good to see the children joining in.
The quality of the stock is superb -cattle and sheep and some heavy horses.
Being a holiday area we get lots of holiday makers who drop in for a jolly day. All the farmers and their wives go and we meet one another and enjoy a chat and relax. And best of all our Feed Merchant lays on a good supply of splendid beef sandwiches so that we can sit in comfort, eat and drink and watch the procedings.

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