Show's over for this year.

We were so lucky with the weather, this morning we've had an absolute deluge - another one, we're getting used to them and we wouldn't really notice but we've all commented on what it would have been like had it deluged last week - we'd have needed wellies to wade around the produce tent at last Saturday's village show.  As it was, it a beautiful day, if anything slightly too warm. Although the number of entries were slightly down in comparison with last year the flower and vegetable entries filled the tent nicely and everyone was pleased that there were so many in spite of the dreadful weather earlier in the season. I only managed a couple of pots of herbs (which were slightly dog-eared so didn't win anything but are now drying ready for storage to season dishes over the winter) and this week the lilies are looking and smelling amazing so can we do it again this week please? (No, comes the agonized whimper from sub-ed HB's desk). But Mr W's dahlias did it again and he took back home the cup for the best dahlias in the show which were also the best floral exhibit so a second cup headed to Greenend as well.  Unfortunately AW's elder daughter didn't get the shield back but both junior B's won cups for the most points in their age groups. And after two days of baking and heaven only knows how many tonnes of flour and dozens of eggs HB retained the cup for the most points accrued across the baking section.  And all could have done well at the Egton Show on Wednesday as their entries seemed far fewer in number and (in our humble opinion) no where near as good as Goathland Show's!
TB was impressed with the display of rare breeds and amazed by the ploughing abilities of the pigs (we don't usually have pigs at Egton) which had turned their pens into mud squares, even the whites which were under cover to prevent sunburn; she is now even more determined to add some Golden Guernsey goats to her small menagerie - next year maybe.
Mr W just can't stop winning things, his pigeons did very well at Egton, the magpies and rollers especially so, bringing home plenty of red ones (firsts) and the gamebirds didn't disgrace either with a second.

Despite having a day off the Weekly edition is now on it's way; the printers are rolling and the digital edition will be live soon, this week it's huge at 17 pages including five pages of news, a page and a half of information about next month's work days and conservation activities, 23 adverts for volunteers, 50 for paid posts of which 27 came direct to CJS.
Having had a day off this week we'll be here on Monday (from 10) even though it's a Bank Holiday but if it's quiet we may finish a little earlier than usual, especially if the weather is sunny (not according to the met office, but we can hope).  Enjoy your Bank Holiday weekend, and keep your fingers crossed that the sun has his hat on...