The Collingham Show

The Village of Collingham in Nottinghamshire has been holding a show in some form for 164 years.  It's always held on the third Saturday in September.  The fine weather had brought people out in their thousands to attend.  There was plenty to keep the crowds occupied, from eventing in the main arena to displays and dog shows in a smaller ring.

It's been a long day

 

Where I come from in the north east of England, Leek Shows are a fixture in the calendars of many towns and villages.  Despite the name, all vegetables are displayed, with owners obsessing over their produce and even mounting security patrols of gardens and allotments to prevent sabotage.  There is usually copious amounts of beer to be consumed as most shows seemed to be held in working men's clubs.

The Collingham show equivalent is a much more genteel affair.

 No show is complete without a giant vegetable of some description.

The cutest animals at the show were hands down the Alpacas.

Peek-a-boo

Over in the main arena, the horses and riders where busy competing.

 If there was one disappointment to the day, was the cancellation of the RAF Memorial Flight which we hoped would make a flypast.  I overheard one of the stall holders telling someone that it had been cancelled because the Lancaster needed repairs and the other planes where at different locations across the country.

We were treated with an acrobatic display by a single plane which was quite impressive.

I don't think it was part of the show, but on the way into the show I spotted an AWACS Sentry plane in the distance.

Of course, if it's a country show, then a display of birds of prey can usually be found.  I'm a sucker for birds of prey.

A not so Bald Eagle

Small World

 Having a smaller garden does have its advantages.  There is of course the obvious reduction in gardening chores (it still feels a novelty not to be cutting grass every week!), but the closer proximity of the plants and flowers show you just how much life is present in such a compact space.  Insect and pollinators abound.  We are certain that under one plant there is a bee hive of some description.  They ignore us even when we are sat in close proximity.

We've been very lucky in buying a house that has had been planned and planted by a talented gardener.  The planting in the garden is such that when one flower display is ending the next is springing into life.  Thanks to this the garden has been thriving with smaller critters.

The pictures below were actually taken at night.  The web was virtually invisible during daylight.  The camera flash managed to show the web and its occupant.