Category — Village

The 34th Annual Flower and Vegetable show was held this Saturday in our village. A great bustle filled the air as the villagers took their wonderful produce to the village hall to await judgement. The eighty categories make it a fabulous affair.  The hall was filled to bursting with all manner of  superb vegetables with the Onion Competition displaying some of the biggest and best onions I have ever seen.  Every vegetable from the common potato and carrots to the not some common kohlrabi,  very popular in Germany and known as the German turnip, it dates back to the 16th century.  Also on display  were the marvelous  victoria sponges, fruit cakes, plum breads, apple pies,  jams and preserves, such wonderful jars of pickle onions and mint jellies. Mostly all the items are auctioned at the end of the day, selling at  the most reasonable prices and the villagers snap up the  scrumptious cakes  and first class vegetables. On arriving home I  made  a very  good leek au gratin for supper and some  butternut  squash and chili soup for freezing.

It has not been a very good summer  this year and yet these amazing village gardeners always managed to produce the most wonderful vegetables and should be so proud of themselves when collecting their various plaques and trophies.

It is such a nice social afternoon with tea and cakes or a glass of wine for those who choose.  Long may this wonderful show continue, I look forward to the 35th Flower and Vegetable show, in our really lovely little village.

On Saturday we were invited to a wonderful  50th birthday party for a friend who lives in the same village. It was so beautifully planned, I believe there was upwards of one hundred and thirty persons present, yet the organization was amazing.  A fantastic live band which always sets the scene  for me, was ensconced under a canopy,  and arriving to the gentle sounds of a saxophone was very pleasing. It was held in the extremely large rear garden  of a village house and there was something for everyone, the children had loads to do as there was a wonderful ‘Sumo ‘ wrestling’ game among many others.  The food was scrumptious, with a wonderful ‘hog-roast’ and some amazing desserts.  We chatted and danced to some wonderful old tunes and what a perfect evening it all was.

Towards the end of June, seems to be the most popular time for the Village Fete, it really is such a wonderful English Tradition.  Our small village had theirs yesterday, as usual on the last Saturday in June.  The large Marquees were erected in the centre of the village, and with all the bustle and preparation an excitement seems to take over.

The ladies of the village start their wonderful baking  in the days before, and the cakes are duly assembled, some are selected for selling and the rest are displayed in the refreshment tent ready to serve our visitors a wonderful tea. Wines and gifts are packed onto tables for tombola and raffles, and all manner of stands, and games, filled the meadow.  The ‘Honey’ man was there with his wonderful little pots of goodness and his  special sheets of  bees-wax, which can be rolled and made into candles. Delicious homemade Jams and Marmalades filled the tables. Local  ‘very tasty ‘ Eggs were gathered up very quickly. With the  Ice Cream Man and Bouncy Castle doing a roaring trade, a festive air took place.  Great plants for sale, and an impressive display of vintage cars  filled more spaces.

The local school Band played  wonderfully and with such great  accomplishment and aplomb, and later with the catchy tunes of our village group, I found my toes tapping as some great music filled the meadow.

The weather was kind to us and seeing all the cheery faces and the happy smiles and laughter of  the children, it was a most pleasant afternoon.  Long may this splendid tradition continue.