We are entering the balmy days of September. A little chillier in the mornings and the evenings are drawing in ever so slightly. But lovely clear calm weather prevails, and joy is in our hearts this morning as we prepare for our first experience of the St Stephens Annual Show.
Earlier in the week we submitted our entry form, accompanied by 20p - in the Novice Potatoes (5) category. The tricky bit was identifying the most perfect specimens of our crop which had to be consistent in size and quality, as our modest harvest had yielded an eclectic variety of shapes, sizes and textures. We made the selection and prepared by buying some paper plates (the vessel of choice for showing produce on). N gently washed the potatoes and we were off to go to the setting up, not knowing what to expect.
Earlier in the week we submitted our entry form, accompanied by 20p - in the Novice Potatoes (5) category. The tricky bit was identifying the most perfect specimens of our crop which had to be consistent in size and quality, as our modest harvest had yielded an eclectic variety of shapes, sizes and textures. We made the selection and prepared by buying some paper plates (the vessel of choice for showing produce on). N gently washed the potatoes and we were off to go to the setting up, not knowing what to expect.
We were delighted to find that there was only one other competitor in our category. We laid our potatoes out as artistically as we could, observing what others were doing, then took ourselves off for a couple of hours until the show started.
The
atmosphere was electric. N felt "quietly confident".To find that... yes, readers - the hard work, the toil and the sweat had paid off! We had been awarded 2nd prize and the other entry nothing!
We puzzled over the seemingly anomalous position of getting the best award in our category without getting a 1st, but then noticed that a number of entries had been similarly treated. We came to the conclusion that the Judges (who remained unseen except for a tiny shimmer in the air) had overriding criteria for each award - which kind of makes sense, a bit like university-degree classification.
We even had the benefit of a Post-It Note which confirmed that we would have got the 1st prize if our potatoes had been of the same size (well, they nearly were). So we could have been given a 3rd prize - indeed, that's what was awarded to our allotment-neighbours-but-one (the Model Plot) who put in some beans into the novice class. They were the only entry, but got a 3rd, which we thought was a little harsh as they looked fab.
We puzzled over the seemingly anomalous position of getting the best award in our category without getting a 1st, but then noticed that a number of entries had been similarly treated. We came to the conclusion that the Judges (who remained unseen except for a tiny shimmer in the air) had overriding criteria for each award - which kind of makes sense, a bit like university-degree classification.
We even had the benefit of a Post-It Note which confirmed that we would have got the 1st prize if our potatoes had been of the same size (well, they nearly were). So we could have been given a 3rd prize - indeed, that's what was awarded to our allotment-neighbours-but-one (the Model Plot) who put in some beans into the novice class. They were the only entry, but got a 3rd, which we thought was a little harsh as they looked fab. 
Our heads spinning with the heady joy of achievement, we smugly swanned around the rest of the show. Various local friends and neighbours attended, and even The Neighbours from next door graciously put in an appearance as a prelude to watching the Ingerlund -v- Israel game. Our allotment neighbours were suitably complimentary and congratulatory.There were more than 80 categories - onions, tomatoes, potatoes, leeks, beetroot, celery, parsnips, fruit of all sorts, flowers of all sorts, cakes, pictures, kids' paintings, poems, knitted garments, embroidery and so on and so on. Very interesting to see how similar it was in layout and feel to the show we had gone to during our holiday recently in a small village in Wales. Though obviously there were no Welsh speakers, and strangely, no cabbages.
A particularly intriguing category was called "Ones that didn't work". Among the items was this rather rude carrot.
Another item which we thought our readers would appreciate was this splendid elephant made out of carrot and miscellaneous vegetables. This was made by the grandson of our
allotment-neighbours-but-one (they who have the Model Plot). It won 1st prize.
The end of the show was marked by a prize-giving ceremony. There were many cups and mentions, including prizes for the children, including the abovementioned grandson of the Model Plot.
A particularly intriguing category was called "Ones that didn't work". Among the items was this rather rude carrot.Another item which we thought our readers would appreciate was this splendid elephant made out of carrot and miscellaneous vegetables. This was made by the grandson of our
allotment-neighbours-but-one (they who have the Model Plot). It won 1st prize.The end of the show was marked by a prize-giving ceremony. There were many cups and mentions, including prizes for the children, including the abovementioned grandson of the Model Plot.
We have omitted mention of Mr Getley until now, but his name was liberally scattered throughout all the show entries, most notably the vegetables. Mr Getley was also the MC, the speechmaker and giver out of prizes. When, as frequently happened, he was the recipient of the prize, another member of the committee seamlessly took over the announcements.In other circumstances, one could imagine that a degree of resentment amongst the assembly would be normal - but none could be detected. The applause was honest and heartfelt. We could only surmise that this had happened many times before, and, we hope, many more times in the future. Such is the nature of the Annual Show and we are thrilled and delighted to have played a small part in its success.
Oh, and England beat Israel 3-0, so good results all round!
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