I don't know what it is about agricultural shows but we always fall out every single time we go to one. Today we decided to go to the "Gilsland Agricultural Show". My husband loves these shows but I am ambivalent about them. I usually like them once we are there but I have to work at it. (City girl that I am.) Muddy boots galore, ruddy cheeked farmers in their tan brogues, animals in abundance left, right and centre. Bouncy castles. Fairgrounds. Ice creams. Food tents. Arts and Crafts tents. Face painting. Ancient tractors, cars, steam engines: all shiny and on show.
We went to the Northumberland County Show at Corbridge (which is massive) last year. It rained and I can't remember why but we argued. We went to the Cumbria County Show at Carlisle this year and I sobbed outside the food tent. Today before we even went to the Gilsland Show my daughter had an all out tantrum. We all made up, we put on our coats, our wellies, our broadest smiles and went out.
We live five minutes from Gilsland. We go to Gilsland. No signs seen for the show so hubbie roared off in the direction of Low Row. We went up hill and down dale. We eventually met up with the Military Road going to Banks (see previous posts). We drove back in the direction of Gilsland. We turned off to the left half way along Military Road (hubbie had seen a sign for the farm mentioned in the paper as to where the show was being held)....we drove down hill and up dale. We turned down a lane so tiny that we made an eighty year old granny reverse back down for, oh say, at least three and a half minutes. We drove past her. We thanked her. It was a very pretty hamlet. We reached a beck. We reached a closed gate. We turned around. We drove back to where we had come from. We got back on the Military Road. Husband roared off again. We had left late. The Show was about to finish. Daughter groaned in the back seat. She felt sick. We slowed down. We admired the tourists, who had come from afar, climbing onto the Wall at Birdoswald. Ah ha! A sign was espied for the Show at Gilsland. Turn left at the bottom of the road it said. Left past Slack House Farm. We saw more signs, the letters daubed in red paint, for the Show at Gilsland. At last we had found it! Eureka! When we asked the man at the gate why there had not been more signs, at the centre of Gilsland (which anyone can drive through in sixty seconds), for the Show, he said they had run out of them. We parked the car. We looked at each other and started to giggle hysterically. Makes a nice change.
11 comments:
Was my husband driving?
God that sounds familiar!
I wish the bouncy castles etc would go off bang and float away - they are out of place at agricultural shows. Sorry - but I think they are the ugliest things on the planet! At the steam rally it was the same - lots of my pics were spoilt by the background infflatables!!!
Gawd, this sounds like us last week trying to get to things from our B&B in between Warwick and Stratford. So many tiny country roads which were either not labelled or not even on the map. My 5 year old finally asked why, if I'd been brought up in England, I didn't know my way around!
Dear Frog...I don't think it was your husband (but I'll just go back and check)...I'm a bit absent minded these days...
Dear Lindsay..I have to say that although I'm not a great fan of those bouncy castles there is an equation I keep in mind when I see one: bouncy castle + agric. show = marriage saver.
Dear expatmum...aw! Aren't little ones sweet? I think you had reason to not know the roads there. All we had to do was drive to the village and turn right. That whole journey would normally take 5 mins. Instead we were on the road for 45 minutes!!! (Just when the locals were starting to think we weren't Southern downshifters...)
I love country shows. I actually think I should have been born into country class! I actually own a Barbour Jacket and hat to walk my dogs in. I feel quite at home in it - LOL.
At Corbridge a couple of years ago we were 'shunted' out of the way by some ya ya family who thought they had more right to a good view of the show than we did. I'd rather bouncy castles than arrogant ya ya's.
Gail
To find your way to an agricultural show just needs you to wind down the window and take a wee sniff hadriana - no signs necessary
Thanks for dropping by mine - a b&b in Tiverton? brave woman! Laughed at the falling out - sounds very familiar. We have a new solution - I and son go; husband doesn't - all are happy.....
This time last year we were standing on top of your wall.....sigh.
It is so easy to get lost when trying to get to these shows!
bouncy castles & fairgrounds in an agricultural show? Not really the place, but I expect they bring in the money!
By heck AC...must do that next time! Thanks for popping by Exmoorjane...it was actually Rhode Farmhouse, Exeter Hill, Tiverton, and they were absolutely brilliant with us (including barfing little one). Highly recommended. Very glad that you've seen the Wall. Do pop by again some time.
Hello Maggie...glad you've got your computer sorted out at last. I've been a bit deficient bloggingwise of late but the house is cleaner!
Hi Gail, Thank you for passing by...I gather that you are from around these parts. Yes..the show at Corbridge is huge...elbows, knees, cheesy grins, tugging of forelock...everything is required to get round that one!
It's not only getting there that you have to worry about.. it's getting off the field afterwards!
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