Country show

When I was younger we used to visit the Town and Country festival every year. I loved it. There was so much to see. Foods to try, crafts for sale, demonstrations, animals, competitions, activities and loads more. In more recent years, I think I've only made it there once or twice. Last year it wasn't on at all and they decided to replace it with a "new version" of the old festival this year.

Rob's company had a stand at the Imagineering part of the fair, so he volunteered to work on Sunday at the fair so we could get free tickets (it's very expensive to get in). I have to say I was really disappointed :( Everything I used to love about the old festival has either gone or there was a great deal less of it. The whole thing had shrunk. There were only a handful of craft stalls (of which I wouldn't describe some as crafts because they weren't hand made items, or individual products).

Don't get me wrong there were some bits that I enjoyed. The few stalls that there were had some lovely things inlcuding one with all teddy bears and softies and another selling old fashioned wooden toys (I bought Alex something from each of these).

The imagineering fair was good fun (although not as interactive as I remember it being). The small person got to make a badge, play on some kids fitness equipment, paint pottery (which will be returned to us through the post after being fired in the kiln), played with mechano, talked to a very friendly robot (an shook hands with) who gave her a pen and some sweets after correctly guessing Alex's age, made a certificate on the computer and had a keyring made with her name cut into it (on Daddy's stand), played with goo on the mad science stand and a few other things aswell.

The small person had her photo taken for a cute baby/toddler competition run by a local paper (for under 5's) and also had her picture taken with Bob the builder and Darth Vader, a storm trooper, Bubba and Jango Fett, who just happened to be walking around (in fact the storm trooper was selecting some fudge from a stall) and we had some lovely Guernsey ice cream (which both the small person and bogert ended up covered in. Like father like daughter).

Alex badge making

Pottery painting

Talking to the robot

A little village made entirely out of knitted pieces. (I saw this in a book at the librairy months ago, but can't remember who it was by)

Later we walked around the classic (and not so classic) cars. I am in love with the teardrop turtle trailer! But again, there was a great deal missing from previous years (like the converted transit vans) and we waited for the aeroplane flyover that never took place :( We watched the monster trucks tear around the arena, which Alex though was great, then we watched them crush a line of cars which upset her and made her cross and call them "Naughty stupid big cars" They are not her bestest friends, apparently.

The "naughty car" moment

We spent the whole day there, and I did like parts of it (it wasn't a wasted day) but had I have had to pay to get in I would have been a bit anoyed and thought I'd been ripped off. It was a very shrunken version of what I used to love. Never mind.

Now I'm crocheting bows like mad. I haven't done much else crafty wise. We got hammered at work and it just knocked me out. All I wanted to do was sleep. So I did. Now, back to my crochet bows!