New Forest County Show
Day one of the county show and our first stop was to marvel at some of the new farm machinery on show. This especially interested Kevin who has an amazing knowledge of farm machinery and he explained to the group how the machinery worked and what task they complete on the farm.
A delightful homemade ice cream was a real treat.
Over in the pens, we watched as some of the cattle and sheep who were getting a makeover ready for their big entrance into the show ring. They were all looking fabulous. Then, we watched as the Blacksmiths were joined by the Royal Engineers showing their skills at making horseshoes and spare vehicle parts. It was fascinating to watch something being made from start to finish.
Our next stop was in the Antique and Collectables tent where Adrian and Kevin managed to buy some vintage tractors and buses to add to their growing collection. Kevin even managed to haggle a great price so well done Kevin for getting yourself a bargain! We watched some of the old vintage engines still in action, with the smell of burning oil and
After a super day, we decided to drive to Bournemouth as it was such a lovely, warm evening still. We walked along the promenade and enjoyed our evening meal in a great fish and chip restaurant overlooking the sea. We continued our stroll right along the seafront and up the steps to the top of the cliff watching the beautiful sunset. The views were absolutely stunning.
Day two and we headed straight to the main arena where we watched as the cattle proudly entered the ring for the best of breed category. We all chose our favourite to win and as the judge watched and checked them all over and we were delighted when he awarded our winner with the 1st place rosette. Everyone cheered and clapped; we must know our cows very well!
Next in the arena was a fabulous dog agility show and we watched as the dogs chased a toy hare around an obstacle course in hope of catching it. There were so many things to look at it the Craft Tent and we admired all the handmade items for sale.
Walking around some more we spotted more tractors of all sizes and ages lined up. Kevin chatted to some of the owner’s gaining lots of information on the history of the machinery.
Now it was time to watch something a little different, The Axeman. They got straight to work, showing off their skills, splitting and cutting wood from up high, in the fastest time. We were amazed as to how quick they were, managing to cut through the thick tree trunks.
Salisbury and took a lovely walk around the Cathedral Gardens which is so beautifully kept. There were some interesting sculptures set within the grounds and the flowers smelt delightful. We stopped in the cafe for a drink and some homemade cake and browsed the souvenir shop to buy some last-minute gifts to take home. Then we walked into the town centre and visited some of the small, quirky boutique style shops selling some locally made items and of course a few charity shops. We stopped for lunch in a great café before browsing the market stalls selling an array of homemade produce.
A must see was a visit to Sand World, Weymouth's first sand sculpture festival. We were blown away by these incredible works of art! Each sculpture has been hand carved entirely with sand and water by world class sand artists. We were amazed at the intricate detail on each of the sculptures; they really were fantastic to see and such a wonderful experience. Our favourite sculptures were Disney's- The Little Mermaid and Dumbo.
It was game on down at the bowling alley. We split into two teams and played an exciting game with some great, high scores and a few strikes along the way. It was a nail-biting finish with Mark just gaining enough points at the end to win the match with a whopping score of 104. Congratulations to him and the rest of the group for such a thrilling game. We had a lunch break before racking up the balls on the pool table for a mini tournament. The competition was high and there were some fabulous shots!
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