Wensleydale Agricultural Show

Wensleydale held its annual show over the Bank Holiday. The weather didn't look too promising - here is a 'wuthering' Yorkshire sky for Skywatch Friday!

But it didn't stop us from enjoying a walk on the moors

where it's beautiful no matter what the weather might throw at us.

Then it was off to the show, secure in the knowledge that if the heavens opened we would be able to shelter in one of the big marquees. (And, sure enough, that's what happened!)
What a lot to see at an agricultural show; people watching, dog watching, horses and cows, and this being Wensleydale, sheep, sheep, sheep, even one made out of cauliflower and mushrooms.

(Take a look at the edible necklace competition over on my Miss Cellany blog.)

The hounds ran round the main ring,

and Laurie with his Dales ponies.

Here he comes, this time driving his game dealer cart, pheasants dangling from the sides, his pony too fast for my camera.

I love the marquees. I have happy memories of 'helping' my uncle at the annual flower show when I was a child.

One of the children's competitions was for flowers in a jam jar.

 When our daughters were small they spent ages planting out their 'gardens on a plate' and here the miniature garden competition had some wonderful entries.

There were a great many entries for stick making.

Himself makes a fresh thumb stick every year - nothing like as posh as any of these! He keeps his eye open for a suitable divided branch that isn't in need of any real shaping and he doesn't add a ferrule. He always walks with a stick because he says it's good for slashing at brambles and warding off stray dogs. I've also discovered that it's good for helping me to jump across streams, if he's at the other side holding it!

I wonder how my elderflower cordial would compare?

And the sloe gin looked good! (I read in the newspaper that it's a very good year for sloes because of all the summer rain.)

I like to think I know my onions. These ones instilled growers envy.

I consoled myself with the thought that they are so big that they might not taste very good.

There were huge beasts in the cattle tent.

All a bit much for this little terrier.

We lost track of Himself round the classic cars. I spoke to the owner of this 1937 Fiat 500. He had owned it for many years but only finished restoring it this year.  It was designed in Turin in 1936 by Dante Giacosa as a 'peoples' car, it's nickname 'Topolino', (little mouse).

He told me that the car had been in a very poor state when he bought it, left to deteriorate in a shed in the Shetland Islands, stones thrown at the windows breaking the glass. I realised as he spoke to me that I was hearing a love story. He had bought the car for his wife who was a Shetland Islander. In time they moved from Scotland to the Yorkshire Dales but the car remained unrestored. Then his wife became ill and to please her he started work on the car.  She died before the work was complete. "I've done it for her," he told me. I said that he should print  this personal history and display it on the car

because every one likes a love story.