Saturday 18 June 2011

A fete worse than death, don't you love a good pun?

Tixall to Penkridge, about four hours and four locks. Also had a good downpour and arrived damp but unbowed.

The cottage at Deptmore Lock is coming along nicely, extension out the back, all new windows, looks good. Must be costing a fortune.
After arrival at Penkridge we walked up into town and discovered that today was the Church Fete. You have to have a look don't you.

The usual collection of stalls, I bought six books for £1.50, not great literature but I don't do that sort of book.
There were some good cars though.

An Austin 1100, I had one as my first car, terrible things, no wonder the British car industry went belly up. The Rover was only marginally better.
Actually my first car was a Reliant Regal, you could drive one on a motor-bike licence and at the time that was the only licence I had, the 1100 only came along after the R.N. kindly provided me with a full licence.

An American fire tender, how did that get here?

Daimler Ferret scout car, 1958. Love the sun shade.

Oh dear, another great British design, rapidly consigned to the dustbin of history. Just think, an electric "car" years before they invented global warming. It might work if they introduced it now.
But best of all

a genuine Punch and Judy show,

forget p.c., the traditional violence was there

and the little ones just loved it. "That's the way to do it."

The happy couple, the bits with the crocodile and the sausages were just too horrific to publish.

Such a gathering would not be complete without a fairground organ, embarrassingly I can remember when you could still see these working on fairground rides. Sounded good though.
Only in England could you get an event like this, no one else would dream of actually displaying

 an Austin A30?
We loved the whole atmosphere of the afternoon, long may such events continue.
British eccentricity,

Watch this space............

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