Ghost in Blue
We all hoped for a dry blue day when the time came for the fire stations garden fete, everyone had worked hard to make the day a success. Once again the main stall would attract many of the towns males to try their hand at throwing a wellie to win a piglet, this had been a tradition of the fete for many years.
Cooks lucky dip stall would also attract the men, as they attempted to win her bottled parsnip wine.
Whilst the men completed, their wife’s chattered over cheese scones, and tea in china cups.
As usual there were many interesting tables lining the perimeter of the large walled Georgian garden. The gardener wife sold home made jams and pickled walnuts, whilst the firemen’s wives had their usual cake stall. Gardeners sold the products of their labour; there was rhubarb to dip in sugar, which stood side by side with flowers and marrows, as the scent of seasonal herbs drifted across the bales of hay. Bales which served as seats around the manicured grounds. But this year my favourite stall was the coconut shy. I was there when the vicar’s wife won the piglet.
Footnotes:
Genre My memoriors.
The vicars wife usually dressed in blue to attended the fete, she shocked the men by winning the main prize of the day.
Very entertaining, Michael
I am glad it entertained. Thank you.
A classic English village scene.
It certainly was, thank you Iain
Sounds like a wonderful memory.
It is, although I wish that I had kept a diary also. As so many of the names from that period escape me
I felt like I was there Michael. No kidding, I could taste the sweetness of the sugar against the sharpness of the rhubarb. Roll on fete season!
Thank you for your kind comment, In the mid 1950s Rhubarb dipped in sugar was a treat. This fete took place a few years after war time rationing came to an end.
Incredible visual! I felt I was there.Brilliant Michael.
This sounds like a fun event for all involved and the description and imagery is really great. It makes you want to be at this event and watch the vicar’s wife win the pig, and taste some of the food. My one thought was although it’s nice to sit with the ladies and have tea, most of us would like to play games too. Tea and gossip is good, but like the vicars wife, I think many women have a competitative streak. Great memory 🙂
Thank you Mandi, what you say is true; but back in the mid 1950s, some were just glad to have free time to relax after the hardship of the war years.
Great take on the prompt. Such a peaceful, happy scene. Thanks.
For me that particular fete was special. For I saw [but did not understand] people happy. For the hard years of war time rationing had passed into history
Such beautiful imagery. Oh, for the little joys of an idyllic village life.
I appreciated this feedback. Sadly such ‘old time’ village fetes are becoming rare. Luckily the village where I now live, still is a village.
Oh wow, I’m coming over then 🙂
Cool story. Enjoyable read.
I was so pleased that you enjoyed this snippet from my childhood. Thank you Dawn