The Autumn Show

Having retired from Radio, Mike was surprised to receive an offer of a day’s work at the Autumn Show, Malvern but as this gave us an opportunity for a free weekend’s camping and entrance to the show, plus earning a bit of pocket money, it seemed too good a gift horse to look in the mouth.

It was rather exciting to park up at the show, the night before it started and be able to wander around, watching everyone setting up. We’d only previously seen it in the hubbub of Show days.

Saturday morning and there was a panic, as there had been an omission in booking someone for the gardening theatre, something Mike has been in charge of, many times, in the past. He offered to cover that and so, an extra day’s work was now coming our way. The pocket money was suddenly looking much more appealing.

The Show, as always had all the usual delights and the weather was good. We met up with many old friends.

However, as seems to be the way with me, there had to be a downside. On the first evening I had to get up to go to the bathroom in the night. I hadn’t realised I was used to the light showing the fridge was on, as an aid to negotiating the dog’s bed (did I mention Rowley is now travelling with us?) As we didn’t have electric hook-up that night, we were running it on gas. I could see the large white dog and stepped over him. What I hadn’t reckoned on was him not lying on his dark coloured bean bag, which I caught my foot it, crashed in through the bathroom door and fell face first against the washbasin, putting a tooth through my bottom lip in the process.

Mike had managed to lose the Neurofen somewhere and was very unpopular for the next ten minutes. Thankfully I had some frozen Broad Beans in the ice box and shoved a handful into a tea towel  and compressed my lip, until Mike managed to locate the tablets and after about 20 minutes of moaning and crying, I managed to go back to sleep.

Really odd, the next day I was only aware of my bruised and cut lip. The following day, the pain in my ribs, where I fell through the doorway was hell and made getting in and out of the cab agony for the next week. Not to mention lying in bed, when only my left side was an option.

We were making the most of the free camping at the Showground and planned to stay until Monday morning. On Sunday morning, our neighbours had packed up ready for a quick getaway in the afternoon. They had one of the few hook up points and as I do appear to have developed previously unsuspected blagging skills, asked if we could pay them  for the remainder of their unused electricity. No of course we couldn’t. We could have it for free!! So apart from nearly killing myself on the first night, it turned into a pretty good weekend.

Some of the sights of the Show.