More than half way through August

I can't believe we are more than half way through August.   At last the weather has changed and we are have a heatwave here in the UK.  Well, for the last week at least.

At the beginning of the month our Village Garden Club held its Annual Show.  As Show Secretary I am very involved, to say the least.  This is only the third year we have held a show, the Garden Club only being formed about six years ago.  I was very apprehensive about the unchangeable weather we were having  at that time, since we hold the show in the garden of one of our members.  The show committee comprises three members and now we are in our third year we each know what we have to do.  The day before the show I am at home to receive show entries - down this year, mainly due to the weather, but also some members were at the Olympics.  The Gazebo is erected and tables collected from the village hall.  On the morning of the show the other committee member and myself prepare the tables with black cloth for the exhibits and a white cloth for the home produce, and place marker rods for each class.   In the afternoon members begin to arrive with their entries and all is hustle and bustle as we shift the marker rods to make room for extra large flower arrangements and displays. It's always difficult to judge how large an entry will be.  Then all members have to leave and the judges arrive.   All is quiet as they inspect each entry.  The stewards bring across to me and my colleague the winning entries and these are logged and prize money prepared.   After the judging the members return to check their entries and it is a really exciting time seeing the joy on members faces as they discover they have a First, Second or Third.  I give out their winnings, but really I am sure they would not mind if they received nothing (actually it is not much at all, just a token).

I think I had the widest grin of all when I was told I had won Best in Show with my six runner beans!  I was so thrilled as the judges had told me the last two years that my beans had missed by a pip (or should that be bean?) to a flower display the first year, and a display of gladioli last year.   In fact, the judge was very impressed and said I did well in this difficult year to grow such good beans.  Wow!   We did have a short shower at one point in the afternoon, but we were all so busy I don't think anyone noticed it. It was a lovely event.  After the show we all went across the road to another members garden for a barbecue which was most enjoyable.  Of course, the next day we had to dismantle everything and I had the accounts to sort out, but all in all it is really good day.  Now we start to plan for next year!

Did you all watch the Olympics?  Like a lot of people, we got hooked and really enjoyed it.  I particularly enjoyed the track events and the gymnastics.

I love this photo of Mo Farah (GB) and Usain Bolt (USA)