An old fashioned country show

On Saturday we went to an old fashioned country show, the 100th anniversary Wallamba Show at Nabiac, a village about 20 minutes from here. Nabiac is a place where, we have been reliably informed, everyone is friendly, laid back and enjoys a little hooch. Not being hooch hounds, this was not a particular attraction but we went anyway, mainly because David was playing a gig there with The Great Lakes Jazz Band.

While they were setting up, I explored the Exhibits Pavilion. What a treat, the judged finalists in a huge array of categories: flowers, pies, cakes, artworks, photos, sewing, beer, pickles, you name it.  Might give it a whirl next year with some of our prize-winning preserves or artworks or photos or produce. In it to win it and the standards didn't look insurmountable. Rather fancy starting a collection of those blue ribbons...

 (Above) some discerning palates in the midst of judging the lemon meringue pies.

And here is the winning apple pie. It has "Nabiac 100" in pastry on the top. Excuse me if I'm being sniffy here, but my sainted mother made better pastry than that, if looks are anything to go by. Sainted mother's pastry recipe is in storage, since you ask.

Here is the show jumping, I think this snake hipped young man was the eventual winner.  He and his horse were light and quick. I saw one competitor and her horse slip over on a muddy patch and crash to the turf, fortunately no injuries just muddy jodphurs.

 The "Cec Pullen Poultry Pavilion" was a whole new world to us. So many chooks. So many different, pecking, clucking and feather fluffing chooks in all shapes and sizes.  This one proudly sitting on her egg.

This one gawping at us from under its ridiculous pom-pom head. Others had legs so disproportionately big they looked like velociraptors.  The world of chook breeding is indeed a rarified and specialised place.

After the show we raced down to the beach for a last delicious swim with Peter, then took him to the train.

Dropped in to the house site to see progress and saw this amusing set of plover tracks in the wet concrete slurry.  We have a resident pair. Curious critters, plovers aka masked lapwings. The house is probably being built on top of their favourite nest site.

Other than that the only change we could see was that all was absolutely ready and poised for the bricklayers to begin at the very first moment on Monday morning. The concrete mixer in place, the trowels arrayed, the barrel of water full, the bricks strategically positioned, the wheelbarrow loaded with hods at the ready. No mucking about.  Just need power.

We have missed most of this latest heavy rain that has flooded inland and south of here.  Maybe the weather luck will hold until the slab is poured?