Sophie’s boyfriend, (can you be girlfriend/boyfriend over the age of 30/40 I wonder, maybe Manfriend would be more suitable) Mentat, came over from sunny Spain, to have a holiday with Sophie in rainy England, and we went out one weekend to visit Simonside Country Fair. We hadn’t done a country fair before so were excited at the prospect of dog racing, birds of prey, a pipe band and horses and hounds. All sounded like great photo ops to us. ย So off we went, and here are some pictures I took of the day.
There was a sheep show!
and sheepherders
This chap was giving a talk on British snakes.
We visited the make, bake and grow tent and inside found a chap making wooden walking sticks with decorated handles
there was a competition for home made goodies, I wouldn’t have minded a tipple of the gin!
Outside one of the sheep was being roasted for dinner, (sorry veggie pals) and Mentat and I decided that was us sorted!
but when we went back at what we thought was lunchtime, it had all gone! They have early lunch in the country it seems.
More parts to come, of course, so stay tooned!
How cool, Fraggle! I loved seeing all the “critters.’ Okay… not so much with the snake.
And the walking sticks too. But I want to know one thing — can I be a gin taster judge? ๐ Hugs!
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Get in the queue! ๐ Cheers for visiting Teagan x
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Lunch is always eaten early in the countryside, at least in Norfolk! Too early for me.
Great shots. I love those walking sticks, and may well have bought one.
Best wishes, Pete.
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You’d look like a country squire pootling about Beetley with Ollie ๐ you’d need a hat too though!
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And I think you can still be a ‘boyfriend’ over 40, if you are not living together at least…
๐
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Nope ๐
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Did you hold the corn snake? I believe there are only 4 or so species of snakes native to the British isles, and you probably rarely see any of them in the wild. Corn snakes, like the one in your photo, are American, but they are basically as close to domesticated snakes as you can get from all the years people have bred them in captivity. One of our neighbors raises sheep, and they make lots of noise around 5:00 pm wanting their dinner. Those walking sticks are great.
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Fek me who knew! Thought it was an adder! I know nothing about snakes (obviously!) . I didn’t hold it, not for being scared, but too much to get round with the camera. Well at least 5pm isn’t 5am, and yes those walking sticks were pieces of art. Cheers Tim.
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He wouldn’t be handling an adder that way. While the European Adder has relatively low toxicity, apparently it can take a year to fully recover from a bite. There have been 14 known fatalities in Britain from Adder bites since 1876, but you wouldn’t want to handle one willy nilly.
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We have quite a few adders here in Beetley, but I have only seen three in five years. Out on the hottest days, basking on the paths. Last month, a fellow dog walker’s small retriever was bitten by one. It spent three days in the Vet’s on an adrenaline drip.
Regards, Pete.
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Oh dear, I know nothing about snakes, don’t get many in Gateshead, well not the wiggly ones anyway!
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Dogs get bitten by rattlesnakes out here, which can easily be fatal. We now have a rattlesnake vaccine that helps dogs survive snake bites. I found it interesting that there are various anti-venoms for the European Adder. In the US they have developed one anti-venom that covers almost all the rattlesnakes and pit vipers, with a few exceptions.
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I’m glad I live in oblivion mode!
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That’s how I am with TV shows. We haven’t had a TV in over 30 years, so I’m clueless when people start talking about TV shows.
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I like the making and the baking!
Too bad about lunch.
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Next time ๐
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I love our county fairs here – I’m excited to see how they compare!
On the subject of older boyfriends/girlfriends, our 70+ neighbor has started to date a woman (he was widowed a few years ago). He always refers to her as his “lady friend.” It is so cute.
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That’s cool ๐ Cheers Sarah
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I had to close my eyes at the snake bit and the roast lamb bit. I looked hard at the gin, though.
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It did look inviting, and I loved the bottle, cheers April.
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Looks like a great day out. My girlfriend (sorry, partner) would hate the snakes though! It is a bit of a quandary though – girlfriend/boyfriend sounds a little childish or like you’ve only been together for a few months (not 10 years), but when you say partner people either assume you’re married or in a same-sex relationship.
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Significant other worked for me ๐
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Gin and Lamb, what’s not to like, and the weather looks good too, I would be in my element ๐
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Yes and your doggies. ๐
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Good evening ๐
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Good evening to you too! ๐
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Good Morning Fraggleocking ๐
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Good Morning Ladybug! ๐
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Thanks Fragglerocking ๐
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Well that looks like fun! I love going to the fair. I’m from Iowa and their state fair is one of the best in the US. I went a few times and had a blast. Plus the food. Yummm
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Cheers, it wasn’t a bad fair, but I reckon Iowa wins hands down!
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A great fair judging by the photos. ๐
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It was different, ๐
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