I think the County Shows may be a peculiarly British - perhaps even English - phenomenon. Probably their purpose may have wandered over the years as ‘Revenue’ has necessitated watering down ‘Local Content’; why else would the Devon Show have a ‘Yorkshire’s Best for Outdoor Clothing’ tent? Is Dartmoor any less hospitable to its inhabitants than the Pennines? So many stalls and stands seem to have lost their County focus and simply be the same band of wandering traders, and quite what Tesco were doing presenting themselves as Local Food, heaven only knows! But the Devon Show still had enough wonderful tents with displays of local crafts and skills to entertain me (and several thousand others). I really liked the Devon Beekeeping tent with its awards for things like ‘Best Malted Honey Loaf’ and ‘Best Dry Mead’. And I particularly loved watching a skinny chick outshoot her chap, with a perfect 10/10 on the Clay Pigeons (the Barbour probably helped). But there was also a wonderful opportunity to revel in unmitigated nostalgia (is there a book title in that?) with displays of steam engines (see below) and older vehicles that hark back to a gentler motoring times. Like the two below: an Austin 8 and a BSA Bantam. An Austin 8 was my first car: bought for my 17th birthday by my father because it was sensible (I had been urging him to buy me an MG TC or a boat-bodied Ulster 7 of doubtful provenance, seen in Fairman’s Garage). It was sensible alri ...
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