Heavenly Beverley : A Chilly Show Day in Heavenly Beverley

Saturday, 22 August 2015

A Chilly Show Day in Heavenly Beverley

This time last year, the weather was glorious. Blue sky, sunshine and warm temperatures had added up to an incredibly pleasant show day in 2014. A bit different in 2015.

We had rain yesterday followed by a clear, cold night. It was a bitter morning. York, 30 kilometres north and Brookton, 30 kilometres south had the lowest minimum in the state.We weren't much above freezing. And I had volunteered to be on the Tourism Steering Committee stand at the show starting at nine o'clock. Bollocks...

I prepared for the Antarctic.Spencer, tee shirt, East End Gallery shirt, leggings, Explorer socks and joggers. I added a jumper to my ensemble, but I hoped I could get away without it. I wanted to be a walking billboard for visitors to notice and hopefully come to the Gallery after the show.

My two hours on the stand were memorable. I tried to stand in the watery sun as much as possible, but the icy blast permeated my clothing. I admitted defeat and pulled on my jumper. Absolutely frozen by this stage, I returned to the Gallery to thaw out. My beloved Michael had lit the fire.

He relieved me at four o'clock. The temperature had struggled up to about sixteen degrees by this time.But I was determined to return to the show and enjoy the rest of the afternoon. The clouds had dissipated and the sun was pleasant out of the wind.

The show was still jumping as I entered the gates. I wandered around and took photographs. This was a proper country show with agricultural displays, food, art and craft, animals, wine and a lesser number of show bags and rides. I chatted to residents and visitors, laughed at the antics of the children and politely declined to try the "Super Nova" ride. I suffer from terra firma - the less firma, the more terra....

The afternoon light was fading. I walked back to the Gallery. We had one more set of visitors and then we packed up and left for home. We watched the fireworks through the dining room window. They were as good as any other show and we could see them from inside the warmth of our own home. Bliss.

And seemingly, in the blink of an eye, the Beverley Show was done and dusted for another year. Another great success.

Roll on next year.