It’s always a bit embarrassing presenting a trophy to yourself and it rarely happens but at the 103rd Southwick Horticultural Society Annual Summer Show it happened three times. For the first time ever, I won some silver at this show as my beetroot and runner beans in particular came up trumps, but I had also been tasked to hand out the prizes. But before anyone cries foul and asks for a stewards’ enquiry I had nothing to do with the judging which is all done anonymously in any case.
The day before show day is always stressful. Selecting 9 runner beans that all have the same length and straightness is no easy business. This year I made it harder by entering some of the cookery categories, but after seeing the damning verdicts of a soggy bottom on my sausage plait and strange tasting black mulberry and sloe gin jam, I think I overreached myself. Best stick to fruit and vegetables next year!
It was certainly a colourful weekend overall starting with the opening of the newly refurbished Railway Pub in Lancing village centre and what a great job new landlords Chris and Iryna Williams have made of it. The place was certainly rocking when I arrived and pulled some pints. Great entertainment from the stilt walker/fire eating girls. Alas no one had catered for the low ceilings and the pouring rain outside given the fire safety hazards of lighting up indoors!
On Sunday it was off to the Canadian Memorial Service commemorating the ill-fated Dieppe Raid of 1942 and a good turnout as usual at the Canadian memorial on the beach in west Worthing. It is now organised by the Worthing Royal British Legion under Ian and Pat Newman and marshalled by former mayor Lionel Harman. But it was good to see Pam Vowles there who established the event with her late husband Chris out of the Canadian Roots family reunion charity he set up.
