Beadnell Alternative Flower Show

Beadnell’s unique Alternative Flower Show is back for one final time. A last chance to flaunt garden failures and celebrate culinary calamities.

Sunday, 11 August 2013

Beadnell Women’s Institute Hall

Entries to be staged 10am – 12pm

No charge for entries

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 2 – 4.30pm

Adults £2 including home made refreshments

Children 12 years or under free

In aid of Beadnell Christmas Lights

As ever the prizes will match the standard of the entries. Please be sure to read the rules carefully, winging afterwards will be ignored as ‘attention seeking’.All the main categories are open to individuals, adults or children, teams or families.

We hope you have as much fun participating and attending as we have organising.

• As in the past, this year’s judge will have no qualifications. Pseudonyms may be used for sensitive categories.
• Rival entries may NOT be sabotaged. Weed slashing will not be tolerated.
• Due to inflation this year’s prizes will be 3.4% more pathetic than we planned.
• Second hand cup for ‘Most points in Show’. Individual prizes for each category.
• Winners of cups must promise not to clean or lose them. We might want to use them in another 20 years.
• Entries must be removed by 5pm.
• (The Health Inspector is due to visit at 5.30 and the ‘Ladies Downhill Swimming Team’ have the Hall booked for 6pm).

CATEGORIES

1. Super Weed – Tallest, longest, most prolific etc. Each to be judged on its individual merits

2. Smallest carrot.

3. Bog Garden in a container.

4.Most imaginative use of a Flower Pot.

5. Mankiest Apple – On health grounds nothing contagious to humans please.

6. Most mis-shapen vegetable – A chance for your curious caulis and bandy-legged beetroot etc.

7. Most unusual Jam – Who can forget Tadpole and Walnut!

8. Most original use of a packet mix.

9. Cooking Disaster.

10. Most unusual miniature garden.

11. Worst Pot Plant – Remember   we run an automatic check for ‘Brain Death’.

12. Most well used item of gardening equipment.

13. Most boring poem.

14. Anything else!

CHILDRENS SECTION

1. Scariest Mini Scarecrow.

2. Best decorated flowerpot.

3. Animal made from fruit or veg.

4. Most lifelike drawing of a member of your family.

USUAL RULES APPLY

• Cheating is encouraged and will be awarded extra points.
• Use of steroids is prohibited.
• Unusual amounts of body hair will be viewed with suspicion and may lead to gossip.

The bit before Easter

The blossom is appearing all over the trees, daffodils  are springing-up everywhere, and the kids are on holiday from this friday.

Easter is upon us.

The unseasonably nice weather has got everybody moving and thinking about the summer ahead. And that include us too ! :)

We went for a quick shore-dive last night, just off Beadnell Point, and were greeted with STUNNING conditions. Still a bit chilly, but totally worth it.

Check the video below… :)

Another season over…

This time last year we were knee-deep in snow. Well, you were, I managed to make it out of the country on the last flight from Newcastle before they shut the airport due to the weather.

And look at it now – its like Spring – blue skies, sunshine, double figure temperatures… and since im still here, I have been making the most of it with some long walks along the coast.

All these shots are taken with my iPhone, and far from being high-grade, yet still capture the coast in its glorious autumn light… :)

Im off to Indonesia for a month… more at Christmas…

Easter.. and pumping Thurso…

Easter being so late, we’re getting some odd holidays in the next fortnight.

The villages are ready for it – and it will be a bumper Easter with the wedding and Mayday all wrapped-in.

The warm weather and light nights are very welcome, but it still needs to warm up before you can put the winter coat away.

Still its not as cold as it is in Thurso, This time last year we were up there watching the same contest that is happening now, today.

It has been absolutely pumping surf however. Which is typical, since it was rubbish last year.

Some highlights..  remember, this is Scotland…

Deepest December. Cold, dark and bleak.

So… Just back form a week riding the powder in Val Thoren. What a good week.

Crew

VT

The village has slipped into dormancy, happily, after a busy summer. The weather is cold, the days are dark and short. There is snow on the ground as I write this post.

The surf has been pretty average for autumn, a few clean swells but mostly junky cross-shore, small period mediocrity. Ive still been getting in, but more out of desperation than desire.

December was a massive month for surf news, with Hawaii firing with epic huge swells. The ASP tour was won by Mick Fanning after Parko stumbled in the Pipe event which was eventually won by Taj, for the first time, with Kelly coming second. Parko, although pipped at the post for the world title, took the Triple Crown Title for a second year, after Sunset and Haleiwa both produced quality entertainment.

And finally, the Eddie ran. 5 years in the waiting, with 30ft+ swell, it went off, massively, with Greg Long winning in the last heat to steal 1st place form Slater. Epic.
I watched all 8 hours straight on the web, one of the best live streams ive ever seen.

I was doing some tidying-up the other day and found these shots from the end of summer, and so thought I should share them.

Hope you like the flash-back to a warmer, sunnier Beadnell.

So, back to reality. at least the winter solstice has now passed, and its officially getting warmer and lighter everyday.

The New Year will bring new swell.

See you out there. :)

b