This year as usual, Dorothy and I
visited our friends down at Bideford to support the South West Area
Show.
We knew that three key exhibitors' would be absent- John Chiswell, Lakin
Earl, Dave Payne and Wally.
The absentees we thought, would result in the number of exhibits being
down from the previous year.
Dorothy and I packed the car with as many exhibits that we could safely
cram into the rear of my car, without causing damage.
The Journey from South Wales takes over four hours on a good day. Dorothy
and I, were exhibiting pots of Rex, thus we travelled down on the
Saturday afternoon, prior to the Sunday, when the Show was to be held at
the Pannier Market.
On arrival, Gary and Joy Dando were there too. They too, were able to
travel down on the Saturday.
Derek Bonner, Danny and Anne Davies, had decided to journey down early on
the Sunday morning of the Show. Derek in particular had to journey
earlier that morning, as he was exhibiting cut blooms. They needed to be
as fresh as possible.
Gary and Joy stayed at the same hotel as Dorothy and I on the Saturday
night. We enjoyed an evening meal together and of course a few drinks of
'lemonade' well in to the early hours- to help us sleep.
Early the next morning, we arrived at the Pannier Market. Derek and Danny
had arrived early. No traffic problems on the motorway at 5 AM.
Derek had already staged his blooms. His Six Board was the best he'd
staged previously and I knew that his Six Board would probably take the
Red Card. Ken Davis too, had made the long journey and he displayed two
excellent Six Boards. however, on the day, Derek's Board was hard to
beat.
Chad Stone in the Three Pot Class, had two lovely pots of Beryl Rhodes,
which this year due to the high light levels grew shorter than usual, as
it can grow very tall in most years. His other pot of Vera Coates was
also a quality pot.
In the Two Pot Class, Dave Elliot took the Red Card. He used a seedling
as one of his pots, which drew attention and which Dave had exhibited
for the first time last year.Danny Davies too, managed to exhibit some
quality pots in the same class. His pots of Helena and also a Seedling,
caught the eye in particular the seedling, a Sport from Nichola Coates.
I know that John Hamilton used the Sport in his display at Ayr this
year. Danny's other pot Helena also makes an excellent cut bloom and is
a good all rounder. Jim Mihulka has used Helena for several years as a
banker in the British Championship Nine Pot Class at Ayr, for several
years.
Dave Elliot, Chad Stone, Danny Davies, Mike Avis, Tony Willoughby and
Andy Ankers managed to fill the benches with some excellent exhibits.
Dorothy and I were pleased that we were able to support the Show. Our
Rexes travelled well, with only slight damage. Even Rexes suffer from
long journeys. None the less, I was pleased that they were awarded a
number of first prizes.
Gary and Joy Dando, too, contributed massively to the resounding success
of the Show. They have a large van, which enables them to carry a large
amount of exhibits to a Show.
The variety and colour range of their different cultivars that were
staged by both were outstanding. Gary and Joy's exhibits were a joy to
see. They are loyal supporters' of the Bideford Show and their presence
was appreciated by all.
It was a joy once more to have attended the South West Area Show, which
has improved year on year. Congratulations for an excellent Show!!
Last but not least, Andrew McDougall, also travelled a very long way to
Judge the Show and did an excellent job as Judge. Everyone remarked that
they were pleased with the manner in which he judged all exhibits,
especially his in-depth knowledge of the Rex, Foliage and Species
Classes.
Many thanks to Danny Davies for providing the photos which he took on his
phone camera. I took lots,
unfortunately,
when they were downloaded and saved onto the computer, they were lost,
as well as those photos taken at
Shrewsbury. These
things happen.
Ian Rhys Williams
