I am now back in Germany.
But on one of my recent trips back to the UK
my sister and I had a thought to enter some photos in the county show.
My sister visits the show every year,
and I used to visit it when I lived in Cumbria.
One year I even worked at the show in one of the catering tents serving at tables.
The sort of thing you do when you are young.
But never before have either of us entered any of the classes.
Many's the time when visiting agricultural shows
admiring the exhibits in the industrial tent,
I have thought that it would be nice to enter some of the classes.
So this year I did!
I had to rely on my sister to stage the exhibits for me as I would be back in Germany.
Yesterday morning she phoned me to let me know how we got on.
There are a number of classes we could have entered;
jars of jam, cakes, wine, floral art, knitting.
There are lots to choose from.
My niece entered 3 classes in the junior section, 12 - 16 years.
She is 12.
She got second prize for two of them!
Decorated exercise book cover
and a photograph.
She entered a photo of their cat,
I think she did excellently.
Especially considering it was her first time at entering,
and that she was working on her exhibits the night before the show!
My sister got second prize for one of her photos in which there were 25 entries.
Then she told me how I had done.
By now I had thought I hadn't done very well.
Most of the photos I entered were taken in the UK over recent months.
Some photos that I would have liked to have entered,
I could not locate anywhere!
I have a lovely one of my grandson when he was younger wearing sunglasses upside down.
I love it!
And wanted to enter it for the humorous class.
But I don't know where it is.
We have photos on 3 different computers.
So looking for a specific photo takes time,
and patience,
and I'm afraid I ran out of both looking for it.
Especially when it has been so hot.
Especially when I couldn't print from one of the computers,
which it's also impossible to copy onto disc from.
(I had to copy onto a camera card and put it onto another computer to print from).
So how did I do ?
I entered the photo below in the black and white class.
Yes, I know it's in colour,
but I printed it in black and white.
Out of 20,
I got second.
The next photo was entered in the class,
'a touch of blue'.
Out of 25 photos,
it got a first!
This next photo got a first
in the coloured photo of a bridge.
I struggled with choosing the next photo.
It was for the class,
'Cumbrian Event'.
It was fortunate
that a steam rally was taking place in Carlisle
on one of my visits to the UK.
So my sister and I went armed with our cameras.
Try as I might,
I didn't seem able to capture
a photo I was happy with.
I reviewed the photos several times
before entering the one below.
So I was pleased when I got second!
When it came to choosing a photo for
'In the garden',
I thought I might find a suitable one from photos I'd taken in Sweden.
I spent many an hour
wandering round our garden
at all times of the day,
with camera poised at the ready.
I remember
loosing track of time watching the butterflies
on the wild flowers.
So that is where I looked for a photo.
And I chose this one.
I like it because the wings are clearly visible,
the butterfly and the flower that it rests on are central,
(amazingly),
and the background is all hazy.
(I think there is a term for the hazy background.)
You get a better view if you double click on it.
Well I have to say,
I am VERY pleased with this one
as not only did it get a first,
it also got
most outstanding photograph
out of all the eleven classes in the photography section.
I never expected that!
So I am well chuffed you might say.
And,
when all the points in the photography section were totalled,
I won a prize for
'exhibitor gaining most points in the section'!
So what can I say?
Well,
a big thank you to my sister for staging the photos for me.
As I wouldn't have got anywhere without her.
And just that I was thrilled with the outcome.
Now,
where's my camera?
