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Post by Moonlight on Sept 9, 2014 19:47:31 GMT
I know what you mean about the lead up to shows being stressful. I enjoy the taking cuttings and growing on of the plants but come showtime I start to worry whether there will be anything to show/what pests are about/weather problems etc. As you say, come show day it usually works out ok, especially if you get a few prize cards.  |
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Post by Moonlight on Sept 9, 2014 20:03:37 GMT
ok, Saturday, went shopping looking for white girls school socks (unsuccessful) dance shoes, cooking ingrediance for the girls and a vase / bowl for the show on Sunday.
Rang my Mum and Dad and received update on Dad's cutting progress - while I hadn't started.
Then HH pointed out there was no way that I would be able to cut all the dahlias I wanted when we need to be at the hall, registered for the classes by 11 and out of the hall by 11.30 for judging to commence...
The penny dropped and I realised that I really needed to crack on with the cutting but the thing that made me realise that I really need to crack on and cut as we have having heavy dew.
Oh dear.
Pirate and I were not really working smoothly as a team but we got there in the end. She was very excited about picking her bloom and I was flustered because I knew HH was right and I received a reminder of clock ticking down until we lost daylight.
Had a late night as daughter's tooth decided to come out.
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Post by Moonlight on Sept 9, 2014 20:56:12 GMT
The girls had a late night because we were still making jam tarts for their children's class.
The children's classes this time were:
Make a Mosiac Coaster
Make a Mask for a Halloween Party
Make 4 Jam Tarts
Grow a Vegetable
With an open class:
Grow the 'Largest Sunflower Head'
The plan had been to get as many of the classes as ready in advance as we could. We'd done so well, the girls had made their Coaster and Masks. The Vegetables were as grown as ready as they could, the sunflowers just needed their heads cut off (poor things) which left us with the jam tarts. We had already had a run through and the girls had decided to make strawberry jam tarts with a real strawberry on top.
It was more than a tad stressful in the garden - Pirate was sobbing when her sister touched her believed dahlia. So it ended up with Fairy inside making her pastry with Daddy assisting where needed. Time was ticking on and ended up sending Pirate in to make her pastry.
Now last time there seemed to be a bit of difficulty grasping a, how to roll the rolling pin backwards and forwards (- rather than squash) and b, the concept that the pastry really needs to be pretty much the same thickness (- no random squishes with the rolling pin.)
Fairy's pastry had been wrapped up and put in the fridge. I thought the best thing would be to take it out and show the girls exactly what I meant (rather than desperately wish I could wrestle the rolling pin and take over - which I was not prepared to do.) Took out her pastry and of course it just wouldn't roll out properly and kept disintegrating into heaps of crumbs. Think totally rubbish Blue Peter demonstration and factor it up a lot.
Of course all I wanted to be was outside catching those last few seconds of daylight. Don't get me wrong, I was fine at the beginning but as the heaps turned into hills, then mountains I was really wishing I hadn't started. The good thing was that Fairy saw me work even with the growing mountain range, so when she did it, at least she didn't cry. I nearly did each time she scooped up lumps of pastry which she then tried to roll into the large slab but that kept sticking to the rolling pins but I didn't take over and I am proud to say neither did HH.
The girls were getting ready for bed by the time the beep beep on the timer started. It kept being putting back in the oven for an extra couple of minutes and Fairy was too tired to care and went to bed.
I only got 10 dahlias cut before I went to bed, a very late night and a very early morning.
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Post by sweetpea on Sept 9, 2014 22:18:23 GMT
We are experiencing quite heavy dew here too ML Has prevented me from scarifying the lawn.
Sounds like you have had a rather hectic time of it. All memories to look back on in the years to come.
I used to get the money for my seeds from the show prize money which was never very much but it all added up.
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Post by Moonlight on Sept 9, 2014 22:37:34 GMT
Never managed to say what happened. Must confess I faffed about with my dahlias, didn't rush and the bus didn't either. I was walking up to their house when I saw Dad driving up to the road. He wanted to nip to the Horticultural shop and he couldn't wait any longer for me to arrive or it would be closed. So we headed off, so I asked him what did he want to buy at the shop.
Oasis
oh
I knew immediately why he wanted to buy some oasis. He had decided to enter the class, that I had been thinking of having a go at myself. Even though, I really didn't have a clue how to go about doing one. So I told him that I had some he could have.
No it's ok I'll buy some.
But I've got loads, a massive big box with Oasis the size of bricks inside...
Managed to talk him into having some of mine but we still went because he wanted to find out what was the earliest he could get to the show.
(n.b. I was nowhere near finishing cutting when he dropped off his first batch of dahlias. Needed to take two trips to get them all there.)
We went back home and I was able to see his dahlias, I've posted some of the pictures in the dahlia forum but I've still some I can put here. 
Problem is I want to crack on with 'Show Day' Sunday but really ought to get ready to go to bed, I've got work in the morning. hmmm choices.
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Post by Moonlight on Sept 9, 2014 22:43:58 GMT
We are experiencing quite heavy dew here too ML Has prevented me from scarifying the lawn. Sounds like you have had a rather hectic time of it. All memories to look back on in the years to come. I used to get the money for my seeds from the show prize money which was never very much but it all added up.
What you do sounds very sensible sweetpea, maybe I should do something like that...
But then I'll have to be organised and know where to find them all, to put them all together, so that I can find out how much I have before I think about what I can spend it on. |
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Post by Moonlight on Sept 9, 2014 23:01:42 GMT
Going to wind up just put a few photos up from Dad's dahlias - no time to carry on with what happened next.
This is Clearview Tammy another that we ordered from the US. Now I really like this one. The petals look like they have been taken with a camera with some sort of soft lens.
Mine is nothing like it but this photo of my seedling feels the same way. (Not explaining myself very well but I know what I mean).
 
Again this is Clearview Edie which although looks good really marks easily.
Beautiful full blooms which were ruined by the rain.
Night All
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Post by Moonlight on Sept 11, 2014 10:13:43 GMT
OK, 'Show Day' Sunday.
All things considering the amount of adrenalin flowing in the morning from a combination of individuals together poor Fairy who finds this sort of thing stressful, we all took a long time to get going.
I regular (but necessary  ) reminders from HH about how long we had before the show opened for exhibitors to set up. He is the very sensible one. He sees the bigger more practical picture. Get there early = park nearer = easier to carry dahlias to the show itself = higher possibility to get a table to set up on = Avoiding the stress of trying to vase up on the pavement or car boot (which isn't flat)
See he is the sensible one - me I'm in a show bloom selection bubble enclosed in a 'zone of measuring rings, knife, blades, blade pot, canes, twisty ties and newspaper'.
A cross between Heidi skipping round the Alps or a Yeti stress monster each time I'm interrupted by random bickerings, constant questions about how to put a fresh strawberry on the jam tarts, who herself is trying to not to panic every time I'm told how many hours / minutes till the deadline to show registration and being told that I now have more dahlias than I have time to set up.
I gave up on the cutting the dahlias and went up to do a demonstration on how the girls could cut the strawberries.
You need to pick the smallest strawberry that you can - or you won't see the jam tart for Strawberry...
You could cut them in half...
You could cut them in quarters...
You could cut an extra slice off...
You could...........
***** Craddock and Blue Peter eat your heart out I can give you a run for your money at slicing up a strawberry!
Then I left them to it and went back to my dahlias.
Did the best that I could, HH packed up the car.
Lots more grumpyness.
We were all glad to get there!
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Post by Moonlight on Sept 11, 2014 10:22:56 GMT
I gave up on the cutting the dahlias and went up to do a demonstration on how the girls could cut the strawberries.
You need to pick the smallest strawberry that you can - or you won't see the jam tart for Strawberry...
You could cut them in half...
You could cut them in quarters...
You could cut an extra slice off...
You could...........
***** Craddock and Blue Peter eat your heart out I can give you a run for your money at slicing up a strawberry!
Then I left them to it and went back to my dahlias.
Did the best that I could, HH packed up the car.
Lots more grumpyness.
We were all glad to get there!
humpf not guilty of writing bad words intentionally.  |
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Post by Moonlight on Sept 11, 2014 11:01:09 GMT
We were lucky, HH was able to park quite near the side entrance and I managed to get a bit of table to set up on. The girls were pretty good although unsurprisingly enough Pirate didn't relax until her dahlia was vased up and on the table. HH assisted her with that or rather she assisted him. He just wanted to get at least one of the 2 of us sorted, having already organised the girls Childrens' classes exhibits, registered, placed and ticketed in the right places.
I put my beloved Kenora Valentine in a vase but decided against entering it because it had a petal with a hole in which had I removed would have highlighted a few less than perfect petals next to it. Another exhibitor who was also a photographer and reportedly high up in a photography society was most vocal it and kept saying words like: "I can't believe your not going to enter that. / Isn't it beautiful, the public would want to see it, they want to see beautiful dahlias like that." etc. etc.
She annoyed me and I ended up ignoring her.
My dahlia, my assessment and I'm the one who is desperately trying to vase up all the other combinations - whilst wishing she would just go away.
"Do you mind if I takes some photos of your dahlias?"
No
"Can't believe that...."
Well I did my best with the frontal effect but it really was a case of one stem went well with the one next to it pity that had the dahlias been eye balls it would have been a case of crossed eyes / or dahlias that looked like that had had a row and were sulking and had decided they would never talk to each other again.
Let's just say that it was 'special' for all the wrong reasons.
But I tried.
Everything in position went off to find my Dad and helped put his exhibitor cards by his exhibits whilst he carried on vasing up.
All done and time for the judging to begin.
Unfortunately the photographer wanted to talk to us and wanted to know if it would be ok to take action shots of the judging.
Er No.
No.
You can't just wander around taking photos of the judges without being asked or having asked for permission in advance.
Oh dear.
Mind boggles really.
We went off for an early Sunday Lunch (/ replacement breakfast).
Went home, got ready and went off to see the results.
Taking with us one very, very, very, very excited little girl...
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Post by Moonlight on Sept 11, 2014 11:16:05 GMT
She nigh on ran to see her Amber Festival.
I wish I had of sprinted on infront of her with my camera switched on, to see my excited little daughter jumping up and down with the biggest smile on her face that I have ever seen.
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Post by Moonlight on Sept 11, 2014 11:22:16 GMT
It was no surprise that our girls hadn't won the biggest sunflower. Their 2 are the 2 behind the winning sunflower.
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Post by Moonlight on Sept 11, 2014 11:48:08 GMT
There was controversy with the Halloween mask class:
The instruction specified that a bendy straw to hold the mask be taped to the mask. Only our 2 children followed the instructions everyone else used elastic, including those awarded 1st and 3rd.
Pirate came 2nd in this class and poor Fairy didn't get placed but that's not the point, we still have 2 very indignant children who believe that it is fine to be beaten by someone better than you but not if they hadn't followed the rules.
But such is life, annoying yes but not the worst thing in the world. Girls understand that but it is a shame.
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Post by Moonlight on Sept 11, 2014 11:52:02 GMT
No surprises in the vegetable class: Fairy didn't enter and Pirates are the 'lettuces'
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Post by Moonlight on Sept 11, 2014 12:20:45 GMT
Which leaves the jam tarts.
The girls jam tarts are at the back. Pirate came 2nd. Before we went back we had already chatted about the jam tarts.
While I was vasing up Daddy and the girls were sorting out their entries. The saw a Mum 'plate up' her child's jam tart, she took out a sieve and poured ice sugar over the jam tarts. Now we've talked about this a few times and we all agree that it is really sad that a Mum wanted her child to win so much that she would sieve icing sugar over her child's tarts but why???
Yes of course we are cheering on any of our family or friends to do well in any competition but the child wasn't there. For all we know the child might not have wanted it done (or she'd have already done it at home)or didn't even know his / her Mum was going to do that.
Yes of course we are really disappointed for Fairy. This time she didn't get placed and none of us won anything on the raffle.
But she understands that these things come around, this time she didn't win previously she has come 1st. She has the maturity to understand that. That Mummy doesn't get it. It's a shame.
We have had proper 'talk' talks about the shows since and I have encouraged Fairy to only enter if she wants to do a class, really wants to do something that she will enjoy. Nothing is worth her getting upset and crying (as she is doing it - not because of the results) I've told her if it is not fun I don't want her to do it. At the moment I think she is willing to accept this now but when next years year book comes out she might want to do everything (she's like her Daddy highly competitive) with an eye on the Children's cup but I will carry on encouraging her to only do the classes that she thinks are fun to do. I managed to loose my year book and got a replacement which was great but before I'd kept an eye of the scores of the various children's classes. All the classes it's 4 points for a 1st, 2 for a 2nd, 3rd a 1st and a highly commended is a 1/2.
To be honest I had totally forgotten about it until Pirate's name was called up to receive her prize money for coming 2nd in the Children's cup! Another camera moment I missed. A lot more big smiles for the official photographer (n.b. not the annoying woman I mentioned earlier).
Whether or not Fairy or Pirate enter children's classes or not they both are emphatic that they want to grow more dahlias. Humpf I don't thing the garden is big enough.
lol
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and stake a photo of my Candy Jayne.
) reminders from HH about how long we had before the show opened for exhibitors to set up. He is the very sensible one. He sees the bigger more practical picture. Get there early = park nearer = easier to carry dahlias to the show itself = higher possibility to get a table to set up on = Avoiding the stress of trying to vase up on the pavement or car boot (which isn't flat)
Sept 6, 2018 17:58:08 GMT
Sept 6, 2018 17:58:08 GMT
Aug 10, 2019 9:01:47 GMT