Today is the Fairwarp Village Fête and Sheepums wants to experience a Fête first-hand. The village green is just a mile and a half down the quiet country lane we’re staying on. As we walk there we barely see a soul, just one cyclist and one car heading to the fête. We walk past pastoral scenes; fields of hay, horses and sheep! Soon the hedgerows loom over us either side of the road, full of wildflowers, nettles and ferns. We even see one spot with what looks like a 4’ high Astilbe hedge.
The day is so beautiful. There’s sun in the blue sky dappled with fluffy white clouds. The skylarks are signing off in the distance, coupled with the perpetual sound of wood pigeons. There’s a gentle breeze helping to keep the temperature comfortable. Apparently, the UK is experiencing a heat-wave. But coming from Massachusetts as we do, it feels like a very comfortable warm spring day in the mid-seventies (a heatwave in MA would be temperatures in the 90’s and up). The humidity is comfortable and nothing like the hot humid days at home.
A Very English Fête
If you’ve never experienced a traditional British Fête, it’s a small fair organized by volunteers to help raise funds for the local community. There’s typically competitions residents can enter for things like baking, flowers, produce, crafts and more. (If you listen the The Archers, you’ll have heard many references to the Ambridge Village Fête).
The Fairwarp Village Fête 2022 has all the hallmarks of the classic English village fête. There’s a tombola stall; bra pong (organized by the ladies circle, throw/bounce a ping pong ball into a bra cup); ring-the-bell; milk shakes; hot dogs (made with real English sausages); cocktails from a local spirit company; a local potter (a former GP who retired at 60 and, with his wife, earned a degree in ceramics and now spends his time making wonderful pottery and teaching pottery skills); a local landscape artist whose paintings of Ashdown Forest are sold around the world; tea and cakes; strawberries and cream; a traditional Punch and Judy performance; a magician; splat-a-rat; a steel band and may others! The children got to race against each other potato-and-spoon races (what traditionally used to be an egg and spoon race in my day) and three-legged races.
We had to constrain Sheepums at times, who seemed very keen to enter the three-legged race. I had to explain to him that his legs were too short for the bindings. He still had fun watching along, especially as the adults, racing with their children, fell over in their haste to get to the line first! (So often a case of slow and steady wins the race).
Sheepums got to ride in a real tractor (well he sat in one at least)! Again, I had to explain to him his legs were too short to reach the pedals. He says he wants a go in one when his legs grow longer!
I sampled the “peach and cucumber” vodka martini – yes, it’s as bad as it sounds! I told Sheepums he wasn’t missing anything. By contrast, the English sausage hot-dog was scrumptious. Of course, we went along without any cash as we haven’t actually got any cash since we landed. I managed to persuade the martini booth to give me two-pounds cash-back if I bought a martini so I could buy a hot-dog. I guess this turned my 2 pound hot-dog into a nine pound hot-dog!
All-in-all, it was a super time – Sheepums was very happy he managed to visit his first traditional English Fête – and remember to take cash with you if you ever visit a fête!
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