THE OCTOBER OUTING

 The 105th Brailsford & District Ploughing & Hedgecutting Society’s Match Wednesday 6 October 2010 11.00am at Sapperton Manor Farm, Church Broughton, South Derbyshire

A gentle start at  The Lavender Garden, Hilton for tea and biscuits at 10.30am , where 15 of us rallied, was followed by pretty lanes to the "Farm"!  Thoughts that it might just be a damp field with few ploughs tractors and horses, with some locals were completely off the mark.   Ploughing events;  hedgecutting competitions; livestock; stickmaking; homecrafts; horticultural classes;  working exhibitions;   trade stands (John Bartley treated Patricia Ann to a MOLE TRAP);  tented bar;  restaurant;  fast food. THE LOT ! and a steward I knew said, "So far 2000 cars and they are still pouring in". With so much to  see we split up and met for a spendid salad lunch at 1.30. A comfortable breeze and SUN all the day saw dried out fields and Derbyshire at its best. Thanks to Dave Parkinson for another great day. What an excellent event. The pictures below tell it all.                                                                                                    

Dave points the way! in the Lavender garden Cafe.

Below having taken Tea/Coffee the "Goodies" are the target!

  

John relaxes,while others are busy.                                                                            It's then off along the lanes to the SHOW.

Ann shows off her "present" ....."Watch out moles!"!

Roy & Mabs check out some of the models. Below a stall holder demonstrates the art of spinning wool.

Tractors Galore!

    

 Keith & Jackie in the sun  show the umbrella unnecessary while the horse above rests after his day in the field. 

Mike explains to Dave (shielding from the sun) while the horses look on.

And so to lunch .. final shots.

        

Cheers!!!!!!

Thanks Dave . I will be there next year...??????????



BLETCHLEY PARK Visit September 2010

 Ralph Chapman writes:- A record size party of 42 proved that, given the interest, people areprepared to travel off the patch and even indulge in overnight accommodation. Bletchley Park fully justified the extra effort, aided by an excellent tour guide and his cache of anecdotal tales ( eg Alan Turing having to drink his tea whilst kneeling on the floor because he had lost the key to the lock/chain securing his mug to the radiator).

Photographs courtesy of Irene Chapman

9,000 staff worked at Bletchley, in a mish-mash of huts and 'temporary'

buildings - all still there but many now in a dilapidated state;sleeping

accommodation was in surrounding houses/pubs/stately homes and the heady mix of middle aged academics and young Wrens set the local tongues wagging...they were clearly up to no good. There were several displays of equipment, generally in their original  setting, including a working rebuild of Colossus - the earliest digital electronic computer - which cracked the German Enigma codes. Staff were sworn to secrecy, which some never broke; only recently a lady visitorpointed out a misplaced cog in one machine and when challenged by her husband admitted, for the first time, that she had been based at Bletchley; his amazement was tempered by the fact that he too had been based there and they had never met at the time nor spoken about it before that visit!

There is much to see at Bletchley and the facility to re-use your entrance ticket for the ensuing twelve months is a very good idea.'