South Of England Show

Bunnies!!! They were just a small part of my day today as myself and the family (minus The Mother) went to the South of England Show at Ardingly Showground. It is something of an annual event and we love to revisit the stands we know well and explore new ones.

The rabbit tent is one of my favourite bits, seeing all of the different breeds of rabbit; large, small, lop eared, dwarf eared, fluffy, smooth, velvety, pink eyed, brown eyed...they are all there.

These two (above and below) reminded me of Kit and Ziggy. They were in cages next to each other and one was a velvety black bunny and the other a white bunny with blue eyes. Very cute.

There is also the Poultry tent which is usually great fun. All the different noises and feather arrangements. There was even one tiny little chicken who had a bit of a funny five minutes and kicked all of the sawdust out of its cage onto a small girl watching him. She was covered in sawdust from head to toe!

Oo, they aren't chickens! Yawning ducklings.

Some chickens seem quite friendly and others can really glare!

It is an agricultural show so the majority of it is about animals and farming, there were lots of piglets this year. Very sleepy piglets.

(Oh and turkeys, who gobble at you when you whistle to them.)

We enjoyed the Bird of Prey show, especially when they picked three people out of the crowd to be 'chased' by Harrier Hawks.

Another big favourite for me is the flower tent. I didn't think there was the usual variety this year which was a shame, but what was there was lovely. Especially this little garden, based on recycling and environmentally friendly ideas with planters made from books.

The flowers in the displays were beautiful.

At one end of the tent there are the competition arrangements, all with different themes. They are so clever!

Alliums seemed to be a big thing this year, three stands had included them in a big way in their display. They are such gorgeous plants.

As always, the entertainment was marvellous. The Casablanca Steps are always there and have a wonderful rapport with the audience. They are very funny and make jokes and dance as well as sing.

I was very restrained and only came home with one Hydrangea- with somehow slightly singed petal tips. Might have to wait for the next round for perfect petals. It is a lovely two tone blue though and I have popped it next to my pink Hydrangea so that I can enjoy the colours together when all of the flowers are out.

(Whoops, I seem to have become a little sidetracked in my photo uploading, these lovely scented Stocks are currently in my jug on the table. Such a lovely lilac colour.)

Ah, back to the S of E Show purchases. I bought these cute ceramic flowers that you pop into pots so you can have flowers all year round! And that was it. Very very restrained, a plant and four small ceramic flowers. I shall have to make up for it next year.