On my list of favourite things, featuring highly is the village fete. All those traditional stalls from your childhood are still going strong, the tombola (where you win back the tins you donated 2 years ago) splat-the-rat, the raffle, the farmyard derby (my personal favourite), skittles, guess the weight of the cake / baby / chicken. And of course the cake stall. Turn up late and the cake stall is always totally empty, as it gets raided first, like a tuck shop at midnight.
Well, here in our corner of the world we pride ourselves on a good village fete and ours most usually has entertainment. Last year it was Morris Dancing men, fearsome fellows with handkerchiefs who bashed the hell out of some sticks and then waved bells at each other. They were brilliant. This year we had a chap playing a squeeze box, with his dear lady wife accompanying him on the spoons (I kid you not) and the guitar and a lovely warbly voice. They were charm itself.
On the jumble stall, I managed to find these totally lovely plates, which I think I got for a quid. Amazing. I love them. And of course we bought millionaire shortbread from the cake stall, and geraniums from the plant stall. Darling boy and little brother had a marvellous time, winning mini mars bars on the hoopla and larking about with their chums.
ok, I need a translator for this post!! hahah
ReplyDeletei did wonder if some of it might not cross the pond! Whats puzzling you?
ReplyDeleteLove the plates! Bargain :-)
ReplyDeletehahha....yes, just a few... - fete, tombola, "splat-the-rat" (although I assume that is similar to our "whack-a-mole"), "tuck shop", "jumble stall"...hmm....I think that's it!
ReplyDeleteLove Millionaire Shortbread. Had never heard of it until my friend requested it for her birthday. Did some research and made them. YUM! A little hard to eat though...(goo wants to squish out!)
Ok, here goes!
ReplyDeletefete- an outdoor village event, with stalls, with a jolly atmosphere and community fund raising. Wikipedia explains it terribly well http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fête They are brilliant.
tombola- a competition, lot of different prize items have a raffle ticket stuck on them. You then have to pick out the matching raffle ticket from a barrel. If your ticket matches any of the prizes- you win it. (normally something pretty exciting, like a tin of tomatoes)
Wack a mole sounds very similar- for our splat a rat, a toy rat (or stuffed sock) is dropped down a short drain pipe and you have to bash it on the way out- for a prize if you catch the blighter.
tuck shop- in a school, the tuck shop was the mini shop (normally just a cupboard with a counter across the door) open during the breaks, where you went to buy chocolate and crisps, and sweets, etc In this world of healthy living, I'm not sure if you still get them?
jumble stall- a stall at the fete where a load of old rubbish is sold. The stuff you would normally donate to charity is sold for a quid or so.
Hope that helps!!!!!!!
and yes, it is tricky to get the toffee caramel layer to be firm enough not to squidge out...the WI could tell you how http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Institutes
...and thanks emily- they are pretty!
ReplyDeletethanks!! haha Whack-a-mole is a bit different. I like yours though! with W-A-M, there is a big board with holes in it and a fake "mole" pops up out of various holes randomly, then ducks out of sight again, pops up somewhere else. You get points for all the hits you make successfully. Then, a prize depending on points.
ReplyDeleteNow, we didn't have anything like a tuck shop at school. The cafeteria for lunch was about it. I suspect times have changed though since the 70s and probably there are more snack options now. I swear we were healthier BEFORE the health craze!
we too have lots of fairs and festivals, but they are boringly called simply "fairs" and "festivals"! :)
ah ha, maybe you need to start a fete in your home town?
ReplyDelete