We have some lovely parks here in Sheffield - which is officially the greenest city in Great Britain. More trees per head of population here than any other place.
A ten minute walk down the valley from our house brings you to our much-loved Endcliffe Park. Every June, a travelling fair sets up in the park with rides and colours and lights and stalls. I guess it's about two things - bringing fun to local residents and bringing money to the fairground people. A week from now, they'll be gone - off to some other northern city.
Today, Frances and Stew took our darling granddaughters down to the fair. At two years old, it was the first proper fair that wee Margot had ever attended. See her at the top with her big sister in a red aeroplane (American: airplane) and below she's driving a bus which is apparently heading to Manchester. Her favourite children's song is "The Wheels on the Bus" so to be actually driving a bus must have been close to ecstasy for the girl.
Last Sunday afternoon, I made a point of visiting another local park - Whirlowbrook Park. For the last three summers, regular "folk" concerts have been held there to raise money for the volunteers who created a community group called "The Friends of Whirlowbrook Park". These good people have done a lot of great work to maintain and improve the park. I guess that if I were a "joining" kind of guy, I might have signed up as a new "Friend".
As it happens I was there to see a real friend - my quizzing mate Mike who was performing under the gazebo with his two accomplices - Kiri the fiddle player and Jan the lead singer. They called themselves "Reclaimed" for the purposes of this concert. The circumstances made it difficult to snap a really good picture of Mike and this was the best that I could do:-
Fortunately, he really likes that image.
The fair might move on to The Hoppins (Hoppings?) in Newcastle. It is a big deal there.
ReplyDeleteWatching the grand kids is the best part of the fair.
ReplyDeleteI see Phoebe is at the teeth changing stage. The two sisters on the red plane, and Margot driving the bus - wonderful!
ReplyDeleteIt is good that such things like Friends of the Park exist, and good that your friend Mike and his fellow musicians perform there.
Oh memories! I remember when the fair would come to Port Pirie and set up in an empty block across the road from the beach and a few stalls were along the footpath of the beach side of the road. There were children's rides as well as faster more dangerous ones for teens and adults and it stayed open until nearly midnight each summer. Phoebe and Margot will no doubt have similar memories when they get to be our age. Nice photo of Mike.
ReplyDeleteFairs can be such excitement for young children. My daughter and Andrew are going to Sheffield for the weekend soon for The Docfest which they see every year.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos of the grandkids enjoying themselves. We have a lot of parks in London. Some American visitors of ours once remarked how lucky we are to have so many parks. I have two within 5 minutes' walk of my house and am rota manager for the information office in one of them.
ReplyDeleteMike looks very much like a very good friend of ours! Doppelgangers!
ReplyDeleteIt is great that Sheffield is so green. Where I live, there are a lot of parks too, though there is no public transportation to get to these parks. I love that photo of Margot on the bus.
ReplyDeleteAh! Those beautiful children at the fair! Margot is truly happy driving that bus, isn't she?
ReplyDeleteI think that's a very decent picture of Mike. So he's left handed, eh? Not so many left handed guitar players.
Good to hear about a place from some who lives there.
ReplyDeleteHow fun for the kids. And you too!
ReplyDeleteFun events!
ReplyDeleteWhere is my comment?? I know I wrote one.
ReplyDeleteThose granddaughters of yours have the most beautiful eyes!
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