There weren't as many entries in some categories as we've had in previous years - the Single Rose, Specimen Flower and Mixed Vase of Flowers in particular, as many roses and other flowers seemed to be past their best after all the very hot weather we've had recently. Also some members who usually enterer several categories were away.
This year we added 3 extra categories: two were photographic; photos of a tub with mixed flowers and the other tub with a shrub, plant or small tree. As we usually have several potato entries in the vegetable category, we added one dedicated to potatoes!
While we were waiting for our judge Graham Deal to choose the winners and runners up in each category, Joan read us some appropriate and funny gardening poems by Pam Ayres.
Then, as she had recently been visiting friends in France who were very aware of the environmental impact of the overuse of commercial cleaning products, and instead were making their own less harmful products using plants or basic cooking items we have in our store cupboards, she gave us the following recipes for trying this for ourselves:
LAUNDRY WASHING LIQUID (Recipe from the French lady)
50 Ivy leaves cut up roughly
2 pints of water
Bring to boil. Boil gently for two minutes.
Leave to stand overnight then strain.
It is a brown liquid to use instead of washing powder for all laundry.
(Joan said she was a little dubious at first as she thought it would stain her white laundry,
but said she found it actually worked extremely well!)
2 recipes from the programme War on Plastic with Hugh Fearnley- Wittingstall and Anita Rani:
ALL PURPOSE CLEANER
Put into an empty trigger bottle:
1/2 vinegar, 1/2 water add lemon or orange peel and 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
Shake well and use on all surfaces with a soft cloth
TOILET CLEANER
Into a bowl put:
1/2 cup of citric acid
1 1/3 cup of bicarbonate of soda
I teaspoon scented oil
Slowly add a little water and mix to a solid.
Mould into balls.
Put the mixture into an ice cube tray, allow to dry.
Place a ball into the water in the toilet overnight to slowly dissolve and soak.
It is a slow reaction cleaner.
And as usual, we finished up with strawberries and cream, tea and coffee!
Thanks to Stan who always sets up as many tables and chairs as we ask for, without any complaints!
Special thanks to Joan who selected and bought all the prizes and who chaired the meeting and kept us entertained while Graham made his selections, and to Jenny for helping him. Thanks to Kathleen for buying the strawberries and to both her and her helpers for washing and slicing them all up for us!
Thank you Barbara for dedicatedly whipping up 3 pints of double cream!
Thank you to our dedicated refreshment team of Philomena and Sylvia and their washing up volunteers, and to everyone else who helped make it such a good afternoon. And lastly, many thanks to Graham, our lovely judge who takes such care with his selections, and who we were so pleased to have with us again.