East Lancs/Whitworth AGS Show 19th March.

[Palustris]

Home territory here we come. That is if the weather is favourable and I can persuade S.W.M.B.O that she would really like to go to Gordon Riggs!

[Maggi Young]

As yes, the spiritual home of the Buttercup and many other Chums!

EAST LANCASHIRE AGS Show
MARCH 19  from 12 noon to 4.00 pm

THE RIVERSIDE, WHITWORTH CIVIC HALL, MARKET ST, WHITWORTH,
 LANCS OL12 8DP.

Show Secretary is Carol Kellett, of course.... hope it's as good a show as ever.... it's a busy weekend with two AGS shows, the East Lancs and the KENT AGS Show at the Rainham School for Girls, Derwent Way, Rainham, Gillingham, ME8 0BX where David Hoare is the Show Secretary.
That's another great show, I know.

In Scotland on Saturday the 19th it's the "Stirling Show in Dunblane"  as the Stirling Group host their show at the Victoria Hall in Dunblane... see here:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=6069.msg191964#msg191964
Extra treat for Dunblane..... TALK BY IAN CHRISTIE TO OCCUPY YOU WHILE THE JUDGING TAKES PLACE!!
10.30am  Lecture in Dunblane Christian Fellowship Hall
(Next door to the Victoria Hall)
Ian Christie “Down Under”

[Palustris]

Oh to be truly multi-personality disordered then I could split into three and go to them all!

[Darren]

Alas I cannot go to any of them!

[alpines]

Ah!!!! Sweet memories.
Good luck Carol, and all our friends in ELAGS.
Save us a bacon butty.........just in case a miracle happens and we find ourselves in Whitworth, home of Ranunculus bookerii, and the never to be forgotten Jim Lever Paraquilegia days.
We'll be there in spirit folks. have a wonderful day.
Alan & Sherba

[David Nicholson]

.......... and I can persuade S.W.M.B.O that she would really like to go to Gordon Riggs!

Ah! Gordon Riggs. Happy memories.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Hopping to the Kent show !!! 

[shelagh]

Hopping Luc, really that would be worth seeing, especially accross the Channel.

[ranunculus]

Ah!!!! Sweet memories.
Good luck Carol, and all our friends in ELAGS.
Save us a bacon butty.........just in case a miracle happens and we find ourselves in Whitworth, home of Ranunculus bookerii, and the never to be forgotten Jim Lever Paraquilegia days.
We'll be there in spirit folks. have a wonderful day.

Alan & Sherba

You would be SO, SO WELCOME folks!!!

[Martinr]

Well, 17.20 and, miracle of miracles, the pots are polished, flowers tweaked, packed in crates, labels printed. OK, so I did some pre prep last night. Red label potential?....................................

I'm off for a beer.

See you all early, if not bright, tomorrow morning for fun, frolics and a pub lunch.

And remember when Carol speaks the only valid response is Yes ma'am, right away, ma'am

[ranunculus]

Well, the EAST LANCASHIRE AGS SHOW 2011 is over and what a wonderful event it turned out to be.  Many congratulations to Carol Kellett and her magnificent team on yet another highly successful show on a glorious sunny day.
We (along with many other willing volunteers) were at the show hall in Whitworth, near Rochdale at 6am to set up the entire event (another function at this popular hall prevented us setting up on the Friday evening) and we were ready to accept the first arrival of plants at just after 7.30am.
First image was taken just prior to judging.
Second image shows a typically colourful show bench.
Image three illustrates a magnificent Pulsatilla grandis 'Budapest' exhibited by Geoff Rollinson that was runner-up to the Farrer Medal plant and gained a well-earned Certificate of Merit.
Image four shows Farrer Medal winner Derek Pickard from Stockton-on-Tees with his incredible Dionysia bryoides.

[Maggi Young]

My word, that looks like a well packed show hall... very impressive.
Tough having to have the earlky start for show preps on the day but you've all done a grand job..... everyone must have been heeding Martin's exhortations to  jump to Carol's commands to great effect... what a display of fine plants.

Lovely Farrer plant from Derek Pickard....  not his first Farrer by any means, I don't think?

[Palustris]

As Cliff says, a lovely show. A very nice day eventually. Did the animals on the Motorway ever get caught I wonder?  And where they released deliberately to keep people away? We got lost in the wilds of Manchester trying to cut across, but then getting lost on the way to a show is not something new to us.
Did not manage to get to Gordon Rigg's though.
Pictures to follow. Not as many as last time, not because there were fewer plants, but it seemed a bit daft to take pictures of the plants which had survived from Blackpool.

[shelagh]

Since at the East Lancs Show we have to remain at our posts during the whole day and cannot repair to the pub for lunch I can only report this item secondhand.  It was reported to me that someone (a forumist) was enjoying 'HANKY PANKY with Diane in the pub at lunchtime.  I don't want to mention any names in such a public place but the "GENTLEMAN" concerned might have had to remove his dummy on this occasion.

[Diane Clement]

Since at the East Lancs Show we have to remain at our posts during the whole day and cannot repair to the pub for lunch I can only report this item secondhand.  It was reported to me that someone (a forumist) was enjoying 'HANKY PANKY with Diane in the pub at lunchtime.  I don't want to mention any names in such a public place but the "GENTLEMAN" concerned might have had to remove his dummy on this occasion. 

Just to get the facts right here.  There were actually at least three so-called "gentlemen" indulging in Hanky Panky in the pub.  There may well have been others, I didn't notice.