Murchison Show Day

It was Show Day in Murchison.  The annual Agricultural and Pastoral Show.  A great day encompassing every possible competition from horse riding to sheep shearing, wood chopping to terrier racing, photography to handcrafts and baking to gardening.  A great turn out from the whole community and many from further afield.

This pony was being ridden around the ring when it decided to bolt.  Fortunately Mum was there to catch rider and pony.  Check out his cheeky grin - he knows he won that round!

This year I got asked to officially open the show.   They must have been short of local dignitaries or something!  Anyway while we were waiting for the sound system to get sorted, a local character decided that my speech should be followed by some of our students singing a waiata (song of welcome).  She went off and rounded a group up and they sang beautifully.  I was so proud of them!  Especially when they had no idea when they arrived at the show that they’d be called on to perform.

The day of last year’s show I blipped one of my photos that had won best in show.  I didn’t do that well this time around but wow, the Best in Show this year was a fantastic capture of a dragonfly.  Stunning!  One of those captures that you wish you’d taken! 

My photos took a few places – but I didn’t do as well as I might have done if all of my printing had arrived in time.  I’m sure that a pile of photos will arrive in my mail on Monday and I’ll have absolutely no use for them.  I guess I can put them somewhere safe and enter them next year.  But you can guarantee that I won’t be able to find that ‘safe’ place when it comes to next year’s entries!


After the Show I headed away in the van and am now in Hanmer for the night.  It felt great to be driving off in the van – I haven’t found time to use it since I got back from my Christmas holidays.  Had a lovely soak in the hot pools this evening and now I’m going to settle in with a book.