The Man Engine!

I'm guessing a lot of you may have seen The Man Engine on the news yesterday, well I got to see him, but not erect! He was built to celebrate  ‘Tinth’ anniversary of the Cornish mining landscape  World Heritage status. The Man Engine was  a mechanism of moving rods and platforms allowing miners to travel up and down to working levels instead of climbing long ladders. The present Man Engine was actually designed by the brother of an acquaintance in the village! You can read all about the project here.
Knowing I'd never make it to Tavistock in time to see him as i had chicken duty, I decided to see him when he crossed the border into Cornwall. So I pootled on my allotment and had a chat with The Willow Woman - she has 2 plots and grows a lot of Willow! She informed me her husband was one of the singers whose songs encouraged The man to stand up. Only he was not going to stand at Drakewells nor Kit Hill in the evening - H&S and all the mining works in both places!!!I decided to go anyway!
Well he was an impressive sight even though reclined on his lorry base! There was a fair crowd in the intermittent drizzle and the Morris men danced and the Town Crier walked up and down in the cutest black wellybobs with red ribbons! I spoke to the woman in Cornish white apron, hat and black shawl, she was a Bal Maiden. They worked topside with hammers of ever decreasing size to break up the ore. "Bal" stands for "tin".
As if this wasn't enough fun in the evening I had a Shed Soiree! It was France Dwellers last evening so wedecided on having a drink on the allotment. The Angel, Party Girl, Ebay Man and The Literary Woman - a larger than life friend of French Dwellers. We mean to meet up but it seems only to happen when France Dweller is home despite our best intentions!
Well I decorated the shed, lit the incinerator, and we had toast,bananas and chocolate baked in foil, toasted  marshmallows and an awful lot of wine! Literary Woman went home with poppy seeds and Ebay Man with strawberry runners and swiss chard seeds! We all left feeling mighty tipsy and I left my car on the plot and walked home! I read in bed for a while then turned off the light and settled down - only to feel a sharp pain on my stomach. There was a bloomin' wasp in the bed with me and it stung me! I ask you, a chimney full of bees and I get stung in my own bed by a wasp! 
Tomorrow I plan to go to Minions and see The Engine Man fully erect!  Yes there is actually a place called Minions! For now you can see all the reclining Engine Man and shed Soiree here if you like!