Caroline Shipsey
Photography

Friday 22 August 2008

TGIF

This has been such a busy week, its taken quite a while sorting and uploading pictures from the Fair to the secure area of my website but its almost done and I'm preparing a selection to illustrate this year right now.
Done at last - Priddy Fair 2008 photos are HERE
Each year I take photographs which are intended to simply illustrate the few days before the Fair, some of the people I have got to know over the years who ask for their photographs to be taken, and the actual day of the Fair. Please look back at earlier years to see how things have changed in just the 10 years covered on the website. This year many familiar faces were missing and generally it felt that it had lost its spark. The Fair committee have worked really hard to make it safe, something that was of major concern to some people, and to return it to a more traditional event. It just didn't quite work for me this year.

Wednesday 20 August 2008

Another Year - Another Fair

It seems today, the 658th (I think) Priddy Sheep Fair, has passed off successfully and without any major incident, to the delight of both the police and the Fair committee. My feelings about it are somewhat different mainly because of the different perspective I'm looking at things from - the photographic viewpoint.

Trotting Ponies



trotting ponies





trotting ponies



This was the absolute highlight of the Fair for me this year. As usual there were quite a number of Travelers camped at Splotts with their ponies and Sulkies. Its always been a feature that the ponies would be raced along the road in the evening when there is less traffic, I can sometimes hear their hooves clattering from my home and can't resist going out to find them and watch.
noun ( pl. sulkies)
a light two-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for one person, used chiefly in harness racing.

Often the evening light is so dim that its impossible to photograph them but it takes nothing away from the excitement. This year was the best ever thanks to Brian, his son Buddy and grandson Joey, and of course their spirited and beautiful ponies.

More to follow .........

Monday 18 August 2008

Priddy Fair 2008

The Fair will be held on 20th August this year and once again the committee have been hard at work to make it a really good day with minimum problems.

A PLEA TO ALL TRAVELERS VISITING THE FAIR
As usual I will be taking photographs before and after the Fair. You are really important to the photographic record, without you it would not be a true representation. Many of you already know me and have been kind and helpful in the past - I am asking for your help to continue making my record of the Fair. PLEASE let me photograph you, I don't make any money from this, the pictures are for own personal project - not the papers, etc.

Saturday 16 August 2008

Review of Sidmouth Folk Week 1st-8th August 2008

Sidmouth Folk Week
As usual there was lots of music in the Radway with some really good sessions. Its good to see some younger musicians who obviously really love what they are playing - Matt Quinn,(son of Dan, obviously !), Will Pound, Tom the boy fiddler, and the amazing lad with long ginger hair whose name I wish I knew. They made a lot of other musicians look and sound like dinosaurs.

The culmination 5 days Big Band workshops with Nick and Mary Barber was the ceilidh in Anchor Gardens on Thursday afternoon. The band and dancers persevered despite the threat of rain and a few showers.




Rees Wesson
is making me a new melodeon and he has all the pieces ready for the next stage of assembly. I chose the wood for the body, keyboard etc, button color and stop knobs. Hopefully it will be ready around the end of September so I can use it Melodeons at Witney in November. If I play it well enough it might get him some more orders.


melodeon parts



Tony Hall was appearing at various venues and also doing a 'Melodeon Masterclass' which was entertaining but not really what it was advertised as.



To be continued......

Things to do with a Rolling Pin No. 1

Often the crust at the end of a loaf of bread is too thick to fit in a toaster and the bread goes to waste. To avoid this and take a tiny (and roundabout) step towards improving your carbon footprint, just place the bread on a breadboard and using your trusty rolling pin roll the crust until it has flattened sufficiently to fit the toaster slot.

Rosie having Lunch


I was sitting in the sun eating a sandwich being watched by Rosie when she began to nibble at the Daylily plant. Initially she only took the withered flowers and I thought she would leave the new buds but then she started on those too. It's OK they are edible, in fact there is a Ladies Group in the USA dedicated to using them in receipes.

Friday 15 August 2008

Amputation of Broadband

Yesterday at around 2pm not only did it pour with rain again but there was a huge flash of lightening and an abrupt end to all internet access. Suddenly it seemed that everything I wanted to know or do was only possible via the internet, I felt like a spoilt child being prevented from playing with my friends.

More importantly I couldn't finish uploading the photos of Simon & Ivana's celebration which I had hoped to have finished. Considering they were nearly all taken with flash in the barn and mostly unposed I'm quite pleased with the results and so are they which is obviously most important.

Thursday 14 August 2008

It's Stopped

6.40 am and the sun is actually shining and the rain has stopped, seemingly for the first time since Saturday. Yesterday was like autumn with really strong winds and pouring rain all day, definitely not dog walking weather. I've been busy uploading pics from Simon & Ivana's celebration, so far they are pleased with them and so am I.

Chipper -my small brown terrier type dog- has mange which means that much of the time since our return from Sidmouth has also been taken up with washing dogs in foul smelling sulphur dip, washing multiple dog beds and trying to stop her from chewing herself to pieces.