Steam Rally

I was having lunch yesterday when I heard the whistle and smelled the smoke - a traction engine was trundling down Broad Street to the turning at the Three Tuns. It was the first of three that were making their way to the Steam Rally across the river under their own, literal, steam. And it's quite a climb up the hill to Boatside, for a vehicle that was built in 1913.
For the first time I can remember, I wasn't working this Sunday, or away from home, so I walked up to have a look.
The day has been - blustery, is probably putting it most kindly. There have been moments of sunshine, but also sudden downpours, and drizzle. The show went on regardless. I think it must be a peculiarly British thing to dress up in raincoat and wellies and slog through muddy fields to have a good time.
I wasn't expecting it to be so big. It wasn't just traction engines - there must have been over a hundred vintage cars, plus motorbikes, bicycles, tractors, lorries and buses, and little stationary engines that pumped water or, in one case, powered a milking machine. There were stalls selling waterproof clothing and local photographs, the inevitable burger vans, including the local XOX Organics - their refreshment tent was very popular in the showers. There was a craft tent with people demonstrating - two ladies from Open Door were there, one spinning at a wheel, and Jean making woolly hats on a Knatty Knitter. Another lady was selling felt goods and spinning on a CD hand spindle, and another was doing five stick weaving, and selling cushion covers as fast as she could make them! There was a chap making stained glass art from old bottles, and displays of model cars and tractors - and the biggest selection of different nails that I've ever seen!
There was an old fashioned fun fair for the kids, with a roundabout and hall of mirrors, a selection of different breeds of chickens and ducks, and a display of birds of prey.
As well as the parades of various vehicles in the main arena, there was also Magnus and his bed of nails (and broken glass). I didn't see him doing any fire breathing, but it was dangerously windy. I did see him lie down on the broken glass, with the bed of nails on his chest, and a young lady from the audience standing on top of that.
I stood, just about up wind of the flying sawdust, watching a man with a chain saw who was making a sculpture of a bird of prey - he'd already done a barn owl and, as the sign said, it did take him only about twenty minutes. He used two chainsaws - one for the rough cuts and one for the fine details. In the same roped off area, two men were using a machine to cut boards from a tree trunk one at a time, each of them about an inch thick and as wide as the tree trunk. Under a canopy, a woman was wood turning, and there was another traction engine harnessed up to a huge wood saw, though I didn't see that in action.
It was a pity for the stall holders who were selling music CDs and old tools and so on - most of the time their stalls were covered with plastic - and the candyfloss seller couldn't have done much trade either - but it was well worth the £5 entrance fee just to see all the old engines.