A dinosaur, an owl and an octopus

all sat there looking at me - along with dolls, teddy bears, unicorns, "gonks", and other largely soft, cuddly and colourful characters. There were two humans standing next to me as well.

We were silent for a moment as we contemplated the work some people are prepared to put in simply to give something to charity - in this case the Women's and Children's Hospital. Yesterday was the first time in three years we had been able to have the pleasure of looking at things like that.

Yes, "the Show is back". Our annual Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society show was cancelled two years in a row because of the pandemic. The cancellation has added to the financial woes of the farmers and other rural people in the state so this year will be especially important - even with some restrictions still in place. The daily limit on numbers is of concern but necessary.

And most of the old team were back yesterday or will be there tomorrow.  Sadly the person who would have been helping me yesterday was not there as she is going through a rough time with chemotherapy. There was a new person there in her place. This was someone I had met just two weeks ago as she came looking for help at a knitting and crochet group I look after at our local library. It just seems to prove that the city I live in is not that big! She certainly proved herself useful and has fitted in well. I hope she will be back next year. 

There were changes to the way we do things too. It has all gone "high tech" and people's entries get scanned as they come in. Yes, easier than dealing with piles of paper work!

But the entries came in steadily as before - yesterday was "handicrafts for others" (my special concern), ceramics (careful!), egg artistry (we leave that to the egg artists themselves), dressmaking, costumes, embroidery, and millinery. A few people who are also entering in other classes later in the week brought in woodwork, metalwork, paper crafts, and the like. There were tiny items and much larger items. 

I went up and down the trestle tables putting things in the right places ready to be judged and did my own silent and strictly to myself judging of the things laid out. It is not exactly a "game" I play but rather a way of trying to improve my ability to help with the judging in any area should it be necessary. For the most part the judges are people who are very, very skilled in their area. They know about colour and design, form and purpose, the workmanship and much more. Over the years I have been there I have been able to learn a great deal on top of the short certificate course I undertook some years ago. 

But we are not, for the most part, judging professional people. We are judging people who do these things because for the sheer pleasure of making something - and doing the very best they can. In the past we have given prizes to an item that does have flaws. This might be because there are very few entries in that particular class or because there is something else very special about it. Many of the judges will find the time to write a few words on the back of the cards attached to the items if there is something which warrants it. It all helps to encourage people to try again.

I genuinely feel immensely privileged to be part of all this. I know many people look on it as "old-fashioned" and "something from the past". They would even suggest the entire Show is like that. It isn't. There is a sense of community there.

And people care about each other. I gave in and took the Senior Cat's walker with me yesterday. It gave me more mobility and I could be more useful but it also meant I wasn't going to make the hike to almost the other side of the grounds to get my lunch (provided). Not a problem though because someone brought my sandwich back for me. I had taken some lunch with me but it is typical of the team that more than one of them thought to make sure I had something to eat. They really are a great group to work with and I am a very lucky cat!