Ayr County Show - Saturday

Today we headed off to the first County Fair of the season in Scotland. It was in the largest town in Ayrshire - aptly called Ayr. Scotrail took us there in just under an hour. We didn’t really know what to expect but it was a beautiful day and it was wonderful to be out in the sunshine.

Susan had packed her Welliies in case of rain and muck but so far we haven’t had to use them. We actually got there just as the day was starting.

So here is what happens at a county fair in Scotland:

Horse Jumping - cute young women in traditional riding outfits. The horses had on spangled saddle blankets and head coverings. Very fancy. 

Sheep judging - I have not seen such a variety of sheep EVER. There were black ones, white ones, brown ones, reddish ones, different coats, and different ears.  It was so much fun watching the handlers try to wrestle them into some semblance of submission for the judges. And, by the way, some of the judges were very cute.

 

Chain saw carving - Yep - that’s what I said. This guy carved a bear out a big stump right before our eyes. Protective netting was in use so we didn’t lose an eye.

Tractor exhibiting - old and new and some machinery that we couldn’t figure out.

Tug of War - both girls and boys teams competed.  At one time I lost track of Susan. Found her at the Tug of War arena.  It was fascinating - and took forever until they had winners. It seemed like they had 10 matches while we watched.

Cow judging - of course. I was bummed that they didn’t have any Highland Cows - those shaggy cute ones.

And, of course, rides for the kiddies, crafts and food.

The national soft-drink is something called Irn Bru - this is Irn Bru fudge. We've also see Irn Bru candy.

First place winner for the baking competition. Had to have a mocktail, three novelty shortbreads, a salmon tart and three pieces of "bride slice"

Oh - we loved the “Walking Stick” judging. All kinds of them hand made by some very crafty Scots.

Susan here—Carolyn gave short shrift to the weather, so I’ll add a few words about how the mood of the city perked up when the day dawned bright, clear, and warm. It got up to 61 degrees, which the locals seemed to think was beach weather. Everyone was in shorts, including small kids. A few pasty white fellas went to the Clyde to whip off their shirts to expose all of that pale skin to the sun. I assume they’ll be in the A&E by now, being treated for second degree burns.

The Ayr County Show was really great fun. I’ve never been to a farm/livestock fair that I didn’t enjoy. There’s at least 25% of me that could be very happy with country life. But the other 75% would kick my ass for even giving it a try <s>.

After a brief nap, we went to a first class restaurant called Cail Bruich. It was very Brooklyn, with farm-to-table food, nine ingredient cocktails prepared with laboratory precision, and jeans-clad, tattooed servers. They were friendly, knowledgeable and very chill. Nice night all around.

excellent dessert wine that was one of our pairings

Now we’re watching Eurovision 2018, which serves to prove that it’s hard to come up with a good pop song, even when everyone in the entire continent is giving it a whirl.

We’re hoping for another scorching sixty degrees for Sunday. Fingers crossed!

CDN & SXM