A little album of scenes that presented themselves at Stotfold Working Steam Weekend last Saturday. And, as when playing an album or playlist of music, it's sometimes fun to press shuffle and see what unexpected juxtapositions and themes are thrown up. So if you want to see some cute cushions next to an old, greasy engine then you've come to the right place!
"It's all done by smoke and steam!"
"Traction"
"Cyclamen For Sale"
"The Horseman"
"Thrashing Machine Detail"
"The Guardians Of Our Steam Heritage"
"...And A New Generation"
"Steam Into Clouds"
"Precision Engineering"
"Just Cruising"
"Fordson Major Diesel"
"A Wide Selection Of Attractive Cushions"
"Concentration"
(and in black and white)
"I know it's called a Working Steam Weekend,
but all work and no tea....."
Would you like to spend a couple of minutes or so wandering around the tractors and threshing machines with Les?
I promise that we will escape from the world of steam and return to the English countryside very soon. It just so happens that there are several steam gatherings at this time of year - I think it might be deliberately arranged this way so that the heavy equipment doesn't have to be moved huge distances between venues.
Take care.
Love that quirky juxtapositioning.
ReplyDeletePut together any way at all it is all fascinating and I can see what draws you in year after year. Thanks to Les, (aka The Shadow) for the video. It was fun to see all of this.
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos full of movement and colour. I like the black and white one too:)
ReplyDeleteI like had you created titles for each picture. Clever. I also enjoyed watching Les' shadow moving across his video.
ReplyDeleteWow! What great pictures. That first black and white shot is perfection. It could have been taken a hundred years ago! The horseman? I've got an old black and white photograph hung next to a clock topped by a rearing horse. A man in a suit with a hat is standing next to a tall work horse. We don't know who he is. My mother in law thought the picture suited our house and picked him up at a garage sale. She was right.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos..that first one is a cracker..
ReplyDeleteThinking of image 4...I'll post a photo of Pirate's father...
It's a great photo of Pirate's father.
DeleteThat first photo is worthy of framing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely collection of photos! Love the first photo, with the steam adding a bit of mystery to the overall feeling.
ReplyDeleteMany years ago with my parents I went to a steam show in Suffolk (cannot recall at this distance in time where) where in addition to the usual traction engines etc they also had a demonstration of steam ploughing as it used to be done with an engine either side of the field and the plough pulled between on cables. My grandmother was with us and talked about how that was the way that the ploughing was done on the farm that my grandfather worked on looking after the shire horses.
ReplyDeleteYou are a steam engine groupie, John. ;-))
ReplyDeleteBuen reportaje. Mi preferida es la fotografía nº 1.
ReplyDeleteFeliz fin de semana.
So glad to see the elders passing on the knowledge to a new generation. It's very very important!
ReplyDeleteVery often getting these machines to the site involves the whole family. They camp in a wide variety of ways - modern camper-vans, an occasional tent, traditional gypsy vardos, and shepherd's huts and roadman's trailers like the one in the last photo. (Shepherd's huts are just a smaller version, built for one person). The children absorb knowledge from a very young age - always the best time.
DeleteWell worth sharing so we all can experience every bit.
ReplyDeleteIt is always fun to see....I don't care if there are a dozen of them festivals. I enjoyed Les' s video, too.
ReplyDeleteA big thank you to Les and his shadow for the video that has given me a greater idea of the size of this show. Your album has fully captured the atmosphere and character of the entries and people involved, amazingly.
ReplyDeleteYou blog is the next best thing to being there.
ReplyDeleteThanks, John for sharing this classic event. I like Les's video, lots of classic machines.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures
ReplyDeleteThe cruising steamer is to dream for!
These machines are truly wonderful to see, John. I especially enjoyed this series of close-ups and the first one was wonderful.
ReplyDelete