Page 6 - Simply Vegetables Autumn 2023

I started writing this report sitting outside the campervan in my deckchair on the New Forest Showground, Hampshire weather good, not too hot and a light breeze. A great setting for the Southern Branch Championships.
At the end of my last report, I was on
my way to Malvern Spring Festival. I can now report that we won a Silver Gilt award. A big thank you to all who supported or helped in any way to make the four days very successful for the Midlands Branch. The icing on the cake for me was collecting a long service award on behalf of the NVS from Malvern to celebrate attending their Spring Show for the past 37 years.
This quarter has seen a lot of Spring Shows return to normal after the pandemic, Harrogate, Beaulieu, Scone Palace, BBC Gardeners world to name but a few. Reports can be found within the various Branch and DA sections towards the back of this Magazine.
I am sure you members, like me, always like to hear about the Shows around the country and if you are involved in a local show, it would be nice to hear about it as these are the important grass roots.
At the beginning of July, the first show
(for my Husband Mark and myself) was Newport. Although it is predominately an agricultural show, they do encompass a Horticultural/Domestic Show, judged by NVS judges. Mark and I were invited to attend as VIPs, as at 3.45pm Mark and four others were presented in the main arena with long service awards, and a nice clock. For the last 42 years Mark has worked in the
land-based industry in one way or another, including gardening, farming, forestry, and lecturing at Harper-Adams University.
The Trustees have held two meetings
in the last quarter, a general one and the annual Awards Review. This year saw a large number of award nominations, and all were well-deserved. Many congratulations and thank you to all of you. We rely on many volunteers throughout the Society and it’s so nice to recognize your support and hard work.
In July I was so saddened to hear of
the passing of Bill Thornton, the person
I looked up to when I first joined the Midlands Branch Committee. Bill is
sadly missed by so many. Bill’s was an intimate funeral, with family and friends from the NVS and his eulogy included an extensive reflection of Bill’s time in the NVS. Afterwards our many memories and chat were of good times.
So, here we are in the heart of the
New Forest at the Southern Branch Championships, we made it after a weekend of pulling veg and a lot of swearing with being unable to make all our entries, but we decided to just enjoy the get away!! Not sure what the weather was going to be like, we put the bikes on the back of the van anyway. We staged our veg on the Monday afternoon, then Tuesday we went round the rest of the New Forest Show whilst the judging took place then went in to see the results. In the evening the Branch was holding a presentation evening which enabled everyone to get together, have a drink and share their
news, views, ideas, and tips etc..... It was good to see so many there and as Mark and I have always done in the past, plus with the weather being kind, we cycled
to the venue and of course back through the forest in the dark, hoping to see deer, but to no avail. With the good weather continuing, we decided to go out on our bikes the next day and before heading back to the showground we found a pub to have something to eat and drink, but low and behold when the time came to leave the weather had changed, it was chucking it down. We had no choice but to go for it! it was a single track back through the forest and the puddles were immense, but we just kept pedaling. It was so much fun I thought I was a teenager again we didn’t realise how wet we were till we stopped though.
Next week I am off to one of my local Flower Shows, Shrewsbury, a two-day Show which I always enjoy. It’s not the best showground underfoot if it’s raining, and with the rain we have had here lately I’m not holding out too much hope. Never mind, the show must go on and I have my boots.
Some of you may be wondering whether I sorted out my pigeon problem that I was having when I wrote my last report, well yes, I have. I made some net curtains in three strips, so that I can get in and out, but they (the pigeons) cannot. It is also stopping the squirrels getting to my lovely sweetcorn! so I am very pleased.
I hope you enjoy this Autumn edition of the SV Magazine.
Lady Chair’s Report
SANDRA HALL FNVS, NATIONAL LADY CHAIR
Net curtains
Midland’s Branch Award
6 Simply Vegetables