a fairgound life (Stranraer)
I don't know how long I have came here. My earliest recollection is from 1978, and that is only because I was at school writing the date in my jotter and noticed that the number that never changed was now 7-8 and not 7-7. Its funny what thoughts stick in one's mind from days gone by. So we were attending from 78 for sure, but then I found a picture on the net from www.photo-transport.co.uk/lorries/fair73/fair73.htm.
The picture claims 73 (which is probable) and the old AEC on the right of the picture is my fathers. I can remember this vehicle well, especially painting the front passenger wheel,hub and wheel cap bright red! (I'm sure you can still see the red tinge around the right side of the wheel in this pict) I can remember that day too (at Alloa), probably due to my mother shouting at my father "it's not his fault! you shouldn't have left the paint out!". (That body also got put onto our 4 wheel "F" reg ERF with a 5 cylinder Gardener 100 and Eaton Hi-Lo back end). Much has changed since then at this fair, losing this site and moving onto another then moving back onto the original site some years later. It is better now, cleaner with mono block instead of red blaze. We used to accept the Punt here too prior to the early eighties.
Fast forward 25 plus years....We have been here nearly 3 weeks now. I looked after the DZ while "r" and Mrs showman looked after the miami at a music event near Glasgow. The following Sunday they came up and "r" was left to hold the fort while the missus and I returned to the house. It was meant to be a week off but I ended up working 70 hrs helping to fit a kitchen for my in laws. That was a quick week for me. "r" was busy too at Stranraer fitting a new silencer,straps and tail pipe onto the EC10. He also bust a hydraulic pipe on the cab tilt mechanism. This he removed to have replaced. We did another change over this week. On the way down I thought we weren't going to get here. The A77 was closed at Cairnryan as a lorry had overturned so we were diverted via Newton Stewart which put another 25M on the trip. The this road was block too as a lorry had went off the road and ditched. I walked up the 1/2 mile to the front of the traffic just as "Devlins" recovery lorry had finished winching the artic out. It took another 10 mins to brush the mud off the road and we finally got moving. We arrived at Stranraer an hour late and the rest of the fair was open. I fitted the new pipe this morning. Just in time before the rain arrived. The Fire Brigade had to be called today as a boat tethered to the pier went on fire! Two tenders promptly arrived and put the flames out. It was too wet to go out and have a nosey. It looks like we will probably miss this last Friday nights biz as the rain is falling in torrents now.
Tomorrow will be the last day of the fair and for most this will signal the end of another season, except for a couple of bonfires. Hopefully "r" and I will get the DZ down and out tomorrow night and set sail immediately.
One month after putting the jeep in for repair, it finally arrived today. It went in for a distribution box repair but since Kia could not get the parts required they finally just put in another new box. Fortunately I only had to pay the re-furb price but that was still a high 3 digit figure. I'm glad we have our transport again as I was getting sick of Shank's pony!
I borrowed the picture from that mentioned web site (hope they don't mind), there are several more on there worth looking at.
4 Comments:
look at that photo of white's dodgem load-when was the last time you seen a showman's load roped and sheeted?????
all your stuff is still held together with rope.
Sorry not been on lately but been quite busy. Finished with the shows for the moment but been catching up on the lorry driving. I've been doing a lot of graveyard shifts. Shifts dead easy as there just change overs,but i cant get used to the hours. It buggers up the old social life as well.
I did manage to get away to aviemore for september weekend as september and october are now the only two months of the year i dont open. Were of to london tomorrow for another short break as the kids are of next week. It,s a special treat for l for doing so well in the olympics. He loves theme parks so we doing legoland chessington and thorpe park. I also climbed my first munro[scottish mountain over 3 thousand feet] while at aviemore. I conquered cairgorm mountain 4084 ft with l my nephew c and even h made it and he's fifty. Good job showman was'nt there,he'ed never have made it.
I also bought an inflatable kicker stall since i last posted. I finally gave in to preasure from mrs blakey as shes wanted one for two years. I bought it the week before amble and got her a gig at south shields for the saturday. I set our usual stuff up on the friday and got her all ready with the kicker in the car. Needles to say she never got open due to high winds after an eighty mile round trip. We did get it open at amble on the sunday though so it's had it's big debut.
Been to millport as well since i was last on. Always a good trip as we go for the cowboy festival and the pubs are good.
I had the blakeymobile in for the annual test today. Almost through but failed due to a pin being loose on rear brake shoes. Took whels off when i got home and also discovered 3 tears on wall of inside tyre so i suppose it ended up a bit of luck cause i would'nt have noticed it otherwise. The pin is back in place complete with new
r clip and ready for re test. Will get new tyre and hopefully get test done by the end of next week. Hope all regulars well and i'll try and write a bit more soon God knows this rubbish needs a bit of brightening up again.
Ho showman i just had a look at that pic again. Speaking of fastening things down. I dont think you ever told the story of the projector screen you fitted to the top of the miami paybox. Now that's a great story. If you dont tell it then i just might have to. It is after all a public information story on the danger of NO NAILS. Ps dont forget to tell everyone who told you so.
It's not my fault that the professional bonding agent did NOT do what it said on the tin. and I'm sure that flying projector screens are common along the A9! PS. the four bolts you insisted I put in also failed and since I got them from you it's only fair you shoulder some of the blame.
pps was that a pun about the graveyard shift being DEAD easy?
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