a fairground life (killing time)
I think I've been busy the last two weeks, but then I can't really remember what it is thats been done? Just as the last squib of the fireworks displays died out we wasted no time and got the Santa train thawed out. We were meant to erect it on a Thursday night but the weather was so horrendous we knocked it back 24hrs to Friday. This did stretch us a little as "r" was away and we would have to finish the ride on Saturday morning early before opening. As usual we were lucky and it all came together, although it took from 9pm Friday to 2am Saturday morning to get most of the small ride assembled. I don't know why it takes so long, maybe laying 60 mt2 of wadding to simulate snow, or the 12 miles clocked up from repeated journeys from the truck to the front of the mall or just the fact we do it once a year late at night or maybe we just haven't got the swing of it yet! Anyway Saturday morning it was all set up. The weather has been kind the last couple of weekends both being dry and fair, but there is no money about, people are not spending. I think it is the pending doom of the Tory cutbacks. I'm not saying we don't need this action as desperate times require desperate measures, I'm just aware that people are concerned and are holding back the pennies. Fuel is on the up again to over 120p per liter, around £5.50 per gallon and finally the big Christmas blow out is right around the corner and little Jack and Jill will have all there orders in. So we are all killing time waiting for x-mas and the entourage it brings with it. I still have a couple of light up gigs to sort then it will be full attention to the SECC. The Carnival as it is know, will celebrate it's 90th anniversary this year with the last 25 years being in the SECC. There was a write up in the Glasgow Evening times a couple of weeks back about this.
posted by showman @ 23:57
5 Comments
5 Comments:
Hello Showman wasn't expecting any more from you for a another week so this page was unexpected.You don't really have time off even at the back end of the season do you? I picture you as a guy who's mind is always ticking over and always finding something else to do, so even when things slow down you seem to manage to find work. On my forage around fun fairs I'm continually amazed at how low the prices have dropped. At the Hopping's last year some of the side stuff was only a £1 and when you compare that to a pint at say £2.30 that shows the none existing profit margins, even the machines were charging only £2.00 considering some families sticking there neck out to borrow cash for new machines it kinda makes you think along the lines of showmen quitting the game, or going into partnership or the likes. Its a good Idea letting "r"do an Ozz blog,he must be sick of supping Fosters and must be choking for a Mcewans or Carling by now and once he's back and debriefed I think he'll make a good job of it.Had a look at one of your old blogs to catch up on the history so to speak, this blog was in a shed and looked like a few machines packed in there, but there was cranage which was good and some one building a chequer plate floor maybe for a Miami just wondering if this was your equipment and the shed belonged to landlord 1 & 2,it looked like a good place and cover to servic all the lorries and sets, and well thought out.
I know politics is a no no but does any one realise what brought us to our knees in the first place? Im kinda looking along the lines of the country needs money to operate this is from taxes (as much as we don't like them) the tax revenue comes from companies and employees, as well as vat road tax and all the back door taxes. In the transfare of wealth back in the 80s companies were privatised and relocated abroad escaping tax millionaires were created who kept there money offshore paying no tax along with millions of workers put out of work not only not paying there little bit but having to rely on state hand outs. We don't manufacture now but rely heavily on imports. Out of town shopping centers rely on "just in time deliveries" which if you notice has brought the volume of heavy traffic on our roads from the continent, all this put in place in the 80s and to cap it all we have a downward spiral off the banks who won't lend money out.
Any one want to add to it.
Thats my half a tablet, Flatty
Some interesting points there John, caught a bit on the telly about the government situation in the far east and how they increased income by lowering taxes!
Everyone got to keep more of their own pay so they all worked harder, exports increased, and the country income increased. Wish our lot would try that would be a welcome change.
Showman i hate to say it but i am glad i am not alone, my takings at the weekend were the worst in 5 years at the indoor pitch, if this continues i will close it down in Jan and go back to summer only. I think the thought of the vat increase is worrying some people as it will be a painfull one.
Glad to hear r is having a good time down under and a christmas special blog is a great idea, look forward to reading it.
Glad to hear all the usuals are well.
gd day all,
will get my pennys worth in here in relation to the current economy.
i no im just 22 years old and havent experienced much of life but at 15 years old when mum and dad died i left school to become full time farmer. i can remember the year they died 2004 petrol and diesel were at pretty decent ish prices. 6 years on and hitting 120 petrol and 123p diesel and red diesels soaring by the week everyones profit margins are getting tighter and tighter. i can rememeber in 2004 my first harvest as owner of the farm we combined 4500 tonnes of crops with a sale price of £945,000 take away vat and costs and diesel and man hours this came to £696,000 forward 3 years later the same tonnes after overheads came to £612,000 2010 and the price of diesel and vat increase etc has hut us hard but weve took on an extra 1000 acres which myself and miss borderer have invested in with our own money. i no as of january 2011 vat will be increased to 20 percent and with gas electric going up everything will be tighther for everyone across the board come 2011. i am kinda fortunate at the moment miss borderer has a great job and we are planning on having a family in years to come which will be a further expense but great to have a child at same time. grr im raring to go now. hope showman,blakey jester john r and skyliner c all well cheers borderer.
HI Borderer,
Just giving my idea of the beginnings of our economic black hole. I think every one is going to feel the effects of it, its properly a case of battening down the hatches till something brakes.
The showfolk who rely on the public for a living who have no spare cash will have a hard few years. Hopefully they will help each other out as best they can, I think the best fairs next season will be around London, and areas of wealth, Oxford, Cambridge, etc the North will be a bit iffy but I don't know about Scotland they might be a few fairs worth the effort but I think they will be a few cancelations.
If the country is treated as a PLC can't these companies get bought and sold if so who are they going to sell the uk to and what happens to us?
Regards to every one Flatty.
snow bloody snow!
came home from a farmers agm last night and everything was all rosie.
woke up at 5am this morning as usual to see about a foot had fallen in like 6 hours on the hill and half foot plus on lower ground. spent all day digging out field entrances getting sheep and cows ferried down into sheds. clearing farm roads and tracks and the 4x4s out the drive, i admit i like snow but gets a bit of an annoyance after a while spent 11 hours today doing 7 hours work hope theres no more to come supposed to be going to a friends wedding in devon tommorow for weekend , we will see lol. hope all regs are well cheers borderer.
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