Tomorrow's Flower Show promises to be a good 'un, possibly the best yet. With the financial support of Lôn Parcwr-based Cadwyn Clwyd, it's reported that there will be more on offer than ever before. But it will still be at the farmers' market and not Cae Ddol, which is a shame. It seems not even the deep pockets at Cadwyn Clwyd can help out on that.
There may be excellent reasons why the show has moved from Cae Ddol. The experiment of 2008 obviously paid off and it's been at the market ever since. But with the move, the mood somehow changed. The mart may be the ideal structure for selling livestock but, with its rigid structures, boundaries & fences, for the show, there's about as much atmosphere there as at a football stadium two hours after the final whistle.
May be my spectacles are rosé-tinted (sic) but at Cae Ddol you had grass not gravel beneath your feet. It was close to town so you got the proper interaction between show goers and shoppers: you were able to do both or share with friends a drink at a bar with atmosphere. The horizons and space seemed infinite. The sun always shone. Your children or grandchildren could gambol unhindered and be assured a safe landing should over-exuberance result in a tumble. Can children be children at the mart?
Not that I'd know. Once upon a time I'd always be at the show, wondering why my courgettes or gladioli never seemed to measure up (and it would be nice to see a little more competition, too). I went to the market in 2008 but actually haven't returned. As optimistic as I am (or try to be) about Rhuthun/Ruthin, I felt it lacked something.
This year, well, I may be lured by the prospect of more events than previously. May be it's time to bury the hatchet and try again, to give the show another chance. Go see for yourselves and draw your own conclusion.
Meanwhile, life moves on and Cae Ddol is a thing of the past. At least there's now a skateboard park there. And I do have to acknowledge that the children's play area has been incredibly busy on sunny days this summer. And that provides far more opportunity for children to play than a once a year occasion such as the flower show, grass or not.
There may be excellent reasons why the show has moved from Cae Ddol. The experiment of 2008 obviously paid off and it's been at the market ever since. But with the move, the mood somehow changed. The mart may be the ideal structure for selling livestock but, with its rigid structures, boundaries & fences, for the show, there's about as much atmosphere there as at a football stadium two hours after the final whistle.May be my spectacles are rosé-tinted (sic) but at Cae Ddol you had grass not gravel beneath your feet. It was close to town so you got the proper interaction between show goers and shoppers: you were able to do both or share with friends a drink at a bar with atmosphere. The horizons and space seemed infinite. The sun always shone. Your children or grandchildren could gambol unhindered and be assured a safe landing should over-exuberance result in a tumble. Can children be children at the mart?
Not that I'd know. Once upon a time I'd always be at the show, wondering why my courgettes or gladioli never seemed to measure up (and it would be nice to see a little more competition, too). I went to the market in 2008 but actually haven't returned. As optimistic as I am (or try to be) about Rhuthun/Ruthin, I felt it lacked something.
This year, well, I may be lured by the prospect of more events than previously. May be it's time to bury the hatchet and try again, to give the show another chance. Go see for yourselves and draw your own conclusion.Meanwhile, life moves on and Cae Ddol is a thing of the past. At least there's now a skateboard park there. And I do have to acknowledge that the children's play area has been incredibly busy on sunny days this summer. And that provides far more opportunity for children to play than a once a year occasion such as the flower show, grass or not.
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