Over this last weekend...

a traveling fair has occupied a big chunk of Crowcroft Park. Had my beautiful Nikon D50 (a camera I loved more than life itself) not been stolen I might have posted some pictures. Unfortunately the software for my posh Nokia megazillion pixellated phonotron has also ceased to function so no pics via that means either.

On Thursday afternoon the park gates were opened to a convoy of heavy lorries that given the recent rain reduced the grass to a brown paste of Paschendale consistency. Once the rides were constructed I was struck by a common feature, all relied for their thrill to a greater or lesser extent on spinning. Names like The Vomitarium and warnings such as 'Bowel Discipline Required at all Times on this Ride' gave the unwary at least a heads up on what to expect. Indeed one machine was so violent and gallons of sick spewed forth with such force Christian fundamentalists in the crowd assumed it was the second flood. Being swept away obviously encouraged mobile phone dealing as many could be heard shouting at their brokers to buy boats.

It eventually struck me that a fair proportion of the crowd were in sowesters. In fact the spray was such they would not have looked out of place aboard a deep sea trawler fighting to maintain a headway. Thank fuck for the handy ropes as everyone slipped and slid between whirling devices, flashing lights, screams, groans and garish music. Every now and then sluice doors on one apparatus or another parted releasing a deluge of grey exhausted patrons to surge tumbling flopping and foaming into the darkness beyond. Man, all that bile rotted the stitching in my shoes and forced me to walk home unshod, plus I went all wrinkly from the wet and it turned me a shade of yellow. Overall though it was fun.

As per the typical funfair I departed laden with crust some of which set so hard in my hair it took two hours with the wallpaper steamer just get the carrots out.