Wednesday 29 October 2014

A Plethora Of Pumpkins...

...and gourds and squashes.




Destination =  Slindon. Very pretty Sussex nestled at the foot of the Downs which for one week of the year becomes rather manic as it transforms itself into Britain's Pumpkin Capital. If you do visit it's well worth parking on the outskirts of the village and walking is as the streets get very clogged up with traffic.

Ralph Upton began growing pumpkins commercially in the 1950s. He sourced many different varieties and eventually reached an annual growth rate of between 15000 to 20000. In 1968 he set up the first Autumn display of them with his famous pictures that he created from them. Although he sadly died in 2009 his son Robin has continued the family tradition selling more than 50 varieties. We've been a couple of times before but this was the first time sans enfant. We were able to enjoy some home made cake and pumpkin soup at a temporary cafe that's been set up for the duration and which is raising funds for charity. Just a glimpse of what we saw.







As you might imagine my nosey bone didn't just stop at pumpkins....well it would have been most impolite of me not to have shown Mr GBT a few more of the sights/sites having hauled him down there...more photos in a few days or so.

Arilx



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