Competitive vegetable modelling and other pursuits

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Today is the day of the Aberford Horitcultural Society's Annual Show. It is a Big Deal. Allotment Junkie is President of the Aberford Horticultural Society, and has many duties including hosting the Lord Mayor of Leeds to a lunch at the pub, opening the Show and helping the Lord Mayor hand out the 'big' prizes. Pink is all dressed up ready to present the pub landlady with a bouquet of flowers that's almost as big as she is, which is quite exciting, but not nearly as exciting as speculating on the outcome of the 'vegetable animal' class in which blue and pink have, respectively entered a vegetable cow and a vegetable octopus.

Now, when I say blue and pink have entered them, it is true to say that there has been a certain amount of Recipe Junkie's input here, and so there's more at stake than simply their happiness for the rest of the day. There's nothing like a trivial little local competition to get Recipe Junkie's creative juices going, and so when both indicated a desire to enter Class 90 - A Vegetable Animal - I was in heaven.

We spent yesterday planning what we would need and checking that the wherewithal was available in Allotment Junkie's various vegetable beds (and if not, then in the fridge). Having overslept again this morning (the husband arrived late last night and then the residual bass thump from the Leeds festival made for a broken night's sleep) I lept out of bed just after 8 and we threw ourselves into creating fabulous things. The octopus (potato body, french bean tentacles, raisin eyes and radish mouth) was relatively straight forward, but the cow presented more difficulties, both creative and practical. The carrot legs required 3 cocktail sticks each to provide sufficient support, and the potato head, atop the courgette 'end' neck (with carrot horns), while a work of artistic genius, may well prove too heavy. I am particularly proud of the radish udder...

Creations completed, we took them proudly down to the village hall, and there they wait, while the judges peruse the entries in private and make their decision. We will head back after lunch to view the results, as eager as any of the entrants of the vegetable classes.

I am quietly confident. After all, when we left the hall with 20 minutes left for entries, ours were the only 2 entered...