Great Dorset Steam Fair 2013

Michelle and I spent a very enjoyable day yesterday at the Great Dorset Steam Fair. The fair runs from Wednesday to Sunday in late August each year and is, I think, the largest event of its sort in the world. You can see all sorts of old traction engines and old farm machinery, with an emphasis on seeing things in action. My favourite field is over on the east of the site, where you can see sections dedicated to horses and horse ploughing, threshing and wood sawing, along with various halls for crafts and food. With a fair wind we’d love to exhibit there next year.

We wore our Huff and Puff T-shirts and made some new friends. We saw the most splendid vintage baler – see photos below – which was putting out the most incredibly compact, square-ended bales that you could hardly lift. I do get quite excited now when I find good, construction quality bales, but that goes with the territory I guess!

I’ve been looking for work to do during the winter months when we can’t build with straw or render and we keep coming back to the idea of shepherds’ huts. Having done a bit of research I think there are probably in excess of six companies making huts in Dorset alone, and they do seem incredibly popular at the moment. Some are of awesome quality, but I’m not convinced about the eco-credentials of the ones I’ve seen. Along with quality I think that would be what we’d like to focus on. What do you think? What would you like to use a hut for?