Today it isn’t just about where we are, but when…
We arrived in Loughborough yesterday after Soaring upstream. Despite it being Saturday in town on the jubilee weekend, we didn’t have any trouble with drunken shenanigans. I thought I heard a firework or flare as there was a shrieking noise but, thanks to a new bird call ID app recommended by my sister that morning, it was identified as a green finch call.
Shane had looked up Loughborough events to see “what’s occurring” ( as a nearby pub said on its noticeboard). Loughborough has a steam train station that regularly puts on vintage events and the platinum jubilee was an excuse to spread that over several decades. In the spirit of serendipity and enjoying what’s on offer, we decided to go along and check it out. It was pretty chilly but Shane decided it was June so shorts were de rigeur. But he had a hat in his pocket.
There were several connected stations to visit. Each had different entertainments, some permanent fixtures and others were singers from different decades. Shane wandered off when I joined in with “Let’s twist again like we did last summer” I thought he was embarrassed at me dancing, I was not the only dancer, but the others were on the other platform and were in vintage outfits. He assured me that was not the reason he had walked away.
At a later station the singer had people up on an official dance floor. I didn’t join in then, not my era, and too much on display.
Someone with a sense of humour had a hand in some of the permanent displays, with Dad’s Army references. Other displays may not have been deliberate but I wondered about the positioning of smoking adverts and fire buckets. I liked the handles at the bottom for easy chucking of sand or water at a fire, they looked well used.
Obviously there was a large collection of vintage vehicles: cars, bikes, ambulances, fire engines, steam engines, steam lorry, steam tractor, steam roller and a mail train, to name a few.
We managed to ride in 4 different carriage styles during the day. And enjoyed various beverages and foods but none of those on the signs. The fish and chips look pricey!