Show reveals its enduring popularity -

Farm produce

Over in the farm produce pavilion chief steward

Ian McGaw said his exhibits were “pretty close to target” despite the show being a little earlier than usual.

He said the earlier show date put pressure on growers to get their produce fully ripened, but said mostly the exhibits were top quality.

“Mostly it’s been pretty good, although the pumpkins are a little bit down this year,” he said.

“Some of the citrus fruit is not quite ready yet.”

He was pleased to see local high schools put together some outstanding exhibits in his pavilion.

Poultry pavilion booming

With more than 200 with no strict rules or regulations.

Instead, it is a practice to help reconnect the journaler with the natural world and foster each person’s own sense of wonder.

Living in Canberra, Fiona discovers the dry sclerophyll forest in her surroundings as being more than ‘messy bushland’.

Instead, it is ‘a vital ecosystem full of fascinating interrelationships and mutual dependencies’.

She shares her discoveries with the reader in a fascinating and engaging way, where I challenge you not to want to take up the journaling and drawing tools by the time you have nished the book.

Fiona works with numerous mediums, including graphite, watercolour, and coloured pencils. is is her rst published book of collected nature references, hoping to inspire readers to see and experience the world around them.

You can order “A Canberra Nature Journal” through www.shawlingpublishing. com.au entries in the cages, veteran poultry judge Barry Reeves was delighted with the turn out.

It’s been a tough time to show poultry right now. A lot of fowls have not gone right through their moults, so it can mean they’re not looking their best,” he said.

But he said the exhibitors at the show had pulled out all the stops with the bird entered this year.

An innovation to please and tease younger viewers this year were several colourful entries from Rainbow Farm.

With their feathers allegedly coloured by the food they had been given, the birds also shared their cages with coloured eggs.

Barry’s wife and show steward Lorna Reeves let is slip that maybe there was a little “showmanship” involved.

Computer carving

The Grafton Community Shed exhibition was had some surprisingly hi-tech work among its craft work.

Club member Michael Jameson has taken the plunge, in retirement, into CnC 3D carving and his star exhibit at the group’s stall was a stunning example of what it could achieve.

He got hold of a scrap piece of brown pine from the Koolkhan Power Station, which had a stunning blonde streak in the grain.

He downloaded an image of a bucking bronco to feed into the computer controlling the continued from page 14 engraving machine.

Michael said the novice should not think the computer does all the work.

“There’s a lot to it. Choosing the wood, setting the preference, putting the finish on the job.

“It takes eight to 10 hours and you can’t just walk away and leave the machine,” he said.

“You shouldn’t ever be out of earshot of the machine, or you could find yourself with a nasty fire.”

So, has it been worth it for Michael. Well, he has put a price tag of $475 on his piece, carved on a scrap of pine.

“I feel quite inspired,” he said.