Plodding (plodging?) on

19th & 20th August

The weather has continued very unsettled for the last two days, though frustratingly it was quite fine at times today, only to break down into heavy showers again in late afternoon.

Yesterday morning we spent extending the perimeter fence behind the theatre to create part of the area for the fairground, into which the fairground folks moved their caravans. We also fenced off the bit of the tracking outside the main perimeter along which the trucks will move to deliver supplies to the bar tent.

We did a trial erection of a gazebo being supplied to one of the exhibitors, but decided that, having checked that it would go up, and identified that all its pegs and guys had disappeared and would have to be replaced, there was not much point leaving it standing in the wind and rain, so took it down with a note on the task list to put it back up on Friday morning.

After lunch the fairground was all in position, so we went back and made good all the fencing. Later we did a bit of other heavy shifting type work, but we were still quite restricted by the soggy ground. We really don't want even to walk on it too much until we absolutely have to.

In the evening we had the joint red and blue shirts' cheese and wine party, which went very well.

Today has brought a different role for me. It's craning day, when the exhibitors' boats come in, some to be craned off their flat bed lorries to positions on the land, and others to move into position on the floating pontoon. My job was to act as harbourmaster for these latter boats.

In practice, one of them had to stay at the yard where it was craned in, as no one turned up from the exhibitor's to move it. Two others duly arrived and were positioned. The rest of the floating exhibits are coming under their own steam. Of these, only one had turned up by lunch, so that of 14 boats expected, we had three on the pontoon, and one waiting to be moved from where it was craned in.

Late afternoon another one arrived, and we are aware of two others somewhere in the vicinity. As I'm back to my normal role as a wrg team leader tomorrow, folks from the commercial team will have to sort them out.

Tonight we have a giant Chinese carry out, mainly with the blue shirts, then things really get frantic for the final 48 hours of preparation. I'll do my best to post as usual on Friday, but don't be surprised if it doesn't appear until the weekend!