Street fair

The bank holiday is Monday, and it's the Bembridge Street Fair. We arrived at about 11:30 am, about half an hour after it started. There's only one bus an hour today, and as we got nearer and nearer, it filled up to the point that the driver could no longer allow passengers to board unless somebody got off. That's a shame if you have another hour to wait and might find the next bus in the same state. Almost everybody was going to the fair. It's a huge draw around here.

There were lots of stalls selling things that people sell at fairs these days: quite a bit of jewellery, some hand-crafted wooden things and plenty of art. There were many Isle of Wight souvenirs, although I wonder how the tourists heard about the fair. Then again, we'd read about it and planned our day around it.

We grabbed a coffee from the truck at one end of the street that had been closed for the event and walked the length of the road. Some vintage cars were on show at one end and somewhere in the middle. They were popular. Along the way was somebody selling vinyl from their garden and somebody else with one of those buzzer games where you guide a handle over a wire and must not set the buzzer off. There were cakes and knits, things for pets (mainly dogs) and a couple of food stalls. The paella would be ready outside the pub by about 12:30 pm if you wanted to stay that long; the magicians and fire-eaters were performing on a schedule written up on a chalkboard. I watched a fire-eater; it was impressive stuff.

The standing-room-only bus was indicative of the event. The street was packed. I felt slightly sorry for the homeowners, but they could have been involved in the planning. It was one of those beautiful village events you hear about when people gush about 'community spirit'.

Outside one of the pubs was a 'human fruit machine'. It was a board with three holes in it. Around the holes were images you'd see on a fruit machine. There was a handle you could pull. And when somebody did pull the handle - it seemed predominantly aimed at children - three blokes behind the board made the sound of a spinning fruit machine and then stuck things through the holes. You may have got a line of three things; perhaps you didn't. It was one of those inventive ideas I could have watched for a long time. I left laughing about it and think I have been laughing all day since.

After we'd exhausted the street, we walked to the seafront and sat with a drink of tea overlooking the Bembridge lifeboat station, looking out to sea. It was tranquil and peaceful, the opposite of the bustling street fair. Refreshed, we walked back towards the fair, opting to catch the bus a few stops early while there was space. The return journey was only marginally less cramped than the inbound.

The afternoon at the flat before the FastCat back in time for a 6:15 pm train home. The weather had been mostly blue skies and not too windy—a lovely way to spend a Monday off.