Royal Hobart Show 2014

We took the boys and Karri and Miah to the show yesterday. Did the farm animals first, then crazy rides, then food, then watched the axe throwing competition, then the pig races, went back for pavlovas, a go on the dodgems and collected showbags on our way out. All went off pretty well.

Some highlights: we watched the judging of several classes of alpaca. These black ones have huge arses hindquarters and tails like sewn-on teddy bears. The one nearest won in a photo finish, from the next one along. The judge went and fetched the blue ribbon then hovered around uncertainly for ages before finally garlanding the winner around its silly long neck.

My favourite part was watching the handlers trying to get them to line up parallel. Apparently the best way is to seize their rump just above the tail, lift hind legs off the ground and rotate into position.

You can't beat the classic laughing clowns. When they finally laugh their last, these originals are replaced with lumpy and amateurish papier maché mouse heads. For me its got to be clowns all the way. The operator here stood out as unusually clean living and dad-like. Generally carnies are finding new (bad) ways to accent their trademark look every year.

This is the zipper. Marcus, Michael and Miah are in one of those pink cages waaaaay up at the top, that look like they are made from old Leyland Marinas minus the wheels.

I high-fived this chicken, and also later got a tired fist bump from a pea pod by the Woolworths fruit 'n' veg display. He was just about to knock off, saw him shortly after knocking back a ristretto, still in violent green pants but minus the pod.

Some shots from around the World Of Birds. I was going to say poultry but are pigeons poultry? This first one is a racing pigeon transporter.

And now, all the kids having a turn being a cactus. Thanks, taco stand whose tacos we did not buy!

The best call of the day was from the announcer at the axe-throwing. Some axes were missing the quite-small target altogether, or hitting the top of it and bouncing away at unpredictable angles. Not far behind the target was a grandstand. At one point a thrower missed, and then pointed to some kids who had been running around under the grandstand right in his eyeline. The announcer said "OK, better round up those kids before someone turns one of them into twins".