Wednesday 29 April 2009

Let the Steam countdown commence!

Hi all. More up dates from Terri’s land of Celebration of Steam!

I’m still working flat out organising the final bits and bobs for Celebration of Steam 2009, which is only 11 days away now -EEK!!

Here’s an update on what Ivor the Engine’s going to be up to while he’s here…

Ivor the Engine’s best friend Idris the Dragon will be joining us at the event too – he’s flying over from the top left had corner of Wales to keep warm in Ivor’s engine but also to say hello to all the lovely visitors attending Celebration of Steam. So watch out for a red dragon flying over Portsmouth any day now!

The Deck and Fo’c’sle shanty singers will be singing their shanties with Ivor and Idris to fill them in on sailor shenanigans! But also to help Ivor and Idris feel at home they’re throwing in a few Welsh Hymns! So be prepared to sing along!

On board HMS Warrior 1860 a storyteller will be reading Ivor’s tales, these will include “The First Story”, “The Dragon” and “Ivor’s Birthday”.

These story books will also be on sale in the Ivor the Engine merchandise hut along with many other lovely mementos.

One of which is very special – limited edition Ivor the Engine stamps, some of which have been signed by Peter Firmin (the illustrator) himself. So don’t miss out on these as they are highly collectable!

Finally we need our visitors to help refuel Ivor the Engine, so come along and grab a bag of coal or the water hose and learn about what Ivor the Engine need to keep Idris the Dragon’s engine lovely and warm.

And if all that wasn’t enough, it’s only fair that Mum and Dad should sit down and have a drink with Oakleaf Brewery and Olde Joe’s Cider and grab a sausage from O’Hagan’s Sausages to refuel themselves in the Celebration of Steam “Real Ale & Sausage Festival”.

Still lots to do, so expect one more blog before Celebration of Steam!

Monday 20 April 2009

The next event is steaming in!

Hello again. Thought I’d update you on what I’ve been up to since my last blog, sorry it’s been a little while – busy, busy, busy :o)

I’ve worked my socks off and managed to co-ordinate the logistics of getting the world’s smallest passenger carrying paddle steamer the Medina Monarch over from the Isle of Wight.

With the help of Wightlink providing free ferry crossings and Serco Denholm providing free boat lifting into the harbour via Portsmouth Naval Base we are good to go!

It took some doing but I think having the Medina Monarch at Celebration of Steam offering free trips into the harbour; basically doing the Gosport Ferry loop (without stopping) every half and hour, (subject to the weather) for 12 passengers at a time will show how beautifully she is engineered and will add a great deal to the event.

Another treat for you that is now confirmed to attend is Robert Coles, Sons & Daughter of Shaftesbury, Dorset’s Showman’s engine Quo Vadis (‘Whither Goest Thou’). This was the first and only Showman’s Engine to ever travel to the Southern Hemisphere and back again!

Find out more about Quo Vadis’s history at Celebration of Steam and see her powering our traditional chair-o-plane ride.

Also Ralf Cook’s 1947 portable saw mill is back this year along with Les and Dee Searle’s 1901 Fowler 8nhp Road Locomotive and Crane engine "The Great North". They will be doing live demonstrations of how logs would have been craned onto the saw mill and cut into planks within the dockyard.
For the sausage part of the event we have the world famous O’Hagan’s Sausages of Sussex joining us. They are planning to delight us with a variety of different sausages, one of which will be the Trafalgar 200 sausage which is 90% pork with a hint of Pusser’s Rum for the sailors and a touch of garlic to remind the French who won the battle!

So don’t miss our O’Hagan’s Sausage BBQ, Real Ale and Cider area in Port Arena of HMS Victory.

Still lots to do and things are definitely moving quickly, so expect more frequent blogs as Celebration of Steam draws nearer and nearer!