In which Jai raves about Carters Steam Fair, wartime planes, and tiger plushies:-

[flyboy_fox]

Back from the steam fair. It was pretty darn awesome. If you're like me and have a real fascination with early modern machinery, something like this is just a must-see. It's a BRILLIANT example of exactly how fun-fairs would have been 50 - or even 100 - years ago. In fact, the engine that runs the horse carousel is over 100 years old, and has been running annually every year since it was first put to use. The merry-go-round horses themselves are from 1910, and are therefore almost 100 years old themselves. And the arcade is filled with penny slot arcade machines that only accept ye olde pennies, so be prepared to change up some money! :P

Here Jai will outline the highlights of his personal experience at Carters Steam Fair. Starting with...

The karmic tiger! I won him in a game of 21s, where you get to draw 7 tickets and if you can make a sum total of 21 from the numbers drawn, you win a prize. Naturally, there is a major deficit in the number of odd numbers in the mix. I only played once, but somehow I managed to draw 6, 6, 9 somewhere in my mix, which earned me any top-tier prize of my choice. I settled on a massive and luxuriously soft-looking tiger plush. When I say massive, I mean he really was about the size of a five-year-old child, if not bigger. Quite probably bigger. He was also really well made, and I was happy with him, despite the odd looks one gets walking around town with a giant tiger plushie under one's arm.

Tiger didn't stay with me for long. As I was eating lunch at a picnic table on the beach, a little old lady approached me from a group of OAPs and said she was admiring the tiger. She wanted to know where I had got it from and how much it had cost. She had her heart set on getting one for her toddler-aged grandson, who, she was certain, would adore it. She was willing to go to the steam fair herself and play until she won.

Well, I wasn't having any of that :\ What use is another plushie to me, no matter how soft and squishable? Naturally, I gave it to her for her grandson. To me, this was the smallest of gestures to make. It was just a stuffed animal and I had only spent a pound sterling on winning it. But the lady's jaw dropped. I have never seen someone look quite so flabbergasted by a simple gesture. At first she wanted to pay me £5 for it. Finally, I got her to accept it for free, and she just couldn't stop thanking me. She took my hand then touched my cheek, gave me a hug, blessed me, then said that she'd had no idea that such nice people still existed ^^; That's a little sad, really. There are many 'nice people' in the world, and in every corner of it. Anyhow, after she had showed off her prize and pointed me out to pretty much every other person in the picnic area, she finally wandered off with her group and my tiger in tow :)

The reason this story is important to me isn't because I feel that I did a really nice thing (I emphasise that to me it was really no big deal at all; no major loss XD), but rather that small seemingly triffling acts of kindness can sometimes have an unprecedented effect on someone's day or even their perception. If that lady now feels that generous young people are not a myth after all, then that's worth FAR more than the quid I spent on winning Stripey there.

Next up... The Bomber! The Bomber is the only ride I went on. I didn't want to spend too much money, but how could I refuse to go on a ride this awesome? Basically, you have two pods, one each end of a long metal arm that spins like a baton-twirler's stick. The pods twist as you go over, so you're never truly upside down, but you do plunge towards the ground face first at speed before strafing away back up. Rather like... a bomber plane! And so, the pods are painted to look like a torpedo of the body of a plane. Better yet... my photos! Let me show you them! I'm sure you've all seen this kind of ride before, but it really was all kinds of awesome.



So that was the ride I went on.
The fair also won many Awesome Points by having a swing ride! You know the ride where you sit in a swing-seat with a bar across your lap, and all the seats are hanging from chains, and they all fly outwards as the carousel turns? Yeah. One of them. But no... the awesome doesn't stop there. The awesome will EAT YOU ALIVE.



Aaand a close up.



Dude, bi-planes ;_; Wartime BI-PLANES. I wanted to strip that panel off the side of the ride and run away with it.

So yeah, all in all, steam fair was lots of fun and a really nifty little attraction that everyone should see if you live in England and happen to be able to get to any of the locations the fair is touring. And as a small point of trivia? The fairground used in the movie 28 Weeks Later is, in fact, this very one. It's been used in a few films in fact. And why not? It is AWESOME.

Okay, I'm done ranting and raving :)

Comments

[violettsukino.livejournal.com]

I'm really big on toy-collecting(Well, at least mentally, I've only got but a modest collection at this point)...but I've long figured I wouldn't be the type to snatch them out of the reach of kids, especially since I know what it's like to be that small, want something, but not be able to have it.

That's really more motivated by guilt more than anything else for me...But I'd like it to change in time.

Because of that, I'm really touched and comforted by the zeal and joy you took in helping someone, even in a small way.

That last sentence sounded a lot more like Cosmo that I thought it would.O_o

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

Nothing wrong with sounding like Cosmo :) Even if she's outside of my 'personal' canon, she's a sweet and pleasant character who I've learned to like more over time even if I really can't stand her role in Sonic X. Also I lover her design XD (Sorry, tangent - get?).

I love collecting :D But mostly I only collect Sonic stuff, wartime aircraft stuff and bottle caps :P

[violettsukino.livejournal.com]

The tangent is fine.^_^

Heh, that sounds about like how I feel about her, Jai. I really love her personality and appearance, despite being disappointed that she never really got to do much in her canon.

Heh...bottle caps...that's kinda quirky...but the kind of quirky I like.^_^

[eclective.livejournal.com]

It really is beautiful that you could not only make someone's day like that, but possibly change their opinion of what people, especially the current generation, are like... and that you're the kind of person who considers such things valuable, which kind of proves the point you made to her on a deeper level. You're not just someone who would give something like that away out of a desire to be nice, which would be good enough on its own... but you also did a really aweosme thing in helping her to have faith in the goodness of people, and you understand and value that. That's really lovely. :)

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

Well... I just think it's important in a world where negative stereotypes are so prevalent ^^; I was amazed by how astounded she seemed. I hope that I'm just the first of a number of young people who will help to change her perception of today's young people from now on.

[shadowdingo.livejournal.com]

Aww... that was so sweet of you, Jai. :)

Whoever said this generation was full of anti-social people obviously hasn't met anyone with the generosity you displayed towards that woman. Bless you and your kind heart. :P

Also, glad you had fun. It's nice to see you happy after the last few entries. It's nothing to worry about, don't worry, but I'm glad to hear you were happy and enjoying yourself after that horrible, horrible situation.

Also, D: at it not being in Wales. Do want to see.

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

Ah, you know me, Jade XD When I get down, I get DOWN. But I always come back up again. I'm not that easily flattened XD;

You never know, maybe Carters will come your way some day ^^ They've been hauling this particular show around for 30 years made up from relics from the easily parts of the last century. This was the first time they'd travelled so far west. Maybe they'll tour Wales next :)

[shadowdingo.livejournal.com]

I would love that so much. You look like you had so much fun there, and you know, do want. XD

Indeed I do, you can't keep a good Jai down. :D *shot for parody of that Disney song*

[leonskennedy827.livejournal.com]

Sounds like an intersting kind of event, hope I get to go to one one day =D

[leonskennedy827.livejournal.com]

forgot to mention, that little story of that woman with the tiger was quite heart warming :)

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

It was kinda amusing to see this little old lady hugging this giant tiger that was almost as big as her! XD

And yeah, it was a fun event. I think you would have liked it. It's actually going to be in Bristol from 5 - 7th September, so perhaps you could go to see it ^^ Entrance is free (the rides have a charge each).

[leonskennedy827.livejournal.com]

Really? I may check it out then if I'm able to, thanks for mentioning that Jai =D

[aprilechidna5.livejournal.com]

That was really nice of you. Even if it isn't a big deal to you a lot of people would have 'not trusted her' or not even been willing to give the tiniest loss for a stranger. It was wonderful you were like that, and it's wonderful she was so touched by it! :D

And ohhhh. Oooh that looks so COOL. D: Do. Want. ♥ I'm glad you had a good time! :D

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

It really was pretty awesome XD I'm glad I got to see it before they move off. I love early steam technology. ^^

[way-past-cool.livejournal.com]

I think the bomber ride would have made me scared XD blame my weirdness about vertical drops... although, if it's more of a loop, I'd probably have no problem. It all depends on if it was going fast enough.

ANYWAY! I wish I could have of gone!!! It looks like SO much fun!! And swing ride!! Awesoooome!

;_; you're just too sweet for giving that lady the Tiger...

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

Ooo, I haven't seen that icon in a while! n.n

Aww, maybe they'll tour near us while you're here... I think they're mostly in the SE. But we'll be nearer there when we're in Bournemouth, so we could go visit.

[violettsukino.livejournal.com]

Hey, I'M supposed to be the acrophobic one Jei!^_~

This katamari is quite loopish. Perhaps swingish.

[sphix.livejournal.com]

Ooh, 28 Weeks Later fairground was awesome looking :D

Anyway, I'm totally in awe of how freakin' amazing and nice you are. See, you're the exact opposite of broken. The broken ones are the ones who only look out for themselves, no matter who it hurts. *nodnod*

[flyboy-fox.livejournal.com]

Aww, thanks Sphixy :)