Bower Day.

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Yesterday we went to see the Bower. We set off around 11:00am and we walked round Stowe Pool on the lower path. We went to stand by the Guild Hall to see the Bower Queen be crowned. I started making videos and taking pictues. I saw Mum's friend Frances and her sister there. They moved up the street before the procession began. We saw the Mayor and the Sheriff of Lichfield waiting for the procession to begin. A car ambulance came up first followed by the Morris Dancers which were women again this year accept for the green man who was leading them. More on him later. Then the Bower Queen float came along. The Mayor had some pictures taken for the press with the girls on the float but then the Town Crier announced that in a change to tradition they would not be crowning a Bower Queen this year. There was a loud cry of Booooo from the crowd! Instead, said the Town Crier, we will be taking this opportunity to remember those that we have lost this year. The girls on the float were past and present Bower Queens. Soon the procession began moving again. There was more to it than last year, or so I've heard because we missed it last year because we were in a cafe and when we came out we'd missed it! I made sure we didn't do that this year. There were a few bands aswell, both brass and folk! Plenty of floats. One had people dressed as pirates with a sign on the side saying Pirates rule! We saw someone dressed as a pink elephant! A few cars too and a float with Save Our World on the side. An army truck and army band. It was very good. I filmed small videos of it, trying not to make each video longer than 10 minutes long and took loads of photos. When the procession had finished, we went up to the street that comes off the Cathedral, the toilets by the Cathedral are just round the corner, and Mum quickly went while we waited there for the procession to come back round. We were a bit worried they wouldn't be able to get passed a skip that had been left at the end of the street where it meets the pedestrian area. I think the security people, who were dressed in blue, were talking about it. Anyway, after a while I saw the green man that leads the Morris Dancers and I started filming him and then he came up to where we were and started chatting to people including me. I've got it all on film and I took a photo too. It was about 15 minutes before the procession began again. The Morris Dancers came round and then the Mayor and Sheriff then joined the procession on foot followed by some cars with more dignitaries in. Then the Bower Queen float came passed and the other floats and bands. But we didn't see the pink elephant the second time around. There was a guy in a mini post van, I don't know wether he was supposed to be postman Pat! (See picture above!) I filmed more videos and took more photos. After the procession was over the second time round we set off to go into Beacon Park. Half way there I decided I wanted to go to the toilet, so I left my Mum where she was and rushed back to the toilet and then met up with Mum again afterwards and continued off to Beacon Park. There was a long queue to get in, which we were in for about 20 minutes, and it cost £8 for the two of us to get in. (It's usually free to get into Beacon Park, but when a special event is on like this you have to pay.) We had to go passed some fairground rides first to get anywhere near anyone selling food. Usually they have some places with seats to sit on by a food truck but this time there was none. It took Mum ages to find something from one of the many food trucks that she wanted, and we ended up all the way by the arenas. There was a small place where there was some wrestling going on, and by that there was a small stage with unknowns singing on it. And further down were the two arenas. In the large one there was some entertainments going on, first it was a guy doing dangerous things like juggling with chain saws (I kid you not!) and riding upside down on a motorcycle and things. I said for him to go home and get a proper job! After that there were some motor bike formation groups, then some bike tricks with a ramp. While this was going on there was a dog show in the small arena. Mum managed to get herself a cheeseburger and chips and a hot chocolate while I had a fanta and ate the salad bowl that I'd brought from home. (I ate the salad, not the bowl!) I borrowed Mums walker to sit on while eating my salad, and watched the dog show. When I finished my salad I made some videos of the dog show and took a few pictures. Problem was I couldn't see what I was filming because the sun was shining on my tablet and all I could see was the reflection of what was behind me! After the dog show had finished with best in show I just made one final video of 3 lads doing tricks with their BMXs. Then we set off for home but we didn't know which way was out because we disorientated because of all the fairground rides and food stalls and things! But then we saw Dawn from Church and she pointed us in the right direction! I wanted the toilet again so I said to my Mum that I'd go ahead and meet her at the toliet. When I came out of the toilet she was just coming in and so she went to the toilet and then we set off for home. We went down the lower path by Stowe Pool again. When we got home it was 7:15pm! I didn't need any dinner, I just had a cup of tea and a good rest because I was feeling really stiff! The videos from the Bower will be available on my YouTube channel from 1 June.