“By their fruits he shall know them.”
Matthew 8 : 20
We visited the Caravan Show 23 in the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham. The NEC is the UK’s number one venue for shows, exhibitions, meetings and events.
Yes, ofcourse there were caravans and motorhomes but these three , the chair, the tent and the Barefoot caravan made me smile. They were three products loved and owned by their creators.
THE CHESTERFIELD SOFA COMPANY.
” Have you sat in this chair?”
“Let me , please!
Do I have to go anywhere else? I could sit here for a very long time.”
“My dad made this!”
My words and the son of the craftsman’s words.
This chair was made by one of the UK’s longest standing sofa manufacturers. It was a pleasure to hear pride in the voice of the son. Then read this quote:
What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter- a soothing, calming influence on the mind , rather like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue.
Henri Matisse 1869-1954 French visual artist known for colour and fluid original draughtsmanship.
The second person we met:
the name chosen by two mums for their company making bell tents.
Here is one of those proud Mum’s.
” We are home educating our children and spend a lot of time camping. Bell tents were our choice ,we like their shape and how easy they are to put up but we found the normal canvas ones heavy, bulky, moldy, plane and boring so we worked on making our own!”
“Humour can bring people under the tent. And a good joke can deflect some of the intensity surrounding a serious subject.”
Ted Danson
“It always rains on tents. Rainstorms will travel thousands of miles, against prevailing winds for the opportunity to rain on a tent.”
David Barry . (1943- A Welsh actor and novelist)
The third:
A small car can pull it and it’s retro style with double bed, kitchen, shower and toilet make it fun. The brain child of a lady who wanted something she could cope with.
Have a little tour through one. Barefoot.
” If we were to actually walk a mile in the other person’s shoes, there’s a good chance that we’d end up opting to live the rest of our lives walking barefoot.”
Craig D Lounsbrough
Most children have been cursed with parents who have forgotten the joy of walking barefoot.
Mokokoma Mokhonoana . He is a South African Philosopher famous for aphorism. (a pithy observation that contains a general truth).
Mokokoma Mokhonoana aphorisms
There were then other amazing ways of enjoying ‘away from home living’ but none were as well loved as Bugsy.
Thank you for sharing these three with me.
Sandy 🙂
ROADS WE TRAVEL AND DESTINATIONS REACHED 
This looks like a fun way to spend an afternoon, Sandy. I loved the tents and the little Barefoot camper. It’s amazing how many amenities she was able to include in that small space.
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So glad you appreciated this unusually shaped van with so much to offer. It was very interesting.
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Some amazing “home from homes” out there. Birmingham NEC is a wonderful exhibition centre. Glad you had a good day
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Yes, it was our first visit but not our last. A pleasant interesting venue. I didn’t expect not to tire of seeing so many shapes and types of tents. Ofcourse the motorhomes were amazing too.
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