A Fun Day Out at the Sunflowers

On Sunday we had our first Fun Day Out together for the year.

Last year, after the event, we heard about a sunflower farm being opened to the public to raise funds for charity.  It was the first year of the event, so when we heard that it was on again this year we put it in the diary to go and have a look see.  Sunday was the day that finally worked for us.

After several days of temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s, Sunday was a bit better, with some rain about the district, not that we received more than a sprinkle here at home. It did however, make some stunning scenery of the summer grasses against the dark sky.

Our first stop was at the pub in Newbridge for a nice counter lunch and a mosey in the craft and bric-a-brac store next door.  Mick found a vintage LP and Wilbur Smith book and I found a metre of 1970s cotton to add to my growing collection.

We knew roughly where to find the sunflowers, at Hobbys Yards, but it wasn’t until you were nearly there that there was any signage.  You can’t see it from the main road, rather you have to turn up a very minor country road.

The story behind this is that the lady owner of the property wanted to plant some sunflowers, so last year they planted five acres, just for fun.  When there was quite a bit of interest, they opened it as a fund raiser.  This year their charity is Motor Neurone Disease, with the aim to raise $1,000.  They are confident of reaching their goal.  So what do they do with the sunflowers after they have finished flowering?  They let their sheep into the paddock and they make short work of eating them all.

When you get there, there is a paddock for parking and just the paddock of sunflowers.  There is an honesty box for donations and a bucket with a couple of pairs of secateurs for you to pick some flowers.  They are open every day from sunrise to sunset.

The flowers are looking a little worse for wear this year, as the weather has not been very kind.  It has been so hot and dry that they are suffering.  However, they are still lovely to visit.

We had a nice wander around.  We were surprised that there were only a couple of other cars in the car park, so you felt like you had the flowers to yourself.

The bees were enjoying themselves.

We took the obligatory selfie.

And picked a small bunch to take home.

It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon.

Our bunch of blooms are making the kitchen look nice and cheerful.  

To cap off a wonderful day, we were treated to a firey sunset.