At last some warm and sunny weather to go rallying in. The Wellies, tow-rope, waterproofs and umbrellas were all left at home in the 100% conviction we were going to have a good weekend, and so it proved, with good crowds supporting the 3rd Thurlow & Haverhill Steam & Country Show to be held at Horseheath racecourse near Cambridge.

The steam engines managed to put on a very varied show with a large number of traction engines (as opposed to rollers), a couple of Sentinel steam wagons, a pair of different Foden wagons, a solitary showman's engine and just two steam rollers on display (although there were several others listed in the programme). They were ably supported by a varied selection of "miniature" engines, several of which were in a larger scale than often seen.

With the exception of an AEC Matador, the commercial vehicle section changed totally from Saturday to Sunday. Tony Missin's new restoration, a Dennis Condor in the livery of Dent's of Hilgay, was new to my eyes, as was the 1920s Lancia truck in the livery of Paul Engelmann, well-known vintage enthusiast. The classic Foden and more modern but nevertheless 22-year old Seddon Atkinson also made an interesting comparison in the livery of Freear of Saffron Walden.

I thought the car section offered an excellent selection ranging from the monstrous Ward la France through to the petite Austin Seven Mini. There was something here for everyone with a mixture of decades and countries, including America, Germany, France & Italy. There was even something that purported to be a Datsun, if the tax disc was to be believed, but I challenge anyone to spot which car from the photos.

Both the tractor and stationary engine sections managed to assemble a selection of machinery not seen together elsewhere on our travels this year. However, there was nothing particularly rare in terms of tractors, but there was certainly some unusual machines such as the Fendt tool-carrier and Oppermann Motocart to inspect. There is always an abundance of Wolseley engines at Thurlow and this year there were no less than a dozen, including a twin-flywheel WD8 and a WLB version.

The entertainment, both daytime and evening, can be a little unusual here - does anyone remember the Bumpstead Boys a few years back? Saturday's attraction was to have been The Red Barrows (no, not a misprint) but unfortunately it appeared they had not been able to land any wheel-barrows, which was a pity, 'cos I'd been looking forward to that particular display all day. Sunday's attraction, the Glenmoriston Pipe Band, was more reliable, however, and performed a solid routine in their kilts but without the bearskins and associated regalia, with due deference to the heat of the day.

Both the trade stands and catering were plentiful, and even the beer held up well in the hot weather. Derek Weldon won a prize for best trade stand, which may be enough for him to make a return visit next year, who knows? But I've kept the best to last. In both previous years, we've had to wend our way out for 10 minutes along a twisty, bumpy, dusty track which does its best to damage your exhaust or caravan handbrake which brought us out at the foot of the hill on the fastest part of the dual carriageway in the name of safety. This year, however, we were allowed to exit the same way as we come in in perfect safety in under a minute. Things are truly improving at Thurlow; hopefully we can see you all there next year.