Sunday 4 August 2013

August 1st - Yorkshire Day

Mary Pearson rang me up the other day inviting me to a Yorkshire Day celebration at her home near Northallerton. What a good idea to raise funds for charity.Late as usual but I need not have worried as Mary had made mountains of food.I first caught up with Val Anderson from Ainderby Myers Farm with Graham.She was sporting a rather nice straw hat.Then headed to get something to eat. It was delicious. There were 2 teapots in the marquee so we could put a donation in .What a novel idea.We were invited to go into the garden,this is where I found some very old and dear friends - Fairlie Turnbull,Jenny Pybus and Diana Greenwood. if I added up the years separately it would total over 150 . I have known Mary and Lady Mary Furness slightly less.Must say Lady Mary was doing a sterling job clearing the tables.When I first knew Lady M business meetings had to fit around her days hunting, she had shorter hair then .Today it is elegantly swept back and makes you think does she now hunt riding side saddle.I must ask her. We all have run past and present bed and breakfast or self catering. So I said "ladies -a photo and I will say it is the 3 monkeys -see no evil,speak no evil and hear no evil " I got a lovely email from Jenny later that evening saying she couldn't believe she had sat out under an old apple tree talking for 2 and a half hours. She said also added "Good on you girl.I have always thought you amazing and you still are" I was really touched by that as Jenny herself is very much a business woman and her head screwed on the right way.She says we must all keep in touch and meet up again - meaning not in 10 years time .So I guess I will have to set the ball rolling and set a date for them all to come here. I was telling my Dad what Jenny had said and he replied that his best friend,Brian Otterburn, used to say about me " A party is never a party unless Punch is invited too" -meaning me. What a lovely thing to say about me. Time flew and we said our goodbyes and I set back on the road towards Northallerton as I past another farm gateway if I had held a glass in my hand I would have raised a toast to Rosemary Metcalfe -the one who got us all together in the first place.