The Ryedale Grand Prix

Now don't get too excited. This isn't Monte Carlo and there was no sign of a racing car. these were racing cyclists. So dedicated that had to fore go a good Yorkshire breakfast for double helping of porridge pasta and the like. The ladies had an early start with the men's at a more leisurely time of 1.15pm. The girls came from Aberdeen and Edinburgh while the boy racer was from Hampshire. We have since heard that although he didn't win he has been offered a professional sponsorship which his family are very excited about. Having got him to sign the guest book I might have just got the signature of the future Winner of a le Tour de France. I thought he would have been more excited about competing in the Olympics but he said no the creme de creme was Le Tour. The racing on Sunday was the Peter Longbottom memorial. It starts at Ampleforth College which is just 5 minutes in the car from here so we are ideally situated for it.

Motor biking.....

All the talk at the moment is on cycling . The Tour de France just finishing and Le Tour Yorkshire coming here next year. But this is proper biking ---like Motor biking. Whizzing down the country roads on super bikes -not much energy to turn the throttle back and ride into the sunset. Here you see a biker who was staying with us recently but he is no ordinary biker he is the Belgium journalist,Chris Wouters who write for Motorn and Toeriems and Moto and Lousir .He was exploring Yorkshire film locations such as Heartbeat,Harry Potter and All Creatures Greta and Small. This is some bike he was riding .Another guest asked him about his bike and did his wife even travel with him.Yes was his reply but we have a more luxurious bike for the two of us. As Chris and his wife do bed and breakfast in Belgium. Waffles for breakfast and curiosity may just get the better of me

Ryedale Show...

Ryedale Show seems to have been around for ever. It gets a lot of support from locals and visitors. The work that goes into getting it ready goes on for days before hand. This year was no exception and when wind caused chaos it didn't deter Peter Woodall and a staunch band of helpers. Apart from prize winning cattle,sheep and goats,there is the WI tent ,show jumping and a host of exhibitors including the North York Moors National Park and the well known David Lishman,producer of the official Yorkshire sausages. There was also an interesting array of flavoured vodkas on show too. I loved the clean cut labelling and shape of the bottles. There isn't many years that my Dad doesn't make it to the show . I caught up with him and Robin as they sat down in the BATA marquee for refreshments.

For Sale- William,Kate and baby George

Yes you read it right. Nicholas has finally decided to see his llamas. they have made for some very striking photographs over the years. The best one I took on a winters day and it looked as if we were in their home land rather than in a field in front of the house.It would be nice if you wanted to buy the trio but they are able to be split. Well divorces have been around a long time now and so there would be no problem. Young George is able to fend for himself. Imagine what the neighbours would say. You would be the talk of your neighbourhood . Everyone would invite you to their parties and celebrations. The senders hoping that you would be sending a return invite and get an introduction to this very special family. You never know who may invite you to dinner with the finest Minton china being served by the butler. Lunch in the garden,Pimms before afternoon tea with the vicar or pre dinner drinks with the Lord of the Manor... I have cracked it for you .Buy our trio and you are in with a chance to be the top of those "A" celebrity guest list. Well it was only a thought ...

Afternoon Tea with Betty...

or should I say at Betty's. I was very excited when an invitation came inviting me to the Belmont Room at York for champagne and canapés. As I trotted up the stairs I heard the pianist setting the mood -from then on it was a graceful glide. beautifully dressed staff welcomed us with glasses of champagne on silver salvers. How I could have been born tot his life. It was a networking event. The canapés as you would expect of such an establishment was delicious. For those who know me -I can't resist food . A man I will not mention who looked as if he needed the canapés more than me seemed to enjoy the fact he had the will power to way them by . I tucked into smoked salmon and cream cheese,parma ham and asparagus , hot cheese balls with relish rolled and fried in bread crumbs. And then more and more until I was near bursting point. One thing I am not in awe of is goats cheese but when the young lady smiled I felt sorry her plate looked so heavy I had one it sat between layers of cooked beetroot. I manage one but only one. There were chocolates which the most delicious fillings -rose and lavender. Well this man who had the will power seemed to hang near me seeing if I would weaken and say no, but he didn't know me well enough. Let's say I didn't let the side down. We were well and truly spoilt by Betty's as there was also the most divine biscuits and cake. It was what I would call a perfect trip out. But don't take my word for it -you must go for yourself and if you are looking to hold a function it is so central in York and ideal for anyone assured that you send out the invites and Betty's will do the rest.

The Royal baby is born ..

but for us it was just as exciting to get this little foal. And what a beauty she is .Here you see her with her mother,who is very proud of her. So whether it is a human birth or an animal one it a marvellous act of natural. Probably more so for an animal as they don't have a mother to tell them what to do. It is the maternal instinct that just happens. So to the little foal and to the little Royal prince we can only hope they have a long healthy and happy

life.I am sure they in turn will bring others near to them a lot of happiness.

Shepherd's Purse Cheese... Ryedale ...

As I type this I am have an eye on the television watching the final laps of Le Tour de France. No I am not into cycling and lycra but I am not only looking out for Gary Verity and the Welcome to Yorkshire Team but for Caroline Bell. Caroline is daughter of the famous Mrs Bell who makes some of the most wonderful cheese Yorkshire produces. Caroline is a very busy lady as she is there with their cheeses to give to the VIPs at the end of Le Tour. The Team Bells were at the Yorkshire Show the other week and here you see Caroline busy behind the counter and that was after a 14 hour day. They have made the Ryedale cheese now into smaller waxed portions and it was going down very well. Another photo shows me stood near a posh looking vehicle clutching my precious cheese. I said to Jack "I need a photo stood near this car so I can say -Guess which I would choose -it would be the cheese everytime" -that is how much I love it . Cars can come and go but hopefully Mrs Bell's cheese will live on forever. You see the cheese so when you see the label remember you must try it before the mouse eats it all

Helicopters come and go

We had a request to land a helicopter.With a few hundred acres to choose their landing place it was near the road as the birthday girl who was arriving in it was then going to have a trip down memory lane. I took my Dad down to watch -there is something about helicopters which I find really exciting. Soon we hear a noise in the distance and then the helicopter came over the hill into view. As it got closer and it put on its landing lights as it hovered but finally landing 30 years from my car. The blades whipped the dry grass up and it was hard to stand up as I filmed it land. The trip had been arranged for a lady's birthday by her family. She was transferred into a wheelchair before getting to the car as she was not well. We chatted with her and she was over the moon at what was her birthday surprise. She told me we used to come when the children were small probably 40+ years ago and stay with a Mrs Peckitt at a farm at Byland Abbey .You probably wont remember her -it was a long time ago. Not only did I know Mrs Peckitt -she is my mother -in -law, so that was a delight for her. I told her she had now retired to the village and gave directions to go to see her.They went to the White Swan in Ampleforth for their lunch and a little tour around and to view Byland Abbey which the lady loved so much .A week later we got a lovely card from her daughter thanking us for using the field to land.I haven't her telephone number to reply but it was a pleasure and we were touched that we could help this lady have a lovely birthday

Yorkshire Show with Welcome to Yorkshire

We haven't been to the Yorkshire Show for years but when we got an invitation to attend Welcome to Yorkshire's barbecue we thought why not. It is yearly event which as a child I looked forward to as it was always classed as the farmers holidays. So I used to have a day or 2 off school. We used to set off with a snack at Yorkshire Wool growers tent then one to another for lunch and yet another for afternoon tea. The reps from the agricultural firms the farm dealt with throughout the year showed their appreciation and sent us invites to go to have refreshments. So there we all bundled into our pale blue Vanguard car with a column change no normal gear sticks in those days .It had a bench seat in the front and I sat in the middle in my Sunday best.Once the exhaust pipe fell off and another the clutch packed in.30 miles in those day was a fair long way to go. The tents were like huge wedding marquees.They were still very special and to see all this food was -thinking our staple diets were to eat boiled bacon twice a day. Roll on 50+years. We were entertain with a jazz band . The host Gary Verity and his team at hand. The food was generously supplied by Keelham Farm and cooked by the chefs of Yorebridge House, Black Sheep Brewery had the bar and we were finally after a superb supper treated to chocolates and fruit cake and cheese. 50 years ago barbecues would not have even existed but fruit cake served with cheese has long being a Yorkshire favourite

Carry on Camping .....

...without me. I have always thought the idea of camping would be great.I have slept out under the stars many times on a hot summers night. I remember once it was so dark and the ground seemed so remarkably soft.It wasn't till next morning when Jacks Dad woke us up we discovered the softness was actually molehills. That was many moons ago, this time it was going to be far more civilized in a wigwam . Wow I thought cowboys and Indians and camp fires and the like. Wigwams are now like wooden pig huts, not like the canvas wigwams I played in as a child. Well Sunday night came and we settled down in this "Pig Hut" A friend had invited me along with her daughter and the granddaughter. We had Pimms and sausages in bread for supper.I had taken bacon and mushrooms along so I was already looking forward to breakfast time. Dusk came along with Yorkshire midges - mosquitoes to most.Lumps and bumps started to appear.We were told don't venture into the longer grass as there are snakes. The novelty was wearing off rapidly.I think we went to sleep too early as about 2.30am myself and daughter were wide awake. I do mean wide awake .It was like a sauna in the pig hut but no one else seemed to want the door left open. I was nearest the door so I am sure if anyone tried to pinch me they would have soon dropped me. By 3am I had had enough of sleeping on a plastic mattress I am a big girl for goodness sake! I was ready for home .One slight problem, dear friend had forgotten the exit code and there was a barrier I couldn't get my car through.It was too early to ring anyone, the owners would not have been amused. So I sat in the car watching the sun rise. Waiting for someone to pounce on when they went to the shower block. How can people sleep so long ?. All these caravans and pig huts so close together, it was more like inner city housing to me. Finally a knight in shining armour -well his striped pjs came to my rescue and I was soon on my way home. Needless to say it was a long day and wasn't I glad to get back to our bed that night.So anyone thinking about camping think seriously first.Then come and stay in a nice comfortable bed here. As Karen Schaler the travel therapy and TV presenter said Our beds are some of the most comfortable she had ever slept in

Lavender blue dilly dilly...

I wonder why this nursery rhythm say blue I could swear it was purple. Well the fields I saw today at Wolds Way Lavender were purple. I felt very honoured to receive an invitation to the launch of their new products. We were also given a tour of the distillery which is the only wood burning one in the country. The bees were well happy with all the flowers.It is well worth a trip and you could make it a full day out .Take a book and sit in the fields and bob into the tea room when you feel peckish . Just like Provence without the hassle of having to cross the channel,worry about a foreign language or deal in a strange currency .And here we have it in the heart of North Yorkshire.easy access off the A64 between Malton and Scarborough. Talking of hearts -Anne and Steve Jacques have the biggest hearts you can find and we were treated to a lovely cream tea and I had elderflower cordial to drink as I don't do tea. We meet some lovely staff and Sarah was back from uni- talk about a chip off the old block. What a lovely family they are. So when you are thinking what can we do today, think Wolds Way Lavender for an attraction with the added bonus of tucking into delicious food. There are lavender plants to buy too for the green fingers. But what is so exciting is this new product range that was launched today. Blue bottles with very neat labelling on which will make wonderful presents or just a treat for yourself. Also very up market candles.I took so many photos I will have to make a You tube edit too so you can also check that out on my Youtube listings.

He planted me a rose garden...

My uncle loved his roses and also his bantams,he had guinea fowl too. It is nearly 11 years since Appy died but his roses live on. Jack has great pleasure in telling anyone who will listen to him that he "niver buy flue..ers" but what he doesn't say is he has planted a lot of rose bushes here for us and guests to enjoy. My Dad decided to try to grow the tallest and my friend Tricia uses the petals to make dyes. The other week when it was the flower event in the church my arrangement if you could call it that featured roses and I am quite fond of Roses chocolates too. Once my mum went away with my aunt to Whitby for the week and when she got back my dad had nearly cut every rose he had and filled at least 6 vases with them all over the house for my mum's return.

When everything in the garden is lovely

My Dad is so green fingered and proud of it too. He is a natural while I struggle to grow anything other than weeds ,his garden is full not only of fruit and vegetables but flowers too. Around 8pm is the perfect time to wander around the garden when the sun has lost some of the powerful heat of this last day or two. I needed rhubarb for guests breakfast and a lettuce for lunch tomorrow and found the first of the raspberries. The strawberries are plentiful. Elise the young Australian girl who was here to help at lambing time was roped into to making potato rows. Jack cuts the grass and I like to dehead the dead roses and take the side shoots of the tomatoes. Only 2 weeks to go before the local WI show and my Dad was not amused that tomatoes are not in any section.He has his eye on winning the cup again.