St Mary's Church ,Rievaulx

Overlooking the ruins of Rievaulx Abbey is the small parish church of St Mary.It sits quietly on the edge of the village. In the 13th century as the abbey's slipper chapel for pilgrims built into the abbey gates. Visitors removed their boots here and put on slippers, hence the name. Pilgrims came to Rievaulx to visit the shrine of St William, the abbey's first abbot. It was brought to my attention by a guest who was staying with us . Yes of course I had seen it before from the outside but my guest persuaded me to go to a service there, so I thought why not .Meeting me at the entrance apologising that she had misread the times of service. However the door was open and it was nice to have a peep inside. I always like to find different places for our guests to visit and you can stay as long as you wish .The grass outside was nicely mown and to sit in the North Yorkshire sunshine and munch your lunch that is a bonus in my books. The chapel was rebuilt as the parish church of Rievaulx in 1906-7 by Temple Moore, a pupil of Sir George Gilbert Scott. Moore doubled the size of the original medieval building and added the present chancel, vestry, and tower. The bell toiled the hourwhile we were in the church. We wondered whether someone had popped in unnoticed to ring thebell or it was some modern day device that it rung the bell automatically. Outside the west door is a memorial marked by a large wooden cross to Charles Duncombe, the 2nd Earl of Feversham. Known as Viscount Helmsley, Duncombe was a Colonel of Yeoman Rifles in the 21st King's Royal Rifle Corps. He died on 15 September 1915 at Flers, during the Battle of the Somme. He was first buried at Flers under a cross made from a nearby farmhouse. His body and the cross were brought home to England by his wife Frances and his son the 3rd Earl Feversham. The very touching epitaph refers to Charles and Frances with the simple phrase, 'They were happy here'. One oddity is an extremely small square window, no more than a square porthole, set into the west wall near the door. This is presumably a feature of the medieval chapel, perhaps intended as a leper window, allowing a view of the high altar from outside the church for those who were not allowed to enter the building. St Mary's is a very simple country church and well worth a visit taking time to step away from the humdrum of every day life. Its main interest lies in the fact that is was formerly the slipper chapel for Rievaulx Abbey and incorporates stonework from the abbey gatehouse. It has very good early 20th century windows and a touching memorial to the 2nd Earl of Feversham. It had a feel of a country wedding church scene with lots of flowers around the doorway and little bridesmaids running round a fairy ring laughing and giggling . Quite the Kate Greenaway scene.

Byland Abbey and a Full Moon

The Full Moon in June is called the Strawberry Moon and as my strawberries are filling out just wanting that extra hours of light to ripen you can see how this June's full moon gets its name. Nothing is better than a wander around Byland Abbey on a Summer's night in June with the moon to light you way. Not quite as balmy as one would like as we are experience very hot days, but then nearly a frost at night . It is more like weather temperatures you would expect in the Sahara and not in North Yorkshire. Impressive remains can still be seen including the lower half of a huge rose window which was said to be the inspiration for the same window at York Minster An interesting feature is the preservation of some of the brightly coloured medieval floor tiles. and of course it is our favourite Abbey as only 15 minutes walk from our house and can be seen over the fields from our farm land. Jack always says it has the best cricket pitch in Yorkshire as it was were all the local children have played here over the years .And as the years go by my Grandchildren enjoy going and sometimes take a picnic with them .

Middle of May

Cant believe it has now got to the middle of May , and the middle of another week. Yesterday it was pretty hot here, getting up to 18 degrees and wasnt surprised when Jack came into tell me my bees had swarmed and were hanging on a post off the deer fencing. Would love it if they swarmed when it was a bit cooler as with a bee suit on it is pretty hard work with the sun beating down on you. I managed to get most of my 'pots" out into the garden which had been cluttering up the summerhouse since back end - back end is what we hear in North Yorksire call late Autumn. I havent got a green house here at the moment so bring them all inside to keep the frost off them . With my infrequent watering they all seem to have survived.6 large fuschias are already flowering well. The Olive tree has been out all winter and looks not very blooming, so I thing it will probably have to be taken from its pot and dug into the ground and a good feed of Tomarite. I give Tomatite to eveything, even my lemom trees which I have 37now of varying sizes and about 60 which are about an inch high ones .I must start to think about selling them or not planting any more pips -they grow like rattle . Or maybe I could give them away to guests.I even managed to get the Bird of Paradise out too. It is so big the pot it is in has to be rolled rather than lifted out. It has one flower on and another in the making .Last year it had 4 on . All the plants seem to love going outside. They were moving their leaves about and I dont think it was a wind causing it .I often says isnt nature marvellous. My chocolate mint is coming on great guns and I am pleased to see the tomato plants which I planted so late will be giving me a late harvest. I seem to have little plants all over. But nothing beats bluebells growing in our woods. It takes forever watering them and as I run out of space I even have some in the bedroom on the window sill. I think my dad will be keeping his eye on me I wonder if he has got the Head Gardener's job up in Heaven yet.

The birds are singing their hearts out and the woodpecker is still around and coming more frequently so guess it has a nest somewhere in the poplar trees. Last year it hatched 5 off so there was quite traffic flow of wood peckers in the garden when they started to fly . I have 8 artichokes and hope they do better than last year so popped them in down an aspargus bed . The asparagus will be ready next year so how about scrambed egg and asparagus for guests breakfast . And I have apricots too,lets hope they dont get into the squirrels mouths like the peaches did last year before we have time to pick them The flowers are not the only ones enjoying the sunshine. Cows and calves are enjoying it too.

May Day 2023

I really must get back into my writing blogs as there is so much happening around here for you all to know about. I think I will write about that and then something else waylays me. I thought I would get an early start.It isnt quite 4 in the morning as the song goes.It is 20 to 5am but I wanted to be up to record some bird morning chorus. I can hear them even though the door is shut.It isnt quite day break but obviously the birds wanting to make an impression on finding a mate so they are up and about. I dont normally go out on the road on a Sunday - too many Sunday drivers for me, but with the temptation of free entrance into Nunnington Hall which is less than 6 miles away and takes about 10 minutes I decided to take up the invitation. The car park was pretty full so I wasnt the only one who knew about the Open Day. I was greeted at the gate by who I understood to be a volunteer - he was so keen and eager at his role he ran to find me a park waving and smiling as he went about his duty. I met other volunteers who were all as helpful and friendly .I just hope the National Trust give them a nice Christmas present as they do all this for free and I have noticed how large some of the wages of jobs advertised are for such places .Anyway enough of the politics of life and on to the joys that Nunnington holds. Nunnington is a lovely village built on a hillside which slopes down to the River Rye. Mellow stone cottages with pantiled roof tiles ,all very well kept .You can tell it was once an "Estate" village.I have come here since I was a child as the school bus brought us round this way every day.And then in later year when I was hairdressing I used to come to some of the ladies in the village. One time I was up at Mrs Tate when Prince Charles came into the yard. He was joining the Sinnington and one of the two men he was with, ask if we had seen the hounds anywhere.They bide us Good Morning and we watched them ride off from the kitchen window. Prince Charles as he was then, wore a Royal blue hunting jacket with gold buttons.That would be nearly 50 years ago. The gardens at Nunnington Hall are nicer than they used to be and it has exhibitions that change each year in the rooms at the top of the house.The minature rooms of the Carlyle Collection are still there. It was intersting to see so may people taking their time to look at the minature. Ladies looking at the rooms ,while the menfolk were more intersted in the tiny works of art of the carving of gardening tools and the shoemakers tools of trade. Rooms in minature we have to remember -not dolls house rooms but still I think it would be a very lucky child that got a dolls house full like this.

Time to spend in the garden

Every year I say I will make an early start in the garden . A bit like a stitch in time saves nine .The aconites are out and an abundance of snowdrops. Bulbs are popping up all over ,the birds are singing. A few bees are out and when I went up the other day to look at the hives, they all look as if they have survived the winter. Always a worrying time for bee keepers. I find bees are harder to look after than children they are always wanting something doing to make sure they are doing ok. They are so special, we need to do what we have to with them, but trust me if you have never kept bees and havent donned a bee suit in the middle of Summer, I dont find it theraputic as a lot of bee keepers would say. Jack has already being cutting the hedges and the hedges up the sides of the drive are getting well established now but the deer cant be turned even though we put a deer fence up last year and we think they are the culprits for the gaps. We mustnt'grumble as we love to see the deer which will soon start to graze at the back of the house and come most tea times. The green shoots of the wild garlic are pushing through now and life in the woods is starting to wake up after a not too harsh winter. It is always nice to see the scarlet fairy cups - which they say are edible but I prefer to leave them for the fairies. Last Sunday I was up in the woods with the grandchildren as they are making yet another waterfall. Martha was happy making little bowls out of the clay and it was all very civalized till they got carried away and daubed it on their faces like Red Indians. But they enjoyed themselves and that was the main thing and not a computer game in sight. So it just goes to show take children into a forest and they are all happy and learn how to play using their imaginations like we did as children. So Grannies and Granddads, time to think to bring your children to roam in our woods while you sit around on a tree stump with your gin and tonics />

Full Moon: February Full Snow Moon

Sensational 70 years - North York Moors National Park