Category — Village

As most of my readers know, I am very fortunate to live in a lovely Wolds Village in Lincolnshire. Living in such a beautiful  place often  turns up rather special days. The views shown above are  from my windows which especially at this time of the year are magnificent. Always changing  like the seasons, the sheep arriving in the spring and then within a glance the spectacular Lincoln Red Cows have taken their place!  So the ‘pictures’  I see, often change by the hour. I do spend rather a lot of time looking at this  stunning change of scene. Then sometimes a little ‘extra gift’ is thrown into the melting pot of nature. Imagine my surprise when gazing with morning coffee in hand and there standing proudly in my garden was the  most exquisite Peacock. He stood surveying the scene seeming very tame.  Not wanting to frighten him I crept closer with camera in hand. He later accepted some bird seed and small nuts and enjoyed a chat staying for the day, sitting on my wall in the dark and then returning again for the next three days. I was sad to see him go but  Mr Peacock was last seen walking down the lanes of this very special Village What a  gift!

Can be found at http://www.susiehemingway.blogspot.com

I have spent the morning baking for our Village Spring Flower Show, which is tomorrow.  In the morning I will pick a  flower or two and some nice greenery, to make a small display to enter. There are not  many flowers in my garden that are in bloom at the moment, mostly daffodils but I will see what I can come up with. Although listed as a flower show, there is always a very successful baking section, a wonderful display of scrumptious home baking.  Cakes, scones, flans, jams, lemon-curds all manner of goodies . There are some very fine cooks and chefs in the Village but it’s always great fun to enter even as a novice. Some of the men, who would never normally cook  have a  go, and I can vouch that some of their  flapjacks turn out to be very fine indeed!  When the serious business of  judging is over, all the items are auctioned off, which is such great fun, causing a lot of merriment, as we all get to bid on each others offerings and very often go home with something special for tea.

Shown above: Two simple fruit cakes with a little touch of  brandy in each. One ‘old fashioned’ Apple-pie, and Two,  Ham, Mustard, Egg and Cheese Flans.

It’s been a long Winter this year but today the sun shone as tender shoots  started to turn green. The vivid yellow of the Laburnum was in evidence from my windows and the air had that little hint.  As the sheep returned to the fields even the Cat came along to saviour this glorious sunny morning. Yes, I know we had heavy snow here last year  on Easter  Sunday! when it was even difficult to get in and out of  the village but although chilly today, it indeed feels like Spring has come. 

Decided to make a giant 13 inch Chicken Pie to take on Saturday for the “Pie and Pea do” at the Village Hall.  I do hope they enjoy.

An evening with the Ploughmans Bunch and friends coming up next Saturday in our little village.  Looking forward to that, a great group see http://www.pbunch.blogspot.com and www.myspace.com/ploughmensbunch. Oh dear! and I forgot I am reading a couple of my poems too! should be a fun evening.

It was rather a surprise but very nice to hear, one of my poems read so beautifully  by the Reverend Avril Ford, at the Sunday service in our village church this morning.  You can read the full poem: “And The Heavens Smiled” on http://www.susiehemingway.blogspot.com

The following poem has been written to be read at our Community Carol service this year. We have the most wonderful trail of sixteen brilliant  rope-light pictures,  depicting the Nativity  and telling so beautifully, the Christmas story. The route is shown on a map at the Village Hall and follows a trail through the fields and along the lanes of our tiny village.  We all gather together for the displays to be switched on and to sing carols and to watch the fun of a small play. Afterwards we enjoy a supper of festive treats. The Trail remains lit between 5pm and 9pm each day up to and including Christmas Day.

My dear sister brought these beautiful roses as a gift at the weekend, how lovely they are and how they cheered and lifted our spirits. It has been rather a sad week in our little village, losing a much loved older village member. Arthur was in his eighties and had started work at the age of thirteen on the local farm – he was such an interesting and very knowledgeable man – often winning the first prize at the village vegetable show. He knew all there was to know about growing vegetables and was a fount of knowledge for us all. He answered all our gardening questions with such grace and clarity. He had not been  well in recent years but still managed to tend his plot and produce the best tasting and marvelously ‘giant’ marrows and onions amongst all other vegetables, that I have ever seen.  We will miss him at all the shows and when on our walks, seeing him with his cheery smile, sitting in his window, waiting with a  wave. Today we celebrated his life. The village church was full to bursting  as over two hundred people paid their respects to this much loved man. He never travelled far, once visiting Skegness  but didn’t like it much there, quickly returning  to his beloved village. Arthur was honoured with a medal from the Queen for forty years service to farming but carried on for many more years after that. He was laid to rest in the village churchyard with his family and many friends around him.  We will miss him so.

From my window across the fields, the leaves are nearly gone, it is chilly and  starting to look  somewhat bleak already. Still my little firs give some  colour to the view now that Winter approaches.

It is Remembrance Sunday tomorrow and our thoughts  return to those who gave their lives for us in the first and second World Wars. We also remember the brave men who have been lost, in the Falklands War,  in Iraq and Afghanistan.  In our little village, at the service tomorrow, we shall wear our poppies with pride as we remember these brave and courageous men

They shall not grow old, as we who are left grow old. Age shall  not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun We Will Remember Them…                                     

As many of my readers know,  days for me are not always  ‘good to my heart’   Watching my husband’s  journey with the  very debilitating illness  Multiple Myeloma, does not always make for the ’sunniest’ of  days.  Still here we are, almost  as  Summer  Time  comes to an end, and over one year since Hamada underwent a Stem Cell Transplant, how fortunate we are, in so many ways. One to have made it so far when the outlook was very grim for him.  Also to be living  in this wonderful country village which I know has been a daily tonic.   These were the views upon lifting my blinds this  late October morning.  Yes, we have much to be thankful for.  

This Saturday we attended the village ‘Lincoln Red’ Roast Beef  Dinner, held in the village hall. It was a great affair with every detail of fine dining attended to. Large plates of scrumptious roast beef served with horseradish  and  jacket potatoes, salads, some very palatable wines and the most wonderful display of desserts and with the very good company,   it made an excellent evening.

Yesterday we attended the downhill challenge which is an event for gravity racers. Just a stones throw to this beautiful little wolds village  with the very long steep hill running through. Teams take place in various classes covering the downhill course of approximately 800 metres. Such fun with some novelty entries to some very slick ones indeed.

The weather was great and we marched up the hill to watch closely from behind the straw bales these wonderful ‘gravity racers’ come hurtling down the hill to their chosen music.  A fantastic atmosphere ensued, as we clapped and cheered amid such  excitement, as each entry tried to get the best time  or at least improve on their own, before being towed up to the top of the hill to do it all over again.

With the many stalls and the prevailing smell of bacon butties, hamburgers,  and sausage babs  wafting through the late summer air, it was a really lovely way to spend a Sunday with  family and friends.

Recently I started to cycle again. It is I might say a long time since I first learnt to ride and more than forty-five years since I last sat on a bike.   My sister Jenny suggested that it might be a great way of getting some much needed exercise and  a good way of exploring at close quarters, the lanes and fields that surround our homes.  Oh! such fun and great excitement and with a pounding heart as I tucked my jeans into the bicycle clips so kindly lent by a friend we passed in the village, how kind as he took off  his own clips to give to me “can’t have you getting caught in the chain on your first day dear”  So off  I ventured to  this new delight in my sixty- first year!

The first day was a real success and  returning home all in one piece I  longed to cycle again. Now having been cycling for a few weeks the delights of this pursuit are astounding, to ride on a sunny day along the lanes and see the newly harvested fields of corn and wheat instead of whizzing by in my car.  To smell the grass and earth, to see the different leaves and colours of our beautiful land.  To look at closely again, the berry filled hedges, the different views as we stopped to admire this wonderful countryside, stretching our eyes as far as we can to see across these patchwork fields of green, browns and gold. To see the little cottages nestling in their valleys and the church steeples in the distance. To pass by the huge rusty red cows and to see the geese  marching past.  To breathe the wondrous air and feel the wind on your face and hair as you freewheel down the hills after the long slog up, is quite perfect. My sister and I wave to our  friends as we pass them by and explore lanes as we have never seen them before. This pursuit  has taken me back to my childhood and yes -I know what your thinking! -  I have fallen off once, luckily on the edge of a field so the landing was soft and no damage done.

Everyday my confidence has grown, so now I feel proficient  to ride without my first fear. What a lovely pastime to start again after all these years! how exhilarating  this feeling of  freedom and how I rejoice in it all, thank you for suggesting it dear Jenny, how I love this new adventure.  

The 34th Annual Flower and Vegetable show was held this Saturday in our village. A great bustle filled the air as the villagers took their wonderful produce to the village hall to await judgement. The eighty categories make it a fabulous affair.  The hall was filled to bursting with all manner of  superb vegetables with the Onion Competition displaying some of the biggest and best onions I have ever seen.  Every vegetable from the common potato and carrots to the not some common kohlrabi,  very popular in Germany and known as the German turnip, it dates back to the 16th century.  Also on display  were the marvelous  victoria sponges, fruit cakes, plum breads, apple pies,  jams and preserves, such wonderful jars of pickle onions and mint jellies. Mostly all the items are auctioned at the end of the day, selling at  the most reasonable prices and the villagers snap up the  scrumptious cakes  and first class vegetables. On arriving home I  made  a very  good leek au gratin for supper and some  butternut  squash and chili soup for freezing.

It has not been a very good summer  this year and yet these amazing village gardeners always managed to produce the most wonderful vegetables and should be so proud of themselves when collecting their various plaques and trophies.

It is such a nice social afternoon with tea and cakes or a glass of wine for those who choose.  Long may this wonderful show continue, I look forward to the 35th Flower and Vegetable show, in our really lovely little village.