Category — Village

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.

On Saturday we were invited to a wonderful  50th birthday party for a friend who lives in the same village. It was so beautifully planned, I believe there was upwards of one hundred and thirty persons present, yet the organization was amazing.  A fantastic live band which always sets the scene  for me, was ensconced under a canopy,  and arriving to the gentle sounds of a saxophone was very pleasing. It was held in the extremely large rear garden  of a village house and there was something for everyone, the children had loads to do as there was a wonderful ‘Sumo ‘ wrestling’ game among many others.  The food was scrumptious, with a wonderful ‘hog-roast’ and some amazing desserts.  We chatted and danced to some wonderful old tunes and what a perfect evening it all was.

Towards the end of June, seems to be the most popular time for the Village Fete, it really is such a wonderful English Tradition.  Our small village had theirs yesterday, as usual on the last Saturday in June.  The large Marquees were erected in the centre of the village, and with all the bustle and preparation an excitement seems to take over.

The ladies of the village start their wonderful baking  in the days before, and the cakes are duly assembled, some are selected for selling and the rest are displayed in the refreshment tent ready to serve our visitors a wonderful tea. Wines and gifts are packed onto tables for tombola and raffles, and all manner of stands, and games, filled the meadow.  The ‘Honey’ man was there with his wonderful little pots of goodness and his  special sheets of  bees-wax, which can be rolled and made into candles. Delicious homemade Jams and Marmalades filled the tables. Local  ‘very tasty ‘ Eggs were gathered up very quickly. With the  Ice Cream Man and Bouncy Castle doing a roaring trade, a festive air took place.  Great plants for sale, and an impressive display of vintage cars  filled more spaces.

The local school Band played  wonderfully and with such great  accomplishment and aplomb, and later with the catchy tunes of our village group, I found my toes tapping as some great music filled the meadow.

The weather was kind to us and seeing all the cheery faces and the happy smiles and laughter of  the children, it was a most pleasant afternoon.  Long may this splendid tradition continue.