Saturday 14 June 2014

An Ordinary Saturday



Today was our village coffee morning in the village hall - usually on the first Saturday in the month but this month postponed for a week because last Saturday was our village Feast Day when the children run races on the Village Hall field, there is a party tea for them in the village hall and fun and games in the evening.  Last Saturday it poured with rain but it didn't seem to have stopped the enthusiasm and I understand that everything went ahead as planned and was a great success.

So coffee morning this morning, always a jolly occasion where we meet lots of folk we don't see at any other time (especially me as I live a mile out of the village).  The people who run it work very hard; there is always a raffle, run by M and J, who arrive early to set everything up on the table.   I always contribute but rarely have the tickets as a lot of the prizes are chocolates (must avoid those or I shall begin to pile back the pounds), or wine (don't drink it).  Today there was an extra stall selling home-baked quiches and puddings.   I bought a lovely rhubarb and custard quiche and we had some at lunchtime - jolly good and quite different.

The farmer is helping friend and neighbour G to bring in the silage bales.  If they are left out in the fields, when they are wrapped the crows peck at them and once the air gets in the whole idea of silage is defeated.

So Tess and I were able to stroll round the fields as the grass had been cut.  Pleasant walk until we went through one stile only to find that the farmer had let some frisky young heifers into the field to pike (eat the grass round the edges), so we beat a hasty retreat.

There are still patches of wild flowers in the hedge bottoms, in particular Germander Speedwell (bird's eye) which I love for its clear blue colour.

That is the majority of first cut silage in and stacked.   Each time this happens (there is at least one more cut to go, two if we are particularly lucky) there is a sigh of relief.  This food for Winter is a vital source of nutriment for all the cattle when they are indoors as they are for about six months of the year here.

Our television channels have been taken over by World Cup Football.   Can I say here and now - and I will say this only once (I promise) - I couldn't care less about football.  I just wish the news wasn't deferred until ten minutes past seven in the evening to accommodate it.  Having said that, the news is so depressing at the moment that I don't feel like watching it at all.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love your banner photo. Arizona will not have that much green until the monsoon rain comes in July. I just hope we get enough rain this year to keep the mountains green. My father cuts silage in the late summer but it is stored in silos. We don't hear much about the World Cup unless USA is winning which doesn't happen often. At least you don't deal with World Series (baseball), Super Bowl (American football) , PGA Championships (golf), etc. The one thing I would watch is the Tour de France and it's rarely televised here.
Sandy O'

Terra said...

I like to imagine the monthly village get togethers, and the games and prizes. That rhubarb quiche dish sounds delicious. I am going to the local farmers market this morning; great produce and nice to support them.

Heather said...

It's rugby union in our house - my husband is watching the England v The All Blacks match which he recorded earlier today.
The rhubarb quiche sounds delicious. My rhubarb plant has excelled itself this year and I have just taken a second picking. Enough to give some away and make six pots of jam this time.
I love the sound of your village activities and miss village life.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

I overheard a conversation yesterday where all of the participants were moaning about the wall-to-wall coverage given to the World Cup. The strange thing is that the conversation took place in a pub and all the contributors were men.

angryparsnip said...

Your village life sound just like the way I picture it.

cheers, parsnip

Maureen @ Josephina Ballerina said...

I'll take one big slice of that rhubarb custard quiche, and a nice healthy serving of village life -to go, please. And hold the World Cup!

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Oh the rhubarb custard quiche sounds delicious. I like the fun that all the kids get to have in your little village. Wonderful customs.

Pondside said...

Mmmmmm I love the sound of rhubarb and custard.
I'm with you on the World Cup. It's either on or being recorded in this house - and hockey only just ended yesterday. I am getting fed up with sports on TV!

Loren said...

You make "ordinary" sound wonderful, especially love the "bird's eye."

Anonymous said...

I think how enjoyable time it will be when all of them are in one place and spend the time!

Crafty Green Poet said...

rhubarb and custard quiche sounds intriguing and delicious, must look out for that!

Lovely to see the speedwells, we have lots up here at the minute, at least three species in fact.

Rachel Phillips said...

I love the Tour de France. I once made a video of me reciting the rules. I submitted it for my MA. I can still recite the rules and I wish I wasn't working so I could watch the full coverage. When Bradley Wiggins won it was the most boring Tour ever I am sorry to say. I don't like cricket or tennis so I turn to another channel when they are on. I love football and so do lots of other people and it is great for the creative mind to extend your vocabulary and understanding of the human psyche.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Sadly, the rain came with two fields yet to bale, so the grass in those is now lying soggy and wet - but that is farming for you.

The quiche was very nice - could have done with a bit deeper filling, but there is always the danger of it boiling out isn't there.

ArtPropelled said...

I've eaten rhubarb pudding once in my life. My friends mother made it for us during school hols and I can still feel the ache in my cheekbones, it was so sour. Perhaps custard would have helped.

Cloudia said...

Footie baffles me as well. The world situ the same, though I suspect that we who understand the dissolution, fail to note the very green shoots in the present.....Aloha, P

Rachel Phillips said...

Weaver, thank you for your email reply. Rachel

Rachel Phillips said...
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