Monday 19 August 2019

Hatches, Matches and Despatches.

Yes, all three are important parts of life and as we get older we seem to  move automatically from the first to the last.   But in the past week or two I have had cause to think of all three.

This morning my cleaning lady tells me of twins born over the week-end to a young couple in the village.   They already have a son who is not yet quite two and now, the day before yesterday, they have added twin girls to their little family.   Taken into hospital on Friday the two girls were born naturally, mother and babies are doing well and twenty eight hours later (after eleven o'clock at night) they were discharged for Dad to ferry them the forty five miles from hospital to home.   How times change - sixty years ago my son and I spent ten  days in hospital after an easy birth and were then discharged to travel the two miles down the road.   We didn't realise how lucky we were did we? 

As to Matches - not many these days as more and more couples seem not to bother about tying the knot but a wedding coming up where my little friend Sophie to  be bridesmaid and
 is so looking forward to it makes a lovely change.

As to Despatches - I have had cause to think about these as I do every year when the Wensleydale Show field begins to transform from just an ordinary silage field into a sea of marquees, trailers and the like.    Several of the big marquees for things like fruit and vegetables, handicrafts, baking are going up today.   The tent for show cattle is already up and they are erecting all the sheep pens for the show sheep.   I pass in the car and I think of the leading lights who worked for days on end to make the Show such a success and who are no longer with us.   A, who - in her white smock - would be there organising things in the produce tents and who on the morning of the Show would arrive with entry after entry in the cakes, buns, eggs, handcrafts, floral arrangements, house plant sections - often she would bake half a dozen Swiss Rolls before she was satisfied enough to enter her offering in the Show.

And then there was C,a farmer who had a lot of sadness in his life but always put on a cheerful face.   He was always around this week, the week when the placing of the tents and the nitty gritty was taking place.   He never chose the limelight but always worked hard in the background to make sure it all went off smoothly.

And then there was the Announcer whose voice had come over the sound system year after year and who had got it off to a fine art so that there was never a hiccup.   A farmer himself he was just good at keeping things going.

All these are gone now and others have taken their place.   And it will always be thus - none of us are indispensible but that doesn't mean we are not thought about, not missed.

So I remember them all in the run up to the Show.   I hope there will be fine weather for Saturday, the big day.   I am sorry I am no longer mobile enough to walk round, and I am sad that my own dear farmer is no longer here to walk round but I am sure they are all here in the spirit of the Show and in the minds of all those who have been going for years.

16 comments:

Rachel Phillips said...

My mother brought 4 babies into the world in the front bedroom at the farmhouse finishing with me.

JayCee said...

I love weddings and meeting new babies (I never had any of my own).
Sadly I seem to be attending more funerals these days. A sign of my gradually advancing years.

Terra said...

Births and weddings, such times for joy, and then the sadness of funerals. At our Widow Friends group yesterday there was a new member. One never wants to join this group of course. Her husband drowned this year while taking a kayaking lesson. A total shock.

crafty cat corner said...

Such a poignant post.
Briony
x

Bonnie said...

It is good to remember those who have gone before us and led the way. The ones we remember today will be us in the future and the best we can hope for is that we will also be remembered fondly.

Bovey Belle said...

By the time I had my children the hospital stay was much shorter, and I was in 4 days with Tam, but the other two came home with me the day after they were born! Suited me fine as I hate being in hospital.

Sad that several familiar faces/voices have passed but doubtless were there at the show in spirit, making sure it all went properly to plan.



Heather said...

Those who have passed on and were dear to us are always remembered with love and affection.
I had three great-grandchildren added to my family last year, and one of my grandsons is getting married in October.
I remember being kept in bed for several days when my older children were born at home, but when I had the last one in hospital (I was regarded as an ('aged parent' at 39!)I was allowed out of bed almost straight away.

Joanne Noragon said...

As my doctor said, "All my mothers rest a week in the hospital." How times have changed.

Cro Magnon said...

The world doesn't stop, and one simply hopes that the new bunch make as good a job of it as the old. Which they usually do!

Derek Faulkner said...

Cro summed it all up admirably - life goes on, no matter how much we look fondly back at the "good old days" - and now new people are creating what will be their "good old days."
Nice to see that you enjoyed the cricket last weekend, nothing like a good Ashes Test for enjoyment, I barely moved from the TV for four days.
Weather this weekend, here in the south at least, is due to be in high 20's and sunny, hopefully it will be similar for your show.

Librarian said...

Dear Pat, the setting up of the Wensleydale Show understandably made you remember all those who are not there anymore, and that is not a bad thing. I hope Saturday will be a great day for organisers, participants and visitors.
You asked about a recommendation for your Book Group, and as I don't know whether you go back to read my reply to your comment, here is the link to my review of "The Little Stranger" again: Click here.

Ann said...

In the sixties, my mum stayed in for 7-10 days, whereas in the nineties, I was in 3 days for my daughter and one day for my son. I was quite happy to go home, it was so hectic in there.
There were several events I went to this year that my Dad would've enjoyed and gone with me (he passed away Dec 2016) It made me sad, I shed a few tears on my return home, but I also remembered the fun of past years with him. As sad as it is, it is the circle of life, as they say.

Tom Stephenson said...

I like those sort of shows. I wish I could get to them more often.

thelma said...

A sad and poignant writing of what happens in our lifetime, but also beautiful.

Rachel Phillips said...

Farmers are good at organising things and getting things done. No squit.

Rachel Phillips said...

No squit is Norfolk dialect meaning no nonsense.