Saturday 28 August 2021

Friends

 My very good friends S and T called today for T to change the batteries in my garage door - he is so good to me and looks after all kinds of jobs that I can't do.   S is equally good in other areas and I am so lucky to have them.   They only had to come about a mile to get here but the road is choked in both directions with traffic unloading stock for tomorrow's agricultural show.   All cattle, sheep and heavy horses have to be on site by tonight to free the ground tomorrow for everyone else.   S and T - and me too - are worried about the number of people who will be there and the possible spread of Covid.   Most of the shows round about have been cancelled so there is likely to be a large turn-out here.  And the weather is set to be fine.

One of the things I find sad about the Show is that it has so many memories of people no longer with us.   I was thinking today about Colin - a stalwart of the Wensleydale Show for many years - who was always at the showground for the erection of the huge marquees and who was always there when the stock arrived to oversee it all being housed in the right place.  Colin died  years ago now but I am sure members of the show committee miss him still.  When people like that go they leave a large hole in the  community. 

I am actually typing this the night before the Show. I just looked out to see if there was a light on the showground and I couldn't see one.  I wonder if the cattle are left in the huge stock tent alone all night or if there is someone there with them.   I know they are usually alone and outside at this time of the year but here we are talking of one or two cows from different farms, all strangers to one another, and surely finding it difficult to settle in such a situation.  Or maybe, as my carer suggested this morning (it is now Saturday) they are left in the trucks all night.   Does anyone know?

These shows are taken very seriously up here.   The farmer's mother was an excellent cook and baker and always won the cup for baking at the Wensleydale Show every year.   One year she won the cup for the best Sausage, Brawn and Pork Pie at the Great Yorkshire Show and was horrified when a butcher wrote to her and asked if he could have her sausage recipe.   She refused (I would have been flattered!) 

It is a beautiful day - warm, sunny, perfect for the goings on just one field away.   Usually I go up the steps into my garden and peep over the wall to see how many cars there are in the field.   But this year I can no longer get up the steps so I shall have to wait for my neighbour M to tell me when she arrives home.   Indoors, even with the patio doors open, I haven't heard a thing.

My outside job has been to give my containers by the front door their last tidy up.    They are almost past it and will shortly need emptying and the tubs refilling.   After deliberation I have decided on Violas again.   They start their flowering in Autumn, lie fairly dormant over Winter and then burst into bloom again at the first sign of Spring.  So Viola 'Pot Pourri' plants are on their way to me and should be here at the beginning of September.  And so the seasons move relentlessly on.  I think anyone who gardens is possibly more aware of the change in the seasons than anyone else, don't you?

20 comments:

Rachel Phillips said...

The stockmen sleep in the tents with their stock. A good stockman would never leave his animals alone on a showground. I am so pleased you have your friends S & T to help you.

The Feminine Energy said...

Yes, I think those of us who garden & who are outside a lot are very in tune with the changing seasons. I think it's funny that most other folks associate the changing of the seasons with temperature only. Autumn has been knocking on my door here in Indiana for a couple weeks now... the signs are everywhere... but the temperatures have been horribly hot. It's got nothing to do with the temperature outside. :-) I hope the show near you is very successful. ~Andrea xoxoxo

Tom Stephenson said...

All I can think of now is sausage, brawn and pork pie.

DUTA said...

Have you got your MIL'S recipe?
I had someone in my family with a recipe for a certain biscuit craved by many.She wouldn"t reveal the secret. She died without even disclosing it to her daughter and DIL(perhaps they were not interested and didn't ask for it; they lived in other towns).

Derek Faulkner said...

Unfortunately Pat, the older we get the more we will experience good friends and associates dropping off the perch, so to speak. We will outlive some, others will outlive us.
It's a job these days to time the year by traditional seasons, they don't really exist anymore. At times it seems that we exist in just two long seasons, an autumn/winter one and a spring/summer one.

the veg artist said...

Leaves are crisping and falling in our garden, and there's an autumn feel first thing in the mornings. I like autumn, but I wish it would hold off a bit - it doesn't feel like we've had a proper summer yet!

Bonnie said...

The changing of the season signifies so many different things but certainly the effect on gardens and crops is the most important. It is very kind of S and T to come by and help you with things around the house. I'm sure it is also enjoyable to visit with them as well. Enjoy your weekend Pat!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Good point about the seasons Derek/
DUTA Never heard of it.
To I always think of you as tall, slim and handsome - maybe I am wrong?
Thanks for the information Rachel - I thought you might know.

CharlotteP said...

There must be a buzz of excitement in your town, tonight, Pat. The two biggest shows round here, Burwarton and Tenbury have both been cancelled again this year.
Derek is right, the weather of each season is becoming more unpredictable; but I noticed tonight one reliable sign that autumn is almost upon us...I had to switch the lights on at 10 past 8 - even though it has been a lovely bright day!

Heather said...

It is always good to have friends to help when needed - much nicer than having to call in strangers to do small jobs.
That pie sounds delicious and I try hard not to think about such things!
I am sure there will be guards or even a few farmers themselves keeping watch overnight. Those animals will be far too valuable to be left unattended.
Even down here the leaves are showing slight changes of colour. Autumn is nigh though I still hope for an Indian summer next month.

Susan said...

I have many happy memories of the Norfolk and Suffolk shows and also the Royal show. For many years I went to the Calgary Stampede, part agricultural show, part rodeo and part fun fair. I always made a point of walking through the animal barns. As for stalwarts of a community or event, John from GG comes to mind. It is not about money, power or fame, is it, but how good a friend you are. Yours sound lovely.

Anonymous said...

MIL's = Mother in Law's (re: DUTA's comment)

vic said...

Yes, gardeners certainly are in tune with the change in seasons. Everyone else is rushing around doing this and that while gardeners are considering what the next season will bring in gardening jobs to start and finish. I am looking forward greatly to some cooling rains that usually come with the fall season. It's been horribly hot here in Indiana 80's and the past couple of weeks temps in the mid 90's along with very high humidity levels. This combined with the lack of rain has made being outside doing much of anything an unattractive consideration. I have beds prepared for fall planting and plants and shrubs either already bought or ordered and am looking forward to getting them planted so they can get settled in before really cold weather arrives. I also have a list a mile long of plants that I need (want) to transplant to other beds in hopes of accommodating their needs better than their present locations. I probably have at least a month to wait till I can get started doing all that. Waiting impatiently.

Anonymous said...

I'm sure if we had women bushrangers in our history, they would have held others up for their prize recipes.
"Hurry up - hand it over". Trying to get recipes out of previous generations would have called for desperate measures.
I'm sure Ned Kelly's mother made a mutton pie 'to die for'. - evidently possum pie was never popular, so women held precious recipes close to their aproned chests and could only dream of sausage, brawn and pork pies from the Old Country...all said tongue in cheek Pat, but actually, what is with 'tongue sandwiches'? Now THERE'S an old fashioned offering! Have a lovely weekend.

Anonymous said...

...from Pam.

The Weaver of Grass said...

DUTA Of course you mean Mother in law's recipes - oh no she kept them to herself - I don't think anyone ever knew any of them/

Thanks for your comments. Off to bed now.

Susan said...

It is good to know the stockmen stay with their animals in the tent. As a gardener, I like following the rhythm of the seasons. The acorns are starting to drop and this is the start of Fall. Many people will not share their recipes, I am not one of them. Great recipes are lost forever when never shared.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thank you all

Bovey Belle said...

What a shame that special recipes should die with a cook. I always think good recipes should be shared and passed on for others to enjoy.

The Royal Welsh Show was cancelled again this year. This is a huge blow to the farming community - like your show, it is the highlight of the farming calendar and SUCH prestige is to be gained from being in the ribbons, let alone Best of Show.

I note the rhythm of the year by the garden, but mostly by the wild flowers I see. The very first Celendine was actually in bloom when we moved here in mid-January. It took a while for the banks to be covered in them though. I think that Autumn arrived early this year - about the 10th August I felt that summer was behind us . . .

How lovely your friends are so helpful. We were recommended a Useful Handyman by the people who sold us this house. When I phoned him, he was on voicemail, took a week to reply and then told us he was "booked solid" for 6 mths, so that was a waste of a recommendation! I only needed him to change the UV filter - not exactly a huge job.

Librarian said...

I don‘t garden beyond the one container on my windowsill, but with my almost daily walks on the fields and many weekend hikes in woodland, vineyards and orchards, I observe seasonal changes all the time. And while it is true that often the weather is not typical for what the calendar says, one thing that has not changed is the level of daylight following its pattern determined by our planet‘s orbit around the sun.