Friday 29 July 2022

Friday again.

And how quickly days speed by.   And while we are at it - how quickly the nights draw in.   Last night I closed the blinds at half past seven.   Helped of course by the fact, contrary to everywhere else in the country it seems, that we are having cloudy skies and very heavy downpours (have just looked out of the window and the sun has momentarily come out and there are a couple of orange tips fluttering around the antirrhinums.)

Opposite my bungalow is a building plot kept by the man who built the estate - presumably to build somewhere for himself sometime in the future.   Quite often there is a black cat who sits there on the edge of the long grass coming in and out of it - on the constant lookout - as cats usually are. All around us are wood pigeons and the two are not friendly with one another.   This morning as I walked down my drive with Priscilla to meet my taxi for the hairdresser, I noticed that the road outside my bungalow is littered with pigeon feathers.   Oh dear.   Has one of the pigeons come to a sad end?   And oh dear -why can't I feel sad?

Do the Powers that be in your area appear to conspire against you?   Friday is Market Day here today and we are one of the places where there is a thriving market with a variety of stalls = two really good greengrocers with excellent quality fruit and veg; a really good cheese counter with cheese from all over Europe, a free range egg stall, a nursery stand selling all kinds of garden plants and giving really good planting advice, a fish stand with fresh Whitby fish, a tool stall with everything from tiny nails to big long nails and  the right size hammers to knock them in.    In addition to that it is also Cattle Market Day and the Cattle market is right in the middle of the town and does a thriving trade in the buying and selling of calves and larger cattle.

We get a lot of tourist trade here in Summer, much of it passing through into Wensleydale and stopping off here in Leyburn and dropping off their busloads of tourists here for a coffee on their way to the Wensleydale Creamery to tour the Cheese Factory. On every day but Friday - market day - the tourist busses can park up in the Auction Mart but not today of course.   Imagine the scene.   What do the powers that be choose to do when they want to do some kind of repair to the kerb or a street light or whatever?   Which day of the week do they choose?  A ni ce quiet  Monday when there is nobody much about apart from tourists sitting in cafes around the market place enjoying their coffee whilst their busses are parked up at the auction mart?   Of course not.   They choose a Friday of course!  They put up their traffic lights nice and early so that this are choked from the word go.

Just typing this has tired me out so can't  imagine what it has done to anybody driving a bus through here.   I am off to make a cuppa.

18 comments:

Sue in Suffolk said...

Sounds like chaos in the town centre. Obviously planned by someone who knows nothing about the town.
I'm afraid I'm never sad to see the demise of a pigeon either - they are pests

Barbara Anne said...

You have to wonder if one of the criteria for some public jobs is a lack of common sense? Perhaps a phone call, letter, or email from a reasonable, sensible citizen could give them a dose of that common sense.
I'm off for a cup of coffee. A "bucket of coffee" as John has is too much for me as I'm much smaller.

Hugs!

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

That sounds fairly typical of council planning - though, to be fair, I've also been to concerts in Cambridge and seen roads being resurfaced ay 11 o'clock at night; I don't think I'd want that job.

Melinda from Ontario said...

For some reason I've always had a special affection for pigeons. My father had a pigeon joke which be brought up constantly around me as a child, (simply because he knew it annoyed me.) Even so, I continued to find pigeons an endearing bird. One month after my father died, (15 years ago), a white pigeon appeared in my backyard. The pigeon's flying skills seemed limited so I wondered if he was just hungry and exhausted. My neighbour suspected he had been released at a wedding and had lost its flock. I fed him pigeon food and gave him fresh water every day. In a few weeks he was flying perfectly. Within six weeks he was gone... probably to continue on his journey home. I loved being that pigeon's caregiver over those weeks. It made me wonder if he was sent by my father as a kind of "last laugh".

JayCee said...

Pigeon pie would be on the menu this week then?

Heather said...

Commonsense seems to be in short supply these days, or your particular 'powers that be' would not have chosen Market Day.
Poor old pigeon, but they have got wings and cats haven't.

gz said...

Lucky you to have a good market there!
Unfortunately your council can't seem to read the calendar...

Librarian said...

Cats do what cats do, and pigeons do what pigeons do. It is nature‘s way to make sure each animal has what it needs in order to promote its species, and as sad as the death of a bird at the claws of a cat might seem, the death of millions of animals after a short life under horrible conditions such as pigs, cattle and poultry in mass meat production is much, much worse.
The choice of time for road works in Leyburn seems so typical, it is what my hometown has been suffering for years!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Jaycee - my father loved pigeon pie and occasionally my mother would make one for him. I could never face any.

Anonymous said...

I like the concept of market squares I've seen in U.K and Europe, with long histories. In comparison we live in an area that has only recently been opened up for housing. The council incorporated open green spaces around the occasional
multi-story apartments, and it was those apartment residents complaining about the Sunday morning noise that closed down the lovely market, such as you've described (without the cattle of course!) Disappointing, as both the clientele and the stalls were interesting, and I thought the strolling crowds were relaxed, quiet and well behaved. It had such a happy atmosphere and added a bright change from the mundane.- Pam, Aust.

Susan said...

I also do not care for pigeons (nor wild turkeys). The animal kingdom works to manage their population. Like you, I generally am not bothered by this process. We also have lots of tourists. The Lexington, MA Green and the Old North Bridge of Concord, MA draw the tourists. Then there is Walden Pond and Thoreau, Hawthorn, Emerson, Alcott... Occasionally, I walk the historic Old North Bridge grounds and follow the Concord River. It's a nice walk.

DUTA said...

I'm always glad to read about markets and stalls, especially now that there are predictions about the climate leading to food shortage all over the world.

Joanne Noragon said...

Shame the local powers reserve repairs for busy days.

Cro Magnon said...

We shall be off to our tiny local market this morning. Hopefully no road works.

thelma said...

Well with a single road through our valley the roadworks have created mile long queues. But then it is all 'improvement' for the tourists of course. Cobbles to be laid, town hall spruced up, especially its railings. Our market, indoor and out, is not as visually exciting as a French one but for me three butchers is too much, not much local produce.

Rachel Phillips said...

The only question remaining is why are you having your hair appointment on the busiest day of the week?

Tom Stephenson said...

We have a congestion problem caused by repairs to a bridge which was supposed to be repaired over a year ago. Now they are saying it will be done by October, but I don't believe them.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Rachel - the only time she could fit me in.

Sadly we don't any longer have markets like they do in France. I bought yards of lovely material and made tablecloths for our farm kitchen. Lovely days.