Archive
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My revenge was sweet
DOES anyone else lose keys? I do regularly. Yesterday, I spent three and a half hours looking for a set of keys that was just there - three and a half hours ago - but went missing immediately afterwards. I had to ring up a very patient and understanding
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It's raining. Where are we?
THE rain is pouring down. The wind is howling. The trees are bending over to touch the ground. The sky's streaked grey and black, split by tattered clouds. You know where we are. Whilst the rest of the country is enjoying a heat wave, we're on holiday
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'We are now a grandma'
TO misquote wildly. 'We are now a grandma'. Three weeks earlier than expected, one day into Bryony's maternity leave and immediately into our hearts, baby Jessica Alice has come into the world. 6lb 1oz of sheer heaven. She is the most contented baby.
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Omniscience
THIS human body's not good enough For the fire that dwells within. I wish to be all things at once; To be finally free from sin. Without a physical form, my mind Could wander time and space, Being one with everything At the spirit's timeless pace. What
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Sandsend
You tread gingerly Over the pebbles Balancing like Picasso's clown On a circus ball. The waves fold And launder the long sand And high above the cliffs Skylarks ring sanctuary bells. Still you walk carefully Over the washed stones, Arms gracefully balancing
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Helmsley scientist's vision of a future for farming
A REPORT earlier in the year from the Policy Commission on the Future of Farming advocated a radical shake-up in the way the Government supports the agricultural industry. It called for some of the subsidies paid to farmers for producing food to be stopped
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John's heavenly vision
NO one could accuse John Harper of thinking small with his unusually ambitious project. The astronomer is attempting to recreate the entire night sky of the northern hemisphere inside one of the domes at the Low Dalby Observatory. Mr Harper, who is president
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Why change our hospital?
SINCE writing about Scarborough's cliff railways not so long ago, I've come across a little book of photographs, "Scarborough as it was". It was published in 1972, which goes back further than I can recall, but nevertheless is full of interest. In it
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Summers were almost forever
I WAS taken up with the supplement included with the other week's Gazette & Herald, on farming believe it or not, for what an excellent publication it was. Whilst my ancestors were of farming stock, I can only claim to have spent the first 12 years
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Bells ring out in Ryedale
THE bells are certainly ringing in Levisham and Lockton. The Levisham and Lockton Handbell Ringers, known locally as LL's Bells, have come into money. The National Lottery Awards for All programme has given the ringers a grant of £4,251. This means that
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Success blended with happiness
SUCCESS and Amotherby Community Primary School have been synonymous for years and now the school is set to take a big step forward at a national level. For the 170-pupil school, which serves a wide rural community in Ryedale, is to be featured in a video
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In a poet's footsteps
MABEL Nixon would often tell her daughter Elizabeth about the Yorkshire dialect poem she had once written. She would even quote a line or two from memory, recalling a time when the community in which she lived was beginning to get back to normal following
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Storm clouds gather over larger Europe
EVEN as I carry out this weekly penance for the editor, there are signs of dirty weather brewing on the continent and it is all to do with the proposed expansion of the present 15 club members into an enlarged community encompassing 25 fairly disparate
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Enter the ghost town
ENGLISH Heritage is inviting history lovers to see how the past is being reconstructed using satellites, tape measures and pencils for National Archaeology Days this weekend. A two-month field survey is underway at Wharram Percy, near Malton - the country's
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Reflecting on the past
HIDDEN in the spectacular landscape of the Yorkshire Dales lies the astounding Bolton Abbey. The name Bolton means an enclosure with a house, and this house may have been the manor house of Edwin, a Saxon earl. The name Bolton Abbey came into use in recent
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Face-to-face with a shark
THE mysteries of undersea life can come your way without getting your feet wet at The Deep, in Hull's city centre. Using state of the art 'interactivities', what is billed as the world's only submarium will tell you the story of earth's oceans. One feature
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In Father Postgate's steps
A READER has asked if I can provide information about Nicholas the Egton Bridge martyr whose rally was held on July 7 at Ugthorpe, near Whitby. The answer was that Nicholas Postgate was a Catholic priest during the Penal Times, a period of more than 200
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Alive and kicking despite the long shadow of disease
LAST week saw two shows stage their comebacks after the foot and mouth outbreak threw farming and the countryside into disarray last year. At Otterington, just outside Northallerton, the 23rd County Show, struggled to cope. A much-publicised suspected
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Swift action earns high praise from amblers
A RAMBLING group is shouting the praises of a council officer for his swift action in clearing a path. The 32-member York Amblers, the more elderly sister group of York Ramblers, planned a circular walk. The walkers, aged 60-80, planned a gentle eight
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Our green and pleasant land hides farming's grim mood
THIS week, nine months since the end of foot and mouth, I thought it was about time for me to look at the way the people of the countryside, and farmers in particular, are faring after what has been the most disastrous two years in my farming life. On
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Puppets on parade
THERE'S a giant summer of thrills on the way for Ryedale children this year. The 2002 festival of fun promises an action-packed holiday for five to 12-year-olds at venues across the district. Life-sized puppets are just one of the attractions luring children
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Pupils inspired by Van Gogh
CHILDREN at Pickering Infants School are mounting their own special art exhibition featuring a range of work by all age groups. The nursery children have been creating silk paintings on a fishy theme, said head teacher June Young. "The reception class's
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Carnival was a fantastic day
THE people of Pickering, along with help from Wrelton and Lockton, have done it again. They turned out in force to support the recent carnival with good spirit and humour. The floats and fancy dress were fantastic, as were the banners. I would like to
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GM is not the answer?
IT was interesting to compare the two visions for the future of world farming set out in the two articles in the Gazette & Herald 'Farming First' - one GM, the other organic and sustainable. The benefits listed by biotechnology company Monsanto will
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Idyllic life not due to EU
IN reply to M Snowdon's response to my original letter, I must confess to having no experience of the part of France he/she refers to. The way it is described in the letter paints a truly idyllic picture of rural France, with towns and countryside we
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Please be patient
WHAT a sad, sad, world we live in. Time governs our lives but we never step back and think what it does to us. For three months now I've been going daily during the week to have treatment done by a nurse at Derwent Surgery. I often go half a hour before
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How can kids be bored
RE: Mr Tony Hemesley's letter (June 6). I agree with him that young people in Ryedale should not be bored. We were never bored when we were young because my dad always found us something to do. There is one more facility that I would like to add to the
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Medieval vegetarians?
WE have just had friends to stay who need accommodation in the area whilst they attended a wedding. The reception is to be held in an historic hall and will take the form of a medieval vegetarian banquet. 'Medieval vegetarian banquet' John repeated, scarcely
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'Anything for a white wash'
HAVING babies is exhausting. I'm worn out already. Bryony complained bitterly that I had used up all the washing powder in the house as I am constantly seeking out dirty linen to wash and that the cry 'Anything for a white wash?' is beginning to grate
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Owls make a wise move
OVER the years John has been successful in providing a few nesting sites for barn owls on the farm. Some of the boxes have had no nesting pairs at all. Those sited in the actual barns. Nesting boxes out in the fields have had varied success, but one box
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The Marvels and Mysteries of Modern Science
I'VE got my own computer But it gets me in a rage, For when I press the TAB key, All the words jump down the page. They run off into something else And I can't get them back. In spite of everything I do, I haven't got the knack. The font size shrinks
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Oak-smoked Craster Kipper
AT Craster, On the north-east coast, There is a fishmongers Where you can watch (If you are so inclined) A young lad De-offalising herrings. With fingers Swollen, pink and raw with cold, He slits and tears the innards Out of herrings, Fish after fish,
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The Queen's Golden Jubilee
IT'S time to celebrate the jubilee with ... Hats of every shape and size, Parties in every street, Bunting to decorate the towns, Everybody is holding a union jack, Songs in the Queen's back garden, Carnivals all through town, Dancers leaping on stage
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God's Country
The misty morning starts the day, Seagulls dance above the bay. The sun glides across the land, The tide washes the grains of sand. Village churches small and large, Along the canal the sailing barge. Waterfalls cascade and flowing down, Rivers stretch
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Foston's fond farewell to Joan
IT'S been a family affair at Foston School as far as the school secretary is concerned. Joan Shipley has worked at the school for an impressive 25 years, following on from husband Geoffrey, who attended Foston when he was a lad. Geoffrey might only have
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On a bicycle made for two?
VILLAGE life stalwarts and former cycling enthusiasts Reginald and Joyce Wright have pedalled their way to 60 years of wedded bliss at Cropton. It was when Reginald joined the Co-operative Cycling Club in Middlesbrough where Joyce was a keen member, that
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Hope for Rillington bypass
AT last there seems to be some hopes of Rillington folk getting their by-pass, albeit in a few years' time. This will ultimately enable village life to continue as it should, without noise, pollution and fear, and will enhance the quality of life for
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A steady 7mph on the M62
ONE day last week a gentleman spoke to me whilst I was out shopping and asked me if I could give him any information on iron founders in Malton in days gone by. I don't know his name, and must apologise for being a bit quick off the mark, and didn't have
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Our language turns slovenly
NOW we have a pillar-box in the Market Place. Many folks will be happy to see that familiar piece of red street furniture. Those who don't want to venture as far as there can always continue using the original post box in Wheelgate. The Market Place box
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A glorious Stanley Steamer
I'D just ridden out of Ryton Lane on to the Pickering Road when I saw it. Well, you just couldn't miss the sight and sound of a Stanley Steamer amongst all the other traffic on the road. A sight to behold indeed, as with a whisper and a slight trail of
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Gardens offer warm welcome to visitors
BLOOMING lovely Ryedale villages have been welcoming hundreds of people to their gardens and helped raise big sums for charities. On Sunday at Hovingham, £600 was raised in aid of the parish church of All Saints when 11 gardens were open, among them Westfield
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CAP reform proposals are a shock
AT the weekend on my desk landed the dramatic proposals for change from Franz Fischler in his mid-term review of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Having read the consultation paper briefly, the thrust of its strategy is to completely alter the basis
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Early sheep sale given green light
THE good ladies of DEFRA who look after our market have given the go-ahead for the early sheep sale, which is now set for Friday August 2. This is good news, and we are going to hold it on the market premises which will mean that the restrictions are
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Sausage scandal
The decision to ban traditional sausage skins was made by what is mistakenly called a 'Stakeholders Committee', which one might reasonably think to comprise independent representatives of those having a stake in the industry; but this particular committee
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Farmers' marts 'under threat'
TRADITIONAL farmers' livestock markets are under threat because of Government restrictions, says Ryedale MP John Greenway. The 20-day ruling, introduced in the wake of last year's foot and mouth crisis, imposes a time limit on farmers bringing animals
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A home from Rome
THE day-to-day lives of the Roman settlers and the Brigantes tribe of two millennia ago are to be brought to life at a North Yorkshire village. Special guided tours of Aldborough Roman Town, near Boroughbridge, will take place tomorrow (Friday) and also
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Miracles of nature
IT has been an interesting time at Hovingham these last few days in spite of the very wet and variable weather. Last week, we managed to get our second cut of silage made without a shower of rain on it, which has to be a miracle this year. To achieve
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Pupils take the French air
CHILDREN from Norton Primary School had an exciting weekend in France. Boulogne was the venue for 40 year six children. It was the first time Norton Primary School pupils had been to France. They travelled to France by ferry and coach and stayed at a
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Pupils claim certificates for therapeutic care course
SIXTH formers at Malton School received their certificates for completion of their therapeutic care course last week. The girls were presented with their certificates by the mayors of Malton and Norton, Anne Hopkinson and Keith Mennell. Marilyn Davies
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The art of the summer
CHILDREN have been enjoying a new art club which has been set up at Ryedale Leisure Centre in Pickering. The club has run as a summer activity for a number of years, but has proved so popular it is now also held on Saturday mornings. "The children take
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School opens doors
STILL glowing from its very successful OFSTED report, Malton School is to open its doors for its annual open evening. First of all, there will be an introductory meeting for year six children and their parents and then the whole school will be on show
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Helmsley traffic proposal absurd
CASTLEGATE, Helmsley, must be one of North Yorkshire's most photographed tourist locations, with its Boro Beck, ducks, daffodils, Dyers' Bridge and attractive pantiled buildings. Yet North Yorkshire County Council is now proposing that traffic flow in
