August 2024

The mini heatwave which saw out July lasted into August. It was nice to get some proper summer weather at last, although it didn't last and we've had some much cooler days too.

We had a couple of celebrations this month, firstly Mick's birthday on the 14th for which he received his very first Grandpa card, and then Jacob's birthday on the 27th. It's nice that all seven of us come together to celebrate each other's birthdays. There were many years when Daniel lived much too far away so I really appreciate the fact that we all live close by now and we get to see each other so often.

Mick took a two-week break from work this month, we enjoyed some days out during this time as you'll have seen in my August Holiday post, and we had other days out throughout the month too. I often see post box toppers on my travels, this one in Pickering really caught my eye, I just love Jess, Postman Pat's cat.

I've read two books this month.

The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley.

"The six D'Aplièse sisters have each been on their own incredible journey to discover their heritage, but they still have one question left unanswered: who and where is the seventh sister?

They only have one clue - an image of a star-shaped emerald ring. The search to find the missing sister will take them across the globe - from New Zealand to Canada, England, France and Ireland - uniting them all in their mission to complete their family at last.

In doing so, they will slowly unearth a story of love, strength and sacrifice that began almost one hundred years ago, when other brave young women risked everything to change the world around them.

The Missing Sister is the seventh instalment in Lucinda Riley's multimillion-copy epic series."

I'm pleased to say that after being a little disappointed in the last book I read in this series, this one is back on track. A little different from the other books as we don't yet know who the missing sister is, but one of mystery and intrigue. It does leave a lot of questions unanswered but I'm hoping that all the loose ends are tied up in the next book. Another great story and now only one book left to read in this excellent saga.

The No-Show by Beth O'Leary.

"8.52 a.m. Siobhan's looking forward to her date with Joseph. Breakfast on Valentine's Day surely means something...so where is he?

2.43 p.m. Miranda's hoping that a Valentine's Day lunch with Carter will be the perfect way to celebrate her new job. But why hasn't he shown up?

6.30 p.m. Joseph Carter promised to be Jane's fake boyfriend at a dreaded engagement party tonight. But he's not here...

Meet Joseph Carter. That is, if you can find him."

The book is divided into chapters, each separately following the lives of Siobhan, Miranda and Jane. It was hard to tell where the story was going as it kept you guessing. There was a bit of a twist near the end which I didn't see coming but it was a little confusing and had me scratching my head trying to work out the sequence of events.

I've read other books by this author which I thoroughly enjoyed and though I did enjoy this book, I don't think it's one of her best.

I've been suffering with my eyes this month. At first, I thought it was hay fever, my eyes were so itchy and watery, but I think it's probably blepharitis as it comes and goes, my eyelids get so sore and a little gritty. I haven't seen the doctor, in truth I rarely go to the doctors, there's usually some over the counter remedy which will sort out most problems. Eye drops seem to help in this instance, along with bathing the eyes.

My tomatoes have been terrible this year. The seeds I started took a long time to germinate and then an age to put on any growth so I ended up buying a couple of plants from a local nursery, however, even those haven't done at all well. In fact, this is the first picking, harvested less than a week ago, and to be honest, there isn't all that many yet to come. I blame it on the weather. These are Rosella, a dark pink cherry variety which I haven't grown before, they're quite tangy in taste. The other plant I bought is a beefsteak variety but the few tomatoes that plant has produced are still stubbornly green.

I've started a new crochet project. Sandra Paul from the Cherry Heart podcast designed the Natures Walk blanket five years ago and since then, I've admired so many of the blankets I've seen completed, both on blogs and on Instagram. I'm not sure my crochet skills are really up to it but I really love the design so I'm giving it a go. I've managed the first two squares, I don't think they look too bad.

To round off the month we had another late afternoon trip to the coast, just as we did last month. We had a lovely walk on the beach at Filey followed by al fresco fish and chips and then we took a walk at RSPB Bempton Cliffs. If you look back at my July 2024 post you'll see the photo I took of a gannet with its baby. It was very cute and cuddly looking, covered in down indicating that it was in its second week of life. As the baby gannets age they turn a dark brown colour flecked with white and don't actually get their adult plumage until they're about four or five years of age. 

It's noticeably cooler in the mornings and evenings now as we head into autumn. The hours of daylight are getting shorter too. It's not my favourite time of year as we leave summer behind and with the colder months ahead of us. Still, September is my birthday month, I was born on the 3rd, so there's that to look forward to, though I'm not sure even that's something to celebrate as I get older, haha.

August Holiday

We've had another staycation. This time, Mick took a fortnight off so we had a lovely long break. As with any staycation during the summer months, the holiday started on the Saturday with Mick playing cricket. Unfortunately, the team lost, but Mick scored the most number of runs for the team.

We were in the middle of some lovely weather so we decided to head to the coast on the Sunday. We've never visited Seaham in County Durham so we decided we'd rectify that. You can tell that there's been a huge regeneration programme in the town as the seafront is looking clean and attractive. We spent quite a bit of time on the beach and Archie enjoyed himself paddling in the sea and making new doggy friends. Seaham is known for its sea glass. Back in Victorian times, waste glass was often thrown into the sea by the Candlish Bottleworks, one of the biggest producers of glass in Europe, which had its factory in the town. This dumped glass now gets washed up on the beaches in Seaham and after many years of surf tumbling, it's been polished smooth. We saw quite a lot of people combing the beach in search of sea glass and we found a few bits ourselves to add to my collection. On our way home we called in at Ormesby Hall, a National Trust property in Middlesborough, though we didn't stay too long as Archie was tired after his exertions on the beach.

Monday was supposed to be a very hot day reaching temperatures of thirty degrees so we hadn't planned to do very much. As it turned out, the day dawned much cooler than expected and there was rain showers all morning so we had a trip to The Arium, Leeds' biggest plant nursery. I picked up a salvia and an aquilegia to plug a couple of spaces in the border. It did get hotter as the day wore on so we stayed at home during the afternoon and did a few jobs in the garden before taking Archie for a walk at Lotherton later in the day.

We had some appointments on Tuesday. I went for a dental check-up in the morning while Mick ran Eleanor and Jack to an appointment they had over the other side of Leeds, and then I went round to Eleanor's in the afternoon as she and Jack had another appointment which she wanted me to be with her for. That took up most of the day but we got a few jobs done in the house during the time we had left.

It was Mick's birthday on Wednesday. I've written many posts in the past about Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival as we've visited many times. This year they're celebrating its 30th anniversary and it was just as good as in previous years, it's such a great day out. The family came round once we arrived home and we spent a lovely evening playing games and enjoying a take away.

We'd already decided to have a day at home on Thursday to give Archie a rest, he'd done a lot of walking round Kettlewell the previous day and he was worn out. As it happened, it was a bit of a miserable day contrary to what had been forecast so we didn't feel as though we were missing out on a day out. We picked Eleanor and Jack up and went for a mooch round the local retail park. Jack slept right through it in his sling.

The sun was shining again on Friday so we travelled across the Pennines and had a day out at Lyme, a National Trust property. This was the setting for Pemberley, Mr Darcy's home, in the 1995 television adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there and will definitely return as we didn't see everything. On our way home, we stopped off at Quarry Bank, another National Trust property. An industrial site and cotton mill set in beautiful gardens, we needed far more time than we had to explore it all so again, it's definitely on the list for a return visit.

Saturday again and another cricket day for Mick and Daniel. They were playing away from home this week and again they lost but Daniel took three wickets.

On Sunday we decided to have another day at the coast, this time visiting Saltburn by the Sea. The town is known for its Victorian architecture as well as the cliff tramway which was built in 1884 and is still in operation today. The town has an olde worlde charm to it which I love. It was perfect weather wise, the sun was shining but it wasn't too hot, so we had a lovely walk on the beach which Archie enjoyed. Afterwards, we travelled back down the coast to Whitby where I couldn't resist popping in to my favourite book shop to buy a little gift for Jack as well as treating myself.

Jack had a hospital appointment on Monday so I went too to provide Eleanor with a bit of support, though if truth be told, she handles these things better than I do! I no longer worry only about my children but my grandson too! Jack had a tongue tie so he had the frenulum, the membrane which connects the tongue to the bottom of the mouth, snipped. He was such a good boy, he barely cried, in fact I think the bit of whimpering he did was because he didn't like the doctor's fingers in his mouth. It was not a good day for Jack as he had to go for his first lot of vaccinations in the afternoon but again, he was so good.

On Tuesday we went to Brimham Rocks, rock formations set in moorland in the Nidderdale Valley. I knew it was a long time since we were last there and looking back at my blog, I wrote about A Playground For All Ages way back in 2012. If you follow the link you'll see that we foraged for bilberries on that trip, we noticed that they were ripe when we visited this time too but we left them for others to enjoy. The small market town of Pateley Bridge is less than five miles from Brimham Rocks so we decided to head there afterwards for something to eat. It's a nice place to have a wander, there's a good selection of independent shops and there's small cobbled courtyards off the main street too where you'll find more shops just waiting to be discovered. The Oldest Sweet Shop in the World can be found in Pateley Bridge, it has been trading since 1827 and it's an official World Guinness record holder.

We already knew that Mick's holiday would be broken as he had to go into work on Wednesday for a meeting with one of the bosses of the company who was visiting from Brazil. He gave a presentation which was well received. Jack had another hospital appointment later in the day, this time for a scan of his hips. It was just routine as he'd been breech at one time in the pregnancy so the doctor said it would be a good idea to rule out hip dysplasia. The results were given there and then, he's fine.

On Thursday, we visited Beningbrough Hall in North Yorkshire. We were last there in April when parts of the garden were closed as they were being redeveloped. The award-winning landscape and garden designer, Andy Sturgeon, has designed a Mediterranean garden so we decided we'd make a return visit to see it. I have to say that I'm impressed, it's a tranquil garden and would be a lovely place for meditation with plenty of seating and the calming effects of water as water rills and bowls have been added. The water tolerant plants have yet to become established but it's easy to see what a beautiful garden it will become in time.

We'd planned to go to the coast on Friday but Storm Lilian hit and though we didn't get much rain, it was very windy so we put our trip on hold. Instead, we went over to Newmillerdam for a walk around the lake, though with Archie slowing down we never get all the way round now, instead having to double back on ourselves when we think he's done half as much as he can manage. We did get as far as the Boathouse though, which you can see to the left of the photo, where we stopped for lunch and refreshments. We looked after Jack for a couple of hours later in the day while Eleanor got some jobs done ready for going away. They had a weekend away with Jacob's family in the Cotswolds. We'd seen Jack every single day up to this point, but Eleanor sent us lots of videos and photos. We missed him.

Saturday rolled round yet again and this time, the cricket match was at home. Unfortunately, it was the third time on the trot that they lost, though they're still fourth in the league so at least they're safe from relegation.

The weather wasn't all that nice on Sunday and we were forecast rain (which never materialised) so we stuck close to home. We took Archie for a lovely walk at Oakwell Hall which he really enjoyed. There were lots of other dogs there and he spent a lot of time meeting and greeting. He's fourteen now and still enjoying life, it makes me really happy when I see him happy.

We had the bonus of a bank holiday tagged on to the end of our holiday so we decided to visit another National Trust property, this time East Riddlesden Hall. I've seen this place signposted many times as we've driven through Keighley on our way to Haworth and always wondered what it was like. Well, we've visited quite a few National Trust properties and I'm sorry to say that this is my least favourite. It's a small property, in fact extremely small in comparison to some, but that's not to say it couldn't be just as lovely a place to visit as those more grand places, but it isn't. It seemed poorly looked after and there was very little to see. The staff we encountered were very pleasant but I'm afraid it's a property we won't visit again.

Mick's back to work today but we've had a very enjoyable fortnight. 

RSPB St Aidan's

The small town where I live was once a village which prospered due to the mining industry. It's surrounded by other mining villages and it's in one of these villages, less than four miles from my home, where you can find RSPB St Aidan's. 

This nature reserve has been transformed from an old, open cast mine. There's still evidence of its past but it's been reclaimed by nature and is a haven for all kinds of wildlife.

The Sunshine Miners Landmark Memorial. Remembering all those and their machines who worked in the open cast coal mining industry. This walking dragline is the oldest surviving machine of its type in Europe. The machine is nicknamed 'Oddball' and if you look where this beast of a machine rests, you could see kestrels, barn owls and little owls.

There's a variety of habitats at St Aidan's, reedbeds, wetlands, meadows and woodland, so the wildlife it attracts is diverse.

This photo isn't all that clear as it was taken right across the lake but you can see that the swans have their cygnets with them.

We visit at all times of day and it's very popular, the car park can be full and yet you always get that sense of peace and tranquility because of the wide open space, it does feel as though you're the only people there.

There's lots of coots at St Aidan's.

There's pretty wildflowers blooming at the moment, a haven for butterflies and bees, and small mammals also enjoy the cover of the long grass.

A Common blue damselfly. We see lots of them on the paths around the lake and amongst the wildflowers.

There's lots of dragonflies too, this one is a Ruddy Darter.

There are only about nine hundred reed beds left in the UK and of these, only fifty are big enough to support bitterns, St Aidan's is one of the largest. Here, as well as bitterns, you might see other rare birds such as marsh harriers and bearded tits. We haven't seen any, though to be honest, I wouldn't know what I was looking for.

A family of graylag geese, there was a third one just out of the picture.

There are different walks and trails around the site to appeal to people with different desires. We usually take Archie with us but dogs do have to be kept on a lead so they don't disturb the wildlife. There's paths so it's definitely suitable for prams, Jack has been with us, and it's wheelchair accessible too.

We tend to see more when we visit on an evening. This juvenile kestrel was calling for its mum, I hope it found her. We've also seen barn owls swooping over the meadows.

Little owls nest in Oddball. They can often be seen perching on the woodpiles which surround the machinery.

There are a lot of magpies and we've seen them chasing away the barn owl when it's in flight.

I think these two kestrels were a parent and a juvenile. There's definitely a family around at the moment.

A lapwing. Not a very good photo I'm afraid. We see these on the lane where we live too, you can always tell they're about by their somewhat electronic sound, quite unlike the call of any other bird. They're also known as peewits.

You definitely feel at one with nature here but the imposing sight of Oddball reminds you of the site's industrial heritage.

We don't make use of the Little Owl Cafe very often as dogs aren't allowed inside, but it's a nice place to grab a cup of tea after a walk around the site.

It's also a great place to shelter from the rain if you happen to visit at an inopportune time!

Admission is free at St Aidan's, car parking costs just £4 for the whole day, or free if you're a member of the RSPB.

The Terrible Knitters Of Dent

I mentioned in my post last month that when we took Another Staycation we visited the Yorkshire Dales. After our trip to Settle, we decided to head twenty miles north to the village of Dent. This historic village is actually in Cumbria, though it was originally within the historic boundaries of the West Riding of Yorkshire.

It's a pretty village with cobbled streets and white-washed cottages. 

Dent is the only village in Dentdale but there are farmsteads and hamlets surrounding it.

Prior to the industrial revolution, the villagers, both men and women, boosted their farm incomes by knitting. They often knitted whilst walking to the fields and they were so good at it that they became known as The Terrible Knitters of Dent, terrible meaning terribly good at it.

The Dentdale Heritage Centre has information on the working lives and social customs of the people who lived in the area and the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes has examples of the sturdy socks and beautiful gloves which the Terrible Knitters made.

The Heritage Centre doubles as a cafe and there's also a shop selling handcrafted wool produce. They have a good selection of the West Yorkshire Spinners yarn range too.

Walkers pass through or by the village on various Dales walks and there's a choice of cafes catering for their needs.

Adam Sedgwick was one of the founders of modern Geology. He was born in Dent and studied at the old Dent Grammar School before going on to Trinity College, Cambridge. The granite memorial fountain on Main Street was erected in the late 19th century.

Steeped in history and with magnificent views, it's an interesting village to visit.

The road into Dent is very narrow in places and this bridge, though you can't tell here, is very narrow. There's paint on each side of it where vehicles have scraped by. Luckily, we navigated it well and passed by unscathed.

There's so many beautiful places in the Yorkshire Dales, no wonder it's my very favourite spot in the world.