Ilkley Real Food Market

We often pass through Ilkley on our way to the Yorkshire Dales but it's a while since we've stopped there for a wander and a look round. We didn't want to venture too far on Sunday so we decided it would be the perfect opportunity to rectify that.

What we didn't realise at the time was that Ilkley hosts a Real Food Market on the first Sunday of each month. The Grove is closed off to traffic and the stallholders set out their wares, and what a selection there is. I was surprised at how many stalls there were and each one seemed to offer something different to the rest.

It was a real bonus to find this event taking place when we arrived. There were lots of people looking round but because it was spread along the whole street, it didn't feel crowded at all, and there was a great atmosphere.

Most of the stalls were selling food and drink, some to consume right away, others to eat or drink later if you managed to get your purchases home before tucking into them.

There were some non-food stalls too, the photo above shows Yorkshire Blankets, a family run business saving redundant yarns from landfill and weaving them in Yorkshire mills into blankets. There was a plant stall, metal garden ornaments, beautiful handcrafted wood chopping boards, amongst many other things. There was something there for everyone.

There's a branch of Bettys Tea Rooms in Ilkley and it was doing brisk business on Sunday. There was a queue outside, as there usually is at any of their shops. This bakers and confectioners is renowned for its afternoon teas and Yorkshire Tea also comes under its brand.

Most of the shops in the town were open. It's good to see a small town like this thriving, especially in today's economic climate when so many businesses are struggling. It was also good to see an independent bookshop which looks to be doing well. The Grove Bookshop has been in the town for over forty years, it hosts book launches, talks and other events. I can confirm that it's well stocked, I came away with a classic to add to my small collection.

I shall definitely visit the Real Food Market again, it was a great day out and the town itself has lots to offer too.

July 2023

We had some hot weather again at the beginning of  July, and the resulting thunder storms too. Unfortunately, summer seemed to leave for much of the month, we've had quite a bit of rainfall and lower temperatures, let's hope it returns before autumn arrives.

I enjoy looking around Sunday markets and we visited a couple in July. The one in the photo above is the farmers market which is held on the first Sunday of each month in Thirsk. There's a good variety of stalls but it's such a shame that the shops in this North Yorkshire market town don't make an effort to open on Sundays, even if it was just on the Sundays when the farmers markets are scheduled. It wasn't very busy but having shops to visit too might make it more of a draw.

We also visited the artisan market in Wetherby, about a quarter of an hour drive from home and held every second Sunday in the month. This market was full of life, very well attended and had some fantastic stalls selling a wide variety of products. 

It was our thirty third wedding anniversary on the 7th of July. Mick was working during the day so we celebrated with an evening meal at our local Italian restaurant. It was a scorching hot day and as we walked to the restaurant, our small town was buzzing. We have a vibrant high street with some wonderful bars, cafes and restaurants and it comes alive on a weekend.

I've read four books this month.

The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary.

"Addie and her sister are on an epic road trip to a friend's wedding in rural Scotland. But, not long after setting off, a car slams into theirs. The driver is none other than Addie's ex, who she hasn't seen since their traumatic break-up two years earlier.

Dylan and his best mate are heading to the wedding too, so Addie has no choice but to offer them a ride. And with four hundred miles to go, they can't avoid confronting the very messy history of their relationship...

Will they make it to the wedding? And, more importantly, is this really the end of the road for Addie and Dylan?"

I liked how the story started, it got going straight away, but I wasn't sure it was for me. My first impressions of the characters weren't favourable and it seemed as though it was going to be one very long road trip, not just for them but for me too.

Thankfully, it did get better and I enjoyed it, though my first thoughts on some of the characters were spot on, there were only a couple I actually liked, but it didn't spoil the story for me. An easy going read, it kept me entertained. I've read a book by this author before and I'd definitely read more.

Friends at Thrush Green by Miss Read.

"It's spring in Thrush Green and the new season brings change and excitement to the village...

When retired schoolteachers Dorothy Watson and Agnes Fogerty return to visit their many friends at Thrush Green they find the small community abuzz with gossip. The old schoolhouse has just been sold and everyone is eager to welcome the new owners, the Lesters. Alan Lester is cautiously approved, but rumours abound about his wife Margaret. Equal cause for speculation is the odd behaviour of Bertha Lovelock. And what of farmer Percy Hodge - can he really be so foolish as to contemplate matrimony with the wayward Doreen Lilly?

These affairs and more occupy the thoughts of old friends and new in this welcome addition to Miss Read's delightful chronicles of life in Thrush Green."

I keep saying how much I'm enjoying these books, they're such a lovely read about village life from yesteryear. The characters are larger than life and it's like each book brings you up to date with all the village gossip. If you haven't read these books I'd heartily recommend them.

Treasure Island and The Ebb-Tide by Robert Louis Stevenson.

"A thrilling coming-of-age novel about bravery, adventure, good and evil, Treasure Island is the story of young Jim Hawkins, who discovers a treasure map marked with an X. But Jim has no way of knowing that Long John Silver, his friendly new crew-mate on the quest for the buried hoard, is determined to keep the treasure for himself, at any cost.

Treasure Island is paired here with Stevenson's extraordinary, savage late novella The Ebb-Tide, which features a tropical island and a ship with a very different crew."

Treasure Island is one of those books which everyone's heard about and I would guess that many people read in their younger days. It completely passed me by so I thought it was about time that I rectified that.

I'd heard mention of the characters, Jim Hawkins, Long John Silver, Ben Gunn, knew they were searching for buried treasure on an island, but that's about it. In fact, that's a good summary of the story as the plot didn't deviate from this. The beginning caught my interest and introduced some memorable characters and I liked how the tale was told with Jim Hawkins narrating. All in all, an entertaining story and a book worth reading.

As Treasure Island was paired in this book with The Ebb-Tide, I decided that I'd read that too. Another sea adventure but in my opinion, not a patch on Treasure Island. There's no doubt that Robert Louis Stevenson was a great story teller, and I believe this is the reason why I wanted to finish the book and discover what happened to the characters, not because I was bothered what their outcome would be as I really didn't care for any of them. This isn't a book I'd read again and I doubt it's one I'll give a second thought to now that I've finished it.

Daniel and Jasmine finally became home owners this month. They've been living in rented accommodation since they returned to Leeds at the beginning of last year. They had one house sale fall through and quite a few delays on this sale but they're finally in and settling in their new home.

It was Eleanor's birthday on the 15th of July. She spent the day being a bridesmaid at her sister-in-law's wedding. It was the day when thunder storms and high winds were forecast, and the wedding was being held in a marquee! Although it did turn out windy, the showers were on and off and no sign of any thunder and lightening, so they did manage some outdoor photos. We had a family meal the following Tuesday to celebrate Eleanor's birthday.

I've had a yarny advent calendar to open in the run up to Christmas each year since 2019. I wasn't sure if I was going to buy one or not this year but when I saw Josie at Beaches & Birdsong advertising hers, I couldn't resist. My 2020 yarny advent calendar was bought from Josie, I loved the colours in that and the yarn was beautiful and soft. The calendars I've had in the past have all contained 10g mini skeins but this year I've gone for one with 20g mini skeins. It will give me more options of what I'm able to use the yarn for.

It's a long time since I've picked up my English paper piecing. I started this project nearly two years ago and though I'd never done any kind of hand sewing before, I really enjoyed the time I spent working on it. Now that I've finished The Twelve Days Of Christmas cross stitch I had on the go, I've decided to get a few more hexagons stitched in place. The fabric is the Botanic Garden range from Lewis and Irene and it's so pretty. I'm not sure what this is going to be as yet, I'm just enjoying the process.

Mick's hoping to take a week off work in August, though we'll see what the weather's like first, lots of rain is in the forecast. We haven't planned any outings but I'm sure we'll make the most of his holiday if it happens.

The Twelve Days Of Christmas

It's taken me nearly three years but I've finally finished my Twelve Days of Christmas cross stitch. My blog post back in 2020, Who Fancies A Bit Of Stitching? asked if anyone wanted to stitch along with me. I had two takers and both ladies finished their projects much quicker than I have, but I'm finally at the finish line. Obviously, I haven't been working on it for the whole three years, it's been picked up and put back down again numerous times, but I've thoroughly enjoyed the times when I have been working on it.

It's a design by Paulette Stewart, she has the Plum Street Samplers blog and this was the Sunday Mystery Sampler back in 2015. I used 32 count Murano Lugana in Vintage Country Mocha to stitch on and colours 310, 367, 498 and 782 in DMC to stitch with. I really enjoyed the limited colours used and in the future I would love to stitch a one-colour design.

Here it is framed. I took the picture before the glass was put in to avoid the glare but it is framed behind glass. I would have considered having it framed professionally but as it will only be brought out and displayed at Christmastime, it wasn't really worth the cost so Mick turned his hand to a bit of framing and he's done a great job.

That's another long-term project finished. I'm steadily working my way through the things I've had on the go for a while and it feels good to see them completed.

Winnie The Pooh Socks

It's a while now since I bought some mini skeins from Giddy Yarns. They were in the Winnie the Pooh collection and I just couldn't resist them. I knew from the start that I'd like to make socks from them and I've finally got round to knitting them up.

The colourways from the cuff at the top of the sock working downwards are Kanga and Roo, Rabbit, Eeyore, Winnie The Pooh and Piglet. They're all such lovely colours, I'd be very happy to have full skeins of each.

I knit a plain sock without any pattern in order to show off the yarn. The stripes are each nine rounds and I put in a Fish Lips Kiss heel, the pattern for which can be found on Ravelry. It's a good heel to use as it doesn't interrupt the stripes at all.

I made sure that I sewed in the ends as I went along and I'm glad that I did. Every stripe produces two ends of yarn, that's one of the drawbacks of knitting stripy socks. Of course, you can now buy self-striping yarn and the benefit of this is that the yarn produces the stripes itself with minimum ends to sew in at the end.

The socks took 54g of yarn, I'm left with 46g, a little of each colourway. I shall endeavour to use this up in another project, after all, it's far too pretty to just discard and I do like to make use of every little scrap.

June 2023

I'm not often ill but I started off the month under the weather. I'd had a sore throat which progressed into a heavy head cold and as usual, that went on my chest. The accompanying cough hung around for ages as is often the case.

We've had some gorgeous weather in June, a little too hot for me and definitely too hot for Archie. He doesn't like going to the groomers but I think he was glad to get his coat taken off him this time. He enjoyed the shade on the patio in the mornings before the sun came round, the garden is in sun for the rest of the day so he avoided it at all costs then.

My roses have been brilliant this year, the best they've ever flowered. This one is Our John, bought two years ago in memory of my dad whose name was John. The blooms start off a vibrant yellow but fade to this creamy lemon with tinges of pink which I think is just beautiful. My roses always succumbed to black spot at my old house but they're doing much better here. Only one of my four rose bushes are showing signs of disease, and even that one isn't as bad as they were year after year previously.

It was three years on the 14th of June since my dad died, I just don't know where that time has gone. It seems like only yesterday since I last saw him in one way but then it also feels like the full three years in another. We took some flowers to the crematorium. As I've said before, we have a memorial stone for my dad, my mum and my sister there so we're able to plant a few flowers as well as lay floral tributes. The grounds are so tranquil, it's a good place to be with your thoughts. I like to visit on the days that they died as we had entries made in the book of remembrance which is open to view on those particular dates, so I like to go and see that.

I've read three books this month.

Finding Happiness at Penvennan Cove by Linn B Halton.

"Kerra Shaw's happiness should be complete when the love of her life moves into her cottage. But there is trouble in her beloved Penvennan Cove and Kerra knows she won't be able to enjoy her new start with Ross until she's put things right.

Two struggling businesses threaten to change the beach at Penvennan Cove forever. The Lark and Lantern, an inn at the heart of the community, is struggling and a corporate chain is trying to redevelop the site. Meanwhile, The Salvager's Yarn nearby is becoming an eyesore that brings down the area. 

Kerra knows she can find the perfect solution, but with her eyes on the community, will Kerra miss the tensions in her own life? Can Kerra find her own happy ending, or could putting others first cost her what she deserves most?"

This is the third book in a trilogy. It could be read as a standalone but I think you'd get the most from it having read the other two books first. I'm not sure what it was about this one, perhaps the story had run its course but I much preferred the first two. I wanted to find out how it all ended though so I'm glad I read it. The trilogy is rounded off nicely with all loose ends tied up. I've read other books by this author and I've enjoyed them all. Great for a bit of escapism, you don't have to think about the story, an entertaining read.

The School at Thrush Green by Miss Read.

"All day Thrush Green had been buffeted by a howling gale and lashing rain. It made life particularly exhausting for the two schoolteachers. Every time the classroom door opened, a score of papers fluttered to the floor pursued by delighted children.

For many years, Dorothy Watson and Agnes Fogerty have taught in the school at Thrush Green, so their imminent retirement provokes rumour and speculation. Who will take Miss Watson's place as headmistress? As for replacing Miss Fogerty, it seems impossible to imagine.

There are other issues too. The school house is to be sold, and Winnie Bailey's eccentric nephew thinks it might be the perfect place for his young family. And who is the strange young man lurking outside The Fuchsia Bush tea-room?"

A delightful story. Going by the title I thought this one would be concentrating mostly on the school but there's still lots of other happenings in the village. I'm enjoying the Miss Read books so much, I'm going to feel bereft when I come to the end of them. Still a few more to go yet though.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.

"Victor Hugo's tale of injustice, heroism and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. But his attempts to become a respected member of the community are constantly put under threat: by his own conscience, when, owing to a case of mistaken identity, another man is arrested in his place; and by the relentless investigations of the dogged Inspector Javert. It is not simply for himself that Valjean must stay free, however, for he has sworn to protect the baby daughter of Fantine, driven to prostitution by poverty."

Knowing that Les Miserables is my favourite musical, Daniel and Jasmine bought me this beautiful edition at Christmas. I'll admit, I was a little daunted at first, it's a huge novel which consists of five volumes which are divided up into forty eight books and three hundred and sixty five chapters. I've been reading it alongside the other books I've already read this year and have finally finished it this month. I can honestly say that I loved every minute I've spent reading it and I'm really sad that it's finished.

The author does veer off on lots of tangents, I'm now enlightened on everything from French political history to the workings of the Parisian sewer system, but the main story which I know and love from the musical is carried throughout the book. It's a book I'd definitely read again and one I'd heartily recommend. 

We had a day at the coast. This time we chose Fraisthorpe which is just south of Bridlington. It was a hot day and the benefit of Fraisthorpe is that you're able to park the car right at the side of the beach so there's not much walking involved to get onto the sand. Archie's getting old now so we have to consider his capabilities, especially in the heat we've had. Afterwards, we drove further along the coast to Hornsea where we shared a bag of chips, Archie too!

You will have seen in my last post that I finished my Happy Scrappy Blanket. I could have made it bigger than the 14 X 10 squares that it measures as I've got lots and lots of scraps and mini skeins left, but it's quite heavy already. Being knit in 4 Ply or fingering weight yarn, I think adding too many squares and increasing the weight will just pull it out of shape. So, I've been looking through my stash and pulling out more yarn to embark on scrappy blanket number two, or number three if you count the Scrappy Dog Blanket that I made.

We haven't got much planned for July but with our wedding anniversary and Eleanor's birthday on the horizon, we're sure to have a couple of celebrations if not much else. Let's hope the fine weather continues so that we're able to spend lots of time outdoors.

Happy Scrappy Blanket

This scrappy blanket was started back in 2018. It's been picked up and put back down again many times since then but I've thoroughly enjoyed the times when I have been working on it.

It's made up entirely of hand dyed yarn. There's leftovers from other projects I've made, mini skeins I've bought, mini skeins from the advent calendars I've purchased at Christmastime and yarn I've swapped. There's one hundred and forty squares in total, ten by fourteen, which makes it a nice sized lap blanket.

I followed the Coziest Memory pattern by Kemper Ray for the squares. It's a free pattern on Ravelry. I've arranged the squares so that the mitre ridge running through the centre of each square radiates out from the centre of the blanket. The pattern of the ridges is something to consider right at the start of the project as it will affect the way that stitches are picked up for each square. I know many people who haven't given it a thought and then discovered that the ridges go off in all sorts of directions. 

The pattern I used doesn't mention the edges of the blanket but I decided to add an I-cord border, I think it just finishes it off.

It's nice to get a long term project off the needles but I'm feeling a little bereft now, I can see me casting on another in the not too distant future. Just look at all those colours, I think I shall call it my Happy Scrappy Blanket.

Evening Walks

At this time of year, when the lighter nights are here once again and the weather has warmed up, evening walks become part of our routine. That's not to say we don't still walk during the day, we do, but there's something about being out after tea. It's more peaceful somehow, it's when we most often see wildlife about too, and there's definitely something magical about that. We occasionally see deer in the fields at the top of our street, there's always rabbits about in the evenings and sometimes even hares. It feels good to walk our evening meal off and it's also a time when we're able to really talk and listen to each other without other distractions. 

We like to vary the places we walk and we're very lucky to have so many lovely places we can go to do just that. I thought you might like to see some of the walks we've been on over the last few weeks.

Lotherton is a favourite, not only for us but for Archie too. A country house and estate, it's less than ten minutes away by car so it's really handy. We have annual membership and we definitely get our money's worth visiting at least a few times every week. It can be a bit busy during school holidays but even then, it's so peaceful on an evening. With woodland, formal gardens and a perimeter walk to choose from, we never get bored.

The Fly Line is where a private railway once ran serving the nearby collieries. It links Garforth to Aberford by way of a three and a half mile route through Parlington Woods and it's the route by which you can find Nellie's Tree which was voted Woodland Trust's Tree of the Year in 2018.

We usually walk at the Aberford end and double back rather than walk the whole route, it's much too far for Archie these days. The path starts out through farmland before opening out into woodland.

The woods at the back of Temple Newsam can be accessed from a road very near to the area where I grew up. I used to play in these woods as a child. There's so many different pathways to take through the woodland with a central path leading right through to Temple Newsam House. At the time we visited, preparations were underway for Live At Leeds In The Park, a music festival which was held at the end of May. You can just see the stages which have been set up in the distance.

The Aire and Calder Navigation is the canalised section of the Rivers Aire and Calder which was built to connect Leeds to the Humber and the North Sea. The part where we walk is about a ten minute drive away and it's a lovely destination on a sunny evening. I always think that walking by water is calming so it's a good place to walk if you want to relax. This part of the navigation is right before it comes together with the River Aire.

Beck Wood is another lovely walk when the sun is shining. A little further away from the places we usually visit, it takes about twenty minutes by car so it's not somewhere we go weekly or even monthly, but it's somewhere we visit when we fancy a change, and it's so worth the extra ten or fifteen minutes in the car on a summer's evening. There's walks through woodland at the side of the beck and it opens out to the banks of the River Wharfe with a riverside beach. We didn't see a single soul on this occasion until we returned to the car park and saw another family who had just arrived.

I recently wrote that The Azaleas Are Stealing The Show when we visited Temple Newsam and found that the rhododendrons weren't doing so well this year. I thought we might be a bit early so we returned the other evening but as you can see, there was just the odd shrub flowering at the start of the rhododendron walk, and the shrubs which line the pathway are usually a riot of colour at this time of year but they're well and truly green, hardly a flower to be seen. I expect they've had a hard prune at the expense of the blooms. It will be interesting to see how they recover next year. We walked down to the lake where quite a few people were enjoying the sunny evening.

The place we walk most frequently is at the top of our street. Not only is it convenient but it's a lovely place to walk. The lane runs alongside farmland with houses and stables lining the other side. It's not busy with traffic but there is the odd car so we keep Archie on his lead here but he's able to come off at the end of the lane as we enter a woodland track, still bordering farmland. 

This track takes you right through to the area where I grew up, though it's changed dramatically since then with a motorway, a retail park and a new housing development now occupying the fields where I played as a child. Isn't that sad. It's what they call progress. I just hope that progress doesn't spread as far as where we're living now.

Thank you for coming on our evening walks with us. I hope you enjoyed them just as much as we do.