May at last

Well, dear friends, here we are in the merry month of May and time to catch up on the fortunes of those of us here in Misper Towers.

The world of work has been rather intense resulting in me neglecting my bloggerly duties; but just when you thought it was safe to return to the blogosphere (how do people know it's a sphere, and not, say, a dodecahedron?) - I emerge, blinking, from my dusty office, seeking the invigoration of fresh pixels.

Well, what has been happening? We had a rather nice rainbow drop in to celebrate the end of April.
A hasty snap was all I could manage, so apologies for the rather dodgy quality.

But, splendid as rainbows are, the real excitement is the opening of a second pub. I'm not sure if we are quite ready for the cut-throat business practices of the urban commercial environment, and this has certainly caused quite a bit of comment.

As a small village - probably no more than 250-300 drinking age adults (if you include the residential site at Flamingoland) - it seems unlikely that 2 pubs would be essential, or even viable. However, with the volume of traffic between Easter and September, the proposition changes completely. Over a million people visit in a year, and some of them are quite thirsty. Frequently their children are also thirsty, if only for sugary pop. They all usually need to be fed, and many prefer to sit down in more comfortable surroundings, particularly if it offers a large TV to amuse the young ones. So it remains to be seen whether these summer migrant flocks can sustain 2 establishments sufficiently for them to remain operational through the winter.

My own researches have been positive, however, as the new pub sells Black Sheep. Mmm.

Peaceful holiday

I hope you have had a peaceful time over the Easter holiday, whether you observe it or not. We spent it quietly, visiting friends in the village and family nearby, consuming cake and chocolate, tea and wine. The weather did not let us down - traditional holiday grey with spatterings of rain. As a result my best-laid plans vis-a vis the ice cream van did not bear fruit; when it came calling along the lane I really wanted hot chocolate and warmed hot cross buns dripping butter onto sticky hands rather than ice cream running freezing fingers through my veins. Ah well, maybe next week.

Meanwhile, the blossom is coming out on the pear tree and the hawthorn, and the fish in the garden ponds are starting to show an interest in feeding again after their long winter sleepiness. Despite the damp and grey, we have had the windows open and fresh air pouring into the house. Being able to take deep breaths of spring air is so lovely; I can almost feel the sap running through me. If I'm not careful I'll start to send out new shoots.

Time to eat!

For anyone who is interested, there is now a Kirby Misperton Kitchen vegetarian community on LiveJournal (see blogs list on this page). Those of you who fancy sharing recipes which don't involve eating things that have faces may wish to look at it.

If you do eat things with faces, that's fine too. But those recipes won't get added!

The first ice cream van of summer

I don't know about you, but when I was a child I used to listen out for the first cuckoo of spring, or watch for the first swallows. In fact, until last year watching for the swallows was a favourite pastime as they used to nest in our garage. There they would raise a brood or two, teaching them to fly, swooping down at us if we looked like going too near to the nest site, and generally entertaining us through the summer months.

In fact here is one of the little scamps, taking a break on our dustbin. Apologies for the quality of the picture - it was a hasty snap through the kitchen window. Those little chaps don't stay still for long, I can tell you.

However, that wasn't what I was going to tell you about.

Today we had our first true visitor of summer - the ice cream van. It has been a beautiful day today. Laundry has dried on the washing line, and warm and sunny weather has been enjoyed by all. With the opening of the local tourist attraction, traffic has increased exponentially along the lane, and strangers have been seen wandering through the village. But the final clinching proof was that van.

The ice cream van first came one Sunday a couple of years ago, the driver having taken a wrong turn at the roundabout. Now it's a regular on Sundays during the tourist season, and much appreciated. So we had a cornet, and felt like winter was in retreat for a while. Next week, if it comes back, I might even lash out and have a "99". Mmmm.

Paradise is in Yorkshire!

We recently started to get an organic vegetable box delivered; we used to get one years ago, but haven't had one recently. However, I finally got around to trying out the offering from Paradise Farm, a local farm which delivers boxes in this area.

Obviously this is not really an ad for Paradise Farm - although if you are local and want to try it out, I would say I think they offer a good deal. The thing is, I really like getting a veg box. Under this scheme we only get local veg, so it's seasonal; in the past, with other boxes, we did have veg shipped in from various foreign places, mainly the Netherlands. However, the thing about seasonal veg is that you need to come up with lots of ways to cook the same thing, and in the winter that tends to be root vegetables.

Personally I enjoy the challenge, and as we are all pretty fond of a good curry, it isn't too difficult to come up with 101 Ways with Swede. As Spring is making itself felt now we are starting to see other items such as rocket, wild garlic and Jerusalem artichokes.

The other benefit, apart from the alleged health one, is that I am saving money on groceries. I hadn't realised how expensive their veg was!

But I wouldn't be managing as well if it wasn't for yon t'Interweb providing lots of recipes to try. Progress, eh? This is proof it's not all bad.

March winds

We have been experiencing a breezy few days here in KM. Finally, people say, as they struggle against the feisty gusts, we are getting proper March weather. For as we all know from childhood, "March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers".

The birds have clung to the feeders, blown about like flags. Their approaches have been erratic as a burst of atmospheric energy catches them in mid-flight. With colder temperatures as well, they still need the boost from the peanuts and seeds we put out to encourage them in building nests and getting up to what birds get up to at this time of year.

Elsewhere the world is filling up with daffodils and crocuses and all kinds of bright spring bulbs. Our lilac is starting to show tips of green amid the squabbling sparrows. And when the sun does break through, you can feel the warmth on your back.

The clocks change tonight, so we lose an hour's sleep, but will be rewarded with longer evenings and a promise that summer is waiting in the wings. The world moves on.

Books to the door

I happened to take a day off work yesterday and so was reminded of another rural service we receive, and often overlook: the mobile library, which arrived after lunch and parked outside the post office.

This particular vehicle is my own personal idea of heaven - a large van stuffed full of books which comes to my house on a regular basis. Even better, the driver knows his customers so well he can recommend new books for them to try and make sure that there is a good selection aboard to suit their tastes.

The van is equipped with a lift to help those with achy knees and wobbly legs clamber in and out again safely. The less mobile readers rise in a stately fashion to the van's hallowed interior, and later descend clutching their new armful of reading material. As the van only comes every three weeks, you may need to take quite a pile of books away; and if you can't manage the next scheduled visit, you can send a message to have the loan extended, or ask someone to drop them off for you.

When I do get the chance to go to the mobile library, it's always a good time to meet with the neighbours who are also around that day, and to catch up on some gossip. Our latest entertainment is the possible sighting of a large black animal, which some claim was a puma, while others subscribe to the view that it was Hamish, a substantial feline who lives at the top of the village. I have to admit to being in the Hamish camp myself, but I'm happy to be proved wrong.

Back to the library van though. This is a job I would love to have. As a child I wanted to be a librarian (based on my view of the very nice ladies who helped me find books for school projects). The idea of being able to potter around the countryside in a van full of the latest bestsellers and classic volumes appeals to me immensely. I like reading books, and I like talking to people about reading books - or just talking!

I'm sure it's not quite as much fun as it sounds, but it is one of two ambitions not yet achieved, although it is more likely to be fulfilled than the other ambition, which is to go into space and see the world from outside and the stars in all their glory. If I could go in a library-spaceship, all the better.