A momentous day!

This unflattering photo brings you the moment – on Saturday – when I handed over the first draft of my ‘magnum opus’ to M – who has promised to proof read it for me. The fact that she is smiling is a credit to her sang froid!
Placed in three very delightful blue folders, it represents two years’ hard work in that beloved format: the ‘three volume novel’.
Well, fancy that!

Hot hot hot!

Is this March? We are warmer than we expect to be even in August! Drought is upon many counties and hose pipe bans… the pond is shrinking already. Mind you, the agitated surface betraying the presence of thousands of tadpoles is a real encouragement for Sherpa the Cat to attempt to drink the pond… perhaps tadpole water is just the thing for overgrown kittens!
Our sleep is interrupted at night by a medley of foxes calling (unearthly sound of the vixen mixed in with the yelp of the youngsters and the bark of the male) the shriek of owls, the crowing of the unbelievably early cockerel and the hearty dawn chorus. Who says that nothing happens in the country? Every night there is a battle of life and death out there, under the thin moon and the brilliant stars.
It is seven o’clock at night and the living room doors are open – in trickles the sound of evening birdsong, children playing on their bikes, the odd car making the daily journey home and WOW the frantic mad dash of the kitten-cat careering in through the open doors, once round the sofa and out again like a demented boomerang.
Another quiet evening at the Rectory.
‘Lent group’ will arrive soon. OV, who has sat through most of the above madness calmly reading a book, will bestir himself to welcome folk.
I’d better head for the kitchen and put the kettle on.
Happy thoughts follow me of the bizarre conversation at the till in the supermarket earlier in the day when the gentleman behind me in the queue made bold enough to comment on the HUGE quantity of hot cross buns I was buying… into the freezer ahead of Good Friday and the feeding of the ‘unknown number’ of folk who wander in after the service on the hill.
Joy of joys – who would exchange this beautiful place with its eccentricities for the most popular place in the world?

Cream scones, cakes and Indian tea

What a difference a week can make!  Today – relaxing surrounded by pink and white roses & gifts and cards from ‘wonderful sons’ and last week…. running to stand still! 

Last Sunday was the occasion of the first Great British Afternoon Tea Competition to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight.  As you can see, concentration was intense as the kitchen staff prepared for the arrival of the customers and the ‘early birds’ judged the three competition tables!  The table you can’t quite see in this photograph was voted the winner – but all three were brilliant. Sandwiches, a cream tea and a wide choice of cakes were on offer for all who came (served from the kitchen, once the competition tables were full)  Over 50 people came along and we raised £200 for Traidcraft’s Development Fund…. a brilliant afternoon.  Mind you, Weight Watchers may also benefit as we all try to lose the pounds we put on tucking into all the goodies – all washed down with a variety of Indian teas.

If you have sharp eyes you’ll just see Cathy – sitting in the corner making sweets (with the children… or those who thought themselves children) and on the back wall images of South India – all promoting the special South India week taking place in Chiselborough at the beginning of May.  A truly ‘India -meets-UK’ afternoon.

Here’s a taste of what is to come in May.  See you there?

Canary Coloured Junior Book Shop

The canary coloured caravan has taken on a springtime role as Junior Book Shop – all children welcome to come in and browse the books. Two children did so on Saturday and went home with a couple of books tucked under their arms. A taste of Ratty and Mole and all the fun of a special place for books. Wish I was small again!

Honey Pot Spring Clean

The arrival of a car-full of books, plus the promise of several boxes and bags of books from people who have been “having a clear out” equalled OV + OVW spending much of Friday sorting out the garage. OV being a lover of non-fiction, he concentrated on these, leaving OVW to reinstate the children’s section in the ‘canary coloured caravan’ (complete with bird in cage and picture from Wind in the Willows) and make a start on the fiction section. However, early on there was what I can only term a serious ‘beetroot incident’ in the outdoor store. This sent OVW off at a tangent sorting out the mess (and beetroot, once defrosted and left at an oblique angle DOES make a mess, believe me!) and left OV to his own devices.
Allowed free range of the books, OV managed to select and box about 1000 which he then loaded into our long-suffering car ready for the trip to the local Book Barn. This took place towards the end of the beautiful sunny afternoon, amidst ominous creaks and groans from the complaining suspension/shock absorbers/potential big bill at the garage! The ‘speed bumps’ on the lane leading to the barn were the last straw so far as OVW’s nerves were concerned. Finding the barn locked was not a great experience… but a few pleasant words with staff at the NT ticket office magicked up a lovely guy called Matthew, who managed to find another way in to the barn and then unbolted the door. A couple of people who were hoping to look at the books offered their help and our load was soon transferred. Asked if we wanted to browse the books we declined as graciously as we could and instead walked in the gardens.
Honey Pot opened this morning to the ooohs and ahhhs of folk who were surprised at how much space we had created…. until the next-door neighbour appeared with a wheelbarrow full of books with which to fill up the gaps!
Another breathtakingly exciting day down here in Somerset.
Time for a curry now

Another kind of Birdwatch

Oh dear! The buzzards are very much in evidence at the moment…. and one of them tried to make lunch from Sherpa!
I looked up from the kitchen table to see the sky filled by the outstretched wings of a buzzard – swooping down across the field straight at the house. Then I realised that Sherpa had jumped up on the window sill in front of me. OV let her in as the buzzard dropped short and landed in the field, just the other side of the fence. A near thing.
I have searched the internet for cats falling prey to buzzards, but nothing came up. Sherpa is such a dear little cat – she’ll never grow big – so I only hope that the buzzards fill themselves up on road kill, slugs and beetles – leaving no room for our four-footed friend.
In other news, I spent a happy half-hour or so this morning touring the barns at the farm – a guided tour by the farmer’s wife. My visiting friend K and I sketched the cows and calves there. Birds filled the barn, free-loading on the cattle – nicking their food – then rose in a flock, scared by the sudden sound made by our farming friend as she clanged the large, solid metal gate. They circled the farm and settled in the trees nearby.
All this is a bit too much like Daphne du Maurier for me! Think I’ll stop indoors for a bit.

Birdwatch continued

So, the temperatures have crashed and the birds are coming to the bird table in flocks. Isn’t that just typical? Not much sign of them for the annual census, but once the paperwork is past, out they come!
My home-made fat based bird food (using all the nuts and fruit and crumbs at the bottom of the baking cupboard) is going down well – especially topped up with bird seed and dried meal worms. A splash of hot water in the water dish conquers the ice – at least long enough for the birds to top up with water.
So, today – fieldfares, blackbirds, robins, blue tits, long tailed tits, great tits, wrens, jackdaws (grrrr) and the odd sparrow plus a wandering pheasant and an overhead buzzard. Dum dum di dum….. must start earlier next year and overwhelm the birds with kindness ahead of the count!
(I would post a few photos, but the camera died this weekend.)