Wolds Diary: Garden efforts pay off before an engagement beside the sea

The weather has been quite glorious this last week even if the nights have been chilly and producing some frost. I have been busy planting clematis in the garden and I planted a small eucalyptus. I even managed to mow my front lawn.
Pock 2nds v Dunnington 2nds - Pock batting - Darren Snowden bowls to John ChaplinPock 2nds v Dunnington 2nds - Pock batting - Darren Snowden bowls to John Chaplin
Pock 2nds v Dunnington 2nds - Pock batting - Darren Snowden bowls to John Chaplin

Suddenly there is an abundance of bumble bees, and humble bees, and butterflies add a colourful glimpse as they flit by from blossom to blossom in the garden. Already I have spotted three different types.

Everything is in bloom, especially in the hedgerows and life is becoming very pretty.

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I have been out with the dogs who have revelled in the weather and they had a great time rushing round, especially when they found something quite disgusting to roll in.

On the grass there are thousands of bright yellow celandines, and a plethora of dandelions, almost mirroring the yellow of the oil seed rape fields. They are not the only flowers. I have always been very fond of the small blue flowers of Speedwell, and they are out in abundance too.

Of course there are primroses and I noticed that in some wooded areas the bluebells are preparing to bloom.

On the Tuesday I headed over to Bridlington, where I’d been invited to speak at a hotel on the seafront for the 68th anniversary of the local Inner Wheel Club. They were a wonderful group of ladies and one gentleman, and one lady gave me a very welcome bag of ties.

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The sea looked wonderful with millions of light sparkles as the sunlight caught the waves and there was an expanse of blue sky as far as the horizon.

The talk went well and I headed back home to walk off the calories I had consumed there.

The next day, in preparation for my handyman starting on the refurbishment of my kitchen, I turned out my cupboards and managed to find new homes for an awful lot of things that I had either in duplicate or no further use for. Quite why I had four spare electric kettles I am not sure but I now have a lot more space.

That evening I had been invited to speak at the garden centre at Shiptonthorpe to a group of folk who had once been in the Young Farmers.

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I was again presented with some great ties, and had a quite delightful evening talking to farmers about sheep, cattle, tractors, crops and all things farming that I actually rather miss now I am back in town life.

I was presented with a Yorkshire Landscapes Calendar by Robert Ducker himself, which has some wonderful photographs in it.

The meal was excellent and I simply couldn’t resist the strawberry roulade.

The work tops and parts for the new-look kitchen arrived the next day, and are safely stored in my garage.

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Another walk with the dogs meant that they were crashed out for the rest of the evening.

After shopping I settled down to try and finish knitting a pair of socks I had promised someone. I finished them the next afternoon when I went to sit with my friend while his wife went to the dentist.

She kindly donated me some lovely fresh rocket from her garden, which I devoured in a salad when I got home.

On the Saturday I had been invited to go and watch a match at Pocklington Cricket Club. I used to score for cricket teams and was delighted to refresh my skills.

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I learned from a wonderful young man Ted who is not only a fine player but very knowledgeable.

The Pocklington team were playing Copmanthorpe, I love watching cricket and had a very pleasing afternoon, even if a fierce rainstorm had to suspend play for a short while.

I was asked back and was so relaxed by the afternoon I accepted the invitation.

What did impress me was the number of youngsters ardently practising in the nets, even though they were not playing in the team.

There is little so quintessentially English as an afternoon of cricket, and I look forward to many more.

In years gone by I even played a little bit, but those days are long gone now.

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