Wolds Diary: Arachnid season for sure as night times draw darker

It was very hot at the start of the week and although a couple of my dogs like the heat the others do not so I have had to stagger their walks. On one day I tackled some of the garden and quite forgot that maybe I should have put some sun block on.

The vast majority of my body is definitely not for public display so only arms, hands and face got a bit red and I know I lost some weight as I was pouring sweat. I managed to offset dehydration by taking the right fluids and having a bit of salt.

By the next day I was back to normal. On another day I was busy inside and suddenly missed my Staffie. I called and called, panicked a bit, but she appeared as if by magic. I went to find where she had been, which had to be somewhere in the back garden. It was then I discovered she had forced her way through a fence panel, into the beech hedge but had got no further. I mended that rather quickly, and reinforced it.

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On the Wednesday I had been invited to Barnby Dun WI just north of Doncaster. I left in plenty of time as it is not an area I know and I always allow for getting lost, accidents or traffic jams. It was a pleasant drive and having left the motorway I discovered that I was obviously in an old mining area as there were huge ex-spoil heaps by the road, now landscaped to be pleasant areas.

The village was quite large and had a very impressive parish hall, with great facilities for all sorts of recreation and play areas close by. I had been directed to it by a very helpful scout who was working on something outside a library building.

The WI group was delightful, welcoming and great fun. I was given a bag of ties which was most kind. We sang Jerusalem and after a bit of business, which I always find interesting I was asked to speak and they couldn’t have been a better audience. Then the cakes arrived and they were the best I have had so far. I was even given a couple of slices of the best coffee and walnut cake I have tried in a long time to bring home.

The evenings are drawing in and it was dark when I got home, but the dogs were still pleased to go out for a short toddle before we settled down for the night.

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After the heat the weather changed and other parts of the country had rain in vast quantities. Not here in the East Riding, however. Yes, we had a bit of a downpour one morning but that was it.

It was on that morning I was off to give an afternoon talk at the village of Wiggington, just north of York. I have passed signs to it before but never had cause to investigate.

On the road approaching Wiggington I saw a sign for a creepy crawly centre. I decided to investigate but found to my disappointment it was a children’s fun park not a place where I could admire insects, arachnids and the like.

I found the recreation centre at Wiggington and they were a great audience and fascinating to talk to after my talk had finished. I got back in time to take the dogs for a short walk, and thankfully it was a bit cooler so it was more comfortable.

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This is obviously the season for arachnids, and there have been more spiders running around my house and other places - such as the church meeting room - this year than I have ever seen before. I don’t mind them and keep rescuing them and putting them outside. I did notice that one of my dogs, Fair my collie, avoids them. I am not sure why. I have been having a bit of a tidy up and found several lurking behind furniture.

On Saturday I went down to our cricket club. The season is now over and because of grants we are having a new club house and pavilion built, and the old one is coming down. It needed to be cleared, of everything, before being demolished.

A small army of us assembled and there were countless trips to the local tip with old carpet, lino, rubbish and wood and I managed to get a lot of things like curtains back to my place before washing them and rehoming them. A friend came and took an old settee away for me giving me a lot more room in the lounge.