Wolds Diary: Beach strolls and scampi are my rewards for garden graft

Scarboroughs North Beach was packed with holidaymakers.  Picture: Richard PonterScarboroughs North Beach was packed with holidaymakers.  Picture: Richard Ponter
Scarboroughs North Beach was packed with holidaymakers. Picture: Richard Ponter
I thought that his would be a nice, quiet, tranquil week when I could tackle the garden. I was wrong.

I have however managed to do some gardening and it shows. I look every bit like someone who has been battling with a huge bramble patch.

The dogs have had a great time on various walks we have indulged in but it has been a bit hot for my older dog on a couple of days. She is really quite happy sleeping in the shade beside the house, just so long as there are no treats forthcoming. Although she makes out she is a bit deaf, I have only to touch or open the treats tin or packet and she instantly appears together with the other four dogs. It is what I call selective deafness.

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One day we went down the Hudson Way again and the area around St Helen’s Well has been transformed; it looks lovely.

I passed a lady with a cute spaniel, who said she was looking for her other dog who seemed to have disappeared into the undergrowth. Minutes later very wet chocolate Labrador emerged and I found where it had been cooling off in a nearby pool. My dogs did likewise and by the time we got back to the car they had almost dried out.

On another day I headed into York, to visit a charity shop that had put aside some ties for me. I did the rounds of several shops and had a good afternoon, returning home well laden.

I then tackled the ties I had acquired and the ones kindly given to me last week by a lady at Wetwang.

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I finished a quilt that I had been working on, that had only flower patterns on the patches. Then I started sewing the backing onto the quilt.

I went to a parochial church council meeting on the Wednesday evening and it was mercifully short.

I had intended to return home and get on with sewing but ended up going for a pleasant drink with a friend, at one of our excellent hostelries.

The next day I went over to visit my friend in Scarborough. I took some fresh vegetables from my garden for her, and a bag of wool for some crochet work she is doing. After a catch up we headed down to the North Beach together. It was a while since I had paid a visit and there had been lots of improvements in the meantime - it looks really good.

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My friend had told me of a beautiful standard poodle she had met that had been a rescue dog, and after an excellent Whitby scampi lunch we were lucky enough to meet this glorious dog, called Toby. He has certainly found a good and loving home.

I went for a walk down on the beach and even though it was a somewhat cloudy day there were many people having fun and swimming in the sea. Scarborough is a very fine resort and there is so much to offer holiday makers. It was packed full of tourists and it was nice to see so much activity.

I dropped my friend off at her home and headed into the centre of town and looked around the shops there, and even treated myself to a couple of items of new clothing; something I rarely do.

Once home I needed to get the sand out of my sandals and then took the dogs out for a short walk.

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On the Friday after a rather busy day doing chores, I selected a tin of semolina, a pudding I am very fond of. I tried to open it with my tin opener which was obviously broken, which meant I had to rush down to the supermarket to buy another one. I have no patience whatsoever with tools that do not work.

On Saturday morning I relaxed before going and scoring for the cricket club at our local pitch. I was kept company by a very pleasant and clever young man and the match seemed quite busy. The weather was warm and sunny.

Once I returned home I began to tackle the garden again, which continued the next morning before I managed to get a lot of garden waste down to the local tip.

My garden is full of blossom, from honeysuckle, to buddleia blooming, attracting bees and butterflies.

The sweet peas I planted out earlier are now looking and smelling divine. The hard work in the garden is paying off.

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