Wolds Diary: A weakness for teddy bears

After that I threw three of the dogs in as they were encrusted with mud and had designs on my bedding, the chairs and anything else they could roll on. They certainly smelt better after it and rather grudgingly lay on towels in front of radiators until they were dry enough to roam the house again. Loo Rool the Doberman Sharp Pei cross does not do water at all and is too big to insist with so I just brushed any mud off her and also the border collie Fair who I think quite enjoyed it.

I went to meet up with a friend in York while her friends were visiting the hospital. We met in a very pleasant cafe in the Shambles and I indulged in a bacon butty and then we ventured forth in search of a specific shop but having found it, it did not have what my friend wanted in stock. Then on to another well-known store but no success there either. We stopped for a cup of coffee at the cafe in the lovely old church then hopped on a bus that took us up to Monks Cross where she wanted to visit one of the big posh shops there. They do have some good things but mostly way beyond my purse. Then a sit down was required and therefore yet another coffee. Her friends were going to meet her there so I came back on the bus and by not paying attention ended up near the railway station, so I walked back across the city and jumped on the Park and Ride to return home. It was a pleasant if tiring change.

I visited my friends at the fascinating Vintage and Antique premises just north of Barmby Moor on the A1079. I spotted a trumpet there and the next day I went with a musical friend to see if it was worth investing in. It was and I also found some other things I couldn’t possibly live without.

One item was a clothes basket which I am hoping will last longer than the last one I had (a casualty of the dogs) and then I spotted a forlorn rather grubby teddy bear with a chewed nose in a corner and in the end I bought three of these bears, two in need of repair. I have a much loved teddy bear that has been with me since the day I was born from my godmother whom I adored. Since then I have almost become an orphanage for abandoned teddies. I do not need any more.

Having been repaired and washed the three newcomers have snuggled in happily with all my others.

I took two lots of musical scores back to the library in Hull. They are very helpful there and I went to have a look round Hull. In sheer self defence my friend and I had a coffee in a shopping centre as the heavens opened and it was chucking down snow with a vengeance. As soon as it had started, it had stopped and I got to venture forth and even took a drive round to explore an area I had never visited before. There are some lovely and interesting parts of Hull.

The next day I returned to Hull this time to take my young lodger to pick up a proper motor bike that he had purchased from a relative who kindly rode back with him to give him confidence and a bit of instruction. He rode it back so I decided to take a small diversion through the charming little village of Cherry Burton. For ages I’ve wondered what it was like. I can’t say I saw any cherry trees but it isn’t the right time of year. The view across the Vale of York from the hill above Market Weighton was quite spectacular.

Once home it was a quick turnaround back to Market Weighton for a visit to the dentist and then a quiet evening in while I caught up with things to do in the house.

The next morning it started to snow. Then it rained then it snowed again, rained and then snowed. The garden was full of slush and it was cold and miserable. I filled up all the bird feeders and within seconds there were a host of small birds avidly pecking at them including tits, a pair of robins, some wrens, lots of sparrows, blackbirds and thrushes.