Sue Woodcock: A special week when everything went well

It dates from 1157 and has not been modernised. The meeting was interesting but I found my mind wandering, looking at the wonderful things to see. It is not generally open to the public but can be visited by prior arrangement.

On the farm, I have had to say goodbye to the billy kids and the four remaining lambs who have all gone to new homes. I don't need too many billy goats and their mothers need to recuperate before they become pregnant again. I have kept two billys, the pygmy lad called Bob and Gavin.

I was sitting fuming at my laptop, which was playing up, when I got a phone call from my younger brother. He was coming with his wife and son to see me. I haven't seen them for years and love them lots. My sister-in-law is French and a lovely person but she is the first to admit that she doesn't do country pursuits and hates the cold.

They asked me to book them in somewhere for a couple of nights and I finally found a room for them at the pub where I work at Kettlewell. They live between Marseilles and Darwin, Australia, and on arriving at the farm she declared it was already winter. The last time I saw my nephew he was a little blonde-haired boy but he has become a handsome dark-haired young man with impeccable manners and a great sense of humour.

I spent two days with them and it was great. He is just about to start university at Brighton reading law. I managed to show them a bit of the Dales and my sister-in-law looked out of the window at the spectacular scenery and firmly refused to budge from the warm car.

They competed in the Sunday night quiz and headed off down South the next morning promising to come back soon.

On the Monday it was my big day. I was a special guest at the Nidderdale Show. It had rained in bucketfuls the previous day and overnight and I picked up my friend in Skipton in a rainstorm. We drove in appalling weather over to Pateley Bridge and arrived with some foreboding. Wrapped in good waterproofs, my friend and I were looked after so well that it was wonderful. We were guided round the show by a very knowledgeable retired farmer and his lovely wife.

I watched the sheepdog trials for a while and visited everything I could. The band from Wakefield played beautifully and it was one of those occasions when all seemed right with the world.

Having cast off my waterproofs, we then went for a delicious carvery lunch with the president and the company was entertaining and the food superb. Then I was presented with a huge bouquet of flowers and a bag of goodies and after lunch I was able to venture off and return to some of the stands that had caught my eye.

Eventually, laden with gifts, purchases and with good food inside us, we headed off. The organisers had made a very generous contribution to my favourite charity, West Yorkshire Animals in Need and I made it home, tired but exhilarated, to let the dogs, including two guest chocolate labradors, out for a good run while I unloaded.

The next morning my laptop decided to die. I spent about an hour shouting at it. My dogs, bless them, haven't helped by knocking the laptop onto the floor. I regarded them suspiciously but they just sat and smiled at me. Then Brillo fetched her favourite toy and gave it to me as a peace offering. What can you do with love like that?

I gave them all some special treats and put it down to the ups and downs of life and ordered a new laptop.