There has been no time to get stuck into Marion Keyes' 'The other side of the fence' either.
I have been lambing; we watched a number of bonny babes being born; in some cases R. the shepherd helped mother deliver twin2; where 3 lambs were born to one ewe (which only has two teats) one of the lambs would be bottle fed and given to a ewe with only one lamb; such canny creatures with back legs spreadeagled while wobbly, front legs clambered futilely for a grip on the barn floor; all the while Ma Ewe was nudging her new born to get up. Magic!
I actually managed to rendezvous with a friend(to give her her Christmas present would you believe?!) at Ramside Hall- now there's a good value lunch- and right beside beautiful Durham City's Park and Ride.
I may not like the Arena as a venue BUT we thought 'Dancing on Ice' (we won the tickets in the Rag Ball Raffle) was brilliant. Torvill and Dean made all 5 of their dances look so effortless; the celebrities, professionals, judges and Jane and Christopher worked so hard to put on class entertainment.
We circled from Shepherd's Dene Centre as every tree and hedge seemed to unfurl around us; once threatened cowslips are growing on Team Valley and Brocksbushes roundabout on the A69. Pale primroses and purple violets peek out from under hedgerows; the countryside has come alive just as much as gardens.
It is just as well we do as much walking as we have eaten Italian with E,J &A..... Indian with S...... Italian again with L&M....... then had an English meal at Hardwick Hall. I know you will think I am off my trolley but the back lanes near Avanti have us bemused- they marshall their recycling and rubbish bins with military precision right up the lane though my camera at night only captures a few poubelles.
Just hang on a tick- I have been advised to go look at the red moon...... I have just been cavorting round the Court in my nightiegown like Wee Willie Winkie!
At latitude 55' north, our evening skies have coloured the earth with a pink glow till the sun goes down at 8.30+pm; we are so lucky to have such long days till the June 21st solstice then midsummer turns us back to drawing-in nights.
A funny thought struck me the other night when S. said she was off 'to spend a penny' and I realised how some of our phrases are going to be out of historical context and may disappear from English; certainly it is a phrase today's children have no understanding of the reasons behind it. I have also just realised what an agricultural county we have up here in the North eg reflected in names herein- Ramside Hall and Shepherd's Dene.
Hardwick Hall and Hawick Hall are both stories for another night.......
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