A Sisyphean Task

It was misty and cold Saturday morning at NC, I'd already put my thermal gloves on at the bus stop, but I needn't have worried as Giles had leaf clearing in mind, a job certain to warm anyone up! With rakes and barrows we trooped out to clear the paths and driveways of the big house and I was soon acquainted with the industrial petrol leaf blower, efficient but pretty heavy so us girls took it in turns to save our backs and arms. Boring work it may have been but the farmer had put the tup into his ewes and it was quite amusing to see his antics, getting more and more tired as the day wore on, at one stage he was just stood resting his head on the back of one of his wives! Clearing the leaves turned out to be a full days task, one that we will probably have to repeat next week looking at the amount of leaves still clinging on to the branches. The very end of the afternoon brought high drama as Giles and Derrick who had been attempting to fell one of the dead eucalyptus trees, caught by the severe winter last year, moved in for the last stage. The tree must have been fifty feet high and getting it to fall in the right place and not demolish the wall or farm buildings was no mean feat, but with Lord and Lady Graham and the rest of us looking on that's exactly what they accomplished. I have a sneaking feeling that Mondays first task will involve carrying logs to the barn!

Falling leaves
Hide the path
So quietly.
A haiku by John Bailey

NEWS FLASH- Dave has just given me a beautiful sparkly
diamond engagement ring! I'm not sure we will ever get around to doing the deed, but as a statement of commitment it's very gallant and romantic!

Pear Shaped #2

Day two at the pear conference began with an identification talk by Jim Arbury the fruit officer for RHS Wisley, and all I can say is that I'm completely in awe of someone with that much knowledge, and a very nice chap he was too! Next Jim Chapman taught us a lot about perry, which surprisingly is supposed to be still not sparkling like that hideous 70's drink Babycham. After lunch the orchard officer for DEFRA, Chris Wedge, gave us a lecture on biodiversity and how best to preserve it, he pointed out that orchard losses in England stand at 75% since 1950, a truly shocking figure. A point well illustrated by the tale of a recently built housing estate, where the different streets are named after the fruit varieties in the orchard that was bulldozed in order to accommodate the properties! And so the conference drew to a close, it has been the first of its kind since 1885 and has brought together not only British and Scottish fruit growers but also a German delegate and two from Australia, all people committed to raising awareness of this venerable fruit and preserving the orchards in which it is grown.

"It is in my view, the duty of an apple to be crisp and crunchable, but a pear should have such texture as leads to silent consumption"
Edward Bunyard

I just had to include a pic of this wonderful stripey pear called a pysanka, it's not a hoax they really do grow like that!

Pear Shaped

For the next two days I will be talking about all things pear, Diana has very kindly paid for us to attend the historic pear conference and yesterday was the opening day. The first speaker, Joan Morgan, a very respected and knowledgeable member of the RHS trial committee, talked us through the history of Pyrus and its development into the fruit we know today. She was an interesting speaker to listen to and obviously one of the leading top fruit experts in the country, during questions afterwards she told us that the oldest living fruit tree in the world is the Endecott pear planted in Salem in 1625! Next came Dr Crispin Hayes, an eco-consultant working in Scotland, who spoke of the alliance between catholic France and Spain in the 12th century which brought the fruit growing tradition to these isles. We then broke for an excellent lunch provided by Bettys and I even managed a little Christmas shopping in the garden centre. The afternoon brought a change of pace with Peter Brears a freelance food historian who proceeded to guide us through 400 years of English pear recipes complete with home made examples, which at the end of the lecture we were invited to eat! Finally we were sent on our way with a glass of perry, everyone eager to resume conversation with new found friends tomorrow.

"Conversation has a kind of charm about it, an insinuating and insidious something that elicits secrets just like love or liquor"
Seneca

Challenges

We had a change of venue at college yesterday, instead of the high- tech Bramall learning centre we were in the old bath house tucked away in the bottom corner of Harlow Carr gardens. I think we all liked it better, it was much cosier and lovely to gaze out on the woodland scene surrounding us, watching the small creatures busy gathering their food stores for winter. I'm finding it hard to find much to talk to you about today, college continues to challenge all our memories, the kids continue to challenge my parenting skills and the new bathroom we are having fitted at the moment is testing all my remaining skills, as we deal with a kitchen which is full of sanitary ware! So that's it for now folks I'll just leave you with this lovely November scene from Harlow.

"Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging"
Joseph Campbell

The Trough

We had a tough job to tackle on Monday, Giles has been wanting to move the largest of the stone troughs for a while, so we decided to give it a go. First we had to dig out any plants and empty it, not a task for the faint hearted! It was mostly filled with rubble so Nikki and I shovelled and dug the big bits out, throwing the brick fragments into the dumper truck. Finally after about an hour we caught a glimpse of the bottom and carried on until the job was done. Next came the difficult bit, actually moving the thing, I have no idea what it weighs but it took five of us prising and using the roller method used to construct Stone Henge to achieve it, with the tractor pushing from one end before we got it into its new position, probably only twice the length of it from where it was. A full and energetic afternoons work but very satisfying too!

"If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself" Henry Ford

A Perfectly Ordinary Day

Saturday dawned misty and romantic with the promise of getting better after a whole week of murky gloom. NC was looking its best shrouded in vapour and mystery so I tried to capture the mood on my camera. Work continued to be more of the same, the herbaceous flower borders take a lot of clearing up at this time of year, but it was pleasant toil as the sun evaporated the mist and good to feel the warmth on my back, an unexpected bonus in November. All of a sudden the tranquil mood was shattered by the sound of galloping hooves as a runaway horse shot past the garden entrance, Giles was almost as quick in his response as he set off to find the thrown rider, luckily she was unharmed and the horse it transpired had returned straight back to the stables clever thing! Peace returned to the garden for the rest of the day only punctuated by the excitement of receiving my first pay check and Sir James getting a flat tyre on his push-bike. Altogether a typically ordinary but perfect day!

"Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day"
Anon

Remember

Walking with Chum in the woods yesterday it struck me just how lucky we all are to live in this country. We have no greater hardship to moan about but the weather most of the time and even that has its rightful place within the seasons. We should celebrate each month as it comes around and look for the highlights instead of bemoaning the loss of other seasonal delights. When all the flowers are gone, smaller things come to the fore like this beautiful lichen, it caught my eye with its intricate pattern so I looked it up, it is a source of an acid which is used in the production of antibiotics and is also the preferred nesting material of long-tailed tits, I'm glad I stopped for a closer look! The dying autumn foliage also cheers the heart as it glows amber in the dank November light. Making our way home, whether from a walk or a long day at work, each of us can look forward to a safe and comfortable home to return to, taking our ease in front of the fire as the dusk gathers outside. We must therefore remember that were it not for the sacrifice of many other people, our little country might not afford us these privileges.
Today's blog is dedicated to the memory of my grandfathers.

"All we have of freedom, all we use or know, this our fathers bought for us long and long ago"
Rudyard Kipling