Thursday the 12th December!

The holiday period draws nearer, and I have still to buy cards!  Yesterday was the gardening club lunch.  Actually it became a party for we did games... a quiz, pass the hat, and something ridiculous with paper plate ears.  Not forgetting pass the parcels, which hinged on a story about left and right.

The food was good, three large quiches from someone who bakes, probably professionally.  Salmon/asparagus, stilton cheese/broccoli and an ordinary quiche.  The butcher also from Kirkby had cooked a large ham which was delicately sliced and then a dozen salady things.  From Tabouleh, to apple/walnuts/celery salad and a beautiful dish of rainbow tomatoes.  Then came pudding, though in this instance I shall call them 'sweets' an abundance of meringues, cream, trifles, pavlovas and a chocolate cake.

It was Jo's first time at the lunch and she was impressed, various drinks, and tiny jewel like mince pies with cheese. Appleton-le moor club did us proud.  We caught up on news.  Another sad death of a widower in our community, self inflicted.   This little village buzzes with activity, nature and history adorn the walls and it is very much a moor's village curtailed by farm land.  You have to negotiate the sheep that wander around on the road.

A few more photos of the area around this part of Yorkshire, but first a photo from just outside Bath.  The place is called Langridge (long ridge) and was a favourite walk.

Moss on the lookout for bullocks, being an intelligent collie he would dive over the nearest stone wall and keep a distance following me

I love the darkness of the landscape that comes when the heather turns brown with death, and see below when it is burnt

Light and airy trees at Cawthorn Roman Camps

The actual ramparts of these three Roman forts, were they practice or did they indeed form part of the defence barrier that ran from Malton to the coast round Whitby?

Excellent defence

the burning of the moors

The landscapes of Britain (I no longer think of us as Great) are varied, the hills giving a diversity of shapes through their underlining geological rock.  There is a certain drabness after the bright colour of the heathers, if you look carefully at this last photo you can see a grouse looking up.  The privatisation of land for the simple act of killing grouse is an argument of strong contention.  But all over these moors you will see the little grouse hideways for the driven killings.  And never forget the thousands of pheasants commercially produced for killing as well.