WELCOME MESSAGE
Welcome to Appleton le Moors WI’s new webpage: Pulling Together While Staying Apart.
As we enter uncharted waters and can no longer meet together, we have been considering what we can do to add to the amazing acts of kindness and support being made by our local communities and businesses. So, in line with the WI’s national resolutions on loneliness and mental health we’ve decided to look to highlight some of the positive things we can do during the restrictions the Coronavirus is going to impose on us all.
We will be posting all kinds of items on this page every Wednesday, which we hope will perhaps interest or amuse you. Do tell us what you are up to and how you are passing the time. Please bear with us as we master all the new technology this requires; we are learning all the time.
There will be no more mention of the C word on this webpage, so go ahead, browse and enjoy. We will begin posting on Wednesday, 1st April, and no this isn't an April Fool!
Keep safe and keep smiling.
27th May 2020
Whilst technology of all kinds affords us lots of ways to keep in touch it is lovely to be able to actually SEE friends at Appleton le Moors WI’s virtual coffee mornings, which are still proving an absolute riot. Talking in turns is proving quite challenging though, as we all have so much to tell each other!
I’ve enjoyed three fabulous online talks, hosted by Denman College tutors. First up was a talk from Nicola McCartney about women in the art world, then Simon Gregor took me on a history of London experience (came in handy during the landmarks round of the family’s weekly quiz) and this week he’s taking us on a guided tour of Berlin. I’m also hoping to get a chance to join Simon’s WW1 and D Day talks too. Several members have been doing cookalongs with Denman tutors and I’m looking forward to getting my pinny on to take part in a low sugar baking session with
Kelly Mauger soon. All the courses are advertised on Denman’s Facebook page or on MyWI on the NFWI website. Why not take a look?
………….
North Yorkshire Open Studios is always eagerly anticipated and this year NYOS will be launching more than 60 films made by artists, featuring their studios and work, showing over the first two weekends of June: 6th and 7th, and 13th and 14th. Advanced warning! The films will start at 10 am each day and are scheduled for 20 minutes each. During the films you will get the opportunity to discover secret studio spaces, watch artist demonstrations, listen to talks about art practice and browse beautiful collections. More information about this initiative can be found at: https://www.nyos.org.uk/
………….
We at Appleton le Moors WI have very fond memories of visits to Penny Piece, in Kirkbymoorside, a garden that opens its doors as part of the National Garden Scheme. We had a fabulous cream tea there too, I remember. This year we may have to make our own scones but we can still take virtual visits to open gardens, including that of Alan Titchmarsh. https://ngs.org.uk/virtual-garden-visits/
………….
I may not have any house martins to keep me amused but I have been enjoying video clips of nesting seabirds from Coquet Island, which is set just of the Northumberland coast near Amble: https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/conservation/projects/coquet-island-seabird-sanctuary/
………….
This week’s production from the National Theatre is ‘This House’ which is described as a timely, moving and funny insight into the workings of 1970s British politics, written by James Graham. This will be streamed on Thursday 28th May at 7 pm. For those of you who missed ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ you can still catch it but you will have to be quick. https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/nt-at-home.
If you enjoyed the ballet last week, how about tuning in to the classic Swan Lake. This English National Ballet production from 2018 is described as being ‘unfussy, with no modern insights’ and it is screened on YouYube on the 27th May where it will be available for 48 hours only. Don’t miss it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfTvtIHSkeQ
………….
And now for something completely different, as someone very famous once said… better known for his comedy than his classical leanings, it turns out that Frank Skinner is a keen fan of poetry. Who knew? His 30-minute poetry podcasts for Planet Radio highlight an eclectic taste in all genres, including Hull poet Philip Larkin, who was the subject of a most entertaining play WI members saw at the Esk Valley Theatre in 2017 – Larkin With Women! https://planetradio.co.uk/podcasts/frank-skinner-poetry-podcast/
………….
Another celebrity in a different guise is Clare Balding. She can been heard on Radio 4, on the 28th May at 3 pm, digging deep into the archives of her series Ramblings and coming up with a compilation of her best bits from favourite on air walks. This week Clare takes us from the Sands of Forvie in Aberdeenshire to the Wicklow Mountains in the Republic of Ireland via a moonlit night walk across the South Downs to the unique landscape of Alderney. And you don’t need to move a muscle! I hope Bear will be tuning in, as Clare is often accompanied by a canine companion: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000jggb
………….
BEAR’S BLOG by Hils It started off a bit grey, but the sun is shining and the boots went on. Pine trees have such showy new needles. They sing out citrus green against last year’s dark green growth. The lane is looking gentle and green. We pass the sheep with their lambs in the field and get to the bridle way that tugs us up through the wooded slope. Crunchy underfoot from the cob shells, Bear tiptoes through, they're prickly on his paws. There's the gate and we pull up together. The beasts are in the field today and we won't go in. They look young and the other gate would be too far if they saw us and ran. So no high wood today. I still have the walk to myself and Bear. No humans around. We head off home for tea. Bliss.
…………
With our woods currently full of wild garlic it seems a shame not to make use of it, so how about a wild garlic pesto, courtesy of Jamie Oliver? Jamie makes his wild garlic pesto in a pestle and mortar but frankly, it works just as well in a food processor! I am a heathen, I know.
30g wild garlic
100g nuts, such as pine, almonds, hazelnuts
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
50g hard cheese, such as Parmesan, pecorino, Cheddar
½ a lemon
Pick and wash the leaves from the garlic. Place in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of sea salt and bash to a coarse paste. Add the nuts to the pestle and mortar and bash again. Muddle in the extra virgin olive oil, and pound until smooth. Finely grate and stir in the cheese and squeeze in the juice of the lemon.
………….
And finally…
…as sleepy dogs are so appealing, here is Lady lording it at home, readying herself for some perfect wildlife biscuits perhaps whilst sleeping through an unusual visitor, a cinnabar, most often seen at night but here a daytime glimpse.
|
|
|
20th May 2020
May has turned out to be an aptly named month… it may be hot, it may be cold, you may need a coat, you may wear your shorts! What a month of contrasts it’s been. This week we’ll take a look into a few gardens to inspire us, followed by some things we can relax in front of when all the work outdoors is done. Is it ever done?
………….
The annual Chelsea Flower Show has gone virtual and will be available to visit from the 18th – 23rd May at https://facebook.com/events/s/virtual-rhs-chelsea-flower-sho/666188407557808/?ti=icl so there is still time to catch it. The RHS promise all the buzz of Chelsea (but a little bit different)! Closer to home, Harlow Carr are running virtual tours of their woodland and kitchen garden: https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr/social-media
………….
Whilst Bear carries on his rambles with owner Hils, how about going on a virtual walk with the Surrey Wildlife Trust through Cucknell’s Wood near Guildford to view the glorious bluebell woods. https://bit.ly/3cephjN
………….
Low-maintenance plants are difficult to kill, I am reliable informed by the experts at www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk. They claim their choices will look good in your garden for a long time, and won’t require complicated pruning or feeding. Here are their favourites. Don’t agree? Perhaps you’ve got some tips on your own low-maintenance plants?
- Topiary
- Lavender
- Hydrangeas
- Asters and symphytricom
- Ornamental grasses
- Geums
- Geraniums
- Dahlias (because I don’t dig them up for winter, says the expert!)
- Day lilies
- Most shade-loving shrubs
Sadly I have to report that we have no house martins in our nest this year and have seen very few round abouts. High winds in Greece were thought to have thrown the birds off course and many have been found dead around the Athens area. However, I’m reliably informed – thank you Chris – that our birds fly over Spain and Italy to get to us, so maybe there is another reason why my house martins haven’t returned. Satellite tracking continues to provide information on the two white tailed sea eagles, G393 (the male) and G318 (the female). G393 is proving to be the least adventurous of the two, although the pair did meet up north of Beverley in April before G318 moved on to North Grimston, finally roosting in the North York Moors National Park. G318 is flying the greater distance, recently clocking up 263 km in a day. Also spotted over the edge of the village this week were red kite and a hobby. So eyes to the skies!
………….
This week’s production from the National Theatre is ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, streaming from 7 pm on Thursday 21st May. This critically acclaimed production features Gillian Anderson playing Blanche DuBois and was described by the Daily Telegraph as ‘an absolute knockout’. For those of you who missed ‘Barber Shop Chronicles’ you can still catch it but you will have to be quick. https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/nt-at-home.
Why not have a go at the next National Theatre Quiz? Join hosts Imelda Staunton, Jim Carter, Lucian Msamati, Meera Syal, Simo Callow, Tamsin Greig, and Jessie Buckley at 7 pm on Monday 25th May. There will be questions on topics such as maths, science and nature, literature and arts. Hone up your quiz skills! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJQ160k_VN4
For fans of dance, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan are screening Moon Water, a show first brought to London 20 years ago, until the 22nd May: youtube.com/sadlerswells. Or how about The Winter’s Tale, a dance adaptation of the Shakespeare play? If you don’t have time to view the whole ballet there is a 100 second taster available too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-114fab_TUs
………….
For the literary amongst you the Hay Festival is not to be outdone either. Hay Festival Digital will be free to view and runs from the 18th to 31st May 2020. Festival organisers have worked hard to ensure their virtual doors are open. https://www.hayfestival.com
………….
If you are a fan of Labradors, or even if you’re not, have a look at the antics of sports reporter Andrew Cotter’s two dogs Olive and Mabel. With time on his hands Andrew has turned his commentating skills to the canine world. His short video clips have gone down very well in our house. We recognise an awful lot of Olive and Mabel in Maggie and Nell: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_x8KKHsFBiA
………….
BEAR’S BLOG by Hils Well that's summer over with then. Much cooler today and cloudy. Just hope we get some good rain. Up the bank and down the steep lane. Loud bleatings from the ewes and their lambs in the field. I really like the little old buildings and walls. The white tree in the field looks less white now the trees are greening up. Primroses all along the side, still shining brightly, even on a dull day. She just keeps giving. Have you noticed how strong the forget-me-nots are this year?
…………
As promised, I have tracked down a lovage soup recipe:
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1kg potatoes, cleaned and cubed
750ml chicken stock (or vegetable stock if you prefer)
500ml milk
4-5 good handfuls of chopped lovage
salt and pepper to season
In a large pan, melt the butter and sauté the chopped onion followed by the potato and mix well. Add the stock and milk to the pan and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Add the lovage and puree the soup. Thin out with stock if necessary. Return to the pan, add salt and pepper, and serve.
………….
And finally… Bear is finding his new stardom exhausting. Time for one of Katie’s scones, perhaps? Or a biscuit from my lovely contributor who sent this photo just to prove that if at first you don’t succeed… and by the way, the assistant gardener is hiding again!
|
|
|
13th May 2020
I hope you all managed to commemorate VE Day in some way or other and have got over the shock that Bank Holiday Monday was actually a Friday! In Appleton the village has been bedecked with bunting and flags, a two minutes’ silence was observed, afternoon tea enjoyed, and a 1940s singsong ended our day. All activities conducted under prevailing guidelines, I hasten to add! Our WI spent much of the war as other groups did: baking, knitting ‘comforts’ for the troops and fundraising. Our certificate of special achievement in the Wings For Victory National Savings Campaign, awarded to Appleton le Moors WI in 1943, is a treasured archive item. We in Appleton le Moors WI are very proud of the ladies who went before us and hope that are current endeavours are in the spirit of all that went before.
………….
This week’s National Theatre offering is the sell out ‘Barber Shop Chronicles’, a never before seen archive recording of Inua Ellams’ smash hit play with the original cast, about the places where banter is barbed, and the truth is telling. Described by The Independent in 2018 when it premiered at the National as “Joyous. Brilliantly acted. Life-affirming”. Streaming from 7 pm on Thursday 14th May. For those of you who missed ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ you can still catch it but you will have to be quick. https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/nt-at-home.
………….
If you fancy curling up on the sofa with a mug of tea, a peanut butter cookie (see recipe following) and a classic film look no further than Brief Encounter on Friday 15th May, BBC2 at 3 pm. You can explore one of the film’s locations with George Pollen, who presents a short tour of Carnforth station on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RBmqWO6798&t=67s. The building used in the 1945 film was designed by architect Sir William Tite, probably best known for rebuilding the Royal Exchange in London in 1844.
………….
I decided to brush up my sign language skills and I am sure if we ever have any visitors to WI who are hearing impaired they will be impressed with my learning, as I know our members were when I demonstrated my progress, singing and signing “My dog’s a good dog, yes he is” during one of our many Zoom meetings. Seriously there is a great series of signed songs on YouTube, which would be great fun for grandparents to sing and sign with littlies over the internet perhaps? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki5aBXEEdRU
………….
Great excitement from ornithologist, Chris, this week; his first spotting of a tree pipit in the ten years he’s lived in the Appleton area. He’s also seen flycatcher and garden warblers this week, along with the more usual species of cuckoo, green woodpecker, nuthatch, tree creeper, goldcrest and whitethroat, plus a black cap has been heard singing up at The Hall in Appleton. I’ve been watching a sparrow family nesting in the gutter of the house opposite me – I do hope my lovely neighbour does not think we’ve turned into Peeping Toms if she sees us training binoculars on her property - and I am eagerly awaiting the return of the house martins. Several have inspected last year’s nest but clearly, they have the wrong address. A swallow was spotted flying south, which seemed a bit odd but Chris assures us that they do, on occasion, over shoot. Perhaps our house martins have done the same!
I have twice encountered a very large deer on my walks through nearby woods this week, which has left me pondering how does such a large animal move so silently? I am not very well up on deer species but it is a rusty brown and is easily as tall as me.
………….
Garden wildlife jobs to do, or in some cases not do, this week as suggested by Gardeners’ World online include:
* Avoid trimming hedges. If you must do this then please use hand tools so as not to disturb nesting birds. If you can, wait until September.
* Leave out live or dried mealworms for blackbirds and robins. Nesting birds like blue tits and sparrow may also take them if caterpillars are scarce. Take care if you have visiting hedgehogs though – mealworms are toxic to them.
* Create wildlife habitats. Leave heaps of stones and twigs, or create a wood pile for centipedes, ground beetles, amphibians and small mammals who will return the favour by eating slugs.
* Grow plants for pollinators: sow borage, chives, lavender, rosemary and oregano in sunny spots.
* Leave a few weeds to provide food for wildlife (this is my personal favourite tip and one I enthusiastically follow!)
………….
BEAR’S BLOG by Hils A bit of a nip in the air and a very needed hard shower of rain. It has brought out the burgeoning buds into leaf, kick started the garden into a fuller mood. The fields and woods are all looking fresher and so much greener. Bear pulled up the bank and turned right towards the new walk/bridleway I found. Well, new to me. Through the top gate and a bit of a puff up the long grassy slope. The gate at the top leads into the woods. Deep hoof prints in the mud here, a sure sign of activity since my last visit. Riders will have come after the rain had softened the ground here. The sun through the new green leaves is sharp and refreshing. And lots and lots of bluebells. I love the blue haze they create. Life's good isn't it?
………….
The Sewing Summit is offering 25 free classes for all abilities, novice through to expert, screening from the 1st – 5th June. https://www.thesewingsummit.com. If you can’t wait until June, how about joining in the You Sew Social, every Thursday evening at 7 pm? I had the pleasure of watching Kim Suleman demonstrating at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Harrogate last year and she and others will be available to chat about all things crafty. This is a Zoom workshop and you will need to have downloaded the app and completed the registration form. It’s very simple. Then all you do is follow the instructions.
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwvfumsqDoiH92NDdUlrk0b1CBKMWl4t9lw?fbclid=IwAR1FbKvDLeTR_ZlMPADXG9bTj1oJYl8Evyoywej0GhCLSRWFxS2wyl0nMfY
………….
PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
200g crunchy peanut butter
150g sugar
1 egg beaten
Combine the peanut butter and sugar, adding a little salt if the peanut butter is unsalted. Add the egg and mix to a dough. Take golf ball sized chunks and spread over two lined baking sheets, pressing them down with the back of a fork. Bake at 180C/gas 4 for 10 – 12 minutes or until golden. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, if you can resist, and transfer to a wire rack any that you didn’t eat warm!
………….
And finally…
Here is the gardener’s assistant (did you spot her last week?) eagerly awaiting her cream scone on VE Day. I do hope you got one, Katie. And her is our very own land girl, with what looks like scrumptious lovage soup and homemade bread. I think we need that lovage soup recipe, Janet. Garden to plate in 15 minutes!
………….
This week’s National Theatre offering is the sell out ‘Barber Shop Chronicles’, a never before seen archive recording of Inua Ellams’ smash hit play with the original cast, about the places where banter is barbed, and the truth is telling. Described by The Independent in 2018 when it premiered at the National as “Joyous. Brilliantly acted. Life-affirming”. Streaming from 7 pm on Thursday 14th May. For those of you who missed ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ you can still catch it but you will have to be quick. https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/nt-at-home.
………….
If you fancy curling up on the sofa with a mug of tea, a peanut butter cookie (see recipe following) and a classic film look no further than Brief Encounter on Friday 15th May, BBC2 at 3 pm. You can explore one of the film’s locations with George Pollen, who presents a short tour of Carnforth station on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RBmqWO6798&t=67s. The building used in the 1945 film was designed by architect Sir William Tite, probably best known for rebuilding the Royal Exchange in London in 1844.
………….
I decided to brush up my sign language skills and I am sure if we ever have any visitors to WI who are hearing impaired they will be impressed with my learning, as I know our members were when I demonstrated my progress, singing and signing “My dog’s a good dog, yes he is” during one of our many Zoom meetings. Seriously there is a great series of signed songs on YouTube, which would be great fun for grandparents to sing and sign with littlies over the internet perhaps? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki5aBXEEdRU
………….
Great excitement from ornithologist, Chris, this week; his first spotting of a tree pipit in the ten years he’s lived in the Appleton area. He’s also seen flycatcher and garden warblers this week, along with the more usual species of cuckoo, green woodpecker, nuthatch, tree creeper, goldcrest and whitethroat, plus a black cap has been heard singing up at The Hall in Appleton. I’ve been watching a sparrow family nesting in the gutter of the house opposite me – I do hope my lovely neighbour does not think we’ve turned into Peeping Toms if she sees us training binoculars on her property - and I am eagerly awaiting the return of the house martins. Several have inspected last year’s nest but clearly, they have the wrong address. A swallow was spotted flying south, which seemed a bit odd but Chris assures us that they do, on occasion, over shoot. Perhaps our house martins have done the same!
I have twice encountered a very large deer on my walks through nearby woods this week, which has left me pondering how does such a large animal move so silently? I am not very well up on deer species but it is a rusty brown and is easily as tall as me.
………….
Garden wildlife jobs to do, or in some cases not do, this week as suggested by Gardeners’ World online include:
* Avoid trimming hedges. If you must do this then please use hand tools so as not to disturb nesting birds. If you can, wait until September.
* Leave out live or dried mealworms for blackbirds and robins. Nesting birds like blue tits and sparrow may also take them if caterpillars are scarce. Take care if you have visiting hedgehogs though – mealworms are toxic to them.
* Create wildlife habitats. Leave heaps of stones and twigs, or create a wood pile for centipedes, ground beetles, amphibians and small mammals who will return the favour by eating slugs.
* Grow plants for pollinators: sow borage, chives, lavender, rosemary and oregano in sunny spots.
* Leave a few weeds to provide food for wildlife (this is my personal favourite tip and one I enthusiastically follow!)
………….
BEAR’S BLOG by Hils A bit of a nip in the air and a very needed hard shower of rain. It has brought out the burgeoning buds into leaf, kick started the garden into a fuller mood. The fields and woods are all looking fresher and so much greener. Bear pulled up the bank and turned right towards the new walk/bridleway I found. Well, new to me. Through the top gate and a bit of a puff up the long grassy slope. The gate at the top leads into the woods. Deep hoof prints in the mud here, a sure sign of activity since my last visit. Riders will have come after the rain had softened the ground here. The sun through the new green leaves is sharp and refreshing. And lots and lots of bluebells. I love the blue haze they create. Life's good isn't it?
………….
The Sewing Summit is offering 25 free classes for all abilities, novice through to expert, screening from the 1st – 5th June. https://www.thesewingsummit.com. If you can’t wait until June, how about joining in the You Sew Social, every Thursday evening at 7 pm? I had the pleasure of watching Kim Suleman demonstrating at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Harrogate last year and she and others will be available to chat about all things crafty. This is a Zoom workshop and you will need to have downloaded the app and completed the registration form. It’s very simple. Then all you do is follow the instructions.
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwvfumsqDoiH92NDdUlrk0b1CBKMWl4t9lw?fbclid=IwAR1FbKvDLeTR_ZlMPADXG9bTj1oJYl8Evyoywej0GhCLSRWFxS2wyl0nMfY
………….
PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
200g crunchy peanut butter
150g sugar
1 egg beaten
Combine the peanut butter and sugar, adding a little salt if the peanut butter is unsalted. Add the egg and mix to a dough. Take golf ball sized chunks and spread over two lined baking sheets, pressing them down with the back of a fork. Bake at 180C/gas 4 for 10 – 12 minutes or until golden. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, if you can resist, and transfer to a wire rack any that you didn’t eat warm!
………….
And finally…
Here is the gardener’s assistant (did you spot her last week?) eagerly awaiting her cream scone on VE Day. I do hope you got one, Katie. And her is our very own land girl, with what looks like scrumptious lovage soup and homemade bread. I think we need that lovage soup recipe, Janet. Garden to plate in 15 minutes!
|
|
6th May 2020
The bunting is up in Appleton and the WI’s poppy wreath is once again on the war memorial as we get ready to celebrate VE Day on the 8th May. For those who are planning an afternoon tea in the garden, why not try the Australian scone recipe? Do let us know how you get on!
………….
This week’s National Theatre offering is the highly acclaimed ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ starring Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/nt-at-home-antony-and-cleopatra. There is also the opportunity to go behind the scenes and see how the costumes for Cleopatra were designed and made, interesting even if you don’t fancy the play: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/file/how-we-made-it-antony-and-cleopatra-dressing-queen. Streaming of this production starts at 7 pm on the 7th May and is free to view. For those of you who missed ‘Frankenstein’ you can still catch it but you will have to be quick; it’s online until the 8th May. Having watched this amazing performance I am not in the slightest bit surprised that the two lead actors had to swap roles; the monster was an amazing physically brilliant performance, which must have been utterly exhausting and certainly not one that could be repeated night after night.
Closer to home, Helmsley Arts Centre are broadcasting Musical Memories every day, also on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiZ_pYvhJUg. I had the very great pleasure of attending an intimate performance of WW1 songs and readings at HAC a few years ago, with Jessa Liversidge. She also has a series of singing workshops, Singing Live, on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_7ZeJD2olY&t=47s. Just don’t watch with your pets – our two dogs get wildly excited during Jessa’s warm up exercises! They quite like Gareth Malone’s too for the Great British Home Chorus. For more details on this go to: https://decca.com/greatbritishhomechorus/.
………….
Still on the theme of song… ‘A Nightingale sang…’ no, not in Berkeley Square but much closer to home, in the garden of The Hall, at Appleton le Moors. We are very excited about this visitor. Not sure what a nightingale sounds like? Well have a listen to the ten most common birdsong stored in the British Library’s Language of Birds archive: https://www.bl.uk/the-language-of-birds/articles/the-top-10-british-birdsongs. Lovely to listen to, I must admit I had no idea this came under the remit of the British Library. We are learning every day!
………….
Museums in Quarantine is a BBC4 series with each episode focusing on one of four museums: the British Museum, Tate Modern, Tate Britain and the Ashmolean in Oxford. There is something for everyone here from Rembrandt to Warhol and we get to be guided around all the treasures by an expert each time!https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000hqmn/episodes/player.
In a hurry? How about a quick scamper through the Courtauld in London with Bill Nighy, being… well Bill Nighy: Tinyurl.com/yd6osrqn.
………….
Here are some tips for May in the garden, courtesy of You Garden:
• Tidy up tulips in beds and pots by snipping off fading heads. Lift out the bulbs, dry on sheets of newspaper and store in a cool, dry place before planting again in autumn.
• Tidy up worn out hellebores. Dead head the many varieties of Lenten rose.
• Many perennials flop by mid-summer, so make sturdier plants by giving them the Chelsea chop – plants, such as rudbeckia, helenium, sedum and solidago, can be cut back by half, resulting in bushier plants that will flower slightly later.
• If you have been extra cautious with exotic or tender plants, now is the time to remove their frost protection. Bananas, tree ferns and palms are now actively growing and fleece or other insulating material will hamper new growth.
• Thin crowded delphiniums, leaving 5-7 shoots on established plants to improve final flowers.
………….
BEAR’S BLOG by Hils Morning all, a wonderful day for a walk in the wood with small dog. We went to the big wood today, no sheep, so Bear can run his sockies off. It's a favourite for him, masses of good ripe smells, new dead things to nibble on, eughh! He runs and runs, up and down through the wood and along by the river. Plenty to drink, just huge fun. Up at the lake there were wild violet and primrose in palest yellow. A sit by the water to watch the ripples and Bear, intrepid and brave.....until a duck takes off and half scares us both to death. Haha. Back homeward and a wide-open field and a very pretty sky. I pick off all the fir twigs from Bears coat and he stands patiently because he knows he gets treats for ....well for being Bear, such a good little dog. A lifeline in a lovely but solitary world.
………….
Australian scones anyone?
525 gm self-raising flour
250 ml whipping cream
250 ml lemonade
Dried fruit/cherries optional
Preheat oven to 200C/390F (180C fan). Line tray with baking/parchment paper. Combine all ingredients and mix until flour is mostly combined but don’t over mix. The dough should be soft and sticky. Turn onto a floured surface and knead gently just 3 – 5 times to bring the dough together. Gently pat into a disc shape about 1” thick. Cut into rounds with a floured cutter – straight up and down (don’t twist the cutter). Use a knife or spatula to scoop rounds up and place on baking tray, slightly touching (they help each other to rise). Brush the tops lightly with milk. Bake for 15 minutes until golden on top. Cool and serve with jam and cream. Can anybody enlighten us as to whether the Aussies are jam and cream or cream and jam?
………….
And finally…
Here’s a great photo of Janet Frank’s trauma ted. What a lovely, smiley face! And just to prove that things don’t always go to plan, I was sent a photo of a baking disaster! I’m going to spare the member’s blushes and comfort her with the thought that even experienced chefs get it wrong. Anyone else see John Torode set fire to a tea towel during a live demo on This Morning? And then there was the wartime jam incident, when a nameless WI decided to reboil a rhubarb and fig jam which had not set sufficiently well. The kitchen was engulfed with bees and the organiser was later heard to ponder whether any buyers found some very strange looking figs in their jam. So disasters happen to the great and the good! Take heart.
………….
This week’s National Theatre offering is the highly acclaimed ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ starring Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/nt-at-home-antony-and-cleopatra. There is also the opportunity to go behind the scenes and see how the costumes for Cleopatra were designed and made, interesting even if you don’t fancy the play: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/file/how-we-made-it-antony-and-cleopatra-dressing-queen. Streaming of this production starts at 7 pm on the 7th May and is free to view. For those of you who missed ‘Frankenstein’ you can still catch it but you will have to be quick; it’s online until the 8th May. Having watched this amazing performance I am not in the slightest bit surprised that the two lead actors had to swap roles; the monster was an amazing physically brilliant performance, which must have been utterly exhausting and certainly not one that could be repeated night after night.
Closer to home, Helmsley Arts Centre are broadcasting Musical Memories every day, also on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiZ_pYvhJUg. I had the very great pleasure of attending an intimate performance of WW1 songs and readings at HAC a few years ago, with Jessa Liversidge. She also has a series of singing workshops, Singing Live, on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_7ZeJD2olY&t=47s. Just don’t watch with your pets – our two dogs get wildly excited during Jessa’s warm up exercises! They quite like Gareth Malone’s too for the Great British Home Chorus. For more details on this go to: https://decca.com/greatbritishhomechorus/.
………….
Still on the theme of song… ‘A Nightingale sang…’ no, not in Berkeley Square but much closer to home, in the garden of The Hall, at Appleton le Moors. We are very excited about this visitor. Not sure what a nightingale sounds like? Well have a listen to the ten most common birdsong stored in the British Library’s Language of Birds archive: https://www.bl.uk/the-language-of-birds/articles/the-top-10-british-birdsongs. Lovely to listen to, I must admit I had no idea this came under the remit of the British Library. We are learning every day!
………….
Museums in Quarantine is a BBC4 series with each episode focusing on one of four museums: the British Museum, Tate Modern, Tate Britain and the Ashmolean in Oxford. There is something for everyone here from Rembrandt to Warhol and we get to be guided around all the treasures by an expert each time!https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000hqmn/episodes/player.
In a hurry? How about a quick scamper through the Courtauld in London with Bill Nighy, being… well Bill Nighy: Tinyurl.com/yd6osrqn.
………….
Here are some tips for May in the garden, courtesy of You Garden:
• Tidy up tulips in beds and pots by snipping off fading heads. Lift out the bulbs, dry on sheets of newspaper and store in a cool, dry place before planting again in autumn.
• Tidy up worn out hellebores. Dead head the many varieties of Lenten rose.
• Many perennials flop by mid-summer, so make sturdier plants by giving them the Chelsea chop – plants, such as rudbeckia, helenium, sedum and solidago, can be cut back by half, resulting in bushier plants that will flower slightly later.
• If you have been extra cautious with exotic or tender plants, now is the time to remove their frost protection. Bananas, tree ferns and palms are now actively growing and fleece or other insulating material will hamper new growth.
• Thin crowded delphiniums, leaving 5-7 shoots on established plants to improve final flowers.
………….
BEAR’S BLOG by Hils Morning all, a wonderful day for a walk in the wood with small dog. We went to the big wood today, no sheep, so Bear can run his sockies off. It's a favourite for him, masses of good ripe smells, new dead things to nibble on, eughh! He runs and runs, up and down through the wood and along by the river. Plenty to drink, just huge fun. Up at the lake there were wild violet and primrose in palest yellow. A sit by the water to watch the ripples and Bear, intrepid and brave.....until a duck takes off and half scares us both to death. Haha. Back homeward and a wide-open field and a very pretty sky. I pick off all the fir twigs from Bears coat and he stands patiently because he knows he gets treats for ....well for being Bear, such a good little dog. A lifeline in a lovely but solitary world.
………….
Australian scones anyone?
525 gm self-raising flour
250 ml whipping cream
250 ml lemonade
Dried fruit/cherries optional
Preheat oven to 200C/390F (180C fan). Line tray with baking/parchment paper. Combine all ingredients and mix until flour is mostly combined but don’t over mix. The dough should be soft and sticky. Turn onto a floured surface and knead gently just 3 – 5 times to bring the dough together. Gently pat into a disc shape about 1” thick. Cut into rounds with a floured cutter – straight up and down (don’t twist the cutter). Use a knife or spatula to scoop rounds up and place on baking tray, slightly touching (they help each other to rise). Brush the tops lightly with milk. Bake for 15 minutes until golden on top. Cool and serve with jam and cream. Can anybody enlighten us as to whether the Aussies are jam and cream or cream and jam?
………….
And finally…
Here’s a great photo of Janet Frank’s trauma ted. What a lovely, smiley face! And just to prove that things don’t always go to plan, I was sent a photo of a baking disaster! I’m going to spare the member’s blushes and comfort her with the thought that even experienced chefs get it wrong. Anyone else see John Torode set fire to a tea towel during a live demo on This Morning? And then there was the wartime jam incident, when a nameless WI decided to reboil a rhubarb and fig jam which had not set sufficiently well. The kitchen was engulfed with bees and the organiser was later heard to ponder whether any buyers found some very strange looking figs in their jam. So disasters happen to the great and the good! Take heart.
|
|
29th April 2020
We have to start the week by wishing our stalwart member and very dear friend, Margaret Strickland, a happy 90th birthday. Margaret was treated (subjected) to a sing out of Happy Birthday, to the accompaniment of an accordion on her big day and it is testament to her that so many people, WI and non WI, turned out to wish her well. I have no doubt that great celebrations will follow later. Appleton le Moors WI owes Margaret a very great debt. At a time when membership was in single figures, she (along with others, including Heather Fox, Marjorie Ingleby and Christine Field, I know she will modestly say) kept the group going until the cavalry arrived! Margaret has been hugely supportive of all our WI initiatives, even our more madcap ones, and if you’ve rolled your eyes in horror, Mrs S, we didn’t notice! From all of us… thank you.
………….
This week’s National Theatre offering is ‘Frankenstein’, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, and hailed a ‘monster hit’ (not my pun but I rather like it) by theatre critics. Streaming starts at 7 pm on the 30th April and is free to view on YouTube. For this production the two leading actors shared the title roles and, on Friday 1st May you can watch the production again, this time with Cumberbatch playing the monster and Miller, Dr Frankenstein. For those of you who missed ‘Twelfth Night’ you can still catch it but you will have to be quick. This is on until the 30th April: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/nt-at-home
………….
The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane is a captivating book if you like words. Twenty spells conjure the names of common animals and plants back into our language accompanied by gorgeous paintings by Jackie Morris. Don’t miss this fascinating conversation with the author of one of the books of the year https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9WrlGZirPs&fbclid=IwAR2-cTbyFJBJITMEht3Yx2trzwNOERaNIa7OnKc0HYaH9991hyzcwp4NHs4&app=desktop If you have an hour to spare, Robert’s lecture entitled Landscape and the Human Heart is also well worth a listen. It’s very thought provoking and moving. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q1IK-O5Ypg&t=2434s
………….
Working on the premis that it’s never too late to learn something new, how about an online course? Future Learn offers 492 free courses on a huge range of topics including: business & management, creative arts & media, Nature & environment, politics & society, Literature, Healthcare & medicine, Science, engineering & maths, law, history, IT & computer science, teaching, language, study skills, psychology & mental health. Something for everyone there I think. http://www.futurelearn.com/
………….
Chris Blakeley has been busy recording some local birdsong of the whitethroat, lesser whitethroat and willow warbler (fresh in from Sub Saharan Africa), which you can hear if you go to the Appleton Community Group Facebook page. House martins and swallows are returning in number now and cuckoos have been heard to the north and south of the village. There are also butterflies in abundance: the pearl bordered fritillary spotted last week. Interestingly my niece on the Isle of Wight (we have visitors to this page from far and wide!) has directed me to further information on the white tailed sea eagles, G393 and G318, who visited our area a few weeks back. Two of the juvenile white tailed sea eagles from the Isle of Wight have continued to make impressive flights: G393 flying from Suffolk to the northern Peak District, while G274 completed a 4-day tour of the south-west before returning to the Isle of Wight. G318 and G324 are settled in the North York Moors and Isle of Wight respectively.
The latest update is here: http://www.roydennis.org/2020/04/23/eagle-explorations/
………….
How about a trip to see the tomb of Queen Meresanth III in Giza? No jostling with other eager tourists, you will have the place all to yourself. https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=d42fuVA21To
.………….
Like him or loathe him, Grayson Perry has a new series, Grayson’s Art Club, which is being broadcast every Monday, starting on the 27th April, so you will need to find the first episode on catch up, on C4. He will be making new works and hosting masterclasses set to ‘unleash our collective creativity’. For those of you who would like to learn to paint, or brush up your skills (that was my pun, sorry!) Bob Ross’ 1980 programme ‘The Joy of Painting’ is being repeated on BBC4 on Tuesday nights at 7 pm or for the insomniacs amongst us, Wednesday mornings at 2.00 am.
………….
BEAR’S BLOG by Hils A beautiful evening, sun still strong at 5.30pm. Through the gate and into the wood to tree bathe again, why wouldn't I? The water burbles away and glitters with the sun. Was this little tree copiced, sprouting from near the base. The buds on some of the trees have burst open in the warm sun. The world and its troubles seem so far away.
(Bear has been making guest appearances at our virtual monthly meetings and coffee mornings.)
………….
IF LIFE SENDS YOU LEMONS… MAKE LEMONADE!
Remove the zest of the lemons with a peeler, avoiding the white pith, then juice the lemons. Place the zest in a medium saucepan with the sugar and 400ml water. Place on a low heat and bring to the boil slowly, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the syrup is boiling, add the lemon juice and immediately remove from the heat. Leave until completely cool, then strain into a bottle or clean jug and chill until needed. To serve, mix with chilled soda or sparkling water and serve over ice with extra lemon slices, if liked.
………….
And finally…
… Joseph, in his amazing technicolour fleece of many colours, courtesy of Sue Hook, and spot the gardener’s assistant, thanks to Janet Frank. Look very closely, she’s in deep cover… not Janet, her assistant!
………….
This week’s National Theatre offering is ‘Frankenstein’, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, and hailed a ‘monster hit’ (not my pun but I rather like it) by theatre critics. Streaming starts at 7 pm on the 30th April and is free to view on YouTube. For this production the two leading actors shared the title roles and, on Friday 1st May you can watch the production again, this time with Cumberbatch playing the monster and Miller, Dr Frankenstein. For those of you who missed ‘Twelfth Night’ you can still catch it but you will have to be quick. This is on until the 30th April: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/nt-at-home
………….
The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane is a captivating book if you like words. Twenty spells conjure the names of common animals and plants back into our language accompanied by gorgeous paintings by Jackie Morris. Don’t miss this fascinating conversation with the author of one of the books of the year https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9WrlGZirPs&fbclid=IwAR2-cTbyFJBJITMEht3Yx2trzwNOERaNIa7OnKc0HYaH9991hyzcwp4NHs4&app=desktop If you have an hour to spare, Robert’s lecture entitled Landscape and the Human Heart is also well worth a listen. It’s very thought provoking and moving. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q1IK-O5Ypg&t=2434s
………….
Working on the premis that it’s never too late to learn something new, how about an online course? Future Learn offers 492 free courses on a huge range of topics including: business & management, creative arts & media, Nature & environment, politics & society, Literature, Healthcare & medicine, Science, engineering & maths, law, history, IT & computer science, teaching, language, study skills, psychology & mental health. Something for everyone there I think. http://www.futurelearn.com/
………….
Chris Blakeley has been busy recording some local birdsong of the whitethroat, lesser whitethroat and willow warbler (fresh in from Sub Saharan Africa), which you can hear if you go to the Appleton Community Group Facebook page. House martins and swallows are returning in number now and cuckoos have been heard to the north and south of the village. There are also butterflies in abundance: the pearl bordered fritillary spotted last week. Interestingly my niece on the Isle of Wight (we have visitors to this page from far and wide!) has directed me to further information on the white tailed sea eagles, G393 and G318, who visited our area a few weeks back. Two of the juvenile white tailed sea eagles from the Isle of Wight have continued to make impressive flights: G393 flying from Suffolk to the northern Peak District, while G274 completed a 4-day tour of the south-west before returning to the Isle of Wight. G318 and G324 are settled in the North York Moors and Isle of Wight respectively.
The latest update is here: http://www.roydennis.org/2020/04/23/eagle-explorations/
………….
How about a trip to see the tomb of Queen Meresanth III in Giza? No jostling with other eager tourists, you will have the place all to yourself. https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=d42fuVA21To
.………….
Like him or loathe him, Grayson Perry has a new series, Grayson’s Art Club, which is being broadcast every Monday, starting on the 27th April, so you will need to find the first episode on catch up, on C4. He will be making new works and hosting masterclasses set to ‘unleash our collective creativity’. For those of you who would like to learn to paint, or brush up your skills (that was my pun, sorry!) Bob Ross’ 1980 programme ‘The Joy of Painting’ is being repeated on BBC4 on Tuesday nights at 7 pm or for the insomniacs amongst us, Wednesday mornings at 2.00 am.
………….
BEAR’S BLOG by Hils A beautiful evening, sun still strong at 5.30pm. Through the gate and into the wood to tree bathe again, why wouldn't I? The water burbles away and glitters with the sun. Was this little tree copiced, sprouting from near the base. The buds on some of the trees have burst open in the warm sun. The world and its troubles seem so far away.
(Bear has been making guest appearances at our virtual monthly meetings and coffee mornings.)
………….
IF LIFE SENDS YOU LEMONS… MAKE LEMONADE!
- 6 unwaxed lemons, washed, plus extra slices to serve (optional)
- 125g granulated sugar
- 1 ltr soda or sparkling water, chilled
- ice cubes
Remove the zest of the lemons with a peeler, avoiding the white pith, then juice the lemons. Place the zest in a medium saucepan with the sugar and 400ml water. Place on a low heat and bring to the boil slowly, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the syrup is boiling, add the lemon juice and immediately remove from the heat. Leave until completely cool, then strain into a bottle or clean jug and chill until needed. To serve, mix with chilled soda or sparkling water and serve over ice with extra lemon slices, if liked.
………….
And finally…
… Joseph, in his amazing technicolour fleece of many colours, courtesy of Sue Hook, and spot the gardener’s assistant, thanks to Janet Frank. Look very closely, she’s in deep cover… not Janet, her assistant!
|
|
22nd April 2020
Welcome to the PTWSA webpage and four weeks on there are so many interesting and exciting things being offered to us both online and off that it’s hard to know where to begin…
………….
This week’s National Theatre offering is ‘Twelfth Night’, starring Tamsin Greig as Malvolio. Streaming starts at 7 pm on the 23rd April and is free to view on YouTube. For those of you who missed ‘Treasure Island’ you can still catch it but you will have to be quick. This is on until the 23rd April: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/nt-at-home There are many theatre companies streaming productions online. Have you enjoyed one? Why not tell us about it?
Children in Need and Comic Relief are combining for ‘A Big Night In’ charity fundraiser on Thursday 23rd April on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer.
………….
We have one White Tailed Sea Eagle still in the National Park. G318 has remained in the North Yorkshire Moors since arriving on 5th April. She visited the coast with G393 on 7th April but then frequented a relatively small area in the northern part of the National Park for the next week, with a longer flight across the moors on 15th April.
Eyes to the skies for a Lyrid meteor shower visible from tonight.
https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/18383548.lyrid-meteor-shower-will-visible-uk-tonight---see/
………….
In honour of VE Day, Bletchley Park are appealing for people to make red, white and blue bunting for them to display when they get to celebrate this event later in the year. They need 1,945 metres of it! So if you would like to help go to https://bletchleypark.org.uk/blog/how-to-make-ve-day-bunting for details. If you don’t have access to the internet but would like to make some bunting, just let us know. Whilst you’re on the Bletchley Park website you might want to take a look at the podcasts made by those who worked there during WW2, many of whom were women. There are also some brilliant clips on YouTube, just search for Bletchley Park. Here’s one of them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNdPmBqMh_Y
………….
The 15th April marked a year since the devastating fire at Notre Dame in Paris. As the painstaking restoration gets underway, French experts have sought the help of craftspeople and experts from York Minster. Entente Cordiale in action! This BBC programme about the restoration of Notre Dame is absolutely fascinating and available now on iPlayer and catch up: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000hbdq
………….
And with the sun out and the spring flowers looking gorgeous how about taking a trip to the Keukenhof bulb fields? https://www.youtube.com/watchfeature=emb_title&v=8iomUN9o4r0&fbclid=IwAR06HDfjI2g2455GyrAKJsUD_RqMbGmtJRhxVEeJyxlCVP1oDc-o_r1TsHs&app=desktop
Or maybe get on with a few jobs in the fruit garden as suggested by Thompson and Morgan:
BEAR’S BLOG by Hils Up the bank and turning right are we Bear? This is the old Kepwick road. Steep uphill left and just as steeply down on our right. That's where the cottage is. High pines and silver birch. Again some casualties to the wind. A lovely bit of moss and a small cave. Out of the wood and up past the sandstone quarry. On the top now and the landscape throws itself open, big skies and a grassy top. Hares run forward of me along by the low wall, and curlews call. Bliss. The silence is beautiful. Home now Bear, we've walked far enough.
………….
Did you recognise our members from the anagrams below?
1. Ailina scarpers Clarissa Napier
2. Archie turned wooden Catherine Lockwood
3. Fertilised inch Christine Field
4. Hellish Grumpy Gill Humphreys
5. Interim pic, Zaria? Tricia Mainprize
6. Joan utters Janet Sutor
7. Josie hand wrote Janet Isherwood
8. Kent far, Jan? Janet Frank
9. Korean Import Monika Porter
10. Loading snoods Alison Dodgson
11. Oh ok, use Sue Hook
12. Rank falconry Carolyn Frank
13. Rash art, rabbi! Barbara Hirst
14. Rather costly Tracy Hostler
15. Shall Adrian? No! Alison Harland
16. Shot zonal hemp Hazel Thompson
17. Startling card maker Margaret Strickland
18. Wash his kiln Hils Hawkins
………….
DENMAN SHORTBREAD
If you’ve been to Denman College you will know what a fabulous experience it is. You will also know how mouthwatering the coffee break shortbread is, so I’m going to squeeze in the chef’s recipe. Normally his recipe is 6lbs, 4lbs, and 2lbs but I’ve scaled it down as I have a wedding outfit to get into later in the year (hopefully):
6ozs plain flour, 4ozs unsalted butter, 2 ozs castor sugar.
Cream the butter and sugar together until combined and the butter is soft. Add the flour slowly and combine until the mixture turns into a soft dough. Roll into clingfilm/shape and then chill in the fridge. Cook at 170ºC for 12 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown and slightly firm to the touch.
And finally…
… if you are wondering if a White Tailed Sea Eagle has visited your bird table here is a photo, courtesy of Laurie Campbell. Your bird table will almost certainly have fallen over if either G318 or G393 has landed on it! The second is courtesy of Carolyn and Mary Berry – definitely a Ryedale Show category for the future, I think.
………….
This week’s National Theatre offering is ‘Twelfth Night’, starring Tamsin Greig as Malvolio. Streaming starts at 7 pm on the 23rd April and is free to view on YouTube. For those of you who missed ‘Treasure Island’ you can still catch it but you will have to be quick. This is on until the 23rd April: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/nt-at-home There are many theatre companies streaming productions online. Have you enjoyed one? Why not tell us about it?
Children in Need and Comic Relief are combining for ‘A Big Night In’ charity fundraiser on Thursday 23rd April on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer.
………….
We have one White Tailed Sea Eagle still in the National Park. G318 has remained in the North Yorkshire Moors since arriving on 5th April. She visited the coast with G393 on 7th April but then frequented a relatively small area in the northern part of the National Park for the next week, with a longer flight across the moors on 15th April.
Eyes to the skies for a Lyrid meteor shower visible from tonight.
https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/18383548.lyrid-meteor-shower-will-visible-uk-tonight---see/
………….
In honour of VE Day, Bletchley Park are appealing for people to make red, white and blue bunting for them to display when they get to celebrate this event later in the year. They need 1,945 metres of it! So if you would like to help go to https://bletchleypark.org.uk/blog/how-to-make-ve-day-bunting for details. If you don’t have access to the internet but would like to make some bunting, just let us know. Whilst you’re on the Bletchley Park website you might want to take a look at the podcasts made by those who worked there during WW2, many of whom were women. There are also some brilliant clips on YouTube, just search for Bletchley Park. Here’s one of them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNdPmBqMh_Y
………….
The 15th April marked a year since the devastating fire at Notre Dame in Paris. As the painstaking restoration gets underway, French experts have sought the help of craftspeople and experts from York Minster. Entente Cordiale in action! This BBC programme about the restoration of Notre Dame is absolutely fascinating and available now on iPlayer and catch up: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000hbdq
………….
And with the sun out and the spring flowers looking gorgeous how about taking a trip to the Keukenhof bulb fields? https://www.youtube.com/watchfeature=emb_title&v=8iomUN9o4r0&fbclid=IwAR06HDfjI2g2455GyrAKJsUD_RqMbGmtJRhxVEeJyxlCVP1oDc-o_r1TsHs&app=desktop
Or maybe get on with a few jobs in the fruit garden as suggested by Thompson and Morgan:
- Protect fruit blossom from late frosts by covering them with fleece on cold nights.
- Spray the emerging leaves of peach and nectarine trees to prevent peach leaf curl. Sheltering your plants from the rain will also help reduce the risk of peach leaf curl.
- Mulch fruit trees with well-rotted manure or garden compost, taking care not to mound mulch up around the trunk.
- Top dress patio fruit-trees with fresh compost and a slow-release fertiliser
- Feed raspberry canes, fruit bushes and fruit trees to encourage good crops this season. Apply a slow-release fertiliser around their base.•
- Try hand pollinating peaches and nectarines with a soft-bristled paint brush for better crops this year.
BEAR’S BLOG by Hils Up the bank and turning right are we Bear? This is the old Kepwick road. Steep uphill left and just as steeply down on our right. That's where the cottage is. High pines and silver birch. Again some casualties to the wind. A lovely bit of moss and a small cave. Out of the wood and up past the sandstone quarry. On the top now and the landscape throws itself open, big skies and a grassy top. Hares run forward of me along by the low wall, and curlews call. Bliss. The silence is beautiful. Home now Bear, we've walked far enough.
………….
Did you recognise our members from the anagrams below?
1. Ailina scarpers Clarissa Napier
2. Archie turned wooden Catherine Lockwood
3. Fertilised inch Christine Field
4. Hellish Grumpy Gill Humphreys
5. Interim pic, Zaria? Tricia Mainprize
6. Joan utters Janet Sutor
7. Josie hand wrote Janet Isherwood
8. Kent far, Jan? Janet Frank
9. Korean Import Monika Porter
10. Loading snoods Alison Dodgson
11. Oh ok, use Sue Hook
12. Rank falconry Carolyn Frank
13. Rash art, rabbi! Barbara Hirst
14. Rather costly Tracy Hostler
15. Shall Adrian? No! Alison Harland
16. Shot zonal hemp Hazel Thompson
17. Startling card maker Margaret Strickland
18. Wash his kiln Hils Hawkins
………….
DENMAN SHORTBREAD
If you’ve been to Denman College you will know what a fabulous experience it is. You will also know how mouthwatering the coffee break shortbread is, so I’m going to squeeze in the chef’s recipe. Normally his recipe is 6lbs, 4lbs, and 2lbs but I’ve scaled it down as I have a wedding outfit to get into later in the year (hopefully):
6ozs plain flour, 4ozs unsalted butter, 2 ozs castor sugar.
Cream the butter and sugar together until combined and the butter is soft. Add the flour slowly and combine until the mixture turns into a soft dough. Roll into clingfilm/shape and then chill in the fridge. Cook at 170ºC for 12 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown and slightly firm to the touch.
And finally…
… if you are wondering if a White Tailed Sea Eagle has visited your bird table here is a photo, courtesy of Laurie Campbell. Your bird table will almost certainly have fallen over if either G318 or G393 has landed on it! The second is courtesy of Carolyn and Mary Berry – definitely a Ryedale Show category for the future, I think.
|
|
15th April 2020
Not ones to sit on our hands members have been experimenting with virtual meetings and coffee mornings and finding our way round the new technologies. Whilst I’m learning all the time, it’s amazing what can be done. Having been asked to show a friend some crochet stitches, I recently found myself leaning round my iPad trying to film myself crocheting from the perspective of the crocheter (or should that be crocheteer!) – I managed it but decided it would have been so much easier if I had longer arms!
Don’t forget to take photos of your Trauma Teds and email them to us. We will be featuring the finished Teds on this page soon and don’t forget we would love to hear from you with any tips, tricks, recipes, craft ideas or things of interest.
………….
This week’s National Theatre offering is ‘Treasure Island’. Streaming starts at 7 pm on the 16th April and is free to view on YouTube. For those of you who missed the mesmerising ‘Jane Eyre’ you can still catch it but you will have to be quick. This is on until the 16th April: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/nt-at-home For those of you who remember recent visits to our village hall from the Other Lives Theatre Company, you might be interested in their 30 minute radio play, ‘Epiphany’ about two firewatchers during the London Blitz, which is also being broadcast via YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzNiIzKIv5Y&feature=youtu.be
………….
Well the two white tailed sea eagles let us down – they went to Whitby! Rotters. This week Chris has reported Oystercatchers, Red Kite, Buzzards and a large flock of Common Scoter. A Red Kite was circling in the thermals above the common with four Buzzards last weekend, and three other Red Kites were spotted flying North in single file, purposefully heading somewhere. Probably Whitby. And more good n-ewes (sorry, couldn’t resist it…) we have lots of newborn lambs being proudly shown off by their mums on the moor, the fields are full of cowslips and the woods will soon be a mass of bluebells. Just waiting for my House Martins and spring will definitely have sprung! Spotted Comet Atlas yet? In our night sky until the end of April.
………….
Missing visits to the sea? How about watching a few breaking waves live streamed by webcam from Llangrannog in West Wales? Keep a keen eye out to sea – we were watching dolphins, including a family of four and a calf, from the shore here two years ago. https://pentrearms.co.uk/llangrannog-live-webcam/
………….
Here are a few jobs Suttons suggests we can be doing this month in the vegetable garden:
………….
BEAR’S BLOG by Hils
Rambling again with the Bear dog. Some little oddities today. We were down in the little wood again. There's a fallen tree, or three. So many down. Huge uprooted trees. The bluebells are gathering strength and next in the list for flowering. Bear likes to walk round the trees, sometimes he takes the different route. This entails a check on the lead and me walking round the tree to sort out the tangled lead. He keeps the lead taut......pulling away, not helpful Bear. But his English is getting better...
………….
What could be nicer than being read to? Leading actors have recorded some short stories, first up is Hugh Bonneville (and storytellers don’t come much better than Lord Grantham/Paddington). The stories are being added to every day and can be found at https://www.onceuponaquarantine.com
On the subject of reading, did you know that our libraries offer an amazing collection of online resources, from eBooks and eAudiobooks, to Newspapers, Magazines, Comics, the whole range of Encyclopaedia Britannica, and guides on who to read next? Have a read of the handy guide to online resources at: www.northyorks.gov.uk/you-follow-guidance-stay-home-see-what-our-online-library-offers
………….
Particularly pertinent to the ladies of the WI perhaps but Sandi Toksvig is broadcasting a series of 10 minute videos, called Vox Tox, about forgotten women in history, amongst other things! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC0GbbF9TrE
………….
Can you recognise our members from the anagrams below? Answers next week. You’re on your WI honour not to cheat with technology!
And finally…
…this week I’ll leave you with TWO lovely photos - Janet Frank’s beautiful garden and Carolyn’s
mouth-watering baking – and the words of poet Letitia Elizabeth Landon (Never heard of her? No, me neither until now)… ‘Tis in such troubled times the few, Find they have powers they never knew’. Hope you’re finding your powers!
Not ones to sit on our hands members have been experimenting with virtual meetings and coffee mornings and finding our way round the new technologies. Whilst I’m learning all the time, it’s amazing what can be done. Having been asked to show a friend some crochet stitches, I recently found myself leaning round my iPad trying to film myself crocheting from the perspective of the crocheter (or should that be crocheteer!) – I managed it but decided it would have been so much easier if I had longer arms!
Don’t forget to take photos of your Trauma Teds and email them to us. We will be featuring the finished Teds on this page soon and don’t forget we would love to hear from you with any tips, tricks, recipes, craft ideas or things of interest.
………….
This week’s National Theatre offering is ‘Treasure Island’. Streaming starts at 7 pm on the 16th April and is free to view on YouTube. For those of you who missed the mesmerising ‘Jane Eyre’ you can still catch it but you will have to be quick. This is on until the 16th April: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/nt-at-home For those of you who remember recent visits to our village hall from the Other Lives Theatre Company, you might be interested in their 30 minute radio play, ‘Epiphany’ about two firewatchers during the London Blitz, which is also being broadcast via YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzNiIzKIv5Y&feature=youtu.be
………….
Well the two white tailed sea eagles let us down – they went to Whitby! Rotters. This week Chris has reported Oystercatchers, Red Kite, Buzzards and a large flock of Common Scoter. A Red Kite was circling in the thermals above the common with four Buzzards last weekend, and three other Red Kites were spotted flying North in single file, purposefully heading somewhere. Probably Whitby. And more good n-ewes (sorry, couldn’t resist it…) we have lots of newborn lambs being proudly shown off by their mums on the moor, the fields are full of cowslips and the woods will soon be a mass of bluebells. Just waiting for my House Martins and spring will definitely have sprung! Spotted Comet Atlas yet? In our night sky until the end of April.
………….
Missing visits to the sea? How about watching a few breaking waves live streamed by webcam from Llangrannog in West Wales? Keep a keen eye out to sea – we were watching dolphins, including a family of four and a calf, from the shore here two years ago. https://pentrearms.co.uk/llangrannog-live-webcam/
………….
Here are a few jobs Suttons suggests we can be doing this month in the vegetable garden:
- Now is the time to sow direct carrots, peas, beetroot, winter cabbages, broccoli, and salad crops.
- Marrows, courgettes, pumpkins, squashes and tomatoes can all be sown in a heated greenhouse or propagator.
- If frost threatens then pull some fleece over your potato foliage.
- Plant onion sets when the soil is dry.
- Make sure you’ve ordered your tomato plants.
- If any rhubarb flowers appear then cut them out near the base as otherwise they will steal food and energy from the plant.
- If your asparagus beds are at least 2-years old then any spears can be cut using a sharp knife.
………….
BEAR’S BLOG by Hils
Rambling again with the Bear dog. Some little oddities today. We were down in the little wood again. There's a fallen tree, or three. So many down. Huge uprooted trees. The bluebells are gathering strength and next in the list for flowering. Bear likes to walk round the trees, sometimes he takes the different route. This entails a check on the lead and me walking round the tree to sort out the tangled lead. He keeps the lead taut......pulling away, not helpful Bear. But his English is getting better...
………….
What could be nicer than being read to? Leading actors have recorded some short stories, first up is Hugh Bonneville (and storytellers don’t come much better than Lord Grantham/Paddington). The stories are being added to every day and can be found at https://www.onceuponaquarantine.com
On the subject of reading, did you know that our libraries offer an amazing collection of online resources, from eBooks and eAudiobooks, to Newspapers, Magazines, Comics, the whole range of Encyclopaedia Britannica, and guides on who to read next? Have a read of the handy guide to online resources at: www.northyorks.gov.uk/you-follow-guidance-stay-home-see-what-our-online-library-offers
………….
Particularly pertinent to the ladies of the WI perhaps but Sandi Toksvig is broadcasting a series of 10 minute videos, called Vox Tox, about forgotten women in history, amongst other things! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC0GbbF9TrE
………….
Can you recognise our members from the anagrams below? Answers next week. You’re on your WI honour not to cheat with technology!
- Ailina scarpers
- Archie turned wooden
- Fertilised inch
- Hellish Grumpy
- Interim pic, Zaria?
- Joan utters
- Josie hand wrote
- Kent far, Jan?
- Korean Import
- Loading snoods
- Oh ok, use
- Rank falconry
- Rash art, rabbi!
- Rather costly
- Shall Adrian? No!
- Shot zonal hemp
- Startling card maker
- Wash his kiln
And finally…
…this week I’ll leave you with TWO lovely photos - Janet Frank’s beautiful garden and Carolyn’s
mouth-watering baking – and the words of poet Letitia Elizabeth Landon (Never heard of her? No, me neither until now)… ‘Tis in such troubled times the few, Find they have powers they never knew’. Hope you’re finding your powers!
|
|
8th April 2020
Happy Easter and welcome to the second week of our Pulling Together While Staying Apart initiative. As it’s been such gorgeous weather you perhaps haven’t needed to find things to keep you occupied but just in case you are at a loose end… read on and please keep the ideas rolling in to appletonlemoorswi@gmail.com or message us via our Facebook page. Photos welcome too.
Whilst I wouldn’t normally run recipes in consecutive weeks, it is Easter and although not quite on a par with a chocolate egg, you might want to give our super easy Fab Fudge a try.
………….
This week’s National Theatre offering is the critically acclaimed ‘Jane Eyre’. Streaming starts at 7 pm on the 9th April and is free to view on YouTube. For those of you who missed ‘One Man, Two Governors’ you can still catch it but you will have to be quick. This is on until the 9th April. https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/nt-at-home
………….
Keep your eyes peeled for Comet Atlas, which will be visible to the naked eye throughout April. Look for the brightest object in the night sky, with a greenish tinge. Tonight (8th) there is a pink moon, which isn’t actually pink! It gets that name from the first spring flowers to bloom in North America.
………….
If you’re looking heavenward by day, the first swallow appeared over Appleton on the 6th April. Earlier than usual, it was probably taking advantage of the strong southerly winds! Two white tailed sea eagles have also been spotted in the area; satellite tracers have placed one in Dalby and one west of Pickering. Thanks to Chris for the ornithological info.
………….
How about a virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums, with unlimited time to wander? Just copy this link into your browser address bar: tinyurl.com/j6zqbta Or closer to home why not peruse the Helmsley Arts Centre’s Momentum II touring exhibition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzWibPwIaPM
………….
With lovely Easter weather (!) and more time to garden, here are a few jobs Gardeners’ World suggests we can be doing this month in the flower garden:
- Sow hardy annuals, such as love-in-a-mist and pot marigolds, as well as native wildflowers, into gaps in borders
- Enjoy instant colour by planting primulas and polyanthus in pots and at the front of borders
- Protect the new shoots of hostas, delphiniums, lupins and other vulnerable plants from slugs and snails
- Continue deadheading spring bulbs and bedding, so they don't waste energy setting seed
- Sow sweet peas at the base of supports, and transplant those sown in autumn into their final positions
- Spray the new leaves of disease-prone roses with fungicide to control mildew, rust and blackspot
- Take basal cuttings from clumps of perennials, such as delphiniums, campanulas and lupins
- Prune hydrangeas, cutting back the old stems to a healthy shoot lower down
- Reinvigorate mature clumps of hardy perennials, such as hostas, asters and daylilies, by dividing and replanting
- Sow sunflowers in a sunny, open site, then water regularly and protect seedlings from slugs and snails
- Check for aphids on roses and rub them off before they develop into major infestations
- Add aquatic plants, such as waterlilies and irises, to garden ponds
BEAR’S BLOG by Hils
Bear is on his lead all the way today, sheep country. As soon as we're off the lane, we start to climb into the tall pine wood. Quite high winds today, and the wood is moving. We climb up the path and gather height quite quickly. On the tops its lovely to see the sun through the trees and the far off hills.
………….
FAB FUDGE
If you’re missing your grandchildren and would like an easy recipe to make in tandem with them, or simply fancy an Easter treat, how about trying this easy fudge recipe? No boiling of sugar makes this quite safe for us all to have a go at and the recipe requires no fancy ingredients we don’t have or can’t get.
4oz butter
4oz brown sugar
4 level tablespoons golden syrup
2oz drinking chocolate
About 5 oz dried milk powder
3oz chocolate polka dots (these can be replaced with dried fruit, nuts, or small sweets like Smarties)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
7 inch square tin, buttered.
Melt butter, sugar and syrup until butter is melted, either in a pan or in a large bowl in the microwave. Stir in drinking chocolate and leave until cool but not completely cold. Add enough milk powder to give a stiff but malleable consistency, then stir in the polka dots and vanilla essence if using. Press into the tin. Leave to set. Cut into squares.
………….
Anyone read a good book, watched an enjoyable film/TV programme or listened to an interesting radio broadcast? Let me know so we can pass on recommendations. I have just finished listening to Anton Lesser reading Hilary Mantel’s ‘The Mirror and the Light’; the final part in her trilogy documenting the life of Thomas Cromwell (no, the other Cromwell!!!!). You don’t need to have any knowledge of the first two books to enjoy this and Anton Lesser reads it so well. Available on BBC Sounds for a limited time.
………….
And we’ll finish with Lady, who is clearly finding it difficult to relax!
1st April 2020
Welcome to the first week of our Pulling Together While Staying Apart initiative. Thanks to everyone who has sent me items for this page. I will publish them all but it will be necessary to hold quite a few back, as there may be several weeks still ahead of us and I don’t want to use up all our ideas too soon. Sadly, our Weebly account means we cannot upload videos but we can, of course, point you towards anything of interest. If you want to tell us how you’re doing, have seen something of interest locally or nationally, have a recipe, or craft idea for us, please let us have them at appletonlemoorswi@gmail.com or message us via our Facebook page or the Contact Us tab on this website. Photos welcome too.
So here are some ideas for you – most of them needed posting today as they start this week and I don’t want you to miss out on what’s coming up in the next day or two. I may have to ration you a bit more next Wednesday! Come back soon and see what else we’ve found for you.
…………
Not quite as much fun as the Esk Valley Theatre but the National Theatre are streaming one of their productions via YouTube every Thursday evening. As well as plays, Shakespeare and others, there will be sonnet readings, etc. This week the play is One Man Two Guvnors, a comedy with James Corben.
https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/nt-at-home
…………
If we get the lovely clear skies we have been having you may get a glance of the International Space Station flying overhead. Times and dates for this are:
1st April 21:33 W – SSE
2nd April 20:46 W - SSE
3rd April 21:36 SW – SW I know, I queried this but couldn’t get clarification on direction!
Comet Atlas is also due to pass by close to the earth this month. As April progresses it will become the brightest object in the night sky and will have a greenish tinge.
…………
If you fancy a bit of history the National Archaelogical Society are screening twelve free talks until June – you will have to register to access these:
https://www.nauticalarchaeologysociety.org/coved-talks-weekly-webcast
…………
BEAR’S BLOG by Hils
So today, we're heading off for another adventure, Bear and moi. I never know where we'll go, I just follow Bear. Down by the yew hedge and right down to the water by the old mill. Over the plank bridge and across the field, to the splash. Lovely little bridge. Stuck to the field and the water side and found a drop weir and a stone, water flight of steps. Noise was strong. Across the field ahead and into the little wood. Too long a walk to tell all today. I'll take you there again soon. X
…………
And finally…
A SUTOR SPECIAL - FEEL GOOD FLAPJACK
50g butter, plus a little extra for greasing
2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
3 tbsp honey or maple syrup
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 apple, peeled and grated with 3 tbsp water
250g rolled oats
85g dried apricots, chopped
100g raisins
85g mixed seed (Janet used pumpkin and sunflower)
Gently melt the first three ingredients in a pan. Add everything else. Put in an 8in (20cm) square tin. Bake at fan 140C for 50-55 minutes. Cool in tin and cut into 12 or so pieces. Good for using up ripe bananas as Janet did.
So here are some ideas for you – most of them needed posting today as they start this week and I don’t want you to miss out on what’s coming up in the next day or two. I may have to ration you a bit more next Wednesday! Come back soon and see what else we’ve found for you.
…………
Not quite as much fun as the Esk Valley Theatre but the National Theatre are streaming one of their productions via YouTube every Thursday evening. As well as plays, Shakespeare and others, there will be sonnet readings, etc. This week the play is One Man Two Guvnors, a comedy with James Corben.
https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/nt-at-home
…………
If we get the lovely clear skies we have been having you may get a glance of the International Space Station flying overhead. Times and dates for this are:
1st April 21:33 W – SSE
2nd April 20:46 W - SSE
3rd April 21:36 SW – SW I know, I queried this but couldn’t get clarification on direction!
Comet Atlas is also due to pass by close to the earth this month. As April progresses it will become the brightest object in the night sky and will have a greenish tinge.
…………
If you fancy a bit of history the National Archaelogical Society are screening twelve free talks until June – you will have to register to access these:
https://www.nauticalarchaeologysociety.org/coved-talks-weekly-webcast
…………
BEAR’S BLOG by Hils
So today, we're heading off for another adventure, Bear and moi. I never know where we'll go, I just follow Bear. Down by the yew hedge and right down to the water by the old mill. Over the plank bridge and across the field, to the splash. Lovely little bridge. Stuck to the field and the water side and found a drop weir and a stone, water flight of steps. Noise was strong. Across the field ahead and into the little wood. Too long a walk to tell all today. I'll take you there again soon. X
…………
And finally…
A SUTOR SPECIAL - FEEL GOOD FLAPJACK
50g butter, plus a little extra for greasing
2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
3 tbsp honey or maple syrup
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 apple, peeled and grated with 3 tbsp water
250g rolled oats
85g dried apricots, chopped
100g raisins
85g mixed seed (Janet used pumpkin and sunflower)
Gently melt the first three ingredients in a pan. Add everything else. Put in an 8in (20cm) square tin. Bake at fan 140C for 50-55 minutes. Cool in tin and cut into 12 or so pieces. Good for using up ripe bananas as Janet did.
And in case you're wondering... here is Bear!
