Thursday 16 November 2017

The Fall - Well Named

                                                                   

Mid November; temperatures plummeted and felt lower still in the keen wind.  It seems, however, to have been a temporary blip and we are now back to an unseasonable but comfortable fourteen degrees or so.  The countryside is in winter mode.  Most of the trees have lost their leaves now, brought down by wind and rain.  Soon I shall be able to take leaf sweeping off the daily chores list.  It has been a beautiful autumn for colour, due, I believe, to the amount of rain in September which allowed the trees to hold their leaves for longer.
                                                                  
Those who attended Epperstone's Laying of the Wreath ceremony on Remembrance Day were grateful for the sun which shone.  The occasion, marked this year by the addition of the Last Post and the Reveille played on the bugle, seems to have particular relevance in a small village, as so many of the names which are read out are from families whose relatives still live  in the area.
                                                                   

The Bookcase in Lowdham held its usual Christmas Shopping morning, a useful as well as social event, which included a demonstration of Christmas canapes (tasting obligatory)!  How do they  do it in such small premises?  The First Friday talk, entitled "The Wisdom of the Mountains" concerned the Buddhism of Tibet and the Himalayas and, though an unusual subject, was very well attended.  Also well attended was the Women's Institute 97th birthday party.  No sign of jam and Jerusalem but the usual splendid buffet, followed by a lesson in Bollywood dancing.  The more adventurous members dressed in saris, expertly draped by the demonstrator, followed her movements and gestures closely as she explained their meaning; an unusual and entertaining end to the evening.  It cannot be said that we are limited in our range of interests.
                                                                   
Not a lot to report on farming activities.  It has not been an easy year, as was confirmed by several farmers attending a recent meeting of the Nottinghamshire Farm and Country Tourism Group.  Weather and ground conditions as winter approached made delayed drilling an anxious time.  This was followed by two weeks of entirely suitable weather which, had we been sure of in advance, would have substantially lowered stress levels.  That's farming for you.