Category: Notes from the sticks

AFTER the heatwaves in the summer (what was it, about three or four days in total?) the National Trust was all doom and gloom about the autumn – the trees … Continue readingAn autumn gallery

IT occurred to me the other day that I have not seen an earwig for years, if not decades. My mother used to grow dahlias and earwigs lodged in the … Continue readingEarwiggo, earwiggo, earwiggo

AMONG the comments on last week’s column was this from our dear American friend Audre Myers: ‘When I saw the Ribble Valley (in pictures) for the first time, I mentioned to an … Continue readingHobbit country

THERE’S a small piece of land in our village with no obvious function. I’m hopeless at guessing measurements but it’s probably about 30 yards by ten, surrounded by a wall … Continue readingThe homeless shelter for animals

THE other day my neighbour gave me some windfall Bramley apples. (They have to be windfalls – this is the tree and I don’t see how you could pick the … Continue readingThat’s the way the crumble cooks

WE have been on boat trips to the Farne Islands just off the Northumberland coast many times. In the spring and early summer the cliffs are covered with breeding sea … Continue readingBird flu – or radiation sickness?

In memory of Her Majesty the Queen, we are repeating this article which was first published on September 12, 2021. THEY didn’t waste much imagination when they named our local hostelries. … Continue readingWhen the Queen bobbed in* for a brew**

A FEW days ago I was surfacing from sleep at about 5.30am when I heard a cockerel crowing outside, which was surprising because we live right on a road. Looking … Continue readingThe rooster that asked for help

EARLY in the morning of August 29, 1930, 92 years ago tomorrow, a way of life came to an end after at least 2,000 years. The last 36 residents of … Continue readingFarewell to the edge of the world

THERE are loads of thistles round here but until I started looking closely at them I didn’t realise there were many different types. It is not always easy to identify … Continue readingA thistle-stop tour