Oh what a lovely day I've just had in Farndale again! We had a perfect spring day here in England. A clear blue sky and warm. The North York Moors are definitely into spring now. The trees all have a green flush, and blossom is everywhere.
I stopped off first in Hutton le Hole, a charming village with a large green and a beck running through it. The sheep (Swaledales) often graze on the green, but I didn't see any today. I had a welcome pot of tea in Hutton le Hole.
Then on to the Daffodil Bus! It was the last Daffodil Bus of the season today. The bus was fairly quiet (most the Moorsbus visitors must have already been - this was my second trip this year) but the car park was quite full. What a lovely day for a walk! Brilliant sunshine and the beauty of Farndale! I couldn't have had a better day for it. The Farndale daffies were still in bloom, though starting to become slightly begraggled. Around me spring was bustling around. The leaves were unfolding on the trees, I could hear birdsong and the calls of the farm animals, and the gurgle of the River Dove. Cries of Maa! and Baa! surrounded me. Don't ever tell me that country life is quiet! Farndale has had some bad weather in the last month - several trees had come down, and one section of the river bank had collapsed and was fenced off.
I relaxed in the tranquillity of Farndale. I reached the Daffy Cafe and stopped for lunch. It was quite warm now and I sat in the back garden of the cafe and ate my lunch outside. My anorak was off - for the first time this year!!! Oh heavenly!!!
After lunch I pottered back along the riverside. The daffodils will soon be finished but bunches of wood anemones shone in the sunlight. And soon the bluebells will bloom.
Back in Hutton le Hole I gobbled up an ice-cream. Children were playing near the back - people were stretched out enjoying the sunshine. I got on a bus again, and rode over to Helmsley. Enjoyed an ice-cream sundae there and found an excellent book of folktales in the antiquarian bookshop. What a delightful day!!!
Bliss in Farndale
I can picture your journeys as a book.... Since you can tell your own tales so well, it'll be fun to watch how you do with folklore.
Hopefully I'll be okay sbarr. The two hardest parts are probably the face-to-face contact - not getting too nervous over that. And learning dozens, no, maybe several hundred folktales of by heart.