Scarecrow Festival

Photographic Quiz:

Photo no. 110:- Name the four people on this photo? What event and date? And where?

Dearest Blog,

           I hope you are well and deeply concerned about my back …. Well I can tell you that I spent the whole of last night horizontal – the first time for over a month; and what is more I didn’t have to scream out in pain when I got up!!!!!!!!!!! The downside is that it was on the living room floor; bed is the next giant step for recovery, sleeping is the leap forward.

Next week is the Annual Festival in the village. Some of my estate workers had the temerity to ask if I would give permission for them to use part of my country seat to stage their entry for the village Scarecrow Competition. The Scarecrow Competition has ‘The Olympics’ as the theme and a large Cup will be given to the best display. I said I didn’t want every Tom or Dick or even Harry from the village tramping over my well-tended lawns. Then I saw the look of pained disappointment on their little faces and I felt a little guilty. Just a little, mind you Blog. So I relented. I don’t want to appear unreasonable so I told them they could use the patch of grass down in front of the Lodge as long as they kept on the other side of the security gates. Their little faces lit up. I felt a warm glow inside and then realised the cigarette stub in my pocket had caught fire and my pocket was smoking! Then I had an uncomfortable  feeling that I had just made a big mistake … one of them asked if they might have a bale of straw to use to stuff their scarecrow. I was a little taken aback, I can tell you. I don’t want to appear unreasonable so I told him that it didn’t just grow on trees. And he said he knew that because he had harvested it himself last autumn. I scrutinised him closely but could not tell if he was taking the proverbial Michael or not; I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I told him that bales cost £3 to the general public type person but I would loan him and his village friends a couple of bales if they brought them back when they had unstuffed the scarecrows after the festival had finished. I did stipulate however that all the scarecrow stuffers had to be estate workers, I wasn’t prepared to subsidise the whole village dudies! I also said that I expected nothing short of victory and that they might adopt the Olympic Spirit in the Scarecrow Competition where it is the winning that counts and not the taking part. I think they got the message. I don’t think a threat to dock their wages in the event of a defeat would have been productive as it might have dampened their enthusiasm. As I said the Vicar later that day, I was really interested in who would come second or third in the competition but I was sure that, as Chief Judge, he would ensure a fair competition with no favouritism shown although I did say that I thought the estate workers would do exceptionally well and I did feel obliged to point out to him that the Church Fete would be taking place next month and that I thought that he might want to ask me if he could my extensive lawns again for his event. I did not feel that it was necessary to dot the ‘i’s and cross the ‘t’s, a nod and a wink in his direction seemed to hit the spot. I shall send you some pickies of the winning entries Blog. Something for you to look forward to!

Did it rain / sleet / hail yesterday Blog, or did it rain / sleet / hail yesterday? June. JUNE! And the wind? Incredeeeeeeeble. Niver seen owt like it. The orchard was flooded, the vegetable garden was under two feet [60 centimetres to you Blog] of water, the extensive lawns covered with a slimy film of mud, the greenhouse floors were under water and the Estate’s machine storage facility was awash; the hail had drilled holes in the plastic roofing of the cold frames. Blog, I kid you not. All in all, a mess. A mess with a capital ‘M’. Those insurance johnnies had better cough up, I’ll tell you Blog. Some quids will be needed for all the repair work needed. It is bad enough to have lost all the plums, pears, red and black currents and damsons from that late frost we had in May. And now this; at least the apples and strawberries have done well this season. Have I asked you before Blog … have you heard a cuckoo this year?? I haven’t. And another thing, have you noticed how all the hawthorn trees and bushes are pink? Not a suggestion of pink but, plainly, distinctly pink with a capital ‘P-I-N-K’. It’s that Chernobyl thing I mentioned before.

                         Be with you Blog.

                                               Colin