Unexpectedly, this turned out to be a lovely weekend.
While the rest of the nation whipped themselves into a King’s Coronation frenzy, I have to admit it had largely passed me by! There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, I’ve been so very, very busy at work. I had not even had time to think about the extended weekend or what I was going to do until it was suddenly upon me. Secondly, I’m not very patriotic. I’m not anti royalist or anything like that. I neither love them nor hate them, I don’t have strong feelings either way. And I’m very patriotic to my county, Yorkshire, there is nowhere finer. But I’m not very British.
In theory, I know I am British, but in practice, I’m not. We are very fortunate to live in a democracy and to be able to be exactly what we want to be, and on the 31st January 2020, I became European and Yorkshire. I don’t harp on about Brexit, and I don’t have a problem with anyone who voted for it, I’ve let all that go. I just don’t identify with lots of the characteristics of what today’s Britain looks like to me. Characteristics like greed, selfishness, lack of compassion, individualism, loss of community, sense of entitlement, consumerism, a divided society, and a lack of respect for the world we live in. That’s why usually, as soon as I have a break from work, I’m on an aeroplane out of here, I can’t wait to see the back of it for a few days or weeks.
So when I was asked numerous times at work, “What are you doing this Saturday for the Coronation?” I thought, “Oh, perhaps I should be doing something. ” Then I had another thought………..my Grandma Kathleen and the china tea set! I suddenly thought, “Gosh, Grandma will be turning in her grave and be so cross with me.” Now Grandma, bless her, was the Royal Family’s hugest fan. There would have been bunting, baking, celebrations and the china tea set. I remember quite clearly the 6th February 1977, going with Grandma when I was aged five, to Halifax Road in Thurgoland and standing rigid for hours, waiting in the freezing cold, for the two seconds that the Queen was driven past on her Silver Jubilee tour of the UK. I remember the hat I made and everything about it. I also have very fond memories of Christmas Day afternoons at Grandma and Grandad’s when lunch had to be finished, pots washed and everyone had to be seated, in silence, in front of the TV for 3pm to listen to the Queen’s speech. Grandma was a very quiet, elegant lady and the only time I ever saw her get cross was when Grandad spoke during the Queen’s speech, which I still swear to this day he did on purpose every year.
Anyway, I am now the very proud custodian of the fine bone china tea set, and I thought she’d be so very disappointed if it wasn’t got out and used for the Coronation. So, I thought I’ll just get that out, and I’ll make an English Cream tea to celebrate the Coronation and then that’s me done with it.
So Saturday morning was spent baking my scones whilst watching Rishi delivering his reading on my mobile phone in the kitchen. I have to admit I did watch the whole of the 2 hours of the Coronation, mainly because I wanted to see what everyone was wearing. It was a very grand affair and very impressive to watch and it was lovely to see the nation coming together for once to celebrate something. I did actually secretly enjoy it.
I did something really quite funny though and was asked why I did it and I could not explain why I’d done it other than, “because that’s the way Grandma would have wanted it.” Despite there being no visitors planned, I got the whole tea set out, put sugar in the sugar bowl (I don’t take sugar), filled the milk jug up and made a full tea pot of tea in my Royal Doulton tea pot. I then laid it all out on the table with the clotted cream, strawberries, homemade strawberry jam, and the full works. I have to admit I did have more than a cream tea for one, though. I may have also eaten the cream tea of a few more as those scones were just delicious.
Oh, and I did do another thing that gives me away as being British. I like stripes in my lawn like at Wimbledon so I cut my grass and my lawn stripes did vaguely resemble those on the Buckingham Palace garden at the parade, mine may have been straighter.
So, with everywhere closed for the day, me being full of cream tea, and it being a lovely sunny day I thought I’d go for a little wander around my village to spy something else very British. It was a beautiful afternoon stroll, and what was going to be a quick walk took me hours. It’s so much better when you walk slowly and take it all in. I stopped to just sit numerous times and saw so much that I just would not have seen had I been rushing. I’ll share some lovely pictures of what I saw.
First stop was my favourite bench two minutes walk from home. I sit for hours on here. Just look at the view and the clouds. This has to be my favourite time of year, so green and so many flowers.
Another thing I like about this time of year is baby animals. I can’t believe how quickly they grow though. This little lamb was tiny two weeks ago and was wobbling about, barely able to stand. I’ve run past it almost every day, and now it’s almost a sheep. It bears no resemblance to two weeks ago. It’s lost it’s pretty look, I think sheep are quite ugly things when they get past the fluffy lamb stage.
Then I got lost in another of my favourite places……..the wood. Well, when I say lost, I’m not actually lost. I know roughly where I am, but I spend hours in here. It’s huge and I like nothing better than a wood and this one at home, in particular, is spectacular. And you have to come this exact week of the year. One week on either side and you have missed them ……………. the English Bluebells. If you want to see them in all their glory, there is nowhere better than this, but blink, and you’ll miss them as they are only this good for a matter of days.
It’s funny, you are never far from the reality of the modern world, but on a day like this, even the railway line through the village looks pretty.
I like to use all my senses and I love the smell of spring too, despite the fact that I get hayfever. That smell of pollen and cut grass I find so soothing. I also have a strange fondness for the smell of cow manure which friends find most bizarre. I don’t know whether it reminds me of Yorkshire and home, I’m not quite sure, or whether if just reaffirms that I’m in the countryside, one of my happy places, but for me the smell of cow manure is a positive smell, not a horrid one. Another smell I love, from the bottom wood below the railway line, is that of wild garlic. Such pretty white star like flowers and when you brush past it on the way to the stile its aroma wafts all around you.
It’s not just about Wild Garlic and Bluebells either. There was an abundance of Greater Stitchwort, Brunnera, Cellandine, Buttercups and Cherry Blossom. It was just beautiful.
Then I spotted the daisies. These always make me smile. They remind me of school and PE on the playing fields. Spring was ’rounders’ and ‘cricket’ time and once you’d had your turn and had been caught or run out there was not much to do other than make a daisy chain necklace or lay about in the grass working out, using that very reliable daisy, whether he ‘loves me or loves me not’, plucking off one petal at a time repeating the phrase until the final petal remained.
Then the wildlife. Look what I spotted. Not the greatest photo and a bit out of focus, but it kept flitting about and really did not want its photo taking, a Peacock butterfly.
Then it was out of the woods and back home via the Wagonway. This is your bit of history for the day. The village and surrounding area was built upon the coal mines. Coal mining, along with agriculture, were the main industries in the area. The Wagonway was built in the 1790’s and was a narrow gauge industrial railway which was used to transport coal from the village mine to the Calder and Hebble Navigation Canal in Wakefield for onward transportation. The coal wagons were pulled along by horses, on rails which sat on stone block sleepers, the horses walking in the middle of the two rails. The rails were taken up and sold in the late 19th century when the railway ceased to be used but the stone block sleepers remain and form part of a village heritage trail as can be seen in the picture below.
Then my last little treat of the day was my chance encounter with these lovelies on my way through the field which adjoins my house. Now for anyone not too fond of cows this would be terrifying but as long as they don’t have horns I’m fine. Young boys will be boys and cows are no exception, this lot just wanted to play. A field of young bullocks, so very excited to have a human play mate. The main thing to remember is DO NOT RUN! If you run they will think you are engaging in play and will run with you, at you and everywhere. Just stand still, wave your arms about and make a bit of noise and they will come to a halt. They will not stop until they are very, very close though so if you don’t like them it does take a bit of nerve, but they were beautiful, so inquisitive.
This one was my favourite. He insisted on following me all the way up the field licking the leg of my jeans. My leg was wet through.
Almost home, but just couldn’t resist a quick half of beer in the local pub (the local pub being another British institution) where Charles was waiting for me for a photo opportunity now I’ve been promoted to Queen.
All in all, a lovely Coronation Day before I switched back to being European on Sunday.