We had a right royal time celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in the village, there was a tea party, then rounders in the cricket field, followed by a disco in the village hall. It was great fun and the family staying in Wicket Hut joined in with the sports and disco, it was great to welcome them!
The bunting looked fabulous and there was a great village atmosphere and community spirit. Don't forget when you're visiting the huts that there is tea and cakes at the village hall on a Sunday and it's definitely worth a look in. You will also find some "Thixendale Remembered" books in the huts, telling the story of the village and how it has grown.
We were delighted to host Jennie from Charlie and Ivy's recently, to use the huts as a backdrop for her photo shoot. Charlie and Ivy's and their sister brand, Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil are produced within a mile of the huts and we are proud to stock their products. The oils, bread dippers, mayonnaise, dressings and marinades are superb and make excellent gifts, so do check out their website! She took some spectacular images, here's some inspiration!
The gorgeous champagne flutes come from one of our favourite shops in Malton, Bowley & Jackson, a treasure trove of shabby chic and vintage inspired furniture and homewares.
We are so lucky with the wonderful market towns in the area. Malton is quickly growing a reputation as the food capital of Yorkshire and there are a plethora of great grocers, butchers, ingredients shops and fishmongers, not to mentions cafes and restaurants. If you would like any recommendations we're very happy to give some suggestions and make it our mission to taste test new restaurants as they open - all on your behalf of course!
As ever, it's been busy on the farm. All the ewes and lambs were turned out after lambing but in the last few days we've had the mammoth task of bringing them all in for shearing. This involves a lot of work for Nell, Tip and Cora, the sheep dogs and any neighbours who don't look "busy" are often drafted in to lend a hand! The children love to help if they're not at school and we've taken up position several times at road ends to make sure the sheep walk up the village to the farm and don't try and take a detour!
A team of shearers come down to clip the sheep. They have to be dry so in true stereotypical farmer style there is constant discussion about the weather; will it rain? How heavy will the dew be? Do we need to get them in the day before to make sure they stay dry? Once clipped, the fleeces have to be folded in a very precise way and then fitted into a wool sack, which is stitched closed, before they are sent to British Wool for processing.
It costs more to shear a sheep than we get for the fleece, which isn't the best business model but it is a necessity for the welfare of the sheep. I can't help thinking that there has to be a more productive use for British wool, but we're yet to see anything on a commercial level. Hard to believe wool was the backbone of the Medieval economy.
My favourite flower is in full bloom at the moment, the May blossom in the hedgerows is just gorgeous - the delicate pink shade gracing the creamy petals is so pretty and the sweet almond smell is intoxicating. As you descend the hills into Thixendale and look across at the bank sides, the trees look like they are covered in snow caps, a real juxtaposition with the colours of the growing crops behind.
We've got some availability in June and early July so choose some dates and get booked in, there's no airport queues here!
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