A random selection …
Fethaland: Where Sixty Sixareens Braved the Atlantic
The name means “fat land.” Which is rather good, given what happened here. For roughly five centuries, up to sixty sixareens, open wooden boats with a crew of six, launched from this beach and rowed — or sailed, when the wind was kind — eighty kilometres into the open Atlantic, well past the continental shelf, […]
Archaeological Dig – Aireyholme Farm
Spent the day digging a hole. Well taking part in an archaeological dig really to find the boyhood home of Capt. James Cook. It’s well known that James’ father was employed at Aireyholme Farm near Great Ayton and his family lived there with him at the farm. What is not known is precisely where the […]
The Sponsored Swim That Ended an Era
Standing below these rusted iron stanchions, I cannot help reflecting on how coincidentally a name can turn up twice in as many weeks. Kathleen Elizabeth Mary Cooper Abbs, the last person to live in the Arts and Crafts house built among the ruins of Mount Grace Priory. She was nobody’s idea of a quiet tenant. […]
A Swathe of Purple: Bell Heather in Full Bloom
The North York Moors hold England’s largest stretch of upland heather moorland, renowned for their late summer display of heather. Come August, the moors will be briefly blanketed by the lilac hues of Ling, or Calluna vulgaris. Another heather, Erica cinerea or Bell heather, blooms in a richer purple from June to September, adorning the […]
Collop Monday
Some folk may be aware that tomorrow marks Shrove Tuesday. This implies that today, a fact unknown to many, is Collop Monday, occurring two days before Ash Wednesday, which initiates the period of Lent. Traditionally on Collop Monday, people consume collops and eggs for breakfast. These collops typically consist of thick slices of pan-fried meat […]