As you know, the majority of our neighbours are farmers,who toil the land and care for their animals no matter what the weather or time of the year. so the Harvest service is always very relevant.
The service was a very traditional Evening Prayer set up, with the congregation singing the responses.
Afterwards we had the Harvest Supper in the village hall.
Showing posts with label Neighbours. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Neighbours. Show all posts
28.10.08
O is for....O thank the Lord, For all his love.
We Plough the Fields And Scatter
Words by Matthias Claudius (1740-1815)
Translated by Jane Montgomery Campbell (1817-78)
This hymn is about celebration and praise, making it suitable as the first hymn sung at the beginning of the service, which is in praise of God in whose presence everyone has assembled.
We plough the fields and scatter
The good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered
By God's almighty hand:
He sends the snow in winter,
The warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine,
And soft, refreshing rain.
Refrain:
All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above;
Then thank the Lord,
O thank the Lord,
For all his love.
He only is the maker
Of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower,
He lights the evening star;
The winds and waves obey him,
By him the birds are fed;
Much more to us, his children,
He gives our daily bread.
We thank thee then, O Father,
For all things bright and good,
The seed time and the harvest,
Our life, our health, our food.
Accept the gifts we offer
For all thy love imparts,
And what thou most desirest,
Our humble, thankful hearts.
Phil and Geoff (Father and son)
Rob, farmer from Red House Farm
Ronnie, farmer from over the road..
Fred who works for Ronnie, with his wife Dot
Geoff who lives two doors away, retired farmer with his son Chris.
To see more posts, visit the ABC Blog here
To see the ABC Anthology, visit here
6.10.08
ABC Wednesday....
The medieval village plan consisted of two rows of farmsteads facing each
other across an open green and centred on the crossroads formed by Liverton
Road with the lanes to Handale and Moorsholm. The west row of properties
would have followed a similar alignment to the existing buildings, whereas
Tickhill House and Shrubberies Cottage mark the approximate alignment of
the much depleted east row.
Each property had a strip of intensively cultivated land (garth or burgage plot)
to the rear. The usual pattern for villages of this type is for the rows of
burgage plots to end at a back lane. In Liverton they end at streams and in
the case of the eastern row, two streams that result in a staggered pattern of
plot boundaries.
At the north-east end of the village the Church of St Michael stands somewhat
detached from the core of the settlement. It is probable that the church was
founded by the lord of the manor and that its location related to the site of the
manorial complex rather than to the village.
The first edition six-inches-to-one-mile, Ordnance Survey plan (c.1853) shows
a dovecote next to the church and an area of land called “The Parks” lying to
the north-east of the church, close to the present Park House Farm. These
are indicative of the existence of a manorial centre in the immediate vicinity of
the church and the location suggests that it may have been contemporary with
or earlier than the village. Earthworks lying to the east of the lane leading to
the church may be associated with the manorial complex.
Liverton remained an ‘estate village,’ owned by the Viscount Downe, until the
end of the 20th century.
The course of the existing road through the village appears to have changed
over time. On an old map the road continues northwards along the present
lane to the church and curves sharply west before continuing along its present
route to Loftus. The medieval village layout may have had two roads, the
existing one serving the west row of properties, with another running parallel
serving the eastern row.
Encroachment onto the green in front of the original two rows probably began
in the medieval period and may have included farmsteads and cottages.
Some encroachments were subsequently cleared leaving earthworks, the
oldest of which may be of late medieval date. They are clearly visible at the
north and south-east ends of the green. Other encroachments appear to have
survived albeit in rebuilt form as Nos. 3-4, and 7-8 Liverton Road, The Hollins,
Police House and the Waterwheel Inn.
Enclosure of the green, to form the pattern of fields that exists today, probably
took place in the early 19th century. The present enclosed fields immediately
east and west of the settlement, still closely reflect the pattern of medieval
garths. Some may have been merged by enclosure in the early 19th century
when most of the existing hedgerows would have been planted, although
some may be of much older vintage. The ‘ridge and furrow’ pattern left by
ancient ploughing technique can still be clearly seen in some of the fields and
garths.
The archaeological potential of the settlement was demonstrated in 1997
when an archaeological dig in the field between No 3 Liverton Road and the
Waterwheel Inn, uncovered the remains of a late medieval long-house.
Apart from the church, the buildings in the village date from no earlier than the 18th century and appear to have been subject to a programme of gradual
renewal that extended throughout the 19th century. Unlike most rural
settlements in Redcar and Cleveland, Liverton has escaped the urbanisation
of the 20th century and the only ‘modern’ buildings are the Police House, The
Hollins, Scotfield and Middle Earth.
To see more posts, visit the ABC Blog here
To see the ABC Anthology, visit here
16.9.08
I is for....Ivy!
Ivy is very prominent in the village and indeed was a major influence on the renovation of these buildings!
Here, the Ivy looks so lovely in January!
Behind the wall a brook runs through the village.
Can you guess what the house is named?
We have an Inn in the village.....more of that later in the alphabet, but here is a clue!
More Ivy in the snow...
And again on a rare occasion when the sun was shining!
THE IVY GREEN
Charles Dickens
Oh, a dainty plant is the Ivy green,
That creepeth o'er ruins old!
Of right choice food are his meals, I ween,
In his cell so lone and cold.
The wall must be crumbled, the stone decayed,
To pleasure his dainty whim:
And the mouldering dust that years have made
Is a merry meal for him.
Creeping where no life is seen,
A rare old plant is the Ivy green.
Fast he stealeth on, though he wears no wings,
And a staunch old heart has he.
How closely he twineth, how tight he clings
To his friend the huge Oak Tree!
And slyly he traileth along the ground,
And his leaves he gently waves,
As he joyously hugs and crawleth round
The rich mould of dead men's graves.
Creeping where grim death hath been,
A rare old plant is the Ivy green.
Whole ages have fled and their works decayed,
And nations have scattered been;
But the stout old Ivy shall never fade,
From its hale and hearty green.
The brave old plant, in its lonely days,
Shall fatten upon the past:
For the stateliest building man can raise
Is the Ivy's food at last.
Creeping on where time has been,
A rare old plant is the Ivy green.
To see more posts, visit the ABC Blog here
To see the ABC Anthology, visit here
1.9.08
I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE...something beginning with G!
Continuing with my village we are now in September.
Strangely enough there is a definate "nip" in the air.......
G is for.....GAZETTE!
Each day the Evening Gazette is delivered to our village.
Around 12 noon a little white van pulls up to the postbox and leaves the gazette under the stones on the wall belonging to Tickhill House.
G is also for Gates.
I never tire of the view from our drive.
I think it would be an interesting project to photograph these gates on the 1st of every month and see the changing landscape.
September leaves come tunbling down, harvest fields a cloth of gold.
The Moors a purple carpet spreads, Autumn Beauty to behold.
George Skaife
16.01.90
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To see the ABC Anthology see here
28.8.08
God Bless the Farmers
Skywatch Friday
28.08.08
Up the lane, this morning.
As I sit here, approaching 7.30pm on Thursday evening the air is filled with the sound of tractors and farm machinery as the farmers make the most of today's good weather and continue with the harvesting of the crops.
Last night we could hear the farmers working well beyond midnight. I think it was about 3am when the machinery finally fell silent.
Walking up the lane today the bales were in the sunshine. Yesterday the field was full of crops, uncut and awaiting the dawn of machinery.
Lord, what have we done to our land and to those who work the fields?
We have taken without giving back without thought to the consequences.
Tearing up,tearing down,uprooting life,and covering everything with a hard, unforgiving substance.
You gave us this earth to watch over to look after.
Forgive us Lord for what we have done.
Our ways bring death to the land.
We have been so concerned with our desires,that we have dismissed the needs of others.
In our lust for faster bigger, better(?)we have lost sight of those who helped
make our country what it is today - the farmers.
Help us to remember as we go about our daily chores and preparing meals,
that without the farmers we would not eat.
Without the trees,we would not breathe,
and the soil would erode,causing dust all around.
Grant to the farmers strength to continue,rain and sun for their crops,
faith in You and in humanity,that they may keep on providing the food we need
to survive.
God bless the farmers.
Fran Watson
For the Skywatch Friday blog see here
26.8.08
ABC Wednesday......F is for Farming!
Farming around the village
The village is central to a thriving farming community. We have several farms in the village. Blue House, Church House, Handale, Parkhouse and Redhouse.
This is Mick, one of the farm workers passing our house on his way to Church House Fram. I know exactly what time of day it is when I see him pass. 8am, he is going to work, 12 noon he is going home for his dinner, 1am returning back to work and 5pm or later he is going home.
On my walks with Wilma we always see the farmers going about their daily business. Here Mick is talking to John. John is a Bee Keeper and his bees are homed on the moors. They feed on the heather and the taste is awesome.
There are also farms dealing with lambs, it is always nice to see them at the gate or fence.
We are currently in the middle of one of the busiest time of the year for the farmers, Harvest. Harvest is usually the busiest time of year for arable farmers and most crops are harvested in July, August and the early part of September. For much of the past 6,000 years crops have been harvested by hand although the Romans did develop a machine that stripped the ears of the corn from the straw. This appears not to have lasted after the decline of the Roman Empire and it was not until the 19th Century that parts of the harvesting process became mechanised again. The modern combine harvester which integrates the cutting of the crop with the separation of the grain from the ear, became widespread in the agricultural revolutiion after the second world war. Today the same principles apply as have always done and cutting a crop cannot commence until the crop is ready or "fit". The most important aspect of this is moisture content. Crops need to be harvested dry so that they can be stored for long periods without deterioration.
A crop of wheat ready for harvest. This picture was taken last night and the crop will be cut in a few a few days . At the top of the crop are the ears which are now bent over and pointing downwards, a sign that the crop is fit for combining. Cereal crops tend to become a golden brown colour towards harvest. This is because the crop is senescing and the resources of the plant are being transferred to the grain in the ear.
The combine is crucial for harvesting arable crops and completes several operations at the same time. The plant is first cut about 9 inches above ground before being fed into the heart of the combine where it is spun very fast against a metal grate with holes in it. This is known as "thrashing". In the process the grain is pushed through the holes and separated from the ear and straw. The grain is then further "cleaned" over a series of seives before being moved to a grain tank for unloading.
At harvest time the combine will work as many hours as possible and may start cutting as early as 9.00 am and finish after midnight. Dampness in the crop from evening dew will normally make the crop tough to cut and force the combine to stop.
It is easy to overlook the importance of straw. Each acre can yield over a tonne of straw, invaluable for winter bedding cattle and pigs as well as being a useful low value feed at times when forage stocks run low. Straw exists in surplus in the eastern arable areas where there are less livestock and through the autumn months it is transported westwards to the main livestock areas. If the straw is not to be baled it is chopped and spread from the coIt makes us all feel good somehow.mbine and then ploughed into the ground to maintain soil organic matter.
After harvest the grain is stored in purpose build stores that are free from pests and the risk of contamination.
The Farmer Reaps what he has sown,
and garners all the crops he's grown
Then to his land he takes his plough
It makes us all feel good somehow
George Skaife
14.03.83
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12.8.08
ABC Wednesday...
Dot, one of our neighbours has lived in the village all her life. Our late neighbour, Alice often told us of the times when Dot as a young girl would go to Alice's and play the piano. Dot is married to Fred who still helps out on the farm over the road.
Darcy Cottage, named after the owners late horse Darcy.
Duck pond!
We usually walk here a few times a week.
This mother was keen to show her brood, but I wondered if Wilma could cope with the excitement, so we made our way home, thinking of the ducklings safety! LOL!
D is also for Dad. It is ironic that it was a Wednesday 13th August when Dad died so suddenly and tragically. Dad'd favourite flower was the rose, yellow in particular. I have a yellow rose bush to remind me of Dad. Each year around now it is in full bloom, I will be thinking of Dad today. He was passionate about the countryside. To read about Dad see here.
A change of poem this week, Dad's favourite poem.
Old Meg she was a Gypsy,
And lived upon the Moors:
Her bed it was the brown heath turf,
And her house was out of doors.
Her apples were swart blackberries,
Her currants pods o' broom;
Her wine was dew of the wild white rose,
Her book a churchyard tomb.
Her Brothers were the craggy hills,
Her Sisters larchen trees -
Alone with her great family
She lived as she did please.
No breakfast had she many a morn,
No dinner many a noon,
And 'stead of supper she would stare
Full hard against the Moon.
But every morn of woodbine fresh
She made her garlanding,
And every night the dark glen Yew
She wove, and she would sing.
And with her fingers, old and brown,
She plaited Mats o' Rushes,
And gave them to the Cottagers
She met among the Bushes.
Old Meg was brave as Margaret Queen,
And tall as Amazon:
An old red blanket cloak she wore;
A chip-hat had she on.
God rest her aged bones somewhere -
She died full long agone!
John Keats
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5.8.08
ABC Wednesday, C is for ....
Church House Farm
Church House Farm is one of the main buildings featured in the village conservation plan.
If you look at the gate to the right of the picture, this is the drive leading down to the village church.
The church drive was not in good repair, but following a generous donation and some funding we can now say we have a really improved access to the lovely church, St. Michael.
The village all helped prepare the grounds for the building work. Jon was quite happy on his sit on mower, helping to clear the churchyard.
The church is of particular archaeological importance.
A planned, medieval, upland village of probable 12th century date,
of which the Norman font, chancel arch and north doorway in the Church of St
Michael are the earliest ‘above ground’ evidence. All other remains lie
beneath the ground, wherein may lie evidence of even earlier prehistoric
settlement, sealed beneath medieval and later deposits.
At the north-east end of the village the Church of St Michael stands somewhat
detached from the core of the settlement. It is probable that the church was
founded by the lord of the manor and that its location related to the site of the
manorial complex rather than to the village.
(From Conservation Document)
The windows are particularly beautiful.
Our Church Warden, Geoff works very hard for the church. Geoff, although a retired farmer still makes his way, every day to the farm
Only last year did he have surgery to replace his hips. Up until then, being independent, he would walk the length of the village delivering the parich magazine. Now a group of us share the task.
Next to him, is Chris, his son.
As we arrive back home from our little walk round the village, the cows in the field opposite could be another C!
As many of you know, I am linking the poetry of George Skaife to my wanderings around the village for my ABC Wednesday, this week is no exception.
Wayside World 1
Come take a quiet evening stroll down a pleasant country lane
Into Nature's "Wayside World" a wild and wonderful domain
Within these wide grass verges often hidden from our view
We find wild blue forget me nots the yellow primrose touched with dew
Here white umbrella flowers sway on a sea of tall hedge parsley
Soft whusperings in the undergrowth of a stoat looking for the unwary
High above the wayside a kestrel hovers in the sky
In fear the timid creatures hide to escape it's eagle eye
Browsing in warm sunlight on the purple thistle's head
we see the colourful butterflies their fragile wings outspread
Scattered along the hedgerows standing tall in confusion
Foxglove and Rose=Bay Willow Herb with scarlet poppies in profusion
The beauty of a wild dog rose sweet honeysuckle's clinging vine
Shy violets hide their drooping heads where twisting stems entwine
From deep within these leafy bowers we hear the cheeful cries
of chaffinch, wren and blackbird their melodies fill the skies
Among these wayside flowers the constant hum of busy bees
Green dragonflies hang motionless in the warm soft summer breeze
Now as the twilight shadows fall on this peaceful countryside
We slowly homeward wend our way in the gentle hush of eventide
GWS 8.7.90
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24.4.08
Tonight, over the road!
A Photo a Day
6.30pm Thursday View from my study window
6.30pm Thursday View from my study window
All in the April evening,
April airs were abroad;
I saw the sheep with their lambs,
And thought on the Lamb of God.
Katharine Hinkson-Tynan
I always try to capture the moment for Skywatch Friday, and this was the moment tonight, the sheep and lambs belonging to our neighbour, Ronnie the farmer.
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