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The Clerk in the Country
Friday 22nd September 2023 New neighbours During these last weeks of summer my nearest neighbours have been a pair of house martins, busily raising a family in the garage. It was a joy to watch their aerial skill as they …
The Clerk in the Country
Friday 1st September 2023 A noble newsletter? “Bring forth the horse!” – The horse was brought; in truth, he was a noble steed … These lines from Bryon’s Mazeppa, memorized in childhood, came to mind as I worked on our August …
The Clerk in the Country
Friday 11th August 2023 Bringing in the harvest (slowly) As I write, the regular thrumming of a combine harvester pervades the village. Behind the house, in what was once a field of oats there is now a tower of huge …
The Clerk in the Country
Friday 21st July 2023 Fast plants Before the present spell of showery weather set in, the first combine harvester was seen in action in a barley field nearby. The return of sunshine will see wheat, oats and rape being gathered, …
The Clerk at the Lodge
Friday 19th May 2023 A Tree of Knowledge In the opposite corner of the Museum Gardens to the Lodge, on high ground beside the Hospitium, a small orchard has been newly established. Among historic Yorkshire varieties of apple trees stands …
The Clerk in the Country
Friday 21st April 2023 Steam v Snow Not every remarkable performance by steam locomotives entered the record books. In the very severe winter of 1947 the Settle to Carlisle line was blocked several times by drifting snow filling the deep …
The Clerk in the Country
Friday 31st March 2023 The Other Famous Steam Train Since my last entry the Flying Scotsman has arrived at the National Railway Museum where for a few weeks visitors will be able to admire it at close quarters. I took …
The Clerk in the Country
Friday 10th March 2023 The Flying Smoke Cloud On February 24th railway enthusiasts celebrated the centenary of the Flying Scotsman beginning its working “life”. Probably the most famous steam engine in the world, those of us with just a general …
Two hundred years ago (approximately) …
Friday 24th February 2023 The continuing adventures of an American in York John James Audubon arrived in York on Sunday April 22nd 1827. The following morning started inauspiciously. After snow, rain, and mist, Audubon set out to deliver his letters …
Two hundred years ago (approximately) …
Friday 10th February 2023 An American in York Audubon’s Birds of America was one of the Society’s most prized possessions: sadly, our copy was sold in 1947 for £2,700 when the Society found itself in straitened circumstances. A copy was …
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