I'm back after a lovely week by the beach

A lovely week renting a beach hut, or chalet as they're now called, in Scarborough; quite a lot of sun and lots of fun with my grandsons.

Enough of this self indulgence though. Monday evening was a Fairtrade meeting, the main topic was the Craft Fair that we are holding in September, we are going to showcase both Fairtrade and locally made crafts, more details later, but if you live locally please get in touch, (Malton and Norton in North Yorkshire). We discussed the usual things for an event like this, publicity, refreshments etc. http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/. We are also making progress on our own website, I'll give you the link as soon as it is up and running.

Tuesday was a Short Stop day, organised by LASSN lassn.pir2.info, no phone calls at all, by lunch time I actually rang my own mobile to check it was working, no problem there. So obviously either there were no destitute asylum seekers in the whole of Leeds, or the ones there were did not know how to access help, I do hope the former.

Coasties on Wednesday after two weeks off, http://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/, unusually we were working on the old alum works at Ravenscar with the National Trust, normally we work with them at the end of the month, thedms.discoveryorkshirecoast.com/thedms.aspx?dms=13&venue. Misty at first, then drizzle, then the sun came out, and in the old winding house where I was, the midges! Every year we scrape the weeds off the stone remains of the various buildings and every year they grow back. Although it is a back breaking task it is also very satisfying, once again the structure of the old workings shows up and the many visitors can see more clearly how it all worked. The winding house was where the mechanism that hauled the barrels of urine from London up from the beach was housed, you can still see some of the metal poles and bolts that held it all together.



Work in progress in the winding house



We leave the hart's tongue fern

The winding house finished, we all go to help rake up the cut grass from a large field above the alum works. We are using large wooden rakes and the scene, except for our clothes, could be from a Bruegel painting. To complete the bucolic comparison we are racing against the storm that is brewing overhead; all finished, we pile into the mini bus back to the road and our own cars. A few minutes later it is raining stair rods, but I am in the dry on my way home, another satisfactory task completed.

Watch the next blog for my retail experience in the Fairtrade shop in York, Fairer World.