vision
by a dreamer
Helmsley, England
In my imagination in the middle of sheep covered hills there is a town set around a market square. The market square has little shops – butcher, baker, cheese seller, cloth merchant, wool shop, tailor, candlemaker, household wares (or in this particular case, antique shop), barber, bookshop, fruit and vegetable sellers, clean public toilets and a picnic spot under some trees…..all within walking distance of each other and the village houses, each of which has its own abundant vegetable garden out the back.
We have found the village, the very one.
What I didn’t know, is it has a stream running through with stone bridges, and actually, speaking of stone – that’s the material all the buildings are made of (in my dream village, all structures were of natural renewable long-lasting resources – it just so happens that here that translates to yellow sandstone). There is also a church and a monument and the ruins of a magnificent castle complete with fantastic audio tour, special exhibition exploring the social, domestic and military aspects of the fortress and all sorts of hands-on displays, including a tactile model with braille text and puzzle pieces for littlies to recreate a mosaic floor and keys to turn in locks. Just up the hill is the miller (according to the sign on the side of the road), and on the outskirts of town (but still well within walking distance) is a carpark for tourists’ and locals’ cars and coaches and a well-patronised recycling station. In my village I wouldn’t erect a sign forbidding sleeping overnight in the carpark, but the parking warden assured us he would not be checking after he’d gone off duty and we could stay, so that is almost as good!
We are in Helmsley.
yes, we snaffled up some treasures in here
(including three *Just Williams*)
Best of all, is the knowledge that my idealistic dreams ARE actually a reality here, meaning “dreamer” is not necessarily a derogatory term!
I will continue to dream…..and pursue……
You can take a squiz at the castle if you like – we parked right next to it for the night. Sorry you can’t hear the audio commentary – it really was superb, and such an alive way to learn a whole heap of history.
Question: can someone enlighten us? I know what different grains look like once they’re off the plant and ready to be milled into flour, but not when they are still in the ground!What is this? Is it wheat? Rye? Barley? How can you tell the difference? And what about when it’s still green? We’d be most obliged to anyone who knows these things.
Time on the road: need to check Jboy13’s record!
Distance covered: 13km
Tags: 2008/09, food, history, housing, justice, postcard: England, toilet, tradition, transport
rayres
Oh to be in England…
Hi there – very impressed as always with Rivaulx etc. Only seen it from the Rivaulx Terraces (National Trust) i.e. looking down on it. Also your wonderful pics of Helmsley. Thanks!
Ref the cereals – rather difficult. I think the main photo is Barley (the head falls about three weeks before harvesting). The inset (I think) is Rye – browner that Barley and not nearly as common. There is also “Bearded” Wheat but I don’t think the head falls, or at least, not as far and the grains are fuller……………..Oats are easy!
Have you visited Durham Cathedral? Enormous Norman columns! Also the Farne Islands – by boat. You can walk amongst the birds, not too dangerous now but during the breeding season, keep your hat on as the Terns in particular dive on your head, arms etc. and can easily pierce ones flesh…(Not too far from where Dracula landed!)
All the best, Mike.
Wow what a blast from the past your blog is for me at the moment (you will notice the multiple comments as I browse backwards on your journal) I used to work at the Feversham Arms in Helmsley – its what paid my trip to New Zealand!
My guess is barley, purely because it reminds me of the barley fields here. I could be wrong though. I think wheat stands up straighter too.