Come and visit Nosterfield local nature reserve, not far from Bedale.

I'm chuffed too - it's such a great word isn't it!
I'll download and listen whilst I'm on the night train to Venice next month, to set the scene.

I haven't needed to hand pollinate my lemon or mandarin trees for them to produce fruit. Like yours they're out in the summer and inside during the winter, here in North Yorkshire. I'll need to hand pollinate the apricot in my greenhouse later on- such a lovely meditative job.

I always look forward to hand pollinating my greenhouse apricot in late Feb/early March. Beautiful flowers with the promise of so much more loveliness to come.

And when the lay person says "isn't it a beautiful landscape?", and I think "mmm, but where is the wildlife?"

Do come and see us at Nosterfield nature reserve and the Thornborough Henges between Ripon and Bedale.

Rotter is the word, though I can think of some more appropriate modern ones too 😆. Clary is my favourite

Thank you, I missed that. I recently listened to the BBC production on Sounds, having also read the books. You'll love the whole series and how the characters change.

That's exciting news! Keep us posted please.

I spent 2 years from 1989 surveying all the pavements in the Yorkshire Dales for NCC and the Countryside Commission so the Limestone Pavement Orders could be made. Not a bad job!