One of my projects while I am “locked down” is to share on this website stories and illustrations from The Church Monthly dating back to 1892 owned by St Andrew’s Church, Aysgarth, and those from the Heritage Event held at that church in 2009.

From the Heritage Event there is  A Mothering Sunday story about a man who I believe remembered his mother in a most unusual way at Aysgarth church; and the Doctor’s Window.

The first from The Church Monthly (and there will be many more) is  Children’s Playtime early 1890s – with some fascinating illustrations like that above.

Mothering Sunday this year has been a day of prayer as together we face the Coronavirus pandemic. For more about how to share in worship even if in “self isolation” go to the Service page on the Penhill Benefice website.

When my son asked me to go into “self isolation” due to my age I was, I have to admit, quite angry at the thought of being labelled “old and vulnerable”. I have now moved into strict self-distancing and am very grateful to be surrounded by such a wonderful, supportive community. May we all learn how to care for each other and not to make a profit out of the need of others.

I have made a list of all the things I would like to do while I am “locked down”. It’s so long I don’t think I will do it all in four months!

It was sad to hear that the Festival of Food and Drink in Leyburn will no longer be held. It did help the Dales recover from the Foot and Mouth epidemic and we do owe a lot to those who founded it and the partnership which kept it running for so long. What will bring us out of the present crisis especially as so many other events, including the Swaledale Festival, have been cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic?

There have been some special moments recently – such as meeting with my friend, Carolyn Murray, and hearing all about her work with Immanuel Kindergarten in Yei (pronounced Yay).

Then there was the invitation from the Kennel Field Trust to myself and Penny Noake to take the places of our late husbands on its board of trustees. That was followed by an offer to plant trees in the memory of our husbands and also Mike Thomson in a corner of the Kennel Field. That field is already special to me as there is a bench there with my husband’s artwork engraved on it. So to me it’s “David’s bench”.

With each passing month I seem to miss David’s support more and more. There is an obituary about him with links to other posts including that about his volunteer work in The Gambia.

Our wedding at Countersett Meeting House on Saturday July 21 2018  made history as it was the first wedding at that Meeting House since 1841. Then we chartered The Albion for our wedding blessing – and were told later that it was probably the first time the wherry  had been involved in such an event. Do see my posts about our Quaker wedding (Parts One and Two) and the wedding blessing.

A very big thank you to all our family and friends who helped to make these two occasions so special for us. And now my thanks to those who are so supportive as I grieve the loss of a very special man. I am so grateful we did have 14 years together.

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For  over 20 years the Association of Rural Communities has been emphasising the  important role that farmers play in managing the beautiful countryside of the Dales. So it was delighted to hear members of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority also emphasising that at the Full Authority meeting on September 24.

This was emphasised even more at the Authority’s planning meeting on November 12 when members warned that the future of farming in the Dales was at stake. My report is a long one because I feel the debate was so important. Today we are in danger of forgetting that the beautiful Dales landscape which attracts so many visitors has been created and maintained by generations of local farmers.