It's been a mixed week weather wise with some bright days and a fair bit of rain on Thursday night.  The steady thaw has continued despite pretty low temperatures and all we have left now of the deep snow covering lies in the gullies and wall edges on the fell sides.  The prolonged thaw has kept the river running clear and fast, just right for the salmon and trout redds that are now well established in the gravel beds all up the river.

And so Christmas and the shortest day are almost upon us with the tuning of yet another year only a few short weeks away.  It's possible to mark the passage of time here by the steady tick of village life.  Perhaps a better metaphor is to regard life here as a fabric with the warp composed of the fixed points of the social calendar that almost never vary.  In the deeps of winter most folk snuggle down by their fires and events are few, but come spring thoughts turn to the Gala at the beginning of June.  Then the village is alive with tourists, the pubs and cafe are busy and the roads are thronged with cars.  Late summer brings the Show which is a chance to compare how your garden has performed against others.  More often it's a case of seeing how well you have overcome the dismal weather to produce a few stunted veg.  Then comes harvest festival and the highlight of the year - the Parish Party!

We had this year's on Friday with the usual seasonal offering from the WI who despite ever dwindling numbers always manage to put on a production guaranteed to kick start the festive season.

Into this warp is woven the weft of an agricultural calendar that is equally predictable.  The cows are in in winter and need daily feeding and watering.  March brings the first flush of lambs which reaches its crescendo in April when the pastures become full of bouncing bundles of wool all busy learning how to be sheep.  July is haytime, so vital for winter feeding.  The shows are held throughout the summer and competition is fierce amongst farmers in the livestock classes.

Summer ends with the sales when the lambs go off to market, old yows are shed and new breeding stock bought in ready for the tupping season in October and November.  The pastures now are full of technicolour sheep all proudly bearing the badge on their backsides which is proof that they have been in season and visited by the tup.

So now we pause and wait just a short while for the evenings to lengthen and life to begin stirring the fabric of the valley once again.

Ian