In a delightful Yorkshire village, we are fortunate to have several craftsmen, each of exceptional merit in their own medium of metal, stone, or wood. An old village forge has been turned into a workshop where beaten copper trays and other metal wares may be seen or bought. Beside the beck, a heavy oak seat has recently been placed as a memorial to two former members of the village population.
Village Mason's Craft
Our war memorial tablet is the work of the village mason, who has lately decorated his own small garden with a miniature stone cottage roofed with clay pantiles and fronted by a low garden wall. This would make a delightful addition to a miniature rock and water garden tucked away in a corner in our nearest seaside town.
Pied Flycatchers Struggle to Nest
Pied flycatchers, which continue to multiply along the stream sides in the forest where boxes are provided, seem unable to establish themselves in or near the village. Last year, a pair built in a hole used previously by a nuthatch pair, but nothing came of their efforts. This year, a male has been singing hard at a box on the weeping willow in my own garden but has not yet been able to attract a mate. Another cock in a beech wood has secured a suitable hole in an elm, but he too is without a wife. This bird carries a coloured ring which shows that he was hatched last year in a box farther up the dale.
